The Matrix Resurrections (2021)

11 Friday Feb 2022

Posted by sgliput in Movies, Poetry, Reviews, Writing

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When the world is opaque,
Every day within walls,
With nothing worthwhile behind or ahead,
There’s just the dull ache
In your heart’s empty halls
To prove to your mind you’re not already dead.

In times such as these,
We require a pillar,
An anchoring star we can navigate by.
One person, one dream
Can make life more than filler
And topple the walls that obstructed the sky.
_______________________

MPA rating: R (mainly for a couple scenes that seemed more violent than the previous films)

It wasn’t that long ago that the idea of a fourth Matrix film seemed utterly unlikely and rumors of a new entry going into production were the stuff of excited gossip among my friends. It’s certainly a case of hype overshadowing the final product, since I have yet to meet anyone who has embraced The Matrix Resurrections without heavy reservations. Disdain is the more common reaction (including among my friends), but I’ve found myself defending the film’s good aspects among the waves of contempt. It almost goes without saying that a Matrix sequel will end up flawed, but one’s personal mindset can heighten those flaws to make them worse than they are.

This may be a spoiler (no one should watch this who hasn’t seen the original trilogy), but the original Matrix trilogy ended on a rather downbeat note, with both Neo and Trinity giving their lives to bring peace to both the Matrix and the real world. So how could returning director/co-writer Lana Wachowski, going solo this time, resurrect both of them, fulfilling Neo’s Christological parallels even further, for a new entry of the cyber-dystopian series? That mystery fuels the first half, as Neo (Keanu Reeves) is now famous game developer Thomas Anderson, who achieved acclaim for his hit video game series called… The Matrix. While Neo is clearly blue-pilled into believing this illusory life, thanks to his smarmy therapist (Neil Patrick Harris), the film has great meta fun referencing its own franchise, poking fun at what The Matrix is as a series amid plenty of Easter eggs and callbacks to the previous films. After being freed by young captain Bugs (Jessica Henwick) and some version of Morpheus (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), Neo learns that much has changed since his climactic sacrifice, and he might need to make another to save Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss).

Early on in the film’s meta phase, an alternate version of Smith (now played by Jonathan Groff) tells game developer Neo that Warner Brothers wants to develop another sequel to The Matrix with or without him, and it’s hard to fight the feeling that this film is the result of the same kind of ultimatum aimed at the Wachowskis. With only one of them deciding it was worth revisiting the franchise, we can only wonder whether that was the right move or if some other director/writer might have added a bit more freshness to a fourth entry. Yet I think there’s something to be said for the original director having a say in where their story goes, even if not every fan is pleased, and I can’t help but feel like much of the negativity surrounding The Matrix Resurrections is the result of overly high or predetermined expectations from uber-fans, not unlike the flurry of opinion surrounding every Star Wars sequel.

It’s true that Resurrections is downright messy in a lot of what it attempts, shoehorning in new versions of characters that probably would have been better off left out. I liked the self-awareness, but others have found it smug or overdone while also complaining that Neo’s superpowers have laughably devolved into a mere force field. The convoluted plot often adheres too closely to that of the first film, and a climactic heist strangely skates by on the fact that the machines apparently don’t have any cameras guarding their hostage.

So yes, it’s messy as all get-out, but there are still entertaining action and good, if underdeveloped, ideas to enjoy. For one, the humans after the end of the Machine War have developed a new society with surprising cooperation from some programs, allies against the control of the Matrix, and I found the method for these programs to manifest in the real world very cool. And, even as the philosophizing about choice and control remains constant, this new version of the Matrix has some intriguingly different rules, such as dispensing with Agents in favor of mobs of undercover programs posing as humans that can be activated at any moment, which leads to one of the franchise’s nastier action set pieces. Plus, it was nice seeing familiar faces again, with Reeves and Moss easily stepping into their old roles despite the nearly twenty-year gap and turning their love story into the driving force of the movie (a decision one of my friends didn’t like either, but I think still works well). While the absence of Laurence Fishburne and Hugo Weaving is unmistakable, the new players like Bugs are solid additions, and some other character cameos were quite welcome, as were visits to the hall of doors from Reloaded and whole scenes from the first film.

I can understand dissatisfaction with The Matrix Resurrections, especially if you’ve spent the last eighteen years fantasizing about what a new Matrix story could be, since it is almost certainly not what you might have hoped. But I can’t bring myself to outright hate it like others have, though that’s true of most films; indifference or a desire to look for the good among the bad is far more common for me than hate. I just remember being dissatisfied with the ending of Revolutions, and the ending of Resurrections is a far happier conclusion than the original trilogy. Like the other sequels, it still can’t hope to compare with the game-changing original, but it’s a film that seems fine with basking in the strength of what came before and having a bit of fun with it. That may not be enough for some fans, but it was for me.

Best line: (Smith) “I know you said the story was over for you, but that’s the thing about stories… they never really end, do they? We’re still telling the same stories we’ve always told, just with different names… faces… and… I have to say I’m kind of excited.”

Rank: List Runner-Up (like the other sequels)

Violet Evergarden: The Movie (2020)

03 Thursday Feb 2022

Posted by sgliput in Movies, Poetry, Reviews, TV, Writing

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Animation, Anime, Drama, Romance

I wear a weak smile
With weights on each end.
I faithfully labor
And greet every neighbor
To be a bulwark
On which all can depend.

Yet what I have lost
Haunts that which I’ve found.
Like one stubborn ember,
Your face I remember,
A past that burned bright
Upon life’s battleground.

They say what I know,
That I have to move on.
I still love the trace
That remains of your face.
I doubt it will ever
Be totally gone.
_________________________

MPA rating: Not Rated (should be PG-13 for some violent flashbacks and heavy emotional themes)

Although I love anime, I’m often not sure how to review films based on anime series. For example, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train was literally the highest grossing movie of 2020 worldwide, smashing records and becoming the first non-Hollywood film to top the global box office. Yet I don’t really know what to say about it. Because it’s a feature-length middle chapter for the Demon Slayer series, it’s hard to recommend it to those unfamiliar with the show, since a full appreciation of the film depends on some familiarity. It was exciting, eye-popping, a good continuation, and apparently a real tearjerker for some (not me), but its attachment to an ongoing TV series limits its appeal in my view. I feel the same for other anime films based on series, from the Steins;Gate sequel to the growing number of My Hero Academia features, which typically end up feeling decent but unnecessary.

Obviously, that’s not always the case. I’ve sung the praises of The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya, which built beautifully on its original show, and Cowboy Bebop: The Movie, which stands on its own just as well. I suppose it’s easier when a film comes after a show ends, rather than in the middle of its run. Anyway, it should indicate my high regard for Violet Evergarden: The Movie that I’m reviewing it at all, beyond making it List-Worthy.

