Little Women: A Specific Genre Taste

Of all of the Best Picture nominees, I’m finding that Little Women is the hardest one to write a review for. It was not a movie at the top of my list to see when it was released, and after it was over, I found that I wasn’t enjoying it as much as everyone else seemed to. It’s not that I don’t think the movie was poorly made – there are great performances, wonderfully sweet moments, and good camerawork throughout. It evokes very genuine emotions and I can see why it is a beloved tale, both on and off the screen. And I wanted to enjoy it simply because I know that director Greta Gerwig is good at what she does; after Lady Bird, I really want to love everything she gives us, because she crafts stories with care and makes sure that the audience feels what they need to feel. But like reading the book in your English Literature class, it is a story that not everyone – even the ones who love books and stories – is going to enjoy. I think it just comes down to the fact that Little Women is a very specific genre of story, and it’s not going to be for everyone.

Joker – Discussion Over Amusement

The biggest fear that I had – that, I think, everyone probably had – when a solo Joker was announced was that one of Batman’s most mysterious villains would be ruined by a backstory. It’s happened before – the remakes of both Willy Wonka and The Grinch attempted to give their lead characters a sympathetic backstory, and all it did was take the mysticism out of them. To do that to the Joker would be a huge disservice, because part of what makes him such an amazing villain is not knowing his motivations, his desires, or anything concrete. So, with all that said, did this version of the Joker, not tied to any current DC films, do justice to one of the most well-known villains in pop culture? A lot of it depends on how the audience member takes the story – do you believe what Arthur Fleck is telling you and showing you? Do you agree with the portrayal of mental illness? And can you sit through two hours of what turns out to be a very emotionally draining and difficult film? While the Joker may be a comic book character, this movie is anything but your regular comic book movie.

Ford v. Ferrari: Promised the Drive

After seeing almost all of the Best Picture nominees for 2020, I could have told you that Ford V. Ferrari was probably not going to take home the top prize. I could also have told you that, despite that feeling, Ford V. Ferrari was one of the Best Picture nominees I enjoyed the most. Many of its competitors were films that wanted to be artsy, or make a statement, or prove a point, and I’m not saying that there’s anything wrong with that. But there is a certain amusement and joy in a movie that is just there to entertain us. That sort of movie can be fun for anyone in the theater, not just the people who come for high art, and that’s what we’ve got here. It’s well-made, it’s good for both theater and home viewing, and it doesn’t ask too much of its audience in order to be enjoyed. And, for some people, having some really nice cars are a big plus.

Sonic: Did You Even Try?

You know what I walked out of Sonic feeling? Exhausted. It was exhausting to sit through a movie – even one that is, by today’s standards, pretty short – that was nothing but a build up that put all of its effort into redesigning its main character before the film was released. Don’t get me wrong, we all appreciate the fact that Sonic is no longer the little demon-troll that was originally released to us, but I have to say if this movie spent as much time on its story as it did on making sure its main character was no longer horrifying, this might have been a movie worth watching. I will admit to not knowing much, if anything, about the extended lore of Sonic – I played maybe one game in my youth on my Gameboy Advance – but creating a video game movie doesn’t necessarily rely on knowledge of the actual game. It’s about creating the world of the game, the feeling of it, and making it accessible to people who don’t necessarily have the background. And for a movie that is about a blue hedgehog that can run faster than the speed of light, I find it incredible that it somehow managed to be predictable, boring, and just plain underwhelming.

1917 : Artistic, Stylistic, but Not Universal

Let’s be honest – being nominated for many awards doesn’t mean that everyone is going to enjoy a movie. Sometimes it’s exactly the opposite, because what usually gets a movie nominated for awards is more for critics who understand the facets of film, rather than the casual moviegoer who is generally looking for an enjoyable evening. But I do think that even the movies that focus on artistry, style and technique can have something for casual viewers, if they are willing to have an open mind. And the flip side of the coin is that if you truly want your movie to stand the test of time, you need to find the balance between style and story, to create something that can be both awarded and enjoyed. 1917 sometimes struggles to find that path, because they devote a great deal of their time to creating an atmosphere. While that is a great start, it doesn’t always pay off, because it builds up to a story that never quite reaches the same level of greatness. But does this mean that it’s not a film worth watching? I wouldn’t say so, but that’s up to each person, because style and story preferences make or break the experience.

