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You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah (2023)
Interesting to see Adam Sandler play third fiddle
This is a pretty harmless, cute movie that is really a showcase for Adam Sandler's daughter more than him. I can't think of another movie offhand where he's relegated to the sideline. But he does a great job with what he's given to do (although him wearing a bathrobe to the movie theater was a bit much). The story about the two main characters, Stacy and Lydia, didn't quite hold my interest throughout. And some of the supporting characters feel a little one note (the mean girls, the dreamy guy). But it's fun and has some laughs. And you could definitely find a lot worse ways to spend 105 minutes watching something on Netflix.
The Mummy (1999)
I think I missed the boat on this one
I didn't see The Mummy when it first came out, and am catching up 25 years later. I don't know...it just wasn't for me. I felt like it was pretty repetitive, especially in the second half. The good guys find themselves in an impossible situation with dead bodies trying to kill them, and manage to just escape. The visual effects in this didn't seem much more advanced from Raiders of the Lost Ark almost 20 years earlier. I did like Rachel Weisz in this one. I'd be curious to know if this movie helped or hurt Egyptian tourism. I could see people being spooked to travel to Giza. I guess I saw it too late but it was meh for me.
Dream Scenario (2023)
Just didn't work for me
There are some movies where it's just hard to explain why you didn't like them. This one falls in that category. I like Nicholas Cage, and I love Adaptation, and this feels like his closest performance to that. There's just something about it, maybe the way it was shot, that left me cold and uninvested. Cage's character is his own worst enemy at times, and he was hard to relate to. I didn't really think that he and his wife had that strong of a relationship to begin with. There were a few laughs here and there but it was more of a drama than a comedy for me. I would like to see Nicholas Cage popping up in some Sprite commercials.
Oppenheimer (2023)
Complicated movie about a complicated man
I've always been a big Christopher Nolan fan, and this is probably his best technically put together movie. The score in particular is outstanding, especially in the best sequence of the film, the Trinity test. He's assembled a crazy amount of acting talent. The movie does a good job of showing the moral dilemma Oppenheimer wrestles with, but you never really get a clear idea of what's in his head. Which rings true to me. I did think Emily Blunt's character (and accent) was the weak link in the movie. I wondered at certain points if we were spending too much time with the frame story and Robert Downey Jr.'s character, but it mostly pays off. This isn't necessarily my favorite movie of the year, but it's probably the best movie of the year.
The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry (2022)
Plenty of problems, but not unpleasant to watch
My favorite book of last year was written by the same author as this book, and I didn't realize they made a movie based off of this. It's pleasant enough to watch, with a surprising, dramatic performance from the actor who played Raj on The Big Bang Theory. There are plenty of problems though. I feel like it moves too fast, skipping over important scenes to get through the story. I never bought that Amelia was in love with AJ and there are some dramatic moments that aren't earned, especially involving the other writer. I imagine this was a tough story to adapt into a movie. It's on Hulu and not a bad watch.
Killers of the Flower Moon (2023)
Scorsese does justice to a harrowing real-life story
I just finished reading the book before watching this movie, so I knew what was going to happen. That may have dampened my enthusiasm somewhat but I do think this is a worthy telling of this history. De Niro does a great job of inhabiting Hale, the definition of a wolf in sheep's clothing. One issue I have though is in real life he is at least 20 years older than Hale was. The runtime is 3 hours and 20 minutes, but it doesn't feel that long. I watched it over several days, though, so your mileage may vary. I did like how they wrapped the story with the radio broadcast and who they got to read the last part.
This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
Not as many laughs as I expected
I've been hearing a lot about this movie for a while, so I was overdue to check it out. I found it amusing at times and mostly harmless but not a comedy classic. I thought a couple scenes were funny: the turn up to 11 scene and the concert when Harry Shearer is stuck in the cocoon. Most of the rest just got chuckles from me. But I also disliked Walk Hard, so maybe the fake music doc genre isn't for me. I do like Christopher Guest and could see some of his Corky character from Waiting for Guffman in here. It's fun to see Billy Crystal and Fran Drescher in small roles. So overall it was just okay.
Maestro (2023)
Not best picture quality for me
I had two main issues with this movie. First, it felt more like a collection of scenes than a coherent story, especially in the first two-thirds. There would be random scenes of Bernstein conducting sprinkled throughout without any real context. Second, I thought it hyperfocused on one aspect of Bernstein's life to the detriment of learning more about how he was as a person. I get it: he struggled with his sexuality and preferred companions to the detriment of his marriage. But when almost every scene was about the same thing, it got old very quickly. I don't feel like I learned much about him. On the positive side, Bradley Cooper really invests himself in this role and definitely inhabits Bernstein. I just wish Cooper the writer rose to the same level as Cooper the actor and director.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023)
Stick to the original trilogy
This feels like a cash grab more than a worthy fifth installment in the Indiana Jones franchise. It starts with a 21 minute action sequence at the end of WWII, with a digitally de-aged Harrison Ford. By the end of this sequence I was exhausted, and there was still two hours to go. I wish they had done more with Indy's age, and had him attempt and fail to pull off fight scenes. Instead they stick with the same crazy chase scenes, and just add Phoebe Waller-Bridge to the equation. The one where she jumps onto the plane as it's taking off is especially unrealistic. This one at least has a more coherent plot than Crystal Skull. But it's just not a very good movie.
