Weekend Watch - November 2024 Recap

                Welcome back to the Weekend Watch where each week we take a look at a new piece of film or television media and give it a rating, review, and recommendation. This week, we’ve come to the end of another month and will be recapping the best new films released in the US in the month of November. As always, they’ll be categorized (Long Shots, Possible Things, and Sure Things) according to their likelihood of making it to this year’s twenty-five best films once it’s all said and done in March. November brought us the best offerings of the year so far, complete with strong animation entries, great blockbusters, some of the year’s biggest awards contenders, and even some decent indie films. Let’s get into it.

Long Shots:

Blitz: One of the most anticipated films of the year was Steve McQueen and Apple’s World War II anthology film about Londoners living through the German air assault. Now that it’s out, we know that it doesn’t quite live up to the hype, overextending itself by telling too many stories for any single one to connect impactfully with the audience. It’s still technically solid, and McQueen is a great filmmaker, so it still bears mentioning.

Emilia Pérez: Another of the much-anticipated films with awards potential that dropped this month, Jacques Audiard’s musical about a Mexican crime lord whose decision to live as a trans woman opens the potential for a new life finally landed on Netflix this month to a slew of mixed reviews. Early festival success hasn’t translated fully to the wider audience, and while it’ll still probably make waves with its strong performances, the content doesn’t ever hit hard enough to be a real deal come awards season.

The Piano Lesson: Netflix’s forays into the awards world this year seem particularly cursed with Malcolm Washington’s adaptation of August Wilson’s play landing with the weakest reception for an adaptation of the acclaimed playwright’s works so far. The performances look to still be making this a film worth watching, but it’s not the heavy hitter that Ma Rainey’s and Fences were.

Heretic: The Hugh Grant-led horror film about a Mormon mission gone wrong seems to have struck the right notes for a horror film. Unfortunately for it, there’s already been a slew of higher brow horror films to fill the year’s conversation about good horror. Even a strong turn from Grant as the villain might not break it into the final conversation.

Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point: One of the month’s early holiday films, this big family Christmas film about a teen trying to find her place in town and her family has starkly divided critics and fans. Critics love the film for its twisting of holiday tropes while audiences seem less than convinced. Check it out for yourself to see which side you come down on.

Gladiator II: Ridley Scott’s best film since The Martian (2015) sadly lacks the heart of its predecessor. Strong action and a solid Denzel performance elevate the film, but they can’t fully distract from the fact that it’s a less emotionally driven rehash of the 2000 Best Picture winner.

Joy: A Netflix film that has flown considerably under the radar this month is their film about the first “test tube baby”. Thomasin McKenzie, James Norton, and Bill Nighy form the trio of leads that have made this film a middling success with those who have seen it. Though it probably won’t make the biggest of waves, it should still find an audience with those who’ve enjoyed Netflix’s slew of films based on true stories over the past ten years.

Queer: Luca Guadagnino’s second film of the year and second collaboration with writer Justin Kuritzkes (Challengers and the “Potion Seller” YouTube video) hasn’t had quite the same level of crowd-pleasing success as their first collab. Everyone seems to agree that Daniel Craig gives the best performance of his career, but the film itself is a bit too out there and odd for people to have fully embraced it.

Possible Things:

Juror #2: Yet another “final” film from nonagenarian filmmaker Clint Eastwood had its limited theatrical release this month. The legal thriller about a juror who discovers an unexpected connection in his own life to the trial on which he serves seems to be the best film the director has put out in some time. Minimal support from WB Discovery and a slew of other excellent films this year will probably keep it outside of the conversation at the end of the day, but it sounds like a solid film for fans of the director.

A Real Pain: Jesse Eisenberg’s most acclaimed writing/directing outing landed this month in the form of his collaboration with Kieran Culkin (Succession) in their film about cousins who attend a Holocaust tour of Poland after the death of their grandmother. Culkin’s performance seems to be the standout, but the film also has legitimate shots at getting into the conversation for screenplay, lead actor, and picture.

Small Things Like These: Cillian Murphy is back at his indie work after his Oscar win last year, and his film about a man uncovering the secrets of his local convent has those who have seen it raving. It’s not the highest profile release of the month, but it’s certainly one of the most interesting for those tired of the underperforming awards hopefuls of 2024.

All We Imagine as Light: Payal Kapadia’s Indian romantic drama has long been considered one of the best international films this year, and it continues to hit the right notes with those who see it. Unfortunately, it’ll need to continue to rely on audience and critic love because politics have kept India from submitting it as their pick for Best International Feature, much like RRR before it.

The Seed of the Sacred Fig: While it initially looked to be running a distant second to Emilia Pérez for International Feature, the reviews of the film that got Mohammad Rasoulof exiled from his home nation of Iran remain incredibly strong, surging it to the front of the pack thanks to Germany’s decision to submit it for their nation. If you can find the film about a father struggling to hold his family together in Iran amidst external and internal unrest, it’s definitely worth checking out.

Sure Things:

Look Back: The anime film adaptation of the writer of Chainsaw Man’s more personal manga about two friends who syndicate a manga together in their adolescence before drifting apart in their post-school lives landed after a limited theatrical release this month on Amazon. It is fantastic, if a bit short, and everyone who has seen it tends to agree that it’s an all-timer, even if it gets zero love from any of the awards bodies.

Flow: The wordless Latvian animated film about a cat’s adventure after being displaced by a flood is currently one of the frontrunners to receive a nomination for Best Animated Feature this year. Between its unique and beautiful animation and fun concept that should impact the whole family, it’s easy to see why it stands here.

Wicked: Jon M. Chu’s film adaptation of the iconic musical’s first act arrived with incredible success this month, winning its first weekend at the box office, launching its stars into awards conversations, and thrilling audiences and critics alike. Expect to be hearing about this one for a while even beyond awards season, especially as fans begin to anticipate its second part next November.

Weekend Watch - October 2024 Recap

                Welcome back to the Weekend Watch where each week we take a look at a new piece of film or television media and give it a rating, review, and recommendation. This week, we’re taking a look back at the most acclaimed films released in the month of October. As always, we’ll be categorizing them by how likely they are to make this year’s list of the best films of the year – Long Shots, Possible Things, and Sure Things. This year, October gave us an early look at some of the top awards contenders ahead of November’s stacked slate, but there’s no reason to ignore the films of October, which contain Best Picture frontrunners, indie darlings, horror sleeper hits, and even a couple of solid documentaries. Let’s get into it.

Long Shots:

Piece by Piece: The Pharrell Williams biography documentary in LEGO animation dropped at the beginning of the month to decent returns from audiences and critics. It comes across as more of a puff-piece than comprehensive bio, though, so it’ll have to rely on its unique animation choices to get into the awards conversations when the year ends.

Saturday Night: The dramatization of the hour and a half leading up to the first episode of Saturday Night Live is a solid, if imperfect film. Audiences and critics are decently high on it, but it’s not changing the game of cinema as much as its subject changed the state of late-night television. Screenplay love could warrant it some staying power among the ranks of all-time films.

We Live in Time: While the Andrew Garfield/Florence Pugh romantic drama hasn’t pleased critics with its fairly formulaic approach to the nonlinear romance, audiences still resonate heavily with the excellent performances and grounded realism. It’s definitely one worth seeing even if it doesn't get quite as brave as it thinks it does.

The Apprentice: The Donald Trump biopic about the early days of his career in real estate and his introduction to Roy Cohn has gotten lots of love for the performances by Sebastian Stan and Jeremy Strong, but its lack of new insight into the deplorable character of the former president has held it back from reaching all-time heights.

The Last of the Sea Women: Apple’s documentary about South Korean female divers is one of the films that’s been mentioned as an outside contender for the year’s top documentary awards. Unfortunately, those who have seen it so far haven’t rated it quite as high as awards experts predicted, so it’ll stay here on the outside looking in until further notice.

Smile 2: The sequel to the horror hit of 2022 has seen even more success than its acclaimed predecessor. Audiences and critics both agree that it’s an improvement on the first film in almost every way. The only thing holding it back is its genre and nature as a sequel within that genre.

Woman of the Hour: Anna Kendrick’s directorial debut about a woman who accidentally chooses a serial killer on a dating game show (based on actual events by the way) has hit the right notes on Netflix. I’ve even seen reactions calling it one of the best films of the year so far. Unfortunately, audiences haven’t come down quite as collectively agreed on the film, so it’s on the outside.

Fanatical: The Catfishing of Tegan and Sara: Hulu’s documentary about the catfishing of fans of the indie rock group Tegan and Sara released on the streaming platform this month to solid critical responses. Audiences have been slightly less receptive to the critique of fandom that the film offers, and it’s not one of the highest films on most people’s list of great documentaries this year, but those interested in the story will probably find something to love.

Your Monster: Melissa Barrera might have been dropped from the Scream franchise, but that hasn’t kept her from continuing to prove herself as one of the biggest scream queens of the last 10 years, this time with a romantic comedy twist on the horror genre. The film about an aspiring Broadway actress who falls in love with the monster in her closet was one of the sleeper hits at Sundance this year.

Possible Things:

A Different Man: Sebastian Stan had a big month this October with a second award-worthy performance in this comedy thriller about a man who decides to change his facial features. It’s a fairly underground film, but the right campaign in the back end of the year could put it on enough people’s radars to make it one of the best of all time.

The Outrun: The Saoirse Ronan led film about a Scottish woman who returns home to rediscover herself has been on most awards people’s radar since it opened at Sundance this year. Ronan’s performance has been the primary focus of its celebration, though, as the pacing and story feel fairly familiar to those familiar with the subgenre. It’s solid, but I’m not sure if it’s got enough to have real staying power.

Blink: National Geographic’s documentary about a family taking a worldwide trip before their children lose their vision due to a rare genetic disorder can be found in theaters now ahead of a release on Disney+. Its emotional and scientific crossover feels oddly similar to NatGeo’s last successful documentary, Fire of Love, so don’t be surprised to see this one sticking around.

Exhibiting Forgiveness: Another under the radar gem from this month is Titus Kaphar’s film about a black artist reconnecting with his estranged, ex-addict father. The cast, led by André Holland, Andra Day, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, and John Earl Jelks should give this film more legs than it currently has. I wouldn’t necessarily expect to hear about it at any awards this year because of how undersold it’s been, but I do expect that you’ll enjoy it if you go to see it.

Conclave: One of this month’s two best picture contenders is Edward Berger’s film adaptation of Robert Harris’s fictional book about the election of a new pope. It’s unique blend of religion and political thriller has made it a huge success with audiences and critics. Ralph Fiennes’s lead performance and the supporting turns from Stanley Tucci, Isabella Rossellini, and John Lithgow also look to potentially land well at the big awards this season.

Memoir of a Snail: A highly limited release for one of the frontrunners for Best Animated Feature rolled out in the U.S. this month. The stop motion animated film about a hoarder reminiscing on her life does seem to be a solid addition to this year’s animated slate for those who have been lucky enough to see it. You’ll have to see it if you can find it near you and let me know.

Sure Thing:

Anora: The current Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay frontrunner started its slow rollout this month. Sean Baker’s heart pounding romantic dramedy about a sex worker who marries the son of a Russian oligarch has already been acclaimed by many as the best film of the year, and as it continues to broaden its net of theaters, it doesn’t seem to be losing any steam.

Weekend Watch - September 2024 Recap

                Welcome back to the Weekend Watch where each week we take a look at a new piece of film or television media and give it a rating, review, and recommendation. This week, we’re looking back at the films released in the month of September, highlighting the best films and rating them by their likelihood of being considered among the best films of the year and possibly even all time. As always, they’re categorized into Long Shots, Possible Things, and Sure Things. September has often been viewed as the soft kick-off of awards season with many films fresh off of runs at TIFF and Venice dipping their toes into the water. While the past few Septembers have felt more like false starts than true soft launches, September 2024 has given us a really solid slate of films that belong firmly in the conversation, even if they’ll inevitably be on the outside looking in, in addition to a strong slate of crowd-pleasers as well. Let’s get into it.

Long Shots:

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice: Already one of the highest grossing films of the year, Tim Burton’s legacy sequel has pleased audiences and critics without fully blowing them away. Strong production design might give this film the lift that its vaguely positive scores need to make it as a great.

