criticarter - Tumblr blog

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Films Watched in 2024 - (38/???)

Problemista (2024) Julio Torres -- (3.5/5)

By this point, you probably know Torres (at least by reputation) thanks to his SNL writing and his subsequent pseudo-surrealist projects now that he's been off on his own. No one but A24 would support a surrealist take on the US immigration system, and I'm definitely glad it's out there; however, the bulk of this revolves around Swinton being almost consistently horrible to everyone she encounters (no redeeming character arc to speak of) and the plot resolves in an emulation thereof, which I didn't personally love (though I did finally understand the title once the credits rolled). If you're a Torres completionist over the years, you'll probably like it--just be sure to have subtitles for as much of this as you can if you're not bilingual.

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Films Watched in 2024 - (37/???)

Elemental (2023) Peter Sohn -- (4/5)

I was totally ready for a middle-of-the-road Pixar film (which it kind of is, as the metaphor is less nuanced than you'd hope); there's tons of great designs, but none of the relatively-unknown talent really brings it home like the usual big name Pixar cast can, and a good chunk of the film is basically Chinatown without an antagonist. However, there are two undeniable heavy-hitting moments at the end, and emotional catharsis always bumps a film up an extra point in my book.

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Films Watched in 2024 - (36/???)

Madame Web (2024) S.J. Clarkson -- (1/5)

Despite directing four episodes of MCU Netflix back in the day, Clarkson made a huge mistake signing on for this one...as it's clear no one could have saved whatever happened to this in the script stages, including the editor that ADR'd basically every line our antagonist has (significantly less painful when you can't see his face anymore). This (and the massively altered-origin Kraven film coming down the pike) clearly only exist to keep the Spidey spinoffs in the hands of Sony, to the point where we're throwing characters at the wall without giving them powers and/or costumes in the proper context of the film. At least Merced will get a proper shot at playing superhero with her Hawkgirl appearance(s).

IT ALSO TAKES PLACE IN 2003 FOR NO REAL REASON EXCEPT TO SHOEHORN IN THE PARKER FAMILY.

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Films Watched in 2024 - (35/???)

Am I OK? (2024) Tig Notaro & Stephanie Allynne -- (3/5)

There are definitely worse ways to spend 90 minutes (and Johnson alone is definitely worth the cost of admission, as she can elevate even something like Madame Web). Maybe if I had been clear about whose true story it is (both the writer and one of the directors have stories like this, and the co-director's seems like it would have made a better film) I'd have enjoyed it more, and as much as Tig milks her cameo for all it's worth, the wig made it pretty distracting. At the end of the day, it's good to have a different kind of coming out story like this in the world. Happy Pride, everybody.

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Films Watched in 2024 - (34/???)

Butterfly in the Sky (2024) Bradford Thomason & Brett Whitcomb -- (4.5/5)

The show was on for 26 years; if you're reading this, you probably watched it, which means you will undoubtedly love this history that goes back to the pre-Roots days. My only note: it's sub-90 minutes, and I would have happily indulged in the LeVar mythos for at least another 30 minutes.

This is on Netflix now; hopefully you've already had it promoted on your main screen.

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Films Watched in 2024 - (33/???)

Road House (2024) Doug Liman -- (3.5/5)

This fully deserved a theatrical release; there's only so much visceral brutality you can communicate while lining the pockets of Bezos. Naturally, Gyllenhaal is carrying this film on his back, effortlessly balancing the humorous beats with the physical ones; Arturo Castro (The Menu, Alternatino) has some great scene-stealing moments too. Unfortunately, Liman decided only an actual athlete would be a physical threat to Gyllenhaal and hired Conor McGregor as the second big bad (that we know basically nothing about to the point where he's introduced completely naked) to beat up on our protagonist and attempt occasional zingers. There's also a seemingly set up subplot about Gyllenhaal taking a kid under his wing that's abruptly abandoned and the female characters are a bit underdeveloped...fingers crossed the sequel improves on the faults.

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Films Watched in 2024 - (32/???)

Shortcomings (2023) Randall Park -- (4/5)

Cola isn't playing someone terribly different than she did in Joy Ride and they have Jacob Batalon saying the MCU Spidey is the best version, which...that crosses the line. Loved the opening where they take shots at Crazy Rich Asians and it's great to see the original creator of source material getting to adapt their project for the big screen, particularly with a first-time feature director. Like the film says, it's good to see characters with faults now and then.

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Films Watched in 2024 - (31/???)

Linoleum (2023) Colin West -- (3.5/5)

I really, really enjoyed the vast majority of the film. Gaffigan has secret drama chops (like all the great comics) and Seehorn never disappoints; the younger, less seasoned actors also are way better than anyone would expect, and I can't wait to see more of them in the years to come. It's so good that the ~mystery~ elements that would sometimes bug me didn't in this one. The third act reveal, however, is...polarizing, shall we say, and I fell on the wrong side of it. Maybe it'll work for you, but it just kind of broke me instead.

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Films Watched in 2024