For those unfamiliar with Violet Evergarden, it’s a show from Kyoto Animation based on a popular light novel series about a girl in a fictional semi-Victorian country where gas lamps exist alongside advanced prosthetic limbs. Utilized as a lethal child warrior during a horrific war, the girl is taken in by a Major Gilbert, who gives her the name Violet and hates using her on the battlefield, despite her effectiveness. In the midst of a major victory, both of them are severely injured, and the Major is lost and presumed dead. With the war over, Violet is sent to a friend of the Major’s who runs a post office, and she gradually eases into the more peaceful life of typing letters for others, a job called an Auto Memory Doll (basically a transcriptionist with a typewriter). While struggling to understand simple concepts like love and pining for the Major, she meets an array of customers who help her grow as a person.

The short 13-episode series itself is quite good, with strong characters and emotions, but its greatest strengths are the glorious, Oscar-caliber score and drop-dead gorgeous animation. It’s honestly some of the finest, most detailed animation out there, and almost any single frame could be hung on a wall as a work of art. I will say that the script can be weak at times, often ascribing great profundity to the letters Violet writes even when they’re more earnest than deep. But the film’s poignant themes grow more affecting with time, and the largely stand-alone tenth episode remains one of the most tear-jerking episodes of television imaginable. Even the thought of it makes me want to cry. The studio could have left the show alone or stopped after the spin-off film called Eternity and the Auto Memory Doll, which falls under that “decent but unnecessary” status that I mentioned before. But the studio decided to cap off the series with a finale film, despite delays from the infamous arson attack and COVID, and I’m glad they did because it’s everything I could have wanted in a conclusion (hello, 100% Rotten Tomatoes score).

It was a canny choice to frame the story as a retrospective investigation, with a young woman from decades in the future looking back on the tale of Violet Evergarden, and the woman’s connection to that moving tenth episode had me close to sobbing right from the start. The film soon jumps back to Violet’s time, after she has grown into the most popular Doll in the city, though her thoughts remain with her long-lost Major Gilbert. After accepting a job from a sick boy in the hospital who wants her help to write letters to his family once he is gone, Violet and her boss learn of evidence that Gilbert might be alive on a distant island, and they go in search of her beloved.

There were many ways that the film could have gone wrong. Would they pull a fake-out and say it wasn’t Gilbert? Would it be a tired amnesia scenario? But the way it plays out is both touching and makes sense for the characters, highlighting Gilbert’s guilt from the war and how much Violet has grown apart from him. The eventual climax is a massive tug to the heartstrings, and I felt like the film was effective in encapsulating the overarching story and its emotions, even for those who may not have watched the series. (Even so, I certainly recommend watching the show first for the full context and emotional punch.)

I’ve always thought that the concept of an Auto Memory Doll seemed odd and quaint, like something that would be unrealistic in the real world, though that view is likely shaped by the prevalence of modern literacy and easy communication methods. The film actually addresses that head-on, with the advent of the telephone threatening the entire Doll profession. One shot of a lamplighter gazing up at a newfangled electric streetlight perfectly captured the theme of technological progress. I suppose the job of writing letters for others could be compared to something like the Pony Express, short-lived but memorable, and while the story could have been antagonistic toward such progress, it manages to show the positive aspects of both the telephone and letter-writing in, of course, the most poignant way possible.

I can see how someone cynical could easily view Violet Evergarden with detachment and scoff at its overly melodramatic qualities. It can lay on the tragedy pretty thick at times and certainly falls under that category of anime that intentionally aim to bring the audience to tears, like Angel Beats, To Your Eternity, or anything from Mari Okada. But if you can truly connect with Violet’s journey to understand love, it’s well worth tears, and I like the fact that I’m not too jaded to be moved by it. I liked the series on its own, but Violet Evergarden: The Movie took the series’ strengths and elevated them with a near-perfect culmination of all that came before and left me with a precious lump in my throat. I feel sorry for those who don’t give anime a chance, because stories like this transcend the medium to be great films, period.

Best line: (Daisy, the woman learning about Violet) “If there’s something I can’t tell them in words, maybe I could tell them in a letter. I want to finally tell them my true feelings. We don’t know how long we have, so I need to tell them while I still have time.”

Rank: List-Worthy

The Matrix Reloaded and Revolutions (2003)

30 Sunday Jan 2022

Posted by sgliput in Movies, Poetry, Reviews, Writing

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Action, Romance, Sci-fi, Thriller

One rule do franchises live by:
What makes a profit must not die.
If it did well the first time round,
Then more will make it more renowned.
If it filled seats, there’s clearly steam
To push through sequels, it would seem,
And even decades afterward,
Do not discount a loyal nerd.
If it should fumble with a bomb,
We must not panic, must stay calm.
What makes a profit can rebound;
We’ll just do better next time round.
_______________________

MPA rating for both: R

With the recent new installment in the Matrix series, it seemed like a good time to revisit the two parts of the initial trilogy that I never reviewed. There’s a reason that the first Matrix is the only one on my Top 365 movie list (currently #125 to be exact). The Matrix Reloaded and Revolutions, both released within months of each other in 2003, were an ambitious follow-up to the huge success of the original, and I certainly credit the Wachowskis for expanding their universe so imaginatively. Yet both films are also hopelessly flawed when explaining their own mythology, even as they both remain entertaining in their own way.

The first film stands on its own well and could have done without a sequel, but it’s also easy to see why the story of Neo (Keanu Reeves), Trinity (Carrie Anne Moss), and Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) warranted a continuation, with details about the machines left vague and the human stronghold of Zion only mentioned. With The Matrix Reloaded, we finally get to see Zion, and although it’s an engineering marvel with its gritty steampunk design, it becomes rather laughable when a stirring speech from Morpheus about humanity’s resilience is followed up by a giant orgiastic rave in a cave. Likewise, between the Oracle’s circular counseling and the Merovingian’s smug pontificating about choice, the dialogue ranges from intriguing to insufferable depending on one’s capacity for philosophy.

However, when people stop talking and start fighting, Reloaded proves to be an action thrill ride, upping the ante of the first film with wilder stunts and cleverly imagined powers, the freeway chase being the heart-pounding high point. Although the first film established Neo’s supremacy over the Matrix, Reloaded manages to create worthy threats to his Superman-like status. With the machines closing in on Zion, Neo is told by the Oracle to seek out the Source of the Matrix, with plenty of agents, self-serving programs, and clones of rogue Agent Smith (still excellent Hugo Weaving) in his way. As for the cast, some of the supporting players stand out more than others, like Lambert Wilson’s Merovingian or Randall Duk Kim’s Keymaker, and it was nice to see a pre-Lost Harold Perrineau stepping in for the absent Tank as the new Operator for Morpheus’ ship.

While Reloaded has its flaws, including an expository info dump toward the end that I doubt most people fully understood on the first viewing, it set the stage for what promised to be a potentially amazing finale, only for that potential to peter out in Revolutions. I don’t hate Revolutions the way some people decry the Star Wars prequels, but it does rank as one of the most disappointing threequels out there. For one thing, the padding is unmistakable, with Neo trapped for a while in a limbo train station for no plot-relevant reason. Yet I still must give Revolutions major props for its action; the defense of Zion remains one of the biggest, most epic battle scenes of all time, up there with Lord of the Rings and Avatar, while the final fight between Neo and Smith basically goes full Dragon Ball Z. By the end, though, it’s hard to look at this end of the trilogy as anything but a bummer; in one sense, Neo lives up to the many Christ-like parallels of his status as the One, but the intended bittersweetness is more bitter than sweet.