Rebel Ridge: A refreshingly fresh take on the action/revenge genre from a streamer was this Aaron Pierre and Don Johnson led film from Netflix. While the story doesn’t necessarily stick the landing, it’s a solid action thriller that has outperformed expectations from both audiences and critics.

Transformers One: One of the worst ad campaigns I’ve seen in recent years for an animated film has delivered an underperforming box office for what is otherwise one of the best Transformers films since the first Michael Bay film. A great voice cast might not be enough to get this film into the all-time conversation as it faces off against a broad slate of great animated films, but it’s definitely worth checking out.

Speak No Evil: The mainstream remake of the recent international horror film has been a sensation in theaters, carried by another great performance from James McAvoy. It’s a horror film that doesn’t really seek to elevate anything about the genre, so don’t expect to hear its name among the awards films, but it still bears watching.

Rez Ball: Netflix has yet another sleeper hit basketball film on its hands with the Lebron James-produced film about a reservation basketball team from New Mexico banding together to overcome the loss of their star player to compete for a state championship. Anyone looking for a decent feel-good sports film will be pleased with this one.

Will & Harper: The timely documentary following Will Ferrell’s road trip across the U.S. with his friend Harper Steele and engaging in conversations with each other and the public about trans people. It’s a timely and emotionally engaging film whose reviews have inevitably faced the adversity of conservative review-bombing that it’ll have to overcome with some wins in the coming season to make the score.

Possible Things:

His Three Daughters: Netflix’s first true awards-bait film of the year is Azazel Jacobs’s film about three daughters dealing with the imminent death of their father. All three actresses – Carrie Coon, Natasha Lyonne, and Elizabeth Olson – give phenomenal performances that could warrant awards love in a less stacked year, but it’s a really excellent film regardless of its official recognition.

My Old Ass: The Aubrey Plaza and Maisy Stella starring film about a girl whose mushroom trip gives her the opportunity to meet her 39-year-old self. It has been heralded as one of the best comedies of the year that also carries some solid emotional weight as well and is definitely one to watch.

How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies: This dramedy from Thailand about a young man scheming on his grandmother’s fortune should be the country’s submission for Best International Feature this year, as many are calling it one of the year’s best, carrying emotional weight and telling an original story. If you can find it showing near you, you should check it out.

The Substance: Coralie Fargeat’s body horror commentary on media’s perception of female body image starring Demi Moore, Margaret Qualley, and Dennis Quaid has been one of the most unpleasant pleasant surprises of the year. The comedy, social commentary, and visceral images have all hit the right notes along with the performances from the leading ladies and their terrifying supporting man. It might be the film to overcome the genre bias at awards shows as well. We’ll see.

Sure Thing:

The Wild Robot: Pixar once again has a run for its money for the best animated film of the year in DreamWorks Animation’s adaptation of the children’s book. The animation, story, and characters all hit the perfect notes of a great film, and it’s earned this blog’s fourth “Sure Thing” certification of the year. Go see it if you haven’t already.

Weekend Watch - July and August 2024 Recap

                Welcome back to the Weekend Watch where each week we take a look at a new piece of film or television media and give it a rating, review, and recommendation. This week, we’re back after an extended hiatus with a look back at the best films released in July and August of this year. We’ll highlight the films that critics and audiences liked most in these months, categorizing them by their likelihood of making the year’s 25 best films – Long Shots, Possible Things, and Sure Things. The latter two-thirds of summer 2024 brought us a decent mix of films, some overhyped, some underappreciated, and others fully delivering on their promises, resulting in an acceptable if not overly noteworthy couple of months. Let’s get into it.

Long Shots:

MaXXXine: The highly anticipated conclusion to Ti West’s homage horror trilogy fell far short of the standard set by the first two in both the acting and horror department. It still stands a cut above many of the year’s horror offerings, but don’t expect it to suddenly break into the all-time greats conversation any time soon.

The Imaginary: Netflix’s new animated offering takes a look at the world of imaginary friends, a surprisingly popular theme this year, and the anime film seems to be passable but nowhere near the conversation for the film’s best animated films. If you enjoy the style or the concept, it’s probably worth checking out. Otherwise, it’s safe to say you can miss it.

Faye: Max’s documentary about Faye Dunaway is another in a long line of celebrity bio-docs that do great things for their subjects’ fans and little for the overall genre of documentary. If you love the illustrious star or would like to hear about her life from her own lips, it’s worth checking out, but don’t expect it to be called for any major awards at the end of the year.

Twisters: The “sequel” to the 90s disaster film delivered exactly as promised – a fun, hot, exhilarating look at storm chasers that mostly lives up to the legacy of the original and delivers some solid star power from Glen Powell and Daisy Edgar-Jones. It’s not much beyond that, but it’s definitely worth watching even if it won’t perhaps stand the test of time like the original has.

Skywalkers: A Love Story: The Netflix documentary about stunt acrobats climbing Malaysia’s tallest skyscraper to rekindle their career and relationship feels like it could make some noise as the year progresses, but its problematic protagonists and odd promotion of NFTs have held it back from achieving as highly as it could have.

Deadpool & Wolverine: Marvel Studios’ only theatrical release this year has had major box office and fan success, delivering on its promise of bringing R-rated superhero action to the MCU. Its excess of fan-service and shortness on plot have definitely held it back from reaching the highs of the former MCU, but it’s still a solid outing that bodes well for the upcoming slate.

Cuckoo: The psychological horror film starring Hunter Schafer that was highly anticipated by the internet, particularly Ayo Edebiri, has delivered on its promise of a fun, twisty, if not always incredibly scary indie horror film. It takes some big swings that not every audience has loved equally, but it might be your cup of tea.

War Game: It’s a documentary about US officials simulating a response to a coup, which might hit a bit too close to home in this year’s political climate with January 6, 2021, still very much in the public’s mind, but it seems to be well-made and interesting. Its subject matter might be too divisive to be an immediate great, but it might find the right audience and last for a while.

Alien: Romulus: Director Fede Alvarez’s take on the iconic sci-fi/horror series has brought it back to its more grounded roots and found a strong audience with critics and fans alike. Though its lack of truly original ideas and controversial inclusion of a highly altered version of deceased actor Ian Holm have held it back from the heights of the originals.

My Penguin Friend: A feel-good, indie, based-on-a-true-story film about a fisherman who rescues a penguin from an oil spill will obviously fly well under the radar. Nevertheless, those who have seen it have been generally positive about it, and it’s always fun to get to see Jean Reno in a film even if it’s one that few people will watch.

Blink Twice: Zoë Kravitz’s directorial debut has outperformed most expectations for it with praise for her directorial vision and the performances of leads Naomi Ackie and Channing Tatum. It’s nowhere near perfect, and some heavy comparisons to other films (Get Out and Saltburn especially) have held it back in the story department, but it’s still a fun intro for Kravitz to directing.

Between the Temples: The Bat Mitzvah indie comedy starring Jason Schwartzman and Carol Kane has some serious Golden Globe potential, especially with its strong critical reception. It sounds like the humor might be a bit more niche, resulting in some mixed audience reviews, but it might be a film worth checking out if that sounds up your alley.

Possible Things:

Longlegs: A serial killer/supernatural horror film from Osgood Perkins (son of Anthony Perkins of Psycho) starring Maika Monroe and Nicolas Cage has been the breakout hit of the summer. Its convoluted third act has left some viewers less than thrilled, but its story and star power might get it into the conversation at the end of the year.

Didi: A 2000s semi-autobiographical coming-of-age story about a Taiwanese American boy sounds like the ideal film for indie film fans, and it certainly sounds like its found that target audience. Many have it sitting on the cusp of Oscar nominations for screenplay and for the supporting performance of Joan Chen as Chris’s mom. It sounds like it might be one of the best films of the year if audiences keep loving it like they have.

Kneecap: The first official submission for Best International Feature to get a wide release in the U.S. has come from Ireland this year with Rich Peppiatt’s film about Irish-language rappers working to revive the use of the language in the wide sphere. Audiences and critics alike agree that it’s a real hit, and most expect it to be on the list of Oscar nominees at the end of the year.

Daughters: Netflix’s legitimate Oscar contender in the documentary category is Daughters, which looks at a father-daughter dance between incarcerated men and their daughters in Washington, D.C. It lives in a topical space and has been a hit with those who have watched it so far. If it’s a topic that interests you, I’d definitely recommend giving it a shot.

Strange Darling: The serial killer indie thriller from J.T. Mollner ends up being the biggest surprise of August, opening to near-unanimous critical acclaim and similar takes from fans. Some have taken issue with the potentially problematic interpretations of the film’s themes, especially seeing as it was written by a man, taking on issues of gender norms, but it sounds like a relatively unique film worth checking out if the genre is up your alley.

Sure Things:

Sing Sing: The current frontrunner for Best Picture finally expanded its theatrical run this past month and continues to hit the right mark with audiences. Anyone who doesn’t categorize this as one of the best films of the year (and possibly of all time) must have watched a different film than I did because it is phenomenal and certainly lives up to the hype.

Weekend Watch - May 2024 Recap

                Welcome back to the Weekend Watch where each week we take a look at a new piece of film or television media and give it a rating, review, and recommendation. This week, we’re looking back at the films released in the month of May and letting you know which ones have the best chance of making it on this blog’s list of the Greatest Films of All Time. As always, they’ll be categorized by likelihood, with Long Shots being films still worth checking out but that need a big boost from either extended theater time, awards, or both to have a shot at making it, Possible Things being the films that are already building steam toward the success that they need to cement themselves in the long term, and Sure Things being those instant classic films that have already secured their spot in cinematic history. So far in 2024, we’ve had only one Sure Thing, and May won’t be changing that. Some solid above-the-line films mark this as a mildly better May than last year, but it’s still nowhere near the hit-churning month that it was in the 2010s, with most films either flopping with critics, audiences, the box office, or all three more often than they don’t. Still, there’s a decent offering of films released this month that you may already have seen or that you might have missed. Let’s get into it.

Long Shots:

Turtles All the Way Down: It’s a John Green adaptation, so of course it’s going to be alright. This one also features rising star Isabela Merced and explores themes of mental health, so don’t let its debut on Max keep you fully down on it. It’ll probably please the younger audiences more than the wide public, but it’s still one worth keeping on your radar.

The Contestant: This is one of the more fascinating documentaries I’ve heard of in recent history, chronicling a year-long experiment(?) where a Japanese gameshow contestant stayed in a single room with no clothes on, filling out magazine sweepstakes to receive his food and clothing. Hulu has it, and apparently, it’s not too bad if not that groundbreaking either.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes: Success at the box office seems to be a given for the Apes franchise at this point, even if this distant sequel looks to be hitting audiences and critics more closely to Rise than Dawn or War. The visual effects and stunts could be enough to overcome its slight critical deficit and get it fully there.

Babes: This indie comedy about motherhood and friendship starring Ilana Glazer and Michelle Buteau seems to have found its niche. Fans and critics are in agreement that it’s a solid film, both funny and poignant. It certainly looks to be a film more for the girls than the whole crowd, but don’t let that keep you away.

Jim Henson: Idea Man: Ron Howard’s documentary about the mind behind the Muppets landed on Disney+ after opening at Cannes, and it’s again proving that the audiences want more of the Muppets. Critics are more middling on the doc, but it’s got a shot with its fairly beloved topic to make a run.

The Blue Angels: Amazon’s documentary about the iconic stunt performers and their training regimen released this month and looks to be doing alright with its target audience. If this is something that interests you, it’s probably worth checking out, but don’t expect it to be on any lists at the end of the year.

The Beach Boys: Disney’s documentary about the classic boy band celebrates their impact on culture and music, so it’s been a hit with fans. The upbeat, all-good vibes of the doc have kept critics from being as high on it, but don’t let that keep you from giving it a shot.

Young Woman and the Sea: This film looks to be Disney’s answer to last year’s Nyad, starring Daisy Ridley as the first woman to swim the English Channel. Audiences are certainly higher on it than they were on Nyad, but critics are saying basically the same thing. Sports biopics tend to have some legs in awards season, though, and Ridley has certainly earned some sympathy in Hollywood in the past few years, so it’s still got a shot.

Possible Things:

The Fall Guy: As the film that’s working to reinvigorate the world’s and Hollywood’s appreciation of stunts and stunt men, its middling box office achievement and slightly above average reviews have this fun action rom/com sitting a little lower than it probably should be to have a legitimate chance, but Gosling and Blunt tend to have some mojo, so it’s not fully out of it.