Frozen II: Growing Up

It is fitting that the last Disney film of the 2010s is the sequel to one of its biggest hits – in 2013, Frozen hit theaters amid snowstorms and became a menace to parents everywhere when the song Let It Go became all their toddlers could talk (or sing) about. As the decade draws to a close, I believe parents can breathe easy. While Frozen II is beautifully animated and the story is compelling with a good message, it hasn’t become the same phenomenon that its precursor was, and the songs aren’t being sung in the streets (somehow I doubt that would change even if “Into the Unknown” won an Oscar). I think a big part of this is because, despite being a favorite of children when it was released, Frozen II is not necessarily a movie meant for children. The story strays into darker territory than even the first one managed, some of the details of the movie may fly over the head of a younger audience, and while its message is worth hearing, it’s unlikely that children will understand the impact of it, at least not entirely. I wouldn’t be upset if they did – everything that the story wants to teach us is good to learn – and maybe I’m not giving kids enough credit. I just think that it’s not as likely to have the desired impact unless viewers are a little bit older. Frozen II is a good movie, but it’s not quite at the same level as the original, and that’s because its story has evolved beyond what the original wanted to be.

The Rise of Skywalker: Not With a Bang, but With a Sigh

Star Wars is a franchise that has spanned generations, and when it was announced that The Rise of Skywalker would be the last film for awhile (at least the last one in the saga of the Skywalker story), there were mixed feelings. The Star Wars fanbase is extremely passionate about the story (sometimes to the point of being overdramatic), and the newest trilogy has had mixed reviews on all levels. There seemed like an enormous amount of pressure for it to be good, on top of the usual pressure that the ending of a series has on it to go out strong, powerful, and usually loud. In comparison, the Avengers Infinity Saga finished this year – that’s the level of ending a saga like this is expected to have. That’s not the level of intensity that The Rise of Skywalker had though – not by a long shot. In many ways, this trilogy was doomed by a lot of stylistic choices, and maybe this wasn’t the end for the Skywalker saga that fans would hope for, but I’m not entirely sure it could have gone another way. No matter how hard it tried, the Skywalker storyline was a large part of the issue with the sequel trilogy, and maybe a lackluster ending can open the franchise up to a better future.

21 Bridges: The Word is Refreshing

This was a movie that came and went from theaters rather quickly, so I am glad I got to see it before it was gone, but also sad because it means there are plenty of people out there who missed it. While 21 Bridges is rather straight-forward and, in many ways, nothing new, it is told very well and expertly crafted. What it lacks in surprise or mystique, it makes up for in its attention to detail and the ability to not pull its punches. 21 Bridges is not long – it clocks in at just over an hour and a half – but it doesn’t need to be. You can tell that this film was made to get the job done, not to spend time on extra details or embellishing unnecessary details. There are some drawbacks – as I said, there are some moments that are a little cut-and-paste in terms of story, and sometimes that lack of time means that some character work gets a little shunted to the side. That is a shame in particular because an excellent cast has been gathered for this action tale, and sometimes you lose track of who is who. One review I caught of this movie was that it was not enough to ensure that the story gets a franchise, and to me, that’s a point in its favor. This movie is refreshing, and the fact that it understands it doesn’t need to be a franchise in this day and age makes it more enjoyable. Refreshing is the word I would use overall – fun doesn’t quite work, simple doesn’t quite cut it, but certainly not disappointing.

Knives Out: Entertaining Escapism

Rian Johnson has directed five movies (and three episodes of Breaking Bad, just FYI), but Knives Out may be the most important one, because Johnson has been getting flack ever since Star Wars: The Last Jedi came out. Johnson even designed a character based on the Star Wars fanboys who constantly trolled Johnson after The Last Jedi. It’s clear, however, that Johnson has talent, as both a writer and a director, after taking the helm of a whodunnit that stays one step ahead and keeps audiences completely entertained for the full two hours. Knives Out is the kind of movie that people actually go to the movies for – you enjoy yourself, you are engaged and invested, and best of all, you don’t already know how the story is going to end when you walk in.

It’s Next Chapter: The Longest Yet

While we’re not in the year where everyone is terrified by clowns outside of the theater (and may we avoid having another clown attack in this decade), we still have to worry about the clowns inside the theaters and on our television screens. The sequel to clown horror of 2017 came when It: Chapter 2 hit theaters, somehow managing to feel longer than the 1990 miniseries (and I’m not saying that lightly, as someone who had the bright idea to start the miniseries at 11 o’clock at night) and also pack more into 2 hours and 49 minutes than perhaps it needed to. It’s a long movie, and it’s so fill of flashbacks that you wonder why some of this information couldn’t (and wasn’t) covered in the original film. But that does not mean that It: Chapter 2 is an unworthy successor. While It (2017) is arguably the better story, or at least organized better, It: Chapter 2 is larger, and in many ways, scarier because of where it is allowed to start. You may have to put up with story decisions that don’t necessarily matter or even add to the film’s plot, but when the movie wants you to be scared, you will be scared.