You could say The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions were ahead of their time. It wasn’t yet common for sequels to be filmed back-to-back, and CGI was still in its development stage. One astounding sequence from Reloaded with Neo being overrun by a growing horde of Agent Smith clones is audacious and exciting, yet it’s easy to spot the point when the real actors are replaced with video-game-quality doubles. Likewise, one just has to take in stride details like the absence of Tank (Marcus Chong) or the recasting of the Oracle (the late Gloria Foster reprising her original role for Reloaded, then replaced by Mary Alice in Revolutions).

How hard is it to forgive ambition falling short? I must find it rather easy, considering I love the Star Wars prequels, but I can see why others might have more objections. The Wachowskis didn’t need to give the world more Matrix films, with their convoluted storyline, excess of supporting characters, and philosophical pretention, but what they delivered is still pretty impressive in what it does well. Even a little more so when you factor in supplementary works like The Animatrix. They’re certainly not without merit; it’s just unavoidable for Reloaded and Revolutions that any Matrix follow-up is flawed compared with the original film’s now-classic reputation.

Best line from Reloaded: (Commander Lock) “Not everyone believes what you believe.” (Morpheus) “My beliefs do not require them to.”

Best line from Revolutions: (the Merovingian) “It is remarkable how similar the pattern of love is to the pattern of insanity.”

Rank: List Runners-up

My 2022 Blindspot Picks

23 Sunday Jan 2022

Posted by sgliput in Blindspot, Movies, Writing

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Lists

It’s time once again for year 6 of the Blindspot series! I don’t know who started this idea for movie blogs, but I’ve enjoyed the annual incentive to clear out a little more of my ever-growing to-watch list. And at least this year, without school and interviewing, I can hopefully return to the intention of watching one pick a month.

I always try to choose an eclectic mix of films I’ve been meaning to see, often long-delayed recommendations from family and fellow bloggers. This time around, I’ve included a cult musical, a sports classic, a horror comedy, a critically acclaimed dystopia, a few dramatic ensembles, a Chinese import, and a couple underseen comedies. I even bent the rules to include a trilogy of Indian classics as one pick. I can’t wait to see what these potential favorites have in store.

In alphabetical order, the Blindspot picks for 2022 are:

Apu Trilogy (1955, 1956, 1959)

Better Off Dead (1985)

Chef (2014)

Children of Men (2006)

The Frighteners (1996)

Grand Canyon (1991)

Murder by Death (1976)

National Velvet (1944)

The Road Home (1999)

The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)

Short Term 12 (2013)

Shutter Island (2010)

2021 Blindspot Ranking

22 Saturday Jan 2022

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Lists

For my fifth year of the Blindspot series, I was relieved to wrap it up (barely) before the end of the year. You would think one movie a month wouldn’t be so hard to fit in, but college inevitably put me behind, only starting on these in April and having to play catch-up in the last few months. Now that that I’ve seen all these films for the first time, I can close out 2021’s Blindspots with my annual ranking before announcing the 2022 list tomorrow.

Like 2020, only one film ended up becoming an instant favorite and winning entry onto my Top 365 movie list. Even so, I still consider this an excellent selection of cinema, with even my bottom-ranked picks having their good points. I’m glad to have finally crossed these films off my to-watch list, especially so I can move on to the next batch.

12. Don’t Look Now (1973)

Psychological horror about psychic dangers in Venice; very atmospheric but also strange and unsatisfying

11. Apocalypse Now (1979)

Coppola’s Vietnam war classic is masterfully executed but also off-putting and anticlimactic.

10. Shin Godzilla (2016)

Modern “realistic” Godzilla thriller where bureaucracy is just as much a problem as the monster; special effects are both good and not quite good enough.

9. The Village (2004)

Atmospheric Shyamalan thriller with a twist that isn’t that hard to predict

8. Anthem of the Heart (2015)

Anime school drama posing as fantasy with some poignant themes

7. Office Space (1999)

Cult comedy that I can relate to now that I’ve worked in an office

6. The Apartment (1960)

Oscar-winning classic with an unappealing premise that yields to a highly satisfying end

5. Total Recall (1990)

Violent and bizarre, but thought-provoking action sci-fi is my jam nonetheless.

4. Sunshine on Leith (2013)

Scottish musical highlighting The Proclaimers’ discography; sweet but mostly predictable romance drama

3. A Matter of Life and Death (1946)

Unsung romantic classic with intriguing fantasy elements of the afterlife; like Soul but older and British

2. Coming to America (1988)

Second-tier Eddie Murphy rom com that still reminds me why ’80s comedies are the best

1. My Left Foot (1989)

First-rate acting for a first-rate biopic of Irish painter and author Christy Brown

Encanto (2021)

20 Thursday Jan 2022

Posted by sgliput in Movies, Poetry, Reviews, Writing

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Animation, Comedy, Disney, Family, Fantasy, Musical

If I had a sister,
I would resist her.

If I had a brother,
“Why?” I’d ask Mother.

But since I do not,
I alone call the shots.

This child is only,
Perhaps a bit lonely.

It might have been nice
To have brothers’ advice.

I’d be a good sport
For a sister’s support.

Perhaps I’d not mind
That our lives intertwined.

To have more relations…
That’s just more frustrations!

If I had had brothers,
They’d deny me my druthers.

If I had a sister,
I’d cease and desist her.

I’d hate him, refund her…
And yet, I still wonder.
_______________________

MPA rating: PG

It’s always nice or at least assuring when you can watch a movie and know exactly how you feel about it by the end. Whether you loved everything about it or found it a waste of time or just have that all-too-common meh reaction, at least you know your own opinion. But what about the gray space where you’re torn between a film’s merits and its problems, never sure which outweighs the other to turn the thumb up or down. Encanto is just such a film for me, a Disney animation that is equal parts marvel and mess but ultimately left me glad to know that a flawed film can still be a good one.

Set in Colombia seemingly in the early 1900s, Encanto focuses on the amazing Madrigal family, whose matriarch/Abuela (María Cecilia Botero) founded the town decades before with the aid of a magical candle that granted her a sentient house to live in and later supernatural abilities to her children and grandchildren. For every child growing up, a ceremony imparts a magical “gift” for their and the town’s benefit, but young Mirabel (Stephanie Beatriz) was spurned and left feeling anything but special. A few years later, when the candle’s magic seems to be dying, she decides to prove her worth by saving her family’s miracle.

There’s a lot going on with Encanto and its large cast, and, like Eternals, I’ve seen some suggest that it would have been better suited for a miniseries instead of a film to help flesh out the characters. Yet the film is a wonder at fast-paced characterization, in large part due to Lin-Manuel Miranda’s outstanding soundtrack of original songs. More than any other Disney film since Tangled, the songs are deeply integrated into the storyline, with musical numbers introducing and resolving entire subplots while making the exposition catchy and fun. Miranda’s Latin-inspired beats and trademark rapid-fire rhymes are first-rate Disney tunes, as evidenced by how often I’ve replayed them, especially “We Don’t Talk about Bruno” and the surprisingly deep and relatable “Surface Pressure.”