I Saw the TV Glow: A24’s first little hit of the year comes in the form of the 90s TV nostalgia trip from Jane Schoenbrun, starring Justice Smith and Brigette Lundy-Paine. Critics are in awe of the film’s visuals and aura, even if audiences are a bit more divided on how much this film ends up being style over substance.

Evil Does Not Exist: Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s latest film released in the U.S. this month after having wide festival success last year. His exploration of gentrification and environmentalism sparked a lot of conversation among critics last year, and it’s possible that he’ll get the nod from Japan as its submission for the International Feature Oscar this year.

We Grown Now: A hit from last year's Chicago Film Festival and TIFF, this coming-of-age tale set in Chicago’s public housing in the 1990s opened across the U.S. this month. The film has been a hit with those who have seen it, so you might as well join them and find it where you can.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga: Though not as critically or financially successful (Fury Road was also technically a box office flop) as its predecessor, Furiosa still looks to be the best overall film from this month, as its technical prowess already has plenty of people buzzing about its awards potential at the end of the year.

Weekend Watch - April 2024 Recap

                Welcome back to the Weekend Watch where each week we take a look at a new piece of film or television media and give it a rating, review, and recommendation. This week, we have come to the end of another month of movies and have a few to recap. As always this is a recap of the most universally acclaimed films of the month, categorized by their likelihood of making it onto this blog’s list of the Greatest Films of All Time. Those with the hardest road ahead of them will be classified as long shots, those with a strong chance will be classified as possible things, and those that are already instant classics will be classified as sure things (we don’t have any of those this month). April matches the Aprils of years past with a few possible contenders for end of the year awards that will most likely lose steam by the time we actually get there alongside a solid slate of creative B-movies that look like they’ll earn cult classic status for one reason or another. Let’s get into it.

Long Shots:

Monkey Man: Written, directed, edited, and acted by Dev Patel, the action thriller serves as one of the best “Long Shots” in a while. Offering action sequences inspired by other action greats and a story that is relatively topical, it won over audiences and critics, just not a high enough rate to turn it into an instant classic.

The First Omen: Horror films are always a tough sell, especially when they’re the sixth film in a franchise, but this one seems to have pleased audiences and critics in ways that so many horror films and sequels haven’t. It’s still not universally beloved, but the fact that it’s had anywhere close to positive reviews warrants a mention here.

Scoop: Netflix has been having success with dramas about the royal family, and though their dramatization of the BBC interview with Prince Andrew about his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein might not reach the prestige and quality of The Crown, it’s still gained enough traction to be a slight improvement on some of their other biographical outings of late.

The Long Game: It’s a feel-good sports movie with Dennis Quaid about Mexican-American caddies making their own golf course in South Texas, of course it’ll do alright with critics and audiences. It won’t win awards, and it won’t change a whole lot in the grand scheme of cinema, but I bet your parents will watch this on-demand in a few months and ask you if you’ve seen it.

Sasquatch Sunset: The wordless adventure comedy about a family of sasquatches, starring Jesse Eisenberg and Riley Keogh seems to have a bit too much gross-out humor to have any kind of serious mainstream success, but it’s pleased enough audiences and critics that it’s status as a cult classic seems almost guaranteed at this point. It definitely won’t be the film that everyone loves, though, if its split audience ratings are any indication.

The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare: Guy Ritchie’s latest foray into historical unsung heroes has seen a similar level of success to his film The Covenant from last year – audiences seem to really enjoy it, but critics don’t fully agree. It’s a solid action film, but as I said in my review, it lacks a bit of punch in the ending.

Abigail: The vampire/slasher/survival horror film about a group of criminals trapped in a house with a child vampire ballerina looks to have found its target audience despite giving the twist away in its trailers. Audiences have given this consistently positive reviews, and critics aren’t entirely down on it, so it’s got a shot at something close to cult status if it can stand the test of time.

Unsung Hero: I can’t tell if Christian cinema has finally figured out how to make better movies or all the Christian movies are getting reverse review bombed, but this film about the family that spawned the artists Rebecca St. James and For King & Country has been a hit with audiences so far. Critics still aren’t super high on it, but if you liked the Jeremy Camp film or the MercyMe film, you’ll probably like this one too.

Possible Things:

Civil War: Though Alex Garland’s latest is certainly no Ex Machina, it seems to be performing more consistently well with critics and audiences than Men or Annihilation, so we could be seeing a return to form from the acclaimed writer/director even as he’s announced his retirement from directing. The film about a group of journalists traveling across a war-torn America has received praise for the acting from lead Kirsten Dunst, for its sound design, and for its excellent use of tension throughout, making it a potential long-shot candidate for the awards it needs later on in the year to get fully over the hump.

Challengers: Luca Guadagnino continues to show with each film he puts out that he knows how to make people look hot in any situation and how to pull some phenomenal performances from them in the process. His tennis love triangle film looks to be his best mainstream success as well, and despite an early release date, it might have enough steam to make it through to some awards shows at the end of the year to bolster its already highly positive reviews.

Weekend Watch - March 2024 Recap

                Welcome back to the Weekend Watch where each week we take a look at a new piece of film or television media and give it a rating, review, and recommendation. This week, we’ve reached the end of another month of films, and it’s time to look back at the month’s most acclaimed releases. As always, they’ll be categorized by likelihood of making the blog’s list of films – Long Shots, Possible Things, and Sure Things. March certainly wrapped the first quarter of 2024 up on a higher note than it started on, but the slate of films still doesn’t hold a candle to last year’s films and sorely missed the two films that were postponed from the last week of releases – Bong Joon Ho’s Mickey 17 and Beyond the Spider-Verse. Regardless, there were still some solid films worth checking out, so let’s get into it.

Long Shots:

Cabrini: A surprise biopic hit about a nun who worked to improve the lives of people living in poverty in New York City in the late 19th century has seen lots of success with audiences since its release. It’s from the screenwriter of last year’s Sound of Freedom, so take that how you will, but audiences seem to have enjoyed it so far.

Arthur the King: The fact that this film has anything near positive reviews comes as a huge surprise to me, personally, considering the double negative of Mark Wahlberg and a dog movie, but it’s overcome the odds to please audiences fairly consistently. Critics haven’t been quite as on board, but it still bears mentioning.

Snack Shack: From the director of 2020’s cult classic Dinner in America comes a summer coming-of-age film, set at a pool snack shack in the summer of 1991. Co-leads Conor Sherry and Gabriel LaBelle have been on quite a few rising star lists, and the film has gotten better than average reviews from both audiences and critics, so keep an eye out for it if you can find it.

One Life: This Holocaust film starring Anthony Hopkins definitely flew under the radar with the massive success of The Zone of Interest, but it tells yet another story that has yet to be seen and bears checking out. Between Hopkins’s leading role and the generally positive reviews from critics and audiences, it should be one worth watching.

The Beautiful Game: Netflix released a film about the “homeless world cup” this month, starring Micheal Ward and Bill Nighy, which piques my interest enough to check it out. Average audience and critic reviews have me thinking that it won’t do too much beyond this month, but it might surprise and become a sleeper like Nyad.

Possible Things:

Problemista: I feel like I’ve been seeing trailers for Julio Torres’s A24 film about an immigrant seeking a renewal on his work visa while working as an artist in NYC for almost a year now. The film that stars Torres and Tilda Swinton finally got a wide release in theaters this month to solid reviews from critics and audiences. With A24’s ever-widening slate of releases, I don’t know that it’ll be able to churn up the love necessary to pull the awards love it’ll need to stand the test of time, but I’m sure you’ll still find plenty to love about it.

Love Lies Bleeding: The lesbian crime thriller with Kristen Stewart and Katy O’Brian has mostly lived up to the hype by offering a strong crime film that tells a unique story that has pleased those who have gone to see it so far. It’s still an indie film, so making it “big” might or might not be in the cards, but it’s certainly worth checking out.

Frida: Animated documentaries have been becoming more and more the norm in the past couple of decades, and one from Amazon about the iconic artist Frida Kahlo feels like an inevitability now that it’s come out. Those who have seen it seem positive on it and its treatment of Kahlo and her work, so I can certainly recommend it if you’d like to check it out.

La Chimera: Quietly a festival darling across most of last year, this film failed to get any kind of wide release in the U.S. until just this weekend, but the Josh O’Connor-led film about archaeologists and the black market of historical artifacts still seems to be hitting the right notes with those who have seen it. If it’s showing in your area, give it some love because it certainly deserves its day in the sun.

Late Night with the Devil: I have mixed feelings about this one. On the one hand, we’re getting a lot of love for David Dastmalchian as a leading man and a cool indie horror film, both of which are good things. On the other hand, the filmmakers used AI art in their production design, which steals both the work of actual online artists and jobs from potential production artists as well, which is a bad thing and something we can’t excuse at any level of filmmaking. Still, it has gotten solid reviews, so maybe it’s worth checking out for free at some point.

Sure Thing:

Dune: Part Two: As the best film of the year so far and one of the best sequels of all time, there’s no real question that this film will be sticking around ‘til the end of the year. Between the Stilgar memes, Denis interviews, and rave reviews from Steven Spielberg, it’s hard to deny what this film has already accomplished and most likely will continue to do. If you haven’t seen it yet, there’s a guy on Twitter who’s watched it twenty times already to make up for that, but you probably should check it out.

Weekend Watch - January/February 2024 Recap

                Welcome back to the Weekend Watch where each week we take a look at a new piece of film or television media and give it a rating, review, and recommendation. This week, we’re looking back at the first two months of film releases in 2024, highlighting those that have a shot at making it on this blog’s list of Greatest Films of All Time. As always, they’ll be categorized into Long Shots, Possible Things, and Sure Things (spoiler alert: there’s no sure things so far this year). These first couple of months have been perhaps the most dismal in recent history in terms of putting out anything that lives up to its hype or even that overperforms against expectations. The best films of January and February were the wide releases of films from the 2023 slate, and so far, there’s only three films legitimately worth mentioning with actual 2024 release dates. Everything else has either underperformed, divided audiences, or just been legitimately bad. Hopefully the rest of the year gets better. Let’s get into it.

Long Shots:

The Greatest Night in Pop: Netflix’s documentary about the making of the iconic song “We Are the World” gets the year’s slate of music documentaries kicked off with a solid start, hitting the right notes with audiences and receiving positive, if strained, reviews from critics. If you like the music from that era or just music history in general, this’ll be up your alley.

Scrambled: The year’s first legitimate sleeper hit is a comedy about a woman who decides to freeze her eggs as she continuously finds herself as the bridesmaid and never the bride. Written by, directed by, and starring Leah McKendrick, the film has been a solid hit among critics and its target audience and has now become a topical film as well, so don’t count it out.

Orion and the Dark: The first film from Netflix’s animation department boasts the writing of Oscar winner Charlie Kaufman, and that’s been reflected in the response. The more mature themes have made it hit or miss with audiences expecting an easygoing kids’ movie based on the art and promotion, but critics have been fairly positive on it. Director Sean Charmatz has so far done Netflix’s animated specials, but this puts him solidly in the right direction for future animated endeavors.

Possible Things:

Society of the Snow: J.A. Bayona’s adaptation of the true story about the survivors of a plane crash in the Andes in the 1970s released on Netflix ahead of awards season. Critical and audience acclaim combined with a few awards nominations make this the best film of the year so far, but it’ll need to pull a serious upset to cement itself as a film with true staying power.

Origin: Director Ava DuVernay consistently tackles topical and challenging subjects, and her adaptation of Isabel Wilkerson’s book Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents is no different. Since its wide release this year, its ratings have continued to climb among its audience. Quiet press tours and the late release have unfortunately left it out of awards conversations, but if it continues to improve its ratings, it’s not all the way out.

Weekend Watch - December 2023 Recap

                Welcome back to the Weekend Watch where each week we take a look at a new piece of film or television media and give it a rating, review, or recommendation. This week, we are putting the final bow on 2023 in film by recapping the best releases of the month of December. These films are the ones with the highest likelihood of making this blog’s list of Greatest Films of All Time, categorized into Long Shots, Possible Things, and Sure Things. December really wrapped 2023 up with a bang, giving us some truly great films across many categories, living up to the hype for its blockbusters, indie films, and awards-bait alike. What a way to wrap up arguably the best year in film this decade! Let’s get into it.