A Haunting in Venice (2023)
My least favorite of the 3 new Poirot movies
One of the things that's noticeable right away is the lack of star power in this movie compared to the previous two. Tina Fey is expected to do a lot of the heavy lifting, and I don't know if this was the right role for her. I think for me I didn't enjoy this one as much as the other two because it had a little bit more of a horror vibe than the others. It was trying hard to make you as unsettled as Poirot was. It does do a decent job of keeping you guessing as to who is responsible for these murders. And I liked that it was pretty short, not much more than 90 minutes. Other than that, I'd say meh.
The Holdovers (2023)
My favorite movie of the year
I really loved this movie. Paul Giamatti is at his best here (along with the other two actors playing the holdovers) as a curmudgeon forced to play babysitter for the holidays. I love the way Alexander Payne unveils more and more about the backstories about the professor and student as the movie goes along. He also does a great job of making it look and feel like the time it's set (1970). You can really feel the weight of what it would mean for Tully if he got kicked out of school (Vietnam). Two standout scenes I really enjoyed were the one where they went out for cheeseburgers and the Christmas Eve party. If I had one small criticism it would be that this is a bit reminiscent of Dead Poets Society, especially the way it ends, but that movie is one of my top 5 movies of all time so that doesn't really bother me.
Leave the World Behind (2023)
Interesting but unsatisfying
I'll start with the positives: this movie kept me interested the whole way through. I wanted to see what happened next. Kevin Bacon was a standout in his one scene. And there was some very good tension between the two families at the beginning. What makes this movie a disappointment is as much as it kept me along for the ride, the ride itself was unsatisfying. There were large sections about 2/3 of the way through that could have been cut to keep it from being 2 hours and 20 minutes. And the way it ended just left me going "huh?" There were also little details that were wrong - Clay wouldn't be able to watch a Nationals/Braves game on MASN in New York unless his house had a very comprehensive sports package. The daughter wouldn't hit the play button on the remote from the DVD menu to start the show. Little things throughout like this bothered me.
The Killer (2023)
Bourne-esque, with less shaky cam and fewer fight scenes
I like most David Fincher movies, and this is no exception. It's really interesting setting up this assassin's world and how he goes about his job. It is Jason Bourne-esque, but better. His narration reminded me of one of my favorite movies, Memento. The scene with Tilda Swinton is very good. Out of all the tense moments, the one for me that was the most tense was when he had to outrun the pit bull. I had a couple plot quibbles that kept me from liking this more. I'm not sure the movie did a great job setting up why he cared so much about the attack on his house. And I don't know that I buy that he would let the client go at the end, after everything he was doing. Why kill the cabbie but not kill him? All in all, though, very solid and well worth seeking out on Netflix.
Quiz Lady (2023)
Funny and sweet, and just a little too silly
As someone who has wanted to get on Jeopardy their whole life, I can definitely relate to Awkwafina's character. This is a much more toned down version of Awkwafina, playing the more muted sister to Sandra Oh's crazy. There are plenty of laughs here, although at times they skew a little too silly for me. I also really enjoyed this version of Will Ferrell - endearing and still funny without being over the top. At the end of the day this is a sweet movie about the precarious bond between two sisters. It's an easy watch (currently on Hulu). I hope they used two different dogs to play Mr. Linguini!
Elemental (2023)
Good message wrapped up in a sweet love story
For me this was more of a return to form for Pixar after a few recent movies I didn't like as much. The animation quality as always is top-notch. I found myself getting emotionally wrapped up in the love story between the two main characters. At the same time it's telling an important tale about immigration and being accepted in society. There were times when I was legitimately unsure whether it would have a happy or sad ending (although I should know better). I was worried at first that this would be too similar to Inside Out, but I'm glad to report that it wasn't. There are also a lot of great gags in some of the business names that kids aren't going to get (like Tide & Prejudice).
Asteroid City (2023)
Another miss from Wes Anderson
I've liked about a third of the Wes Anderson movies I've seen, and this one is not in that category. There's a crazy collection of acting talent here, but not much for them to do. The structure is unnecessarily complicated. I didn't like any of the black-and-white scenes and thought they took away from the movie. There were a few things here and there that I liked - the interplay between the teens, any scene Steve Carell was in. But it just didn't add up to anything. And Jeff Goldblum was credited as the alien but the alien didn't say anything and was CGI...so what did Jeff do? Anderson's recent short The Wonderful Life of Henry Sugar is much better. Watch that one instead.
Bullet Train (2022)
Brad Pitt can't save this one
I will give Bullet Train this: it's memorable. There are a lot of WTF moments that you'll think about later. But it's not a good movie. Brad Pitt is trying his best and is very charismatic as usual. But it just seems like an endless parade of less interesting people (and strange celebrity cameos) behind him. It's a bit too violent for me, and too many unbelievable things happen (Aaron Taylor-Johnson making it back on the train, for one). I was really expecting Channing Tatum's character to end up being one of the main bad guys but that never paid off. By the end I didn't really care what happened. A good attempt but a miss for me.