Among the film’s other strengths are its vibrant animation that turns the often poorly depicted nation of Colombia into a land of bright colors and magic, as well as a diverse Hispanic cast that includes the first Disney musical protagonist to wear glasses. So with all these pros, what’s so wrong with the film that it left me initially torn? Well, what’s left? The plot. Encanto has a good story and themes about suppressed familial trauma, the pressure of expectations, and the ripples caused by violence and displacement, which I’ve seen struck a chord with people of Latin American descent but are universal enough to be appreciated by folks like me as well, who may not have a large, close-knit family unit.

Oddly enough for Disney, the magic is where it stumbles. Little to no clear explanation is given for basically anything magical that happens, like how the candle became magical, why Mirabel was excluded, why the magic began to fade, or why the prophetic visions of Mirabel’s uncle Bruno (John Leguizamo) become vague and hard to interpret when he foresees the events of the film. This has resulted in an abundance of headcanons and theories about the film’s open-ended elements (“maybe Mirabel’s gift is her connection to the house”, “maybe she’s meant to be the successor to Abuela, who also lacks superpowers”, etc.), which are honestly fascinating, but I would have preferred that the film itself actually answer some of these questions. (One theory I liked was that, at her door ceremony, Mirabel touched the candle and then wiped her hands on her dress before touching the doorknob, perhaps transferring the magic to herself. It’s a good theory, but the film doesn’t bring any attention to it to indicate that was the filmmakers’ intent.) I realize this lack of explanation supposedly ties into the Colombian literary genre of “magical realism” where fantastical elements are often left unexplained, but these are aspects inherent to the plot.

Ultimately, the film simply wants the audience to “go with it” and accept what it presents without overthinking, and doing so certainly helped my enjoyment on a second viewing. Many of the family members’ gifts reflect their personality and character, such as Mirabel’s sister Luisa using her super-strength to bear every family burden or their mother being able to heal injuries with her meals (mom-cooked meals have definitely helped me feel better before). So on some level, the magic could be viewed as a giant metaphor for the roles and talents of any large family, but without more explanation, it’s something of a mixed metaphor. Yet it still clearly speaks effectively to the pressures on older siblings and feelings of inadequacy in younger ones.

While I wrestled with it for a while, I eventually decided that Encanto’s strengths outweigh its weaknesses. Some naysayers have pointed out its flaws and extended them to the good parts to make the film seem like a total catastrophe, which it’s not. It’s almost surprising that Disney would be behind a comparatively small-scale, introspective feature like this, boasting largely unknown voice actors and the rarity of a large and intact family, albeit one with issues. (Some friends of mine said they ought to do a follow-up short featuring the whole cast going through a therapy session.) For both entertainment and plot progression, it relies on Miranda’s music to do much of the heavy lifting, but the songs are up to the task, and there are so many cultural details and fast-moving gags amid the gorgeous animation that it’s well worth repeat viewing. Encanto is far from perfect, but, as Mirabel’s sister Isabela finds, perfection does not define one’s worth.

Best line: (Mirabel, to Abuela) “We are a family because of you, and nothing could ever be broken that we can’t fix together.”

Rank: List-Worthy

Tick, Tick… Boom! (2021)

15 Saturday Jan 2022

Posted by sgliput in Movies, Poetry, Reviews, Writing

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Drama, Musical, Netflix

We hear all these tales of unlikely success,
Of thousands of no’s that resulted in yes,
Of people achieving their triumph with less
Than anyone else could have guessed was required.

They seem the exception to that wretched truth
That work is not always rewarded, nor youth,
And even those weary and long-in-the-tooth
Have little to show for their being so tired.

But who could have guessed what those blessed ones would do?
What low expectations observed their debut?
And who says that I can’t be one of those few?
And who says that you aren’t exceptional too?
__________________________

MPA rating: PG-13

I suppose the first order of business for 2022 should be reviewing the films that made it onto my end-of-year list for 2021. Considering my fondness for animation, musicals, and superhero films, it’s not surprising that these dominated much of the list, and the only musical of last year that didn’t disappoint at the box office (since it was released on Netflix) was my favorite of the bunch.

Tick, Tick… Boom! is the other Jonathan Larson work, a one-man musical monologue that never made it to Broadway like his hit Rent did five years later. Considering I doubt anyone was clamoring for a film version of this lesser-known “rock monologue” from thirty years ago, it’s clear that this was a passion project. First-time director Lin-Manuel Miranda has written that Tick, Tick… Boom! inspired him when he saw a reworked version performed after Larson’s untimely death, and he even played Larson himself in a 2014 production. It makes sense that Larson’s semi-autobiographical take on the stresses of chasing success in musical theater resonated with Miranda, whose Hamilton shared the role of someone writing “day and night like [they’re] running out of time.” In the case of Jonathan Larson (Andrew Garfield), he struggled to produce his futuristic rock opera Superbia and wrote Tick, Tick… Boom! as an outlet for his creative frustration, even as the 1990s and his thirtieth birthday loomed before him.

I knew nothing about the story going in and was amazed at how fitting it was that I watched it on my own birthday. The very first (and very catchy) song “30/90” laments how quickly the years are outpacing Jonathan’s dreams of making his mark on the world, a sentiment that I can certainly relate to, along with most other twenty- or thirtysomethings out there. Andrew Garfield delivers one of his best performances yet in the lead role, demonstrating he’s a double threat of acting and singing (for the first time apparently). Whether he’s ecstatic over small achievements, harried working for every cent and every note he can muster for the sake of his workshop, or heartbroken by tragic news, he runs the full spectrum of emotions and well deserved his recent Golden Globe win.

Also outstanding are Alexandra Shipp as his girlfriend Susan and Robin de Jesús as his friend Michael, both of whom suffer being left behind by Jonathan’s mania of chasing success even as they sincerely want him to find it. Plus, like Zac Efron in The Greatest Showman, it was nice to see Vanessa Hudgens returning to her movie musical roots as one of the key singers for the show/workshop. The film also incorporates elements that would clearly go on to influence Larson’s next musical Rent, such as several of Jonathan’s gay friends falling to the AIDS epidemic.

Tick, Tick… Boom! has an unusual structure; while most of it is the expected movie musical format (drama with interspersed musical numbers), it’s mixed with scenes of Larson/Garfield narrating on stage with piano and band as if performing the show live to an audience. As a sort of blend of stage play and film memoir, it excels at folding the songs into the narrative as embellishments of the first-person storytelling. There’s really only one moment where the song seriously fails to match the tone, when a sardonically poppy song about relationship problems clashes with an otherwise very serious scene. Regardless of such minor hiccups, the quality of Larson’s music and lyrics speaks for itself, from the gentle guitar of “Johnny Can’t Decide” to the stark piano of “Why” to the full rock ensemble of “30/90” and “Louder Than Words.” In particular, “Why” struck me as an emotionally exhausting performance akin to Anne Hathaway’s “I Dreamed a Dream” in Les Miserables, so Garfield had better get an Oscar nomination.