Long Shots:

Maestro: Bradley Cooper’s Leonard Bernstein biopic hit wide release on Netflix this month, and now that everyone’s seen it, the director’s style hasn’t quite hit everyone’s sensibilities the same way. It continues to receive recognition in the form of award nominations, but wins and high ratings are few and far between for the stuffed, frenetic, auteur-esque film.

Eileen: The Anne Hathaway, Thomasin McKenzie vehicle about the relationship between co-workers at a prison facility from NEON hasn’t quite had the universal acclaim that it would have needed to launch itself into the awards races. Critics seem fairly positive on the film, particularly the performances of the two actresses, but fans are deeply divided with most that I’ve seen complaining about the inconsistent pacing and middling writing of the film’s back half.

Wonka: All Paul King does is make wholesome hits, and this is yet another. Its box office success has already surpassed both Paddington films even if its critical success hasn’t (most likely a result of comparison to the existing IP). Its technical prowess and continued run in theaters might just be enough to elevate it to greatness, but don’t necessarily hold your breath. It’s still a really good film, though.

Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget: This is one of those films that begs the question of “Why?”, and I don’t necessarily have an answer. Netflix has this one on its slate of possible Best Animated Picture nominees that inevitably lose to either Spider-Verse or The Boy and the Heron, and its middling reviews with both critics and fans don’t have me optimistic about its chances. It’s still here because of that outside shot, though.

Ferrari: Michael Mann had a run of three films in the 1990s that made it as both “dad hits” and “critical successes”, and everyone’s been waiting for his next hit since then. By the look of things, Ferrari is no Heat or even Last of the Mohicans, but its high-octane race sequences and the performance of Penelope Cruz might be enough to elevate him back to greatness here.

Possible Things:

May December: Todd Haynes is back with another unsung hit in the Natalie Portman, Julianne Moore, and Charles Melton film loosely based on the predatory relationship between Mary Kay Schmitz Letourneau and Vili Fualaau. Its topical nature, excellent performances, and unique Todd Haynes style all make it prime for all-time greatness, but not everyone agrees fully with me on that, so it sits needing some awards love to get there.

American Fiction: The winner of TIFF’s Audience Award has been rolling out its release for a few weeks now, and the more people see it, the more its potential as a Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Screenplay spoiler becomes more cemented. Cord Jefferson has turned satire into something that is easily consumable with the help of Jeffrey Wright and the rest of his stellar cast. Assuming it keeps getting the love it has so far, this is one of the more solid Possible Things from December.

The Iron Claw: A24 goofed dropping this one as late in the year as they did. If this film came out three months earlier, it’s sitting as a sure thing, in contention in multiple categories above and below the line. As it stands, it’s still one of the highest rated films of the year by fans and has solid reviews from critics as well. Some surprise love from BAFTAs or Oscars would certainly cement this one in place, but I currently expect it to be just below the cusp when new films get entered in.

The Color Purple: Blitz Bazawule’s remake of the classic musical has hit the notes that it needs to be in contention for a spot among the greats. Unfortunately, some of the creative choices seem to have held the film back from being universally acclaimed, and it looks like it might even be slipping out of Best Picture contention. Even so, the acting and technical love that the film is receiving might still be enough to put it over.

Sure Things:

Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé: 2023 was the year of the concert film, and Beyoncé brought it all home with her documentary about the Renaissance tour. Fans, critics, and box offices have loved the superstar’s film, and it brings the year home in style.

Godzilla Minus One: Japan’s latest Godzilla film continues to show how much better the country’s filmmakers are at making kaiju films with some actual substance. Its box office success and success with critics are just the icing on the cake for this film, which might now have a shot at an Oscar nomination for its visual effects as well.

The Boy and the Heron: Miyazaki’s “final” (it sounds like he’s making another one, but you won’t hear that in the news again until after awards season) film opened in the U.S. in December and has scratched the itch for so many of his fans. Its win at the Golden Globes might be a portent of even more love to come, and it really is nice to have the filmmaker back in the saddle.

Poor Things: While its controversial subject matter has brought out some very strong opinions from quite a few on Filmstagram and Film Twitter, overall, the film has been a hit with audiences and critics. From Emma Stone’s leading performance to the creative costume and production design to the direction of Yorgos Lanthimos, this film remains the most unique offering from the year’s Best Picture contenders.

All of Us Strangers: While it’s not out in every theater, the British drama about memory, love, and grief continues to hit highs with everyone who sees it. Andrew Scott gives what is reportedly one of the best performances of the year, and the film looks to contend for Best Picture at the BAFTAs and maybe even pull some upsets at the Oscars if it’s lucky.

Weekend Watch - November 2023 Recap

                Welcome back to the Weekend Watch where each week we take a look at a new piece of film or television media and give it a rating, review, and recommendation. This week, we have come to the end of another month of films and will be recapping the most noteworthy releases of the month. They’ll be categorized by their likelihood of making it onto this blog’s list of the Greatest Films of All Time and cementing themselves in cinematic history: Long Shots are those with the toughest road ahead of them, noteworthy for their support from either critics or audiences or for their awards potential but struggling in at least one of those other spots; Possible Things are films that have done a bit better for themselves, earning above average marks from critics and audiences but not quite to a level of “all-time” greatness, and Sure Things are films that need no extra help to cement themselves in history (though they most likely will receive some awards love too). November brought a host of highly anticipated films to theaters and streaming services, but outside of one legitimate success and a few surprise overachievers, the month underperformed overall, leaving us with a decent showing of films but very little in terms of legitimate staying power. Let’s get into it.

Long Shots:

Nyad: This Netflix biopic of distance swimmer Diana Nyad probably stands the best chance of making it out of this category thanks to the strong performances of its two leading ladies – Annette Bening in the titular role and Jodie Foster as her coach Bonnie Stoll – but its formulaic delivery of its real-life story has landed it solidly in the just okay range of both audience and critic scores, so we’ll see.

Sly: Documentaries about Hollywood actors have abounded this year, particularly ones released by Netflix, and I think we’re starting to see an oversaturation take place. This one about the life and career of Sylvester Stallone sounds like one sure to please his fans but that might not have a wide enough fan base to experience the larger success it’ll need to overcome very average critical reception.

The Killer: David Fincher’s latest thriller was one of the year’s most anticipated, but it has landed with a plop rather than a splash in its brief theatrical run and then on its Netflix release. The slow-burn character study of a hired killer looking to maybe get out of the game and get back at those who wronged him has left everyone praising Fincher’s direction but a bit frustrated with the overall film for its slowness and lack of compelling character development.

Thanksgiving: On the other hand, Eli Roth’s holiday slasher is a film that has outdone its expectations, receiving mildly above average audience reviews for the return of classic slasher tropes and fun tongue-in-cheek humor. Will it actually have any staying power beyond the usual cult followings of slasher films? Probably not, but never say never.

Saltburn: Emerald Fennell’s sophomore feature has received the Babylon treatment from critics, deeming it too shocking to be “great”. Whatever. Its Metacritic score of 60 and Tomatometer of 71% mean that its chances of rising much higher on this blog’s list are slim-to-none, but don’t let that stop you from seeing this wild romp through the aristocracy of Britain.

Rustin: Another based-on-a-true-story performance-driven biopic from Netflix that has even slimmer chances of lingering on. Odd tonal choices and an underwhelming third act have left this well-acted film fairly far down on many people’s lists of the year’s best films, and I don’t see Colman Domingo elevating the whole thing by himself – even as phenomenal as his performance is.

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes: The adaptation of Suzanne Collins’s prequel novel has managed to hit the perfect note with audiences, earning it a top-25 box office this year and surprisingly solid reviews from fans. Even with a lack of matching support from critics, this film has something going for it that makes it worth checking out.

Napoleon: Oh look, another biopic. It’s almost like formulaic biographical films just don’t hit like they did in the 1990s and 2000s or something. Ridley Scott, Joaquin Phoenix, and Vanessa Kirby being attached to this film keep it at very long odds of rising above, but with three other films just from this year that are based on true stories from the past with great production design, it’s hard to see this historical epic breaking through.

Possible Things:

Fremont: Probably one of the most indie films of the year, this black and white film about an Afghan former translator now working at a fortune cookie factory in the U.S. landed on streaming this month after some very limited theatrical runs. The small amount of audience and critic reviews have been positive, but I don’t know that it’s enough to bring it to the attention of the right people to elevate above the hump that so many decent indie films face when trying to make it as all-timers.

Priscilla: Sofia Coppola’s unique style helps the Priscilla Presley biopic rise above the rank and file, and Cailee Spaeny’s leading performance definitely doesn’t hurt either. Down the road, I won’t be at all surprised if this film’s audience reviews rise much higher than they currently are, but the current Elvis Presley love has hurt its ratings, as it doesn’t paint the rockstar in nearly as positive a light as his biopic last year did. Still, there’s an outside shot it makes it already this year.

Dream Scenario: The comedy horror about a man who finds himself becoming a dream celebrity when everyone seems to be dreaming about him at night might be too wacky to earn the awards love that it’ll need to get from the quality film to all time greatness status. Nicolas Cage as the leading man certainly helps its chances, as does the distribution by A24, so don’t count it all the way out.

Radical: The Sundance hit, starring Eugenio Derbez, about a Mexican schoolteacher looking to improve his students’ experience by radical means has finally hit theaters (at least in my area), and the reviews are staying strongly positive. Unfortunately, with Mexico backing Tótem as its entry for International Feature at awards shows this year, I don’t see it getting enough attention to raise it out of its general anonymity at the moment.

American Symphony: The Netflix documentary about musician Jon Batiste has already landed in many conversations as a frontrunner for the year’s biggest documentary awards, and with Batiste as the subject and Matthew Heineman (Cartel Land) as the director, I can see why. Since its release on Netflix, the audience and critic reviews have been just above average, so it’ll need that awards love to make it a must-see for most moviegoers.

Sure Things:

The Holdovers: The month’s only sure thing is also its best performer, hitting all the notes it was expected to, earning a place on many viewers’ lists of must-watch holiday films going forward. Alexander Payne’s film about a schoolteacher and his troubled student who stay for the Christmas holiday at their boarding school with the school’s head cook in 1970. The combination of strong performances, original story, and throwback visuals make this a must-see and a potential award favorite this year.

Weekend Watch - October 2023 Recap

                Welcome back to the Weekend Watch where each week we take a look at a new piece of film or television media and give it a rating and review. This week, we are looking back at the films released in the month of October, recapping those of note that have a shot at making their way onto this blog’s list of Greatest Films of All Time, categorized by likelihood into three groups – Long Shots, Possible Things, and Sure Things. October has been the first month where we’ve really felt the impact of the film delays brought about by the SAG and WGA strikes that are happening because production studios refuse to pay fair wages and provide proper benefits to their employees, bringing an abbreviated slate of films but a decent one that has at least a few films worth seeing ASAP and others worth keeping an eye on. Let’s get into it.

Long Shots:

Totally Killer: Amazon’s time travel slasher kicked the month off with a bit of a bang in the real of horror, leaning into the self-aware tropes that has permeated the subgenre of late with decent success. It’s probably not going to win any awards, but it’s always nice to have another decently solid slasher to add to the yearly watch.

The Royal Hotel: The indie thriller about Americans backpacking through Australia, starring Julia Garner and Jessica Henwick, has all the makings of a cult classic. It’s done solidly with critics and has divided audiences. It’s flying far enough under the radar that I don’t expect to see it suddenly rising in any of its ratings or awards odds, but there’s always a chance.

Last Stop Larrimah: Max’s crime documentary about an Australian town of eleven residents has landed to some minor amount of buzz. It lives in an interesting niche that might do enough for it to gain some awards recognition later this year, which it will need to improve upon its currently just average audience reviews.

Fair Play: Netflix’s marital drama/thriller has been lurking on the edge of people’s list of anticipated films and long-shots for awards all year. Now that it’s here, the Phoebe Dynevor/Alden Ehrenreich vehicle looks to be a solid effort but probably not the streamer’s best bet of nabbing awards this year. The film’s exploration of gender roles and corporate America has left audiences somewhat divided so far.

When Evil Lurks: The Argentinian supernatural horror film released on AMC+ this past week and has been heralded as one of the best horror films of the year. Its critical and audience success should spell further hype as the year wraps up, but its nature as a horror film leaves it inevitably as a long shot to get any kind of boost.

