Another year has finally finished! And movies
10. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny – To me, this film was a tad unnecessary. I still enjoyed it thoroughly. I am glad to have another adventure of Indiana Jones at my disposal. However, the message of the film is largely a rehash of those from previous films. But in a time where fascism has been weirdly embraced, Dial of Destiny reminds viewers it’s never wrong to punch a nazi.
9. Theater Camp – During my latter half of high school, I spent two summers with one of my best friends at theater camp. She texted me the trailer right as it came out and said “We have to go”. “Naturally,” I replied. But alas! Looking for showtimes I found the closest theater playing it was in Chicago. We thought we wouldn’t have the opportunity to see this indie gem. A few months down the line our local cineplex chain announced a limited release of the movie, and we instantly made plans to attend a screening.
It was a fun time. We grinned ear to ear recognizing all the familiar tropes and eccentricities of theater people. Whispering to each other, we were comparing all of the different characters to people we knew. Reminiscing about all our favorite camp activities. Pointing out how much nicer the camp in the film was and how talented all of the actors in the film are. The soundtrack wasn’t bad either. Though some of the plot points lean predictable, its a comfort being able to just escape for a few hours and relive those old camp memories.
8. Dick Tracy Special: Tracy Zooms In – Warren Beatty reprises his role as Dick Tracy in this sequel to his 2010 TCM outing Dick Tracy Special. Ben Mankiewicz acts as host in this meta zoomer humor comedy, with Leonard Maltin coming back to cash another paycheck. TCM made no announcement of the short and released it to almost no fanfare, sandwiched between a few of the old 1940s/50s Dick Tracy features. Tracy Zooms In puts no effort at hiding what it is, the bare minimum Warren Beatty needs to put in to keep the film rights to the Dick Tracy character.
Dick Tracy wants to set the record straight. In his previous special he said he was too kind and cordial to Warren Beatty. That Beatty gave him the brush off back making his 1990 feature. Tracy wants to say what he thinks a Dick Tracy movie should be and how Beatty got it all wrong. Large portions of the special have Dick Tracy himself making commentary over different scenes of the film, ala Mystery Science Theater 3000. I was about as dumbfounded as Mankiewicz was at the situation.
I don’t want to spoil the ending, so I’ll leave it to you to find. Though I would love a new Dick Tracy movie, if all I get is one of these every 13 years, I’ll be happy.
7. Boston Johnny – The feature with the most originality is unequivocally the Motern Media venture Boston Johnny. Matt Farley plays the titular role with gravitas. Boston Johnny is an ad spokesman fighting for the spotlight and the heart of Tanzy, proprietor of Tanzy’s. His trials and tribulations only grow when his rival, Toronto’s Own Will Sloan, arrives. Boston Johnny must use the sage teachings of The Man of the Woods (portrayed with excellence by Kevin McGee) to rise through the ranks and vanquish his foes to become the greatest ad spokesman in all of the world.
As a producer on this movie I might be a tad bias, but I don’t care! This (As with the rest of the Motern movies) is a a fun romp that hypnotizes and captivates its viewers, taking them on a journey into a world far more pleasant than our own. Find it on Tubi, buy it on Vimeo, and wait idly in anticipation for the blu-ray release of Boston Johnny.
6. Barbie – One of the most original blockbusters I recall seeing in movie theaters. The Barbenheimer phenomenon caught up with me, but wanting to see Oppenheimer on film, I saw Barbie last. This was not the move, as I just spent three hours wallowing in existential dread over nuclear weapons. I wish I was in a better headspace, as I’m sure I would have enjoyed it more. Never the less, Barbie was a delightful romp.
Greta Gerwig’s directing was masterful, and I adored the subtle nuances that Margot Robbie brought to the character. Kate McKinnon was hilarious, and Rhea Perlman’s cameo was nothing short of heartwarming. I hope Barbie‘s success leads to more original women-centric features, rather than the likely spin off movies of other Mattel toys.
5. Oppenheimer – As I just mentioned, I joined in with the masses for the Barbenheimer weekend. However I was quite lucky, as my local Imax theater was one of the few capable of showing the 70mm film version. And in an age where it becomes ever more difficult to watch movies on film, I had to go. The film looked gorgeous on that shimmering 70mm, yet the theatrical experience ended up being a little less than pleasant.