Every now and then, a movie about creativity and chasing art comes along and speaks to me on an especially personal level, films like Whisper of the Heart or La La Land that often are appreciated by some more than others. Tick, Tick… Boom! is just such a film. I have my own latent plans for a musical that I’ve been toying with for years, and while I have yet to put full effort toward it, watching Larson’s grueling journey and eventual vindication gives me hope that my own efforts won’t be in vain, even if it seems so.

The film is a tribute to both Jonathan Larson and the creative process of musical theater, elevated by Miranda’s personal direction and lots of cameos from Broadway legends that not everyone will recognize. Some cool trivia: Bradley Whitford plays Larson’s idol, the late great Stephen Sondheim, but when Sondheim leaves an encouraging voice mail toward the end of the film, Sondheim himself recorded the lines. All these layers make Tick, Tick… Boom! a clear labor of love and, for me at least, a film to love as well.

Best line: (Jonathan, after a rejection) “So what am I supposed to do now?” (Rosa, his agent) “You start writing the next one. And after you finish that one, you start on the next. And on and on, and that’s what it is to be a writer, honey. You just keep throwing them against the wall and hoping against hope that eventually something sticks. Listen. Little advice from someone who’s been in this business a long, long time. On the next one, maybe try writing about what you know.”

Rank: List-Worthy

THE LIST (2022 Update)

12 Wednesday Jan 2022

Posted by sgliput in Movies, Writing

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Lists

A little later than I usually like, but here is my start-of-2022 update to THE LIST, my top 365 movie list that first got me started blogging eight years ago and has been revised every year since. Of course, there are technically more than 365 since I group most film series together, as well as a few other pairs of similar films that equate to a tie. Now added are the 15 films listed in my Blogiversary post that I watched for the first time last year and are listed in bold below. Nothing was able to crack the Top 100 this time around, but you’ll find both high and low rankers, including Blindspots and Oscar winners. As always, these are my personal and subjective favorites that can easily change with time, and I welcome both agreement and disagreement.

Not that I expect anyone to notice, but there was some shuffling of the order for several films already on the list. The biggest rise went to the MCU’s Spider-Man series, thanks to the boost of No Way Home bringing it from #213 to #113, and other risers include Treasure Planet, Doc Hollywood, and To Sir, with Love (RIP Sidney Poitier). In contrast, Rogue One and Cars lost some ground, but the biggest loss was suffered by Dunkirk, falling from #293 right off the list entirely. (Still a great film, just not one I’ve had much inclination to see again.) It’s almost become a joke that I always leave Psycho at #365 every year, so I just decided to raise it up a few spots since it’s clearly not going anywhere.

Finally, it always tears me up inside, but let’s give a special salute to those formerly List-Worthy entries that had to be cut to make room for new blood: Cloak and Dagger, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, The Peanuts Movie, The Wind Rises, Captain Marvel, Minority Report, The Count of Monte Cristo (2002), Cowboy Bebop: The Movie, A Bug’s Life, and Dunkirk. They will be missed, but they still count as favorites in my book.

The last few months have been a whirlwind, but I’m finally through with interviews and intense studying. With hopefully more time to relax, I should be able to seek out some great old and new films in the coming year and get back to compiling more lists as well. Thanks again to all readers, likers, followers, commenters, and lovers of film and/or poetry! I truly hope and pray 2022 will be a better year overall than the last two, but either way, we’ll always have movies.

1. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001, 2002, 2003)

2. Mr. Holland’s Opus (1995)

3. Forrest Gump (1994)

4. It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)

5. The Sound of Music (1965)

6. Star Wars Trilogy (1977, 1980, 1983)

7. Finding Nemo (2003) and Finding Dory (2016)

8. Titanic (1997)

9. Toy Story Series (1995, 1999, 2010, 2019)

10. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)

11. The Princess Bride (1987)

12. Beauty and the Beast (1991)

13. Groundhog Day (1993)

14. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

15. The Prince of Egypt (1998)

16. You’ve Got Mail (1998)

17. The Wizard of Oz (1939)

18. The Avengers (2012), Captain America: Civil War (2016), Infinity War (2018), and Endgame (2019)

19. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

20. War Horse (2011)

21. The Incredibles (2004) and The Incredibles 2 (2018)

22. Cast Away (2000)

23. Heart and Souls (1993)

24. Pirates of the Caribbean (2003, 2006, 2007) and Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017)

25. Tarzan (1999)

26. Les Miserables (2012)

27. Ben-Hur (1959)

28. Elizabethtown (2005)

29. Star Trek (2009)

30. The Chronicles of Narnia (2005, 2008, 2010)

31. The Mummy (1999) and The Mummy Returns (2001)

32. Driving Miss Daisy (1989)

33. Oliver! (1968)

34. Whisper of the Heart (1995)

35. Spider-Man Trilogy (2002, 2004, 2007)

36. The Five People You Meet in Heaven (2004)

37. Doctor Zhivago (1965)

38. Babe (1995)

39. The Blues Brothers (1980)

40. Jurassic Park (1993)

41. 84 Charing Cross Road (1987)

42. National Treasure (2004) and National Treasure: Book of Secrets (2007)

43. Ratatouille (2007)

44. The Fugitive (1993)

45. True Grit (1969, 2010)

46. Evita (1996)

47. The Lion King (1994)

48. Inception (2010)

49. When Harry Met Sally… (1989)

50. The Family Man (2000)

51. Chariots of Fire (1981)

52. Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), The Last Jedi (2017) and The Rise of Skywalker (2019)

53. Lilies of the Field (1963)

54. Life of Pi (2012)

55. Mary Poppins (1964)

56. Star Trek: First Contact (1996)

57. Glory (1989)

58. Singin’ in the Rain (1952)

59. The Sixth Sense (1999)

60. Back to the Future Trilogy (1985, 1989, 1990)

61. Aliens (1986)

62. Life Is Beautiful (1997)

63. Sherlock Holmes (2009) and Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011)

64. The Phantom of the Opera (2004)

65. Awakenings (1990)

66. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971)

67. Paulie (1998)

68. Home Alone (1990) and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992)

69. The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)

70. Big (1988)

71. Jumanji (1995)

72. Somewhere in Time (1980)

73. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)

74. A Christmas Story (1983)

75. Speed (1994)

76. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)

77. Little Women (1994, 2019)

78. 1776 (1972)

79. High School Musical Trilogy (2006, 2007, 2008)

80. Wit (2001)

81. Serenity (2005)

82. Miracle on 34^th Street (1947)

83. Gone with the Wind (1939)

84. Aladdin (1992)

85. The Greatest Showman (2017)

86. Saints and Soldiers (2003)

87. La La Land (2016)

88. Fantasia (1940)

89. Shadowlands (1993)

90. Hook (1991)

91. Young Frankenstein (1974)

92. The Truman Show (1998)

93. The Ten Commandments (1956)

94. Star Wars Prequel Trilogy (1999, 2002, 2005)

95. October Sky (1999)

96. Saving Mr. Banks (2013)

97. Holes (2003)

98. The Martian (2015)

99. The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)

100. About Time (2013)

101. Mr. Church (2016)

102. Taking Chance (2009)

103. Signs (2002)

104. The Blind Side (2009)

105. Star Trek: Generations (1994)

106. Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)