Possible Things:

The Burial: Amazon’s based-on-a-true-story legal drama about corporate takeovers and funeral homes sparked a lot of buzz this month. Its star-studded cast that includes Jamie Foxx and Tommy Lee Jones should be enough to get people watching, and its story and themes have also managed to resonate solidly with audiences and critics. Keep an eye out for it to potentially spoil some campaigns in the coming months.

Anatomy of a Fall: The only reason I’m not putting this in sure things is France’s decision to not name it as their Best International Feature submission for the Academy Awards. Otherwise, this year’s Palme d’Or winner about a woman accused of murdering her husband has all the makings of being one of the best films of the year. It opened this past weekend near me, and I’m looking forward to seeing it soon.

The Pigeon Tunnel: Errol Morris’s latest documentary, this one about legendary novelist John le Carré found a home on Apple TV+ this month. The author’s final interview has the makings of being an all-time classic in the hands of the skilled documentarian, definitely one to keep an eye on.

Sure Things:

Killers of the Flower Moon: Martin Scorsese’s latest true crime epic has already struck majorly successful chords with audiences and critics alike, sitting solidly in the top-3 favorites to win this year’s best picture awards at most of the big shows. The highly necessary story helps put the film in a place of potential staying power as one that will be remembered for years to come.

Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour: Following hot on the heels of the remastered re-release of arguably the greatest concert film ever (Stop Making Sense), Taylor Swift released her concert film, which adapts her performance from the Los Angeles stop of her multi-million-dollar-grossing Eras Tour to massive box office returns and incredibly positive responses from audiences and critics. The high energy of the film and Taylor’s excellent capabilities as an entertainer make this one to catch on a very large screen if you can.

Weekend Watch - July 2023 Recap

                Welcome back to the Weekend Watch where each week we take a look at a new piece of film or television media and give it a rating and review. This week, we are looking back at the month of July, giving recognition to the best films of the month, categorizing them by their likelihood of making this blog’s list of Greatest Films of All Time. July continues 2023’s trend of months (besides May) with better films than we usually expect, with three of the year’s most anticipated films all actually landing successfully with audiences, and plenty of other offerings that have legitimate shots at earning greater recognition as the year goes on (particularly with the SAG and WGA strikes lessening the press for the other upcoming films this year). Again, the three categories of film are Long Shots, Possible Things, and Sure Things. Let’s get into it!

Long Shots:

Joy Ride: The female ensemble comedy from Adele Lim about a group of friends who travel to Asia to help one of their group find her birth mother landed with solid reviews at the beginning of the month. It delivers on the comedy and with some solid performances from its leading ladies. Some review bombing on IMDB (classic) keeps it here in the long shots, but love for its screenplay could bode well in awards season.

Theater Camp: The niche mockumentary about a theater camp starring Ben Platt and Molly Gordon hits the notes that theatre nerds love. Is it going to be everyone’s cup of tea? Probably not, but that doesn’t mean its status as a lingering cult classic couldn’t get it into the land of All Time Greats.

The Deepest Breath: A documentary about freediving from Netflix and A24 could spell some major love come awards season, but for now, mixed positive critic reviews leave it as a long shot. The nerve-wracking, beautifully shot film can be seen on Netflix if you want to boost its chances.

They Cloned Tyrone: A modern sci-fi blaxploitation film from Netflix, starring Jamie Foxx, John Boyega, and Teyonah Parris? Count me in! The comedy/mystery/thriller walks the fine lines of its genres well and will probably stick around as another of this year’s cult classics more than an All-Time Great.

Stephen Curry: Underrated: Apple TV+ and A24 teamed up on this sports documentary about the greatest 3-point shooter of all time to tell his story. Framed as a coming-of-age film about an underrated, undersized guard, it hits most of the right notes but has gotten some criticism for its climax coming at the wrong point of Steph’s career. It sounds like another successful hit for NBA fans that may or may not hit with other audiences.

Possible Things:

Wham!: Netflix’s documentary about the iconic 70s and 80s duo of George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley is sure to scratch the itch of Nostalgia for the Gen X-ers that populate the streamer these days. It’s landed well with critics as well, boding well for its awards potential, though other music docs and celebrity bio-documentaries could believably keep it out.

Lakota Nation vs. United States: This is a poignant documentary about the fight of the Lakota Nation to reclaim the land that has been stolen from them throughout history by the U.S. government. It checks the boxes that you want to see from a good documentary, but its under-the-radar status might keep it out of contention.

Earth Mama: With some of the bigger releases of the year currently in flux, indie films like this one are currently looking better and better in their chances to make the list. Savanah Leaf’s intimate portrait of a single mother in the Bay Area has garnered some buzz among the audiences who have already seen it, and as it continues to expand to more theaters, expect that buzz to keep rolling.

About Dry Grasses: Nuri Bilge Ceylan is one of the biggest Turkish directors in the modern era, and his latest film, which gained quite a bit of recognition at Cannes, maintains his run of solid outings. It’s currently only in limited release in the U.S., but inevitable awards love should expand its audience base and get its scores more reliably trustworthy.

Afire: Christian Petzold’s romantic dramedy about a group of friends caught in the midst of a forest fire is another international film that dropped in the U.S. this month with some level of success and acclaim. The German director could finally see success on a wide level, but a stacked category of submissions from other European nations will probably keep it out.

The First Slam Dunk: This film has quietly garnered a lot of acclaim already, leading up to its American theatrical release this year. Winning the Japan Academy Prize for Animation of the Year and sitting as one of the highest-grossing anime films of all-time, the film about a Japanese high school basketball team, which adapts the manga series Slam Dunk, could be quite the contender in the coming months.

Talk to Me: A horror film directed by the Australian YouTube duo RackaRacka (a.k.a. Danny and Michael Philippou) shouldn’t be doing as well as it already has, but here we are. The supernatural horror has already garnered high praise, with some calling it Gen Z’s Hereditary. Don’t sleep on this film as the year continues to unfold.

Sure Things:

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One: While I may not have been crazy about this latest entry in Tom Cruise’s espionage empire, most critics and audiences have been. A poorly timed release date has kept its box office numbers down, but that barely matters with the amount of love it continues to receive from people’s ratings and reviews.

Oppenheimer: With so many people calling this Christopher Nolan’s best film, it’s easy to see this film carrying its critical and commercial success into a very successful set of awards campaigns for director, picture, actor, supporting actor, supporting actress, screenplay, and plenty of technical awards as well. This sits up there with Across the Spider-Verse in the category of best films of the year.

Barbie: The other (more controversial for some reason) half of Barbenheimer weekend also continues to see success with audiences and critics. Its great acting, production design, writing, and direction, aided by what’s looking to be a billion dollar box office haul by the time it’s all said and done, looks to spell all-time greatness for Greta Gerwig’s first main-stream hit.

Weekend Watch - June 2023 Recap

                Welcome back to the Weekend Watch where each week we take a look at a new piece of film or television media and give it a rating, review, and recommendation. This week, we are taking a look back at the month of June, making note of the films worth keeping an eye on that got a wide release in the U.S. in its thirty days. June has been a fairly disappointing month as of late, giving us such heaters as Hustle, Eurovision Song Contest: The Legend of Fire Saga, Luca, and Toy Story 4 – none of them bad films, but none truly in contention for the best films of their respective years. This June was different, giving audiences three really solid films (two all-time greats) in the midst of all the mediocrity. You have to go back to June of 2014 with the release of Edge of Tomorrow, How to Train Your Dragon 2, 22 Jump Street, and The Fault in Our Stars to get a June with this much heat all in one month. As always with recaps, we’ll be breaking the films into three categories – Sure Things, Possible Things, and Long Shots. Let’s get into it.

Long Shots:

Elemental: While it certainly wasn’t the worst animated release of the month, it wasn’t in the top two as it marked another drop in consistency for Pixar. It’s difficult to see such a well-intentioned film do so poorly, but it seems that audiences and critics agree that it just doesn't have that classic Pixar magic that endears the story to its viewers. It could still luck out with some success after its streaming release, so keep an eye on it.

The Flash: Another of June’s disappointing blockbusters was DC’s Flash movie. It leans so heavily on nostalgia that it makes audiences fairly happy but keeps critics low on the product due to its middling story. Some surprise visual effects nominations or a potential sudden surge in box office support could spell a bit more success, but I’d be surprised.

The Blackening: The horror comedy opened to higher reviews than most people anticipated, marking it as a sure thing for cult classic lists but still a long shot for much else. Its blend of genres don’t necessarily spell the success that it’ll need to see once awards start dropping to make it a true all-time great.

Extraction II: Chris Hemsworth’s action thriller sequel has proven to be an even bigger crowd-pleaser than his first. Netflix has found its niches in animation, romantic comedies, and movie star action thrillers (we’ll see if they can break into another when Rebel Moon drops later this year). Hemsworth’s sequel falls solidly into that third category, marking one of the streamer’s best offerings in the genre so far but probably still not an all-time great.

Asteroid City: Wes Anderson’s latest film has his fans buzzing, and that’s about it. It looks great and has his typical writing quirks that make him so popular in his lane. Unfortunately, wider audiences and critics haven’t been super high on this film, and with so many other well-produced films still to come this year, it’s believable that this’ll be left off most award nominations just like his last film (The French Dispatch).

No Hard Feelings: This film has done better than anyone gave it credit for, and that’s due purely to the two actors heading the thing up. Jennifer Lawrence and Andrew Barth Feldman have brought back the raunchy romantic comedy with a vengeance, keeping audiences laughing and critics happier than usual in such films. It’s still hard to see it making much more of a splash than this though.

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny: The last of June’s disappointments came on its final weekend. It’s a fine action film but a half-hearted Indiana Jones film, and we’re left with a box office flop that sends the saga out with more of a whimper than a trumpet blast.

Possible Things:

Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed: Max’s documentary about Rock Hudson and the contrast between his public ladies’ man persona and private LGBT+ lifestyle checks a lot of the boxes that the great documentaries do, but it happens to have released the same year as many other actor-centric documentaries also about relevant issues, so it’ll probably fall by the wayside even though it is pretty solid.

Nimona: I mentioned Netflix’s success in the animation department earlier, and this graphic novel adaptation is the perfect example. With a unique animation style, fun voice actors, and a quality story, this film marks itself as the current underdog to watch in the best animated movie of 2023 race (behind another June release that we’ll get to in a few minutes). Don’t let the other great animated film of this month be your only one of the year – give Nimona a shot as well.

Blue Jean: The British film about a closeted teacher under threat of being outed in the 1980s got its American release this month to a continuation of its success from across the pond. Critics and audiences have been solidly high on it. Unfortunately, this looks like a year with little room for much prolonged indie success, and that will probably be limited to just a couple of films that most likely won’t be this one. But it’s still better than most of the other June films, so keep an eye on it.

Sure Things:

Past Lives: Since its festival release earlier this year, Celine Song’s film about longing, immigrants, and memory has had people buzzing. With its theatrical release, that buzz has only grown, pleasing audiences and critics with its moving and realistic portrayal of its story. Song’s direction and writing and the performances have all garnered praise and will probably make some noise down the line as well (I’m rooting for a spouse showdown in the Original Screenplay category between Song and her husband Justin Kuritzkes who wrote the upcoming film Challengers, but we’ll see).

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse: This film already looks to be the best animated film of the year, with some going so far as to call it the best animated film of all time and even calling for it to win this year’s Best Picture awards. The follow-up to Sony’s first Spider-Verse film has succeeded in living up to the hype, and I’m excited to see where it ends up.

Weekend Watch - APril 2023 Recap

                Welcome back to the Weekend Watch where each week, we take a look at a new piece of film or television media and give it a rating, review, and recommendation. This week, we have come to the end of another month of film releases and will be looking back at the films with a potential for greatness that released in April, categorizing them as either long shots, possible things, or sure things. April 2023 has been a fascinating month for film, featuring a little bit of everything – animated family blockbusters, action thrillers, horror hits, romantic comedies, indie darlings – all of which have some representations here. April has nearly doubled the number of films to keep an eye on for the year, even if none of them are solidly sure things yet. Let’s get into it.