The theater hadn’t ran any film since 2018, and nobody knew how to properly handle the print. Throughout the film audio would desynchronize, the image would cut in and out, and worst of all, (allegedly) the print had fallen off its table, and we would not be able to watch the final 30 minutes. The sold out audience was in an uproar, some having driven hundreds of miles to catch the film version. I felt so bad for the poor, underpaid employee who had to keep coming back to make announcements. It wasn’t his fault the theater shifted to digital only projection a decade prior.
I ended up making it back there a few weeks later. The print was quite beaten by this point, but that didn’t stop them from selling out. At times a solid line would pop up through the upper third of the picture, with artifacts aplenty throughout the runtime. But I was able to catch much more of (and actually finish) the feature on the second watch, and for that I’m grateful.
4. Godzilla Minus One – Toho’s latest foray into Kaiju cinema was this solid period drama. Out of any of the Godzilla films I have seen, I found Minus One to have the most compelling human story. Lots of exciting action, killer score, and characters you can sympathize with. Far more enjoyable than the Lionsgate Monsterverse Godzilla ventures.
3. The Iron Claw – The story of the Von Erich family is a very personal one to me. My father was a huge fan of theirs back in the 1970s and 1980s, and often showed me old WCCW matches growing up. During my myriad struggles with mental health problems, I have felt very connected to the Von Erich brothers.
While I loved this film, it is not without flaws. Writer/director Sean Durkin does the typical date changing/detail omitting commonplace to help biopics fit their narrative. The least forgivable is the total absence of Chris Von Erich. It is my understanding this was done to make the film more palatable for mainstream audiences, his life and story are just as important as the other Von Erich’s. Still, it was a poetic tribute to one of the greatest families in the history of professional wrestling.
2. Killers of the Flower Moon – A thought provoking meditation on the horrific slaughtering of native Americans. It’s always a pleasure to see a new Martin Scorsese movie. It was like a good stew, tons of fabulous ingredients simmering right in your face for three hours. The phenomenal acting, the sharp editing and biting social commentary kept me on the edge of my seat. When the film was first announced Leonardo DiCaprio was set to play an investigator probing the situation. However, due in part to public perception of law enforcement, the film was rewritten and shifted the focus to the exploitative relationships between the white and Osage people. While I am curious what Scorsese’s original vision for this film was, the end product is nothing short of another masterpiece in Marty’s oeuvre.
1. Heard She Got Murdered – From the team that brought you Slingshot Cops, Magic Spot, and Boston Johnny comes the second installment in the life of musician Mitch Owens. He’s trying to shake off the traumatic events of the first film by getting back to recording with his new group, The Mitch Owens Trio. Can Mitch abide by the town’s music standards? Is their sound beefy enough? Will his eccentricities push him farther than we thought possible?
Heard She Got Murdered is a wonderful sequel to one of my all time favorite films, Heard She Got Married. The two films are polar opposites, which I think makes them stronger. I was lucky enough to be in the crowd at the premiere, and everybody in the room was covered with goosebumps as the projector flickered to life. This is a film you must watch multiple times, because you never know what you might have missed.
Honorable Mentions
A Haunting in Venice – Kenneth Branagh does it again! The third in his Poirot series is another moody murder mystery, and possibly the most fun. Certainly the most original of the bunch. If you’re a fan of the genre, check it out!
Cocaine Bear – Elizabeth Banks makes her return to the director’s chair with this hilarious dark comedy. Based (VERY loosely, if I may add) on a true story, Banks pontificates on what would happen if a bear located and consumed several kilos of cocaine. It’s fun, and I can always get behind esteemed character actress Margo Martindale.
Paint – Owen Wilson plays Carl Nargle, a Bob Ross type public television artist who thinks he has it all. But when an upstart younger artist comes along, Nargle loses everything. This movie has been in some form of production since being featured in the 2010 Black List most-liked unproduced screenplays. I enjoyed it quite a bit.
Jesse Shira's Rambling Rants 