107. The Santa Clause (1994)

108. Starman (1984)

109. My Fair Lady (1964)

110. The Passion of the Christ (2004)

111. Train to Busan (2016)

112. 1917 (2019)

113. Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), Far from Home (2019), and No Way Home (2021)

114. On Golden Pond (1981)

115. Brother Bear (2003)

116. WALL-E (2008)

117. The Green Mile (1999)

118. Air Force One (1997)

119. Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) and Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2013)

120. Shrek 2 (2004)

121. The Mitchells vs. the Machines (2021)

122. Star Trek into Darkness (2013) and Star Trek Beyond (2016)

123. Big Hero 6 (2014)

124. To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)

125. The Matrix (1999)

126. The Right Stuff (1983)

127. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

128. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)

129. Shuffle (2011)

130. The Mask of Zorro (1998) and The Legend of Zorro (2005)

131. The Color Purple (1985)

132. Jesus Christ Superstar (1973)

133. Ready Player One (2018)

134. Shrek (2001)

135. The King’s Speech (2010)

136. X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)

137. Iron Man Trilogy (2008, 2010, 2013)

138. The Hunger Games series (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015)

139. Yentl (1983)

140. Men in Black Trilogy (1997, 2002, 2012)

141. Skyfall (2012)

142. The Music Man (1962)

143. Ghostbusters Trilogy (1984, 1989, 2021)

144. Regarding Henry (1991)

145. Alien (1979)

146. The Polar Express (2004)

147. Sleepless in Seattle (1993)

148. Julie and Julia (2009)

149. Airplane! (1980)

150. Castle in the Sky (1986)

151. Darkest Hour (2017)

152. Tick, Tick… Boom! (2021)

153. Secondhand Lions (2003)

154. A Christmas Carol (any version)

155. Grave of the Fireflies (1988)

156. Hacksaw Ridge (2016)

157. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)

158. Mrs. Doubtfire (1993)

159. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

160. The Little Mermaid (1989)

161. Die Hard trilogy (1988, 1990, 1995)

162. Soul (2020)

163. Source Code (2011)

164. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)

165. Planet of the Apes Trilogy (2011, 2014, 2017)

166. Inside Out (2015)

167. Extraordinary Measures (2010)

168. Overboard (1987)

169. Cinderella (1950) / Cinderella (2015)

170. A League of Their Own (1992)

171. The Homecoming: A Christmas Story (1971)

172. Tangled (2010)

173. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984)

174. Zootopia (2016)

175. The Untouchables (1987)

176. Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (2002)

177. Treasure Planet (2002)

178. Ella Enchanted (2004)

179. Splash (1984)

180. Monsters, Inc. (2001) and Monsters University (2013)

181. Children Who Chase Lost Voices (2011)

182. How to Train Your Dragon (2010)

183. Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) and Vol. 2 (2017)

184. Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms (2018)

185. Mission: Impossible III (2006), Ghost Protocol (2011), Rogue Nation (2015), and Fallout (2018)

186. Selma (2014)

187. Doc Hollywood (1991)

188. Knives Out (2019)

189. The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman (1974)

190. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968)

191. Enchanted (2007)

192. Up (2009)

193. What’s Up, Doc? (1972)

194. Ant-Man (2015) and Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)

195. Wolf Children (2012)

196. Jojo Rabbit (2019)

197. Your Name (2016)

198. Coal Miner’s Daughter (1980)

199. Pocahontas (1995)

200. Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989)

201. Rudy (1993)

202. Mulan (1998)

203. Hidden Figures (2016)

204. As Good As It Gets (1997)

205. King of Thorn (2010)

206. In the Heights (2021)

207. Les Miserables (1998)

208. Spaceballs (1987)

209. My Left Foot (1989)

210. The Way (2010)

211. Labyrinth of Lies (2014)

212. The Prestige (2006)

213. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (2011)

214. Blinded by the Light (2019)

215. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)

216. Wreck-It Ralph (2012) and Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018)

217. Saving Private Ryan (1998) / The Longest Day (1962)

218. To Sir, with Love (1967)

219. Frozen (2013) and Frozen II (2019)

220. The Dark Knight Trilogy (2005, 2008, 2012)

221. Harriet (2019)

222. The Father (2020)

223. United 93 (2006)

224. Joyeux Noël (2005)

225. Woman in Gold (2015)

226. Twister (1996)

227. Foul Play (1978)

228. Coco (2017)

229. Funny Girl (1968)

230. Rocky (1976), Rocky II (1979), Rocky III (1982), Rocky IV (1985), and Creed (2015)

231. Hello, Dolly! (1969)

232. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)

233. Weathering with You (2019)

234. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)

235. April and the Extraordinary World (2015) / Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004)

236. Déjà Vu (2006)

237. Out of Africa (1985)

238. Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)

239. The Hobbit Trilogy (2012, 2013, 2014)

240. Adventures in Babysitting (1987)

241. Hoosiers (1986)

242. Gravity (2013)

243. The Great Escape (1963)

244. The Naked Gun (1988)

245. Jumpin’ Jack Flash (1986)

246. Philadelphia (1993)

247. Raising Arizona (1987)

248. The Jerk (1979)

249. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)

250. Ghost (1990)

251. Misery (1990)

252. School of Rock (2003)

253. 42 (2013)

254. Other Daniel Craig Bond films – Casino Royale (2006), Quantum of Solace (2008), Spectre (2015), and No Time to Die (2021)

255. Captain Phillips (2013)

256. Vantage Point (2008)

257. Peter Pan (1953)

258. The Terminal (2004)

259. Superman (1978) and Superman II (1980)

260. Eddie the Eagle (2016)

261. Soul Man (1986)

262. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)

263. Jane Eyre (1970)

264. Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Across the 2^nd Dimension (2011)

265. The Poseidon Adventure (1972)

266. The Girl Who Leapt through Time (2006)

267. Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) and Waterworld (1995)

268. Ride Your Wave (2019)

269. Cloud Atlas (2012)

270. Anastasia (1997)

271. Violet Evergarden: The Movie (2020)

272. Something the Lord Made (2004)

273. X-Men (2000) and X2: X-Men United (2003)

274. Green Book (2018)

275. Surrogates (2009)

276. Lethal Weapon 2 (1989)

277. WarGames (1983)

278. Hidden (2015) / A Quiet Place (2018) and Part II (2021)

279. Cars (2006) and Cars 3 (2017)

280. My Girl (1991)

281. Chronesthesia (or Love and Time Travel) (2016)

282. The Ultimate Gift (2006)

283. The Way Back (2010)

284. Memphis Belle (1990)

285. Dances with Wolves (1990)

286. The Terminator (1984)

287. The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947)

288. The Castle of Cagliostro (1979)

289. Casablanca (1942)

290. Rain Man (1988) and Dominick and Eugene (1988)

291. One Cut of the Dead (2017)

292. Pinocchio (1940)

293. City Slickers (1991)

294. The Hundred-Foot Journey (2014)

295. Patema Inverted (2013)

296. Forget Paris (1995)

297. A Silent Voice (2016) / Hear Me (2009)

298. Doctor Strange (2016)

299. Akeelah and the Bee (2006)

300. Murphy’s Romance (1985)

301. Shenandoah (1965)

302. The Red Violin (1999)

303. Arrival (2016)

304. A View to a Kill (1985)

305. Wonder Woman (2017)

306. Con Air (1997)

307. Shazam! (2019)

308. Annie (1999)

309. The Elephant Man (1980)

310. The River Wild (1994)

311. A Beautiful Mind (2001)

312. Finding Forrester (2000)

313. Unbreakable (2000)

314. The Big Year (2011)

315. Starter for 10 (2006)

316. Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas (2003)