Long Shots:

Chevalier: The biopic of French composer Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, has opened to some fairly mixed reviews, with lots of love for the performances of Kelvin Harrison Jr., Lucy Boynton, and Samara Weaving, but not much to say for the story execution. Don’t be surprised if this film gets recognition for its production design later this year, but I would be surprised to see much more love from the awards shows, which it needs to be able to make its way onto the List.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie: The film that “broke critics” continues to press on toward being the first billion-dollar film of 2023, potentially the highest-grossing film of the year despite its mediocre critical reception. It helps that audiences really love this film, as well, appreciating the adaptation of the simple video games and nostalgia that the film incorporates. It’s not unthinkable that it’ll make noise come awards season for animated feature as well (and maybe for Jack Black’s original song “Peaches” too).

Beau Is Afraid: I don’t know what else is left to say about Ari Aster’s psychological horror comedy thriller that hasn’t already been said. It’s well-made but incredibly divisive among audiences and critics, meaning that to make it onto the List it’ll need some love for Phoenix or LuPone or Aster or (best) all three come awards season.

Evil Dead Rise: The return to Sam Raimi’s iconic Evil Dead series by writer/director Lee Cronin has pleased audiences and critics to a high degree – earning some truly rave reviews for the horror soft reboot. Now, its scores won’t be quite enough to get it there on their own, and the genre’s difficulty in earning respect from awards shows keeps it at a long shot, but this would be a refreshing return to greatness for horror if they decide to opt for this one.

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once and Always: Look, this film technically fits the requirements for a feature film as laid down by the Academy, and that’s why I’m mentioning it. The nostalgia-infused return of the classic Power Ranger team hits the notes that fans want and has done enough for critics to keeps its Metacritic score green and its Tomatometer in the 80s range. I don’t expect anything else from this, but it’s fun that it has gotten the love that it has.

Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant: Guy Ritchie has been really hit and miss with his past few offerings, struggling to reach anything near the cult success of Lock Stock and Snatch or the economic success of Sherlock Holmes. This Afghanistan War film with Jake Gyllenhaal seems to be doing some of that for him, though, with decent critic returns and overwhelmingly positive audience reviews. Gyllenhaal’s star power might even be enough to bring the film to true greatness come the end of the year.

Somewhere in Queens: Ray Romano’s directorial debut in this indie dramedy sounds like a true feel-good R-rated film, in the vein of Jon Favreau’s Chef and the like, capturing Romano’s heart for his script through his direction and performance as well. Critics have been fairly positive in their reception, as have audiences, making the rookie director’s debut a solid first outing with some outside chances at writing awards.

Sisu: The history-bending Finnish answer to John Wick looks to be capitalizing well on the world’s desire for visceral action films where the protagonist can handle just about any kind of injury imaginable. Critics and audiences so far have been pleased with this new take on the genre. John Wick: Chapter 4 seems to be the film from this genre most likely to break onto an awards scene, but the foreign nature of Sisu keeps it as an outside contender.

Possible Things:

Air: Ben Affleck’s first film directing his friend Matt Damon has already started generating awards-buzz. The feel-good Sonny Vaccaro biopic about Nike’s courtship of Michael Jordan seems to have the right combination of solid script work, good acting, and a unique angle on a somewhat familiar story to put it poised to make some awards noise if they play their cards right. I’d personally love to see this film keep its momentum going throughout the year and put itself into a spot among the greats.

How to Blow Up a Pipeline: The TIFF darling finally got a wider release through NEON this month, and it has continued to receive love from the audiences who have seen it. The film’s topical content about climate activism acting against “big oil” also helps its chances to elevate its status from festival darling to truly great film.

Suzume: Makoto Shinkai’s latest release follows in the footsteps of its predecessors Weathering with You and Your Name., achieving success at the box office, with audiences, and with critics in such a way that he might even give Miyazaki’s upcoming How Do You Live? a run for its money in terms of best Japanese animated films this year. With plenty of buzz around the filmmaker’s latest film, I wouldn’t be at all surprised to keep hearing about the multidimensional adventure film well beyond this year.

Polite Society: The sister-focused action comedy that had Sundance buzzing this year has now released in theaters and is continuing its run of pleased critics and audiences. The film’s unique niche in the action-comedy genre and its representation of South Asian culture in a more mainstream film could help its chances to leave its mark of greatness on film history.

Judy Blume Forever: In addition to the horror successes that we saw this month, we have also entered into some sort of Judy Blume fever. The Amazon documentary about the author and her impact on culture and celebrities has released with stellar reviews. Its proximity to the success of Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. could spell the potential for continued love for both films as more audiences go to see them.

Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.: The adaptation of Judy Blume’s classic novel from The Edge of Seventeen filmmaker Kelly Fremon Craig has opened to mass critical acclaim and solid audience reviews. With the attached names of Rachel McAdams and Kathy Bates boosting the performance of Ant-Man alum Abby Ryder Fortson, it’s easily imaginable that this film will still be making waves come awards season.

Weekend Watch - March 2023 Recap

                Welcome back to the Weekend Watch where each week we take a look at a new piece of film or television media and give it a rating, review, and recommendation. This week, we have come to the end of another month of film and will be recapping the best films of March 2023, categorizing them by their chances at making the blog’s list of Greatest Films of All Time. March is a fun month, heralding the return of spring blockbusters and indie hits who just might become awards darlings if they play their cards right (see last year’s Everything Everywhere All at Once for reference), and this March stayed true to character, delivering some excellent indie flicks and some originality in its blockbusters that has given us the first “sure thing” of the year. Let’s get into it.

Long Shots:

Scream VI: The franchise’s best reviewed film of the millennium (since Scream 2) still probably doesn’t have the chops to get the slasher parody films onto the list of Greatest Films of All Time, even if they deserve more recognition than they currently have. It’s a horror sequel, which definitely goes against it in terms of reviews and awards potential, but it’s undeniably a solid entry and one to keep an eye on as the year progresses.

Chang Can Dunk: Look, I didn’t expect anything from this Disney+ film about an Asian high schooler who decides to learn to dunk to defeat his bullies, but its reviews are so much more positive than I think anyone expected (a 77 Metacritic and 95% Tomatometer), making it a surprise under-the-radar hit. Don’t expect to hear much more from this one, but still, its success bears mentioning.

A Good Person: Florence Pugh stays picking projects that don’t quite live up to their on-screen potential. Zach Braff’s latest directorial endeavor is no different, keeping audiences decently happy without really hitting any of the right notes for critics. If anything, I’d expect this film to be mentioned as a contribution to some awards campaign for a different film for Florence Pugh this year.

Kill Boksoon: The premise of Netflix’s Korean action-thriller alone is enough to get it mentioned – a single mother who also happens to be a hired killer struggles to find a work-life balance. I love the concept, but it seems that the film executes it in fairly unremarkable fashion. Its reviews make it sound like an enjoyable watch that’s not overly ambitious or groundbreaking. Still, an opening at Berlinale might have given this film the right clout it needs to mount a larger campaign later this year.

Possible Things:

Creed III: At this point, it feels almost like the film’s shot at any greater love beyond its initial push is now dead in the water after Jonathan Majors’s arrest. If Majors ends up not being charged and things work out, we might hear more about this film again toward the year’s end. For me, this was the best film of the month, but it’s not quite sitting at the level of reviews to get it onto the list on its own.

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves: Arguably the biggest surprise hit of the year so far, the D&D movie has been pleasing audiences of avid gameplayers and simple fans of action movies pretty much across the board. With its all-star cast, this does make sense, but it could easily have been just a Fast and Furious film in a fantasy setting. Instead, it currently sits with a Metacritic score of 71 and 91% Tomatometer. If this film can pull some love from the technical side of awards later on this year, it might make its way onto the list.

A Thousand and One: It’s so hard to tell which indie releases are going to make the right moves to get themselves more universally recognized later on in the year, but right now, the reviews of Teyana Taylor’s performance and the whole film about a mother trying to keep her son out of the foster system seem to indicate that this film is one to keep an eye on.

Rye Lane: It’s rare to have a streaming romantic comedy get the recognition that this Sundance darling currently has, and that’s so refreshing. Genre films don’t usually get a lot of love from the awards entities, but I wouldn’t be overly surprised to see some writing nominations for this one and maybe even some outside love, particularly from the BAFTAs, for the actors in this film.

Sure Thing:

John Wick: Chapter 4: For the fourth film in a franchise to be its most universally acclaimed and highest grossing is fairly unthinkable in this day and age, but that’s currently where we are sitting with the final(?) John Wick film. Its technical excellence and sheer entertainment value make it likely to gain even more acclaim as the year progresses, but even if things sit as they currently are, the action sequel will earn itself a spot on the blog’s list when the next round of revisions come out next year.

Weekend Watch - January/February 2023 Recap

                Welcome back to the Weekend Watch where each week we take a look at a new piece of film or television media and give it a rating, review, and recommendation. This week, we are recapping the notable films that have released so far in 2023, as is tradition. In keeping with the norm in recent years, January and February this year have been pretty sparse in terms of all-time great films; a few cult classics have marked themselves out as long-shots to keep an eye on, but there’s really not even any possible things and certainly no sure things this early in the year. Now that we are “back” from COVID protocols, the late releasing Best Picture contenders have had to jump back into December and have left us without anything but some above average action and horror films to tide us over until the blockbusters and sleeper hits of March come. Let’s get into it.

Long Shots:

M3GAN: The slasher comedy was another box office success for the horror genre, achieving a sequel announcement already and giving us something to talk about for a few weeks there in January. Unfortunately for the memeable robot, I’m not sure that its slightly above-average reviews from fans and critics will be enough to elevate it to the status of an all-time great.

A Man Called Otto: Critics were fairly low on the Tom Hanks-led American remake of A Man Called Ove, but Tom Hanks and an uplifting story seem to have been enough to keep fans happy, sitting at a 97% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes and a 7.6 overall on IMDB. I don’t expect it to rise much farther than that, but it’s worth mentioning.

Plane: Another overperforming genre film from January, this time from the action films. The Mike Coulter and Gerard Butler collaboration has outdone everything that you could expect from such an underwhelming title, also being greenlit for a sequel “Boat”. Again, I don’t expect this to receive any kind of late in the game love, but its above average reviews make it a welcome addition to recent January films.

Sick: It’s a straight to Peacock slasher film about a killer during quarantine. For all intents and purposes, this film should have been terrible. As it stands, it seems like it was just decent, which means I’ve gotta mention it here. Any time a film with as much against it as this one has gets average or above average reviews from both fans and critics, there’s definitely something there worth talking about.

Missing: Following in the footsteps of its predecessor Searching, the latest found-footage cell phone thriller has again given audiences and critics what they want. It’s a testament to the writers, Sev Ohanian and Aneesh Chaganty, that they’ve been able to come up with two crowd-pleasing stories that are told through what is essentially a phone screen on the big screen. They’re not quite good enough to achieve all-time status on their own but definitely a film to keep your eye on.

Pamela: A Love Story: Netflix’s Pamela Anderson documentary is the first of many documentaries that will generate some buzz this year but probably won’t end up on anyone’s lists of awards finalists. Its 98% Tomatometer score and 94% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes indicate that it’s a film worth seeing, but don’t expect to hear much more about it.

Knock at the Cabin: What has been heralded as M. Night Shyamalan’s best film since Signs still sits with a bunch of very average ratings from fans and critics. It seems the formula of Dave Bautista and a predetermined direction for the story have enough to get M. Night away from his recent history of Old and Glass, but not enough to get him back to the all-time greatness of The Sixth Sense.

Infinity Pool: Brandon Cronenberg has followed in his father’s footsteps with this one, crafting a thrilling body horror piece with plenty of social critique attached. Also following in his father’s footsteps, Brandon’s film has divided audiences, satisfying fans of the genre but not bringing in any new converts. Mia Goth and Alexander Skarsgård have received some love for their work as well, but I’d expect this to be mentioned as Goth’s stat-padding film rather than her focus for an awards campaign later this year.

Of an Age: This indie romance hit theaters this past week with solid reviews, praising the film’s writing and its performances. I’ve heard it called Moonlight lite, which is high praise. Its currently just above average reviews will probably keep it on the radar, but I don’t currently expect it to hit the highs of its comparison; I could be wrong though.

Jesus Revolution: Look, I really don’t expect this film to go anywhere – its Metacritic score of 46 and Tomatometer of 46% should tell you all you actually need to know. However, a 7.6 on IMDB and 99% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes means that this film about the start of the modern evangelical movement (problematic as it is) starring Kelsey Grammer and Kimberly Williams Paisley gets a mention.

