100 Movies for 2024!

[Deku Tree]

1) I'm a bit late to the party, but Everything, Everywhere, All at Once is excellent.

Posted this in the old topic by mistake the first time.

[Booyakasha]

'Rifftrax-----------Death Promise'

It's kind of a middling kung-fu flick from the 70s. The fights were pretty good and there was lots of fun wock-a-chick-a guitar, but there were still plenty of spazzy parts for the Rifftrax gang to skewer.

[CaptHayfever]

7) Enchanted - B+
8) The Holiday - B-

And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"

[Booyakasha]

We went to see 'Oppenheimer' today. It was really good for the most part (that scene leading up to the Trinity test was so taut----------friggin Nolan sure knows how to pile on the tension, man). About the only complaint I have is that the sound mixing wasn't always great; there were a couple times when the dialogue got lost in the music. But that's a minor hiccup. Overall it was terrific.

[EDIT: I see 'Oppenheimer' got nominated for Best Makeup. I can't speak to whether 'Oppenheimer' deserves that more than the other nominees, but I can absolutely confirm the makeup was really good. Holy cow, but the way they transformed Robert Downey and Gary Oldman was almost unbelievable.

[CaptHayfever]

9) WALL-E - A

And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"

[I REALLY HATE POKEMON!]

Wall-E was one of the last Disney movies I liked, it's pretty interesting.

[Deku Tree]

We went to see 'Oppenheimer' today. It was really good for the most part (that scene leading up to the Trinity test was so taut----------friggin Nolan sure knows how to pile on the tension, man). About the only complaint I have is that the sound mixing wasn't always great; there were a couple times when the dialogue got lost in the music. But that's a minor hiccup. Overall it was terrific.

[EDIT: I see 'Oppenheimer' got nominated for Best Makeup. I can't speak to whether 'Oppenheimer' deserves that more than the other nominees, but I can absolutely confirm the makeup was really good. Holy cow, but the way they transformed Robert Downey and Gary Oldman was almost unbelievable.

Oh damn, I didn't even realize that was Gary Oldman.

[Deku Tree]

2) The Matrix Resurrections - I liked it. It's not as tight as the original film, but it's still got style, interesting themes, and fun action. One thing that struck me watching it was that it could be said to be doing some of the same things that bothered me about The Force Awakens, but for reasons I can't put my finger on yet, it's done them in a way that didn't bother me. I think it's that it doesn't feel like it's using nostalgia as a crutch, and it's more daring in it's storytelling.

[Bomby]

Looks like I'm falling behind here. At this rate I won't come near 124, lol.

1. May December (Todd Haynes, 2023)
Pretty good. My friend described it as Todd Haynes's take on one of those Hallmark original films that have become popular - I disagree, but I see the parallel in terms of the narrative. Julianne Moore is great as always, and Natalie Portman does an excellent job creating a morally ambiguous character.

2. Broker (Hirokazu Koreeda, 2022)
Koreeda is one of Japan's modern day master filmmakers, and he headed over to South Korea for this one. He got himself an excellent cast: Song Kang-ho and Bae Doona - two of Korea's most famous and respected actors, as well as IU, one of Korea's most beloved pop singers who has been acting in television for some time now. I'm a fan of IU's music for a long time, and since I can't stand K-Dramas, this was my first time seeing her act, and her performance was quite good. It's overall a very good film, with a major caveat being if the ending is a realistic conclusion within the confines of the movie itself.

3. American Fiction (Cord Jefferson, 2023)
I enjoyed it. There's an ironic social commentary about someone not wanting to see their work as being social commentary. It's complex enough that I think both liberals and conservatives will find a lot to like about it.

[I REALLY HATE POKEMON!]

Looks like I'm falling behind here. At this rate I won't come near 124, lol.

1. May December (Todd Haynes, 2023)
Pretty good. My friend described it as Todd Haynes's take on one of those Hallmark original films that have become popular - I disagree, but I see the parallel in terms of the narrative. Julianne Moore is great as always, and Natalie Portman does an excellent job creating a morally ambiguous character.

2. Broker (Hirokazu Koreeda, 2022)
Koreeda is one of Japan's modern day master filmmakers, and he headed over to South Korea for this one. He got himself an excellent cast: Song Kang-ho and Bae Doona - two of Korea's most famous and respected actors, as well as IU, one of Korea's most beloved pop singers who has been acting in television for some time now. I'm a fan of IU's music for a long time, and since I can't stand K-Dramas, this was my first time seeing her act, and her performance was quite good. It's overall a very good film, with a major caveat being if the ending is a realistic conclusion within the confines of the movie itself.

3. American Fiction (Cord Jefferson, 2023)
I enjoyed it. There's an ironic social commentary about someone not wanting to see their work as being social commentary. It's complex enough that I think both liberals and conservatives will find a lot to like about it.

How often do Japanese directors work in South Korea? Is there a reason for it?

American Fiction sounds really good, I'm surprised I didn't hear about it.

[Grace in the Dark]

Ever seen Dracula from 1958?

[Booyakasha]

^Heck yeah. Great flick.

...I'd never seen Peter Cushing in anything but 'A New Hope' as a dumb little kid, so it was refreshing to see him play good old Van Helsing. (Actually, seeing a young Michael Gough in kind of an action-y role was interesting, too----------kind of a far cry from affable old Alfred in the Batman flicks.)

[Bomby]

How often do Japanese directors work in South Korea? Is there a reason for it?

I imagine this isn't the first time, but it's the only film I can think of right now off the top of my head. Hirokazu Koreeda had already worked with the actress Bae Doona on one of his previous projects in Japan. Korean entertainment has been quite popular in Japan for the past 15-20 years, so I wouldn't be surprised if he just wanted to work with the talent there.

[CaptHayfever]

10) Elemental - B. Really good story about immigration, cultural assimilation, bureaucracy, & generational baggage bogged down by rushed romance.
11) Lisa Frankenstein - B+. Wild & insane in good ways, killer performances, strong directorial debut for Zelda Williams.
12) The Marvels - A-

And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"

[I REALLY HATE POKEMON!]

I watched Aeon Flux, despite knowing it would not be a good adaptation, as anime and anime-esque adaptations tend to be. It didn't translate well, I expected a more Blade Runner-type vibe but if anything it was closer to the Resident Evil film adaptations, with a heavier focus on action than mood. It is watchable I guess...nothing especially egregious.

[Booyakasha]

'Aeon Flux' was not a good adaptation of the show, nor a good movie in general. Aeon is supposed to be icy and aloof---------Charlize Theron played her like some sad kicked puppy for like two-thirds of it.

[CaptHayfever]

13) Secretary - A-
14) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990) - A
15) Turtles Forever - B-
16) The Princess Bride - A+

And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"

[I REALLY HATE POKEMON!]

It's crazy how they knocked it out of the park with TMNT on their first try, and it still holds up.

[I REALLY HATE POKEMON!]

Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero. I rewatched it after I heard about Akira Toriyama's passing. It's a great movie, lots of fun characters and unmatched action. I will always miss the blood and gore of DBZ, but DBS otherwise is at its peak here. The soundtrack is very unique, never heard anything like it.

The War on Children. It's well intentioned but Robby Starbuck is no Matt Walsh.

Nintendo Quest. Extremely generic documentary, couldn't pay attention.

[CaptHayfever]

17) Space Jam - B
18) The Great Gatsby (2013) - C+. That's at least the average score, considering A for story & cast, C- for music, and D for directing & cinematography.
19) Waitress (2007) - B. Funny & heartwarming, good performances, drags a bit at the start.

And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"