317. Dave (1993)

318. The Spiderwick Chronicles (2008)

319. Wayne’s World (1992)

320. Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991)

321. The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya (2010)

322. Steel Magnolias (1989)

323. Encanto (2021)

324. Mean Girls (2004)

325. Searching (2018)

326. The Nativity Story (2006)

327. Dancer in the Dark (2000)

328. Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)

329. Please Stand By (2018)

330. Kubo and the Two Strings (2016)

331. Music and Lyrics (2007)

332. Sister Act (1992)

333. The Abyss (1989)

334. The Breakfast Club (1985)

335. Places in the Heart (1984)

336. Thor (2011), Thor: The Dark World (2013), and Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

337. Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (1993)

338. Klaus (2019)

339. In Time (2011)

340. Galaxy Quest (1999)

341. Swiss Family Robinson (1960)

342. Scrooged (1988)

343. A Monster Calls (2016)

344. Wuthering Heights (1970)

345. News of the World (2020)

346. Coma (1978)

347. Trading Places (1983)

348. Ordinary People (1980) and Rabbit Hole (2010)

349. Fiddler on the Roof (1971)

350. Remember the Titans (2000)

351. Seven Samurai (1954) / The Magnificent Seven (1960/2016)

352. Citizen Kane (1941)

353. Psycho (1960)

354. Judas and the Black Messiah (2021)

355. The Conjuring (2013) and The Conjuring 2 (2016)

356. Sneakers (1992)

357. The Great Mouse Detective (1986)

358. Joseph: King of Dreams (2000)

359. Baby Boom (1987)

360. Chicken Run (2000)

361. Hercules (1997)

362. Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001)

363. The Emperor’s New Groove (2000)

364. The Last Days (or Los Ultimos Días) (2013)

365. The Majestic (2001)

My 8th Blogiversary and 2021 List Additions

03 Monday Jan 2022

Posted by sgliput in Movies, Reviews, Writing

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Lists

Has it been another year already? Maybe it’s the ongoing pandemic, but it seems like 2021 has flown by in a flurry of studying, work, and the occasional movie. Unfortunately, my review output was the lowest it’s been in my 8 years of blogging (has it really been that long?!), but there was good reason. I know 2021 was a rough year for many, but it was a banner year for my family. Not only did I earn my Bachelor’s Degree, but I got the software job I’ve been working toward for over two years! Now that school is finally behind me, I hope to expand my movie-watching and posting and find more hidden gems.

This year still provided plenty of great films, so it’s time to celebrate my 8^th blogiversary with my annual list of favorites. Take note that this isn’t my top films of 2021, though most are from 2021, since I’m always behind on new releases and have surely missed some good ones from award season (patience, please). Instead, these are my Top Twelve films, old and new, that I saw over the last year. There’s a total of 15 List-Worthy films this time around, better than last year’s 12, so I’ll be posting my updated Top 365 Movies list soon enough.

With the mental anguish that comes with removing films from my Top 365 list every year, I feel like I’m getting more and more nitpicky over what qualifies as List-Worthy. Indeed, there were quite a few films this year that might have qualified in prior years but didn’t quite make the cut this time. So I will preface this list with a mention for the quality List Runners-Up that deserve attention, including Make Way for Tomorrow, A Hidden Life, Resistance, Blade Runner 2049, The Lost Battalion, Coming to America, Sunshine on Leith, Raya and the Last Dragon, Notting Hill, Barb and Star Go to Vista del Mar, Geronimo: An American Legend, Love and Monsters, Dune, The Matrix Resurrections, Hilda and the Mountain King, and Black Widow (which was supposed to be List-Worthy but has been demoted after more consideration). Plus, the filmed stage performance of Hamilton would probably top this whole list, but, as with documentaries, I can’t quite bring myself to count it as a “movie,” which I know is debatable. And just a quick shout-out to the movie-quality TV shows that also aren’t eligible but still awesome, such as Loki, Hawkeye, and Arcane.

I’m always curious to hear what other people’s favorites are, so feel free to share what you liked from the last year of movie-watching. Now, on to the Top Twelve!

12. One Cut of the Dead (2017)

Practically the definition of a hidden gem, this carried-over Blindspot from last year lured me in with its 100% Rotten Tomatoes score, intrigued me with its 37-minute-long tracking shot, and finally won me over with the constantly inventive comedy of the second half. It may look like a low-budget Japanese zombie flick, but there are layers of meta entertainment under the surface.

11. No Time to Die (2021)

I’ll admit I’m conflicted by this finale to Daniel Craig’s run as James Bond, but it is in line with the more dour tone of recent Bond flicks. Even if it doesn’t have much of a sense of fun, it adds unprecedented depth to Bond’s world-saving efforts and brings a fitting close to the interconnected storyline of the last five films.

10. A Quiet Place Part II (2021)

The long-delayed sequel to John Krasinski’s breakout horror hit delivered even more of what made the first so good and injected it with a more original storyline. We have to wait longer to see if it gets the conclusion it deserves, but the Quiet Place films are a perfect example of horror tension done right.

9. Violet Evergarden: The Movie (2020)

My heart! The feels! This emotional conclusion to the Violet Evergarden anime series lays on the melodrama pretty thick at times, but it’s all still utterly poignant. With drop-dead gorgeous animation and a tear-jerking plot that can stand on its own, it’s everything I could have wanted in an ending.

8. Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021)

Resurrecting classic film franchises has become old hat by now, but Afterlife proved to be that rare cash grab with heart. Transplanting the ghost action to small-town Oklahoma and injecting just the right amount of fan service (some critics disagreed), this final(?) Ghostbusters flick took a page from Stranger Things and made ghost-hunting the kid wish fulfillment it always has been.

7. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)

While Black Widow and Eternals have gone down in my estimation the more I think of them, Shang-Chi has only gone up. The welcome Asian representation, outstanding martial arts action, and likable protagonists combined into proof that Marvel can still nail an origin story.

6. The Father (2020)

I honestly considered not including this film and keeping it a Runner-Up, simply because it’s a film that hurt to watch. Anthony Hopkins’ Oscar-winning performance as a man suffering from dementia is exceptional, as are the direction and casting that keep the audience guessing what is real, but it also brought back painful memories of my dad’s mental decline. Ultimately, though, I had to give the film its due as List-Worthy.