Bruiser: This Hulu original film about toxic masculinity and generational violence has probably the best overall reviews of any film that has released this year so far. If IMDB wasn’t losing credibility by the minute in terms of its overall scores for any film starring a black lead, female lead, or LGBT lead, this film would probably be sitting as a possible thing. Like its other sleeper hit Prey, I don’t expect Bruiser to bring much outside success to the streaming service.

Cocaine Bear: Should this even be here? I talked about Jesus Revolution, so I’m also gonna talk about Cocaine Bear. The consensus around the creature thriller seems to be that it is definitely crazy but could do with more of the bear. Expect this to be one of those films mentioned alongside M3GAN and Pacific Rim in the future. It does what it sets out to do, but there’s nothing truly groundbreaking here.

Weekend Watch - December 2022 Recap

                Welcome back to the Weekend Watch where each week we take a look at a new piece of film or television media and give it a rating, review, and recommendation. Since last week was the Year-End Watch, this week, we are looking back at the films that released specifically in the month of December, focusing on the films that have a chance to make it onto this blog’s list of the Greatest Films of All Time. As always with these recaps, the films will be organized into three categories: Sure Things, Possible Things, and Long Shots. December brought a slew of holiday movies, awards bait films, and a few not-so-surprise hit blockbusters to close out the year and tie a nice bow on it all. Let’s get into it.

Long Shots:

Empire of Light: Apparently Sam Mendes’s film starring Olivia Colman, Micheal Ward, and Colin Firth doesn’t do quite enough with its premise of romance at the movies to make it a film worth watching, according to both critics and fans. Its awards chances for Olivia Colman and perhaps for its cinematography leave it here as a long shot.

Bardo: False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths: Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s semi-autobiographical film about a Mexican journalist/filmmaker hit Netflix this month to the tune of critical and fan-based mediocrity. Its length combined with its frenetic pacing and story structure don’t seem to be hitting the notes that his past couple of films (Birdman and The Revenant) were able to, and so it looks like this’ll be left off of the list barring a crazy miracle.

Babylon: Damien Chazelle told audiences exactly what this film was going to be about and still critics and fans are taken aback by the film’s aggressive debauchery. Like Bardo, Babylon suffers from issues of length and overstuffing, and, unfortunately, excellent performances from Margot Robbie, Brad Pitt, and Deigo Calva don’t seem to be doing enough to raise this film to the ranks of its director’s previous three films.

Corsage: This under-the-radar film fictionalizing the year that Empress Elisabeth of Austria turned forty has gotten a lot of love from the few people who have seen it, with plenty of praise specifically for Vicky Krieps’s leading performance. In a lot of ways, this feels like a film that is good but doesn’t quite have enough going to be truly great, but it sounds like it’s worth checking out.

Emancipation: Apple TV+’s film about a runaway slave, starring Will Smith, seems to have run into an unfortunate combination of factors that will most likely keep it from being considered “Great”. Will Smith is unfortunately not an overly marketable face in Hollywood at the moment, and the film industry seems to finally be moving past its desire to see slave films and the brutality of slavery depicted on-screen (trauma porn doesn’t make a film great).

White Noise: Noah Baumbach’s science fiction/comedy/mystery seems to be suffering from the classic “The book was better” criticism, not quite escaping the shadow of its critically acclaimed source material. Adam Driver’s performance looks to be the film’s saving grace and what keeps it as a long shot.

I Wanna Dance with Somebody: The Whitney Houston biopic starring Naomi Ackie has released to okay box office numbers and ratings. Ackie’s performance is phenomenal, but the film does very little innovation to its story or its genre, and as a result, it feels like an even less impactful rehashing of Bohemian Rhapsody. Don’t get me wrong, the film is entertaining and fun and informative, just not overly deep.

Possible Things:

Women Talking: Even though its wider release technically comes this weekend, Sarah Polley’s film about women living in an oppressive religious system started its awards campaign in December. The film was initially a frontrunner in many awards categories and looked to be a legitimate contender for best film of 2022. Now that people are seeing it, that no longer seems to be the case. It missed out on most nominations from both the Critics Choice and Golden Globes and is receiving reviews that are only just above average. We’ll see how it does once more people give it a shot.

Sr.: Netflix’s documentary about the life of Robert Downey, Sr., is another hit for the streaming service who seems to have found a new niche in documentary filmmaking. I don’t know that this translates into any wider love, but my mom really liked it, and it’s receiving generally positive reviews, so it could do something and make its way even higher.

Avatar: The Way of Water: I toyed with putting this as a sure thing, especially with its passing Top Gun: Maverick at the box office last weekend, but its average critic reviews leave it just as a possibility, in need of the awards love that it will no doubt be receiving to make its way solidly onto “the list”.

One Fine Morning: Mia Hansen-Løve started her film’s awards campaign in December as well. Léa Seydoux’s performance is receiving a lot of praise, and the director’s other films have a tendency to flirt with making their way onto the list as well. I’m curious to see just how far One Fine Morning will rise.

The Whale: Once a frontrunner in the best actor categories, Brendan Fraser’s campaign seems to be losing a bit of steam now that people are seeing his film. Its borderline nihilistic take on reconciliation and obesity and the end of life seems to be a bit much for many critics. Fraser’s performance and positive audience reactions are keeping this film as a legitimate contender for now.

The Quiet Girl: A film almost entirely in Irish Gaelic is relatively unheard of up until now, but this film about a foster daughter in Ireland has hit some solid chords with critics and fans. Ireland’s official submission for best international feature film might climb even higher if it plays its cards right.

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish: Perhaps the biggest surprise of the month is this sequel to the Shrek spin-off Puss in Boots. Fans and critics alike are raving about this animated film that now looks to be the biggest contender looking to upset Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio for Best Animated Film this year.

Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical: Netflix’s film adaptation of the stage show is a heartwarming hit that also hit meme status on TikTok thanks to some fancy footwork from its young cast. I don’t necessarily expect it to receive any major awards love to elevate it beyond its place here, but it’s received better reviews than the long shots, so it’ll sit here as a possibility.

Sure Things:

Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio: I already did an entire Weekend Watch review of this film but suffice it to say that its combination of horror, wonderment, and stylizations has made it an instant hit with both critics and fans. It looks to be one of the most solid locks, come awards night, to win for Best Animated Film.

Weekend Watch - November 2022 Recap

                Welcome back to the Weekend Watch where each week we take a look at a new piece of film or television media and give it a rating, review and recommendation. This week, we have come to the end of November, with plenty of new potential films for the list having come out. We’ll take a look at the best ones from the past month, look at why they could make the list and what people are saying about them. Like always, the films have been categorized into three groups: Long Shots, which probably won’t make their way onto the list, but that have been getting enough buzz to warrant mentioning; Possible Things, which could potentially make the list if they make enough at the box office and/or get enough love from awards season; and Sure Things, which are almost certainly going to get full on reviews on the blog, and find their place onto our countdown. This past month saw the continuation of awards season rollouts combined with the big hitters of the Thanksgiving weekend, giving us a few films that might be all-timers, a few surprise flops, and plenty of films in-between. Let’s get into it.

Long Shots:

Armageddon Time: One of a couple of semi-autobiographical films released this past month, James Gray’s contribution is well-acted but hasn’t wowed audiences to the extent that it probably needs to if it wants to earn a spot on “the list”. The story about airing out racist family history, while impactful, seems to be too heavy-handed to be truly impactful rather than preachy, but Jeremy Strong and Anthony Hopkins bring some solid performances to keep it afloat.

My Father’s Dragon: From the production company that brought us hits like Wolfwalkers and The Breadwinner, this animated film has again come to Netflix with plenty of heart and culturally relevant messaging. Unfortunately, critics and fans alike haven’t been nearly as high on this one as with its predecessors, and Netflix’s push for Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio as its primary animated film in awards season is inevitably going to leave this one out of the spotlight. It’s certainly worth considering though.

The Wonder: Sebastián Lelio’s adaptation of Emma Donoghue’s novel seems to be true to the book and decently acted, though Florence Pugh’s aggressive frowning has begun to wear on some reviewers that I’ve seen talking about this one. For this particular film, its niche subject matter and release on Netflix will probably leave it out of any major conversations and understandably so.

Causeway: A24’s and Apple TV+’s character study of a struggling Afghanistan veteran and her relationship with a pool cleaner after she returns home has received rave reviews for both Jennifer Lawrence and Brian Tyree Henry. However, their acting hasn’t been enough to salvage its apparently disjointed and less-than-relatable story, keeping it fairly far away from becoming an instant classic.

Weird: The Al Yankovic Story: Daniel Radcliffe’s exaggerated Weird Al biopic has been one of the pleasant surprises of the month, leaving everyone who’s seen it with a sense of surprised enjoyment. It’s nothing incredibly groundbreaking, just well-made and true to its subject matter. More people should see this one, even if it doesn’t break any kind of records. This one has the potential to make cult classic status sooner rather than later.

Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me: This documentary about Selena Gomez’s rise to stardom and her struggles with mental health in the process has been a pleasant surprise for Apple TV+. Her current popularity in Hollywood and the relevant messaging about mental health will keep it in contention, but the critics don’t necessarily love it like that, so don’t expect to hear too much else about it.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever: Marvel’s bookend to Phase 4 is undoubtedly their best outing of 2022, but even the well-crafted tribute to Chadwick Boseman hasn’t been fully able to overcome its excessive storylines or the general sense of superhero burnout in the culture right now. Its four straight (barring a crazy upset by Violent Night this weekend) number one box office run haven’t gotten it up to its predecessor’s $1 billion gross, but potential awards season love keep this one higher up in the running than some of the others in this section.

The Menu: Mark Mylod’s satirical thriller is phenomenal but not overly groundbreaking. Again, this is a better film than many of the other long shots this month, but I just don’t see this one making a big enough splash at either the box office or the major film awards to make its way among the ranks of the classics on “the list”.

Strange World: Disney animation’s latest release has been a bit of a surprise flop, projected to lose millions of dollars at the box office and struggling with review bombing from certain “fans” upset over the gay teen character. Unfortunately, its marketing strategy seems to have kept people from seeing this one in droves, and it looks to become more of a nostalgic classic like Treasure Planet, Atlantis, or Lilo and Stitch than an all-time great like Frozen, Big Hero 6, or Zootopia.

Devotion: This war plane movie featuring Glen Powell has not received the love that Top Gun: Maverick did. Its story and Jonathan Majors’s performance sound like the right pieces to build a great film around. Critics and fans seem to be indicating that this one is just okay, carried very much so by Majors, so don’t expect this one to dethrone Tom Cruise any time soon.

Mickey: The Story of a Mouse: Disney’s documentary about the impact and development of Mickey Mouse throughout history has received decently positive reviews and is readily available on Disney+. With all the other great documentaries releasing this year, I don’t see the Mickey Mouse one rising to the top though.

The Swimmers: Netflix’s biopic about the incredible story of Olympic swimmers Sara and Yusra Mardini and their journey from Syria to the Olympics has all the makings of a heartwarming sports movie. That’s not necessarily the makings of one of the Greatest Films of All Time, but the film’s commitment to representation and telling a new story is certainly worth checking out.

Possible Things:

Good Night Oppy: Amazon Prime’s documentary about the fifteen-year work of Mars rover Oppy has stormed onto the scene with a surprisingly heartfelt story about the work of NASA and this little rover on Mars. It currently sits as one of the favorites to win best documentary at awards shows this year, which might be enough to classify it as one of the classic documentaries and best ever made.

Is That Black Enough for You?!?: Elvis Mitchell’s documentary about the history of black cinema, centered on its evolution in the 1970s, has received rave reviews since its release on Netflix. I don’t know that it’ll make a big enough splash to achieve that classic documentary status, but it’s certainly a solid watch for fans of film history.

She Said: The film about the two reporters who finally broke the Harvey Weinstein story hasn’t necessarily been a huge box office hit, but people who have seen it have been pleasantly surprised with its tactful handling of its subject matter and with Carey Mulligan’s performance as Megan Twohey. She alone keeps this as a possible thing, as the Supporting Actress category feels relatively wide open still since Michelle Williams has moved her hat to the Lead Actress ring.