Sitting in Bars with Cake (2023)
Don't go in expecting a romantic comedy
Knowing nothing about this movie going in, the first 20 minutes sets up like it's going to be a romantic comedy. Introvert learns how to be outgoing and gains the confidence to talk to the guy she has a crush on. What you get instead is something much more poignant and, at times, tough to watch. The whole second half of the movie is pretty sad, with just a few moments of much-needed levity from Corinne's parents. It's not a great movie, but it's hard not to get caught up in the story and feel something by the end. It did make me want to bake a cake or two. And I love the idea of the two Billies tour. Let's make that happen.
Easy A (2010)
Pretty charming
This is the kind of movie that you forget about a week after you watch it, but it's pretty charming. Emma Stone is great here as Olive, a character who's easy to root for. The scene stealers for me were her parents, Patricia Clarkson and Stanley Tucci. They have great family interactions. If there's a weak link I think it's Lisa Kudrow's character, who has some questionable moments. I like that it is about 90 minutes and doesn't overstay its welcome. I didn't find it uproariously funny or anything, but it made me smile. And if you don't get the 80s movie references, they spell it out for you pretty overtly.
Babylon (2022)
Damien Chazelle's masterpiece this is not
I think that Damien Chazelle was trying to make this epic masterpiece about cinema, and it all goes wrong. There's just too much. Too much everything. The first 30 minutes is an assault on the senses, in a bad way. And while there are some parts when it slows down and gets better, we end with the crazy Tobey Maguire part and an attempt to be profound that falls flat. One of the problems is that there's another movie that did the end of the silent era much better (Singin in the Rain), and if you didn't know that before, this movie reminds you of it by having characters singing the song, and then showing the movie itself at the end! I don't know what the thinking was there. I like Margot Robbie as an actress but I hated her character here. I did like Brad Pitt's Jack Conrad, but not enough to balance the rest out. I'll still be looking to see what Chazelle does next because I loved La La Land and Whiplash so much, but this is a big dud.
Gaslight (1944)
A slow burn, but stick with it
The way this movie unfolds, it might take a while to get into it. The way that Anton was manipulating his wife came off strange at first. But it's worth it for the last 20 minutes, which was truly great. One sign of a good movie is not being sure whether it's going to have a good ending or a bad ending, and this fit that requirement for me. It's not my favorite Ingrid Bergman performance, but it's really buoyed by Joseph Cotton's presence in the second half of the movie. And it's amusing to see a young Angela Lansbury as the maid. I'm not familiar with Charles Boyer's work, but he is more than suitable as the villain. This is a movie that still holds up well.
Barbie (2023)
The movie event of 2023 lives up to the hype
Let me start by saying it makes me happy to see a movie that isn't from the MCU or a sequel doing so well at the box office. There is still originality out there. This movie was very funny - the scene with Ken and the doctor in LA made me laugh very hard. It's weird and inventive. It has amazing choreography. So many talented people worked on this. I didn't grow up with Barbies so I'm sure a lot of the jokes went over my head. But it didn't hurt the enjoyment. It even manages to land a sentimental note at the end. I can definitely see this being a movie people see over and over.
Side note: Greta Gerwig must be a fan of Sex Education - three actors end up here.
No Hard Feelings (2023)
Not what you expect from the trailer, but still enjoyable
I went into this thinking this would be more of a raunchy and very funny movie. Instead it's more of a sweet movie, especially in the second half, with not as many laughs. Most of the funniest parts are in the trailer. The actor who plays Percy in this really shines. You can tell he has a future ahead of him. I like Jennifer Lawrence, and she's good in this in a different type of role for her. There definitely were some things that happen in the plot that make you go "huh?" And my wife pointed out that Percy really isn't very awkward, even in the beginning. But I enjoyed this one for the most part.
Top Gun: Maverick (2022)
Definitely an improvement over the first one
I really questioned why they would make a sequel to one of the most overrated movies of the 80s. But this one is definitely better. Part of that is because of the chemistry between Tom Cruise and Jennifer Connelly. But mostly it's because of the last 45 minutes, which has some great flying scenes. It really kept you guessing about what was going to happen next. The negatives: I felt like the plot to get Tom Cruise to teach the mission was pretty contrived and didn't make much sense. There were too many scenes where they were thinking or talking about Goose's death (we get it). Overall, it's a decent movie, just not in my opinion worth all the hype it got last year when it came out.
Air (2023)
Pretty good process movie
Ben Affleck does a good job of taking what could be a pretty boring subject and giving it life. It helps having Matt Damon at the center. His interactions with Jason Bateman and Chris Messina's characters were my favorite parts of the movie. Affleck does a pretty good job showing how out there Phil Knight is. There were a couple things I would have liked to seen dialed back a bit: the 80s songs (there are so many of them) and the repeated references to everything that was popular in 1984 to make us extra sure what year we're in. I did like how Nike's pitch to Michael Jordan didn't really go well (except for Sony's speech). Affleck's movies he's directed are pretty uniformly good, and this is no exception.