5. My Left Foot (1989)

The only Blindspot from this year to earn a place on this list, My Left Foot is an exemplar of biographical films. It utilizes a bravura, Oscar-winning performance from Daniel Day-Lewis to elucidate the life of a troubled but admirable man, Irish painter Christy Brown, who was almost fully paralyzed by cerebral palsy. Equally praiseworthy is Brenda Fricker’s Oscar-winning role as Christy’s long-suffering mother.

4. In the Heights (2021)

This film adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Tony-winning musical may have flopped at the box office, like most musicals this year sadly, but it certainly impressed me as a newcomer to his pre-Hamilton hit. What In the Heights lacked in famous star power, it made up for in Hispanic pride, slick choreography, and Jon Chu’s exhilarating direction.

3. Tick, Tick…Boom! (2021)

Lin-Manuel Miranda returns once more, this time with his directorial debut of (surprise, surprise) another musical! Andrew Garfield is marvelous in Jonathan Larson’s autobiographical account of chasing his elusive Broadway dreams, tapping into the latent unease of all twenty- and thirtysomethings still waiting to make their mark on the world, me included.

2. The Mitchells vs. the Machines (2021)

The best animated film of the year surprisingly didn’t come from Disney or Pixar but Sony, utilizing a similar vibrant animation aesthetic as Into the Spider-Verse. Despite a plot that seems well-worn, the rapid-fire jokes and feel-good family themes meld into a robot apocalypse road trip worth watching again and again.

1. Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)

It feels alternately obvious and prosaic to stick this Marvel juggernaut at #1, but I honestly can’t think of a better theater experience or a film that appealed to my inner movie geek more than this one. No Way Home not only wrapped up Tom Holland’s MCU trilogy (for now) with the highest stakes yet but provided closure to Spider-Man films of the past. It’s the best bit of fan service since Endgame, and luckily I’m a fan.

Along with the twelve above, these three films also managed to earn a place on THE LIST:

Encanto (2021)

Judas and the Black Messiah (2021)

News of the World (2020)

And that wraps up another year of movie-watching. As always, below are my unofficial awards for the List-Worthy films.

Best opening scene: In the Heights

Best final scene: Tick, Tick…Boom!

Coolest scene: The Mitchells vs. the Machines

Biggest emotional impact: Violet Evergarden: The Movie

Oldest film: My Left Foot (1989)

Most recent film: Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)

Longest film: No Time to Die (163 minutes)

Shortest film: One Cut of the Dead (96 minutes)

Best soundtrack: In the Heights or Encanto (Miranda gets it either way.)

Best score: Violet Evergarden: The Movie

Best special effects: Spider-Man: No Way Home

Most mind-bending: The Father

Most family-friendly: Encanto

Most mature: Judas and the Black Messiah

Scariest: A Quiet Place Part II

Funniest: The Mitchells vs. the Machines

Best VC Pick: Cocoon (also the only one this year)

Best male performance: Daniel Day-Lewis in My Left Foot

Best female performance: Brenda Fricker in My Left Foot

Personal favorite poem written: Total Recall

Most represented year: 2021, with ten films

In the next day or two, I’ll post the latest version of THE LIST, my Top 365 movies list updated with the new additions above. And with an old year behind us and a new one ahead, I just want to take a moment to thank all readers, likers, commenters, and followers, particularly any who are still reading this post to the bottom. You are wonderful for even checking out my humble poetry and movie blog, and I wish the best for all of you in 2022.

Finally, here’s a little lookback at the strong cinematic year that was 2021.

2021 Blindspot Pick #12: The Apartment (1960)

31 Friday Dec 2021

Posted by sgliput in Blindspot, Movies, Poetry, Reviews, Writing

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Classics, Comedy, Drama, Romance

If the world has left you no control
Of life or love, of plan or goal,
And made you think there’s no escape
From reality in its present shape,
Then I would say it’s worth reminding
You that inertia can be blinding,
Magnifying common stress
Into a mirage of helplessness.

You are still the one who chooses
All of your actions and excuses.
They can change and so can you
With simple thought and follow-through.
____________________________

MPA rating: Approved (nothing explicit but a definite PG-13 for subject matter)

Ah ha! I’ve done it. After school and life got me so behind, I have finally caught up and completed my 2021 Blindspot series before the end of the year! And I’m capping things off with the Best Picture winner of 1960, which fittingly happens to end on New Year’s Eve as well. I’d always heard about how The Apartment was such a classic and decided it was finally time to see why, and it gave me a rare shift of opinion.

When I reviewed Strictly Ballroom years ago, I was flabbergasted at how it started as a movie I couldn’t stand and yet ended up being sweet and romantic in the second half. I had a similar experience here. The apartment of the title belongs to insurance clerk Bud Baxter (Jack Lemmon), though he rarely gets to enjoy it. Based on promises of promotions from his superiors in the company, he agrees to let them use his apartment for their frequent affairs, leaving them a key while he goes out. Even his own manager Mr. Sheldrake (Fred MacMurray) expects his cooperation, and Baxter is pliant enough to just look the other way, at least until he learns of the involvement of his elevator-operator crush Ms. Kubelik (Shirley MacLaine).

Once I was knee-deep into the film, both my VC and I realized we didn’t like the premise one bit, even if we might sound like the fuddy-duddy critics of the ‘60s. There’s hardly anyone worth liking. Baxter’s boss is a proven womanizer, Ms. Kubelik is too weak and besotted to put an end to being used, and Baxter himself, despite Lemmon’s natural genteel charisma, is a spineless enabler to all this adultery, repeatedly taking the blame to cover up his managers’ infidelity. Perhaps Billy Wilder’s direction and witty script are supposed to make up for the moral vacancy of a plot that is probably (and sadly) all too accurate in its depiction of extramarital dalliances, but it wasn’t endearing to me.

And then… it turned a corner. One reckless move to put an end to the whole situation leads to a sudden surge of character growth and accompanying sympathy. Baxter and Ms. Kubelik get a chance to actually talk and bond outside of their passings in the elevator, and the story becomes not just an exposé of the characters’ moral failings but a chance for them to improve themselves. As Baxter’s doctor neighbor (Jack Kruschen) encourages him, “Be a mensch.” The ending left me smiling and satisfied in a way I never would have expected based on the first half of the film.

I still fail to see why it’s lauded as one of the greatest films of all time, but The Apartment proved its worth as a classic, eventually anyway. Lemmon and MacLaine make a perfect pair, and their Oscar-nominated performances run the gamut from screwball comedy to some surprisingly dark moments. The premise still doesn’t appeal to me, but I liked how it is used by the end to further Baxter’s self-confidence and give him something worth caring about more than his job. Like Strictly Ballroom, it’s proof that you should withhold judgment not just from a story’s cover but should probably wait all the way to the end, appraisal-wise.

Best line: (Baxter, referring to her compact) “The mirror… it’s broken.” (Ms. Kubelik) “Yes, I know. I like it that way. Makes me look the way I feel.”

Rank: Honorable Mention

A very Happy New Year to everyone, and here’s hoping for a much better 2022!

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My 2022 Blindspot Picks

2021 Blindspot Ranking

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My 8th Blogiversary and 2021 List Additions

2021 Blindspot Pick #12: The Apartment (1960)