The Inspection: Elegance Bratton’s film about a gay, black marine has been slowly rising in hype since its festival run earlier this year. In particular, the story’s marked relevance in the current environment and Jeremy Pope’s moving performance seem to be edging this film toward a dark-horse awards run. I’m excited to see how it does as more and more people get to see it.

Bones and All: A cannibal romantic drama shouldn’t work, but for whatever reason, Luca Guadagnino’s newest film is defying all odds. Its visceral nature has kept plenty of moviegoers away, but those who have seen it praise Chalamet’s performance and the undeniable chemistry between him and Taylor Russell. If you can get past some squeamishness, this’ll probably be worth a watch.

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery: The sequel to Rian Johnson’s wildly successful whodunnit received a fairly wide limited release this past month. In the process, fans and critics alike seem to be agreeing that this film is even better than the first, which received multiple awards nominations in its run. Janelle Monáe is this film’s scene-stealer, and when it releases on Netflix this month, expect to hear even more about it.

Stutz: This documentary, chronicling conversations between Jonah Hill and his therapist Phil Stutz, looks to be one of the most poignant conversations on mental health in the world of Hollywood in recent history, featuring Hill at his most raw, diving into what makes the movie industry tick. It’ll be interesting to see how the awards shows respond, but their love for things about movies and moviemaking lends itself to this film’s potential for success.

EO: Poland’s submission for the Best International Feature Film this year follows a donkey as he experiences many different situations around Europe – good, bad, and indifferent – without ever really changing expressions. Its an experimental film, reminiscent of Au Hasard Balthazar, that could easily become an all-time classic with the right run and more views.

Sure Things:

The Fabelmans: Still this year’s best picture frontrunner, Spielberg’s heartfelt homage to his family and his love for filmmaking looks to be yet another instant classic from the prolific director. Its reviews from both audiences and critics remain overwhelmingly positive, and I highly recommend giving this one a watch, as I said in last week’s Weekend Watch.

Weekend Watch - October 2022 Recap

                Welcome back to the Weekend Watch where, each week, we take a look at a new piece of film or television media and give it a rating, review, and recommendation. This week, we’re looking back at the month of October and its many film releases. In these recaps, we highlight the films that have some chance at making it onto this blog’s list of Greatest Films of All Time in three different categories – long shots, possible things, and sure things. This past month, we started easing back into the awards season, getting a few films that will go down as truly great alongside some streaming sleeper hits and the classic October offerings of new horror releases. Let’s get into it.

Long Shots:

Wendell and Wild: Netflix’s stop-motion film from Henry Selick and Key and Peele had a lot of people excited going into October. Reviews since its release have been a bit underwhelming and its ratings are continuing to decline, but it’s worth keeping an eye on as a long shot if nothing else.

Terrifier 2: This horror sequel has kept fans of the first film happy and has elicited some legendary audience reactions already. Its nature as a horror film and a sequel will undoubtedly keep it out of any major conversation in the coming months of awards season, but this one merits mentioning simply for its shock factor and faithful follow-up to the original.

To Leslie: This indie drama about a former lottery starring Allison Janney and Andrea Risborough is based on a true story and has done well among critics in its limited release. It will most likely fly under most people’s radars and remain as a cult hit only, but it’s worth keeping an eye on.

Catherine Called Birdy: Amazon Prime Video’s genre-breaking period film from Lena Dunham starring Bella Ramsey of Game of Thrones and The Last of Us fame has done decently with critics and has audiences giving mixed responses (mostly due to its feminist message and Dunham’s questionably problematic nature). It’s worth checking out and remains a long shot for now.

Stars at Noon: Claire Denis’s latest work hasn’t wowed audiences or critics like some of her past works, but the romantic thriller starring Margaret Qualley and Joe Alwyn remains a long shot simply for its name recognition and star power.

The Good Nurse: Netflix’s chilling based-on-a-true-story film starring Jessica Chastain and Eddie Redmayne is very much a vehicle for strong performances from both actors. Its mixed reviews will probably keep it from rising much beyond a bubble awards film, but on the off chance that it makes a solid push, we’ll mention it here.

Call Jane: Yet another film this year on the topic of abortion throws its hat into the ring. This one is set in the U.S. before Roe and stars Elizabeth Banks and Sigourney Weaver in a film based on the true story of an underground group of women who sought to provide safe abortions in the late 1960s. It hasn’t gotten the most solid reviews, but its topical nature keeps it in the conversation.

Possible Things:

Triangle of Sadness: The Palme d’Or winner from Cannes this year finally got its theatrical release in the U.S. this past month. So far, its reviews have been tracking with those it received at festivals, keeping fans happy with Reuben Östlund’s work and critics mixed on the over-the-top nature of the film’s absurdities. Past success at festivals indicates this one will be worth keeping an eye on as award season ramps up in the coming months.

All Quiet on the Western Front: Edward Berger’s remake of the classic film has already been announced World War I film’s overwhelmingly positive reviews seem to indicate that it will be a frontrunner in that category and even a fringe possibility for Best Picture votes – definitely worth checking out on Netflix if you haven’t already.

The Redeem Team: The Netflix documentary about the 2008 U.S. Men’s Olympic basketball team has found success with both fans and critics. It exists in a fairly safe space among documentaries, focusing on well-known celebrities and a popular sport and could get the awards buzz needed to elevate it to a more permanent place among those docs.

Emily: Frances O’Connor’s Emily Brontë biopic/romance has kept its small audiences happy since its release in the middle of this past month. Emma Mackey has received praise for her portrayal of the titular character, and it’s definitely a film worth finding if you can in the coming months.

Till: The film portrayal of the tragic story of Emmett Till and his mother’s quest to get justice for her son has quickly risen to prominence as a vehicle for a career-defining performance from Danielle Deadwyler. Its historical depictions and modern relevance keeps it very much in the conversation going into awards season and beyond.

Decision to Leave: Park Chan-wook’s mystery/romance that released in the U.S. this past month was at one point the frontrunner in the Best International Film race but has slowed in momentum somewhat. Nevertheless, the film continues to wow audiences, consistent with Park’s other works and the films of South Korea from the past few years. Even if it gets no awards love, this will still be worth catching if you can.

All That Breathes: This documentary about two brothers seeking to ensure the survival of the Black Kite amidst the environmental struggles of Delhi has quickly risen to prominence among critics and some fans as well. The film’s very relevant messages about pollution and environmentalism make it a prime option for awards going into the season. This’ll be worth checking out when it hits streaming for sure.

Sure Things:

Tár: Todd Field’s film about the prolific composer-conductor Lydia Tár has audiences and critics alike thrilled with its filmmaking and acting. Cate Blanchett’s leading performance has her sitting at the top of most people’s best actress lists this year, and the film’s high-quality editing and unique pacing leave it as an unquestionably great film that will no doubt be discussed for years to come.

The Banshees of Inisherin: Martin McDonagh is back at it with the dynamic duo of Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson in this dark comedy about two friends who have fallen out of friendship on a small Irish island. The film’s beautiful location shooting, excellent acting, and well-balanced script have all been praised by fans and critics alike. Most of McDonagh’s works shouldn’t be skipped, but this has the potential to be his greatest film to date, potentially securing first-time Oscar nominations for all four of its leading performers.

Weekend Watch - September 2022 Recap

                Welcome back to the Weekend Watch where each week we take a look at a new piece of film or television media and give it a review and recommendation. This weekend, we have come to the end of another month, and it’s time to recap all the movies worth watching that released this month, categorized by their likelihood of making it onto the blog’s list of Greatest Films of All Time. In terms of quality, September was a mild step up from the summer months, even if its box office returns were quite weak (the lowest September in almost 30 years, excluding 2020, was what I saw). There is one film worthy of the Sure Things categorization (though I might still be wrong), a few in the Possible Things, and a number in the Long Shots. Let’s take a look.

Long Shots:

God’s Country: Thandiwe Newton stars in this indie thriller that originally released at Sundance earlier this year before its limited theatrical release this past month. Critics seem to like this film slightly more than audiences, and it hasn’t drummed up a ton of buzz on any awards radars, but her acting chops and an 89% on Rotten Tomatoes keep this one on the edge.

Mija: Disney’s documentary about the children of undocumented immigrants working to make it in the American music industry has flown under the radar. So far, though, it has garnered positive responses from the few people who have seen it. It’s nature as a streaming documentary keeps it as a long shot, despite its decently high Rotten Tomatoes score, Metacritic score, and IMDB rating.

Riotsville, U.S.A.: This documentary about the militarization of America’s police force at the end of the 1960s finally received a limited theatrical release this month. Its divisive subject matter, critiquing the overt aggression of American police is bound to keep its fan reviews mixed, but its critic ratings are high, and it could garner some awards attention in the coming months.

A Jazzman’s Blues: Tyler Perry’s latest film, a period piece about an unsolved murder and the lives of black and white families in the early 1900s, has received surprisingly positive reviews, given his recent track record. The Netflix release probably won’t garner much more than this, but it’s still worth noting.

Blonde: Andrew Dominik’s fictional Marilyn Monroe biopic dropped this past week, and it has been divisive to say the least. Dominik’s vision seems to have come through strongly, but critics and audiences alike are divided on whether his vision is a good one. The one thing people can agree on is Ana de Armas’s strong performance, which keeps this film’s hopes alive but just barely.

Confess, Fletch: This soft reboot of the “Fletch” franchise, which was made famous by Chevy Chase, seems to be doing well enough with audiences and critics to warrant mentioning. Jon Hamm’s comedic chops are on full display, and it keeps this film a long shot.

Do Revenge: Netflix’s gen-z high school revenge comedy has been a surprise hit among certain audiences. Its teen-centric nature leaves it less than popular among “the olds”, but its success among younger viewers keeps it worth mentioning. Maya Hawke and Camila Mendes put on really fun performances in this one.

Don’t Worry Darling: The off-screen antics of this one are obviously the big draw for Olivia Wilde’s new film. Its just-okay script has kept the film from getting better reviews. Florence Pugh’s strong acting carries this film and keeps it worth mentioning here as a long shot.

Smile: This gruesome horror film about a doctor haunted by a smile released this week to comparatively positive reviews for a movie in that genre. I don’t see it going much farther than its 74% Tomatometer score and 82% audience rating, but it seems like a solid hit for fans of the genre.

Possible Things:

Barbarian: I already talked at length about this one in a previous Weekend Watch but suffice it to say that this wild horror film was such a pleasant surprise that it has worked its way into a possible Greatest Film of All Time. Solid performances, interesting horror, and surprises throughout have made this film the surprise hit of September.

Pearl: Not to be outdone, the prequel to Ti West’s X from earlier this year has been another solid outing in the horror genre from September. Mia Goth’s performance has critics and audiences buzzing, and the film even garnered a personal shoutout and high praise from the Martin Scorsese, one of the greatest directors to ever do it. Combined with high critic and audience scores across the board, it’s easy to see this one’s potential to make it on the list.

The Woman King: Apart from some review bombing on IMDB (a consistent problem for films featuring women, minorities, and members of the LGBT community in recent history that they need to fix ASAP), Viola Davis’s action film about the female warriors of the Dahomey has received consistent praise, covering its historical fiction well. The plethora of woman-led films releasing this year will most likely keep Davis out of any awards races, but her name recognition might launch this film even higher.

Argentina, 1985: This Spanish language film that released on Amazon Prime Video this past week has only been watched by a few viewers so far, but their responses have been overwhelmingly positive. The 95% (uncertified) Tomatometer score and 100% (with fewer than 50 ratings) audience score show that this is a film worth keeping an eye on moving forward, covering the prosecution of Argentina’s fascist regime in the 1980s (a topical hit).

Bros: The first romantic comedy from a major film studio to center around a gay couple has released, and so far, the reviews are positive. Billy Eichner is already generating buzz from the Golden Globes, and the film could even receive some nominations for its writing. This groundbreaking film is definitely one to keep an eye on going forward.

Sure Things:

Moonage Daydream: This cinematic experience of a documentary about David Bowie’s creative and musical journey has wowed audiences consistently since its original release at Cannes earlier this year and more recently in its theatrical and IMAX release this past month. The documentary is sanctioned by the Bowie estate and showcases some amazing visuals alongside a fascinating look at the iconic musical artist. Already, its scores are high enough to put it on this list, and the potential for more awards love going forward means that everything is looking up for this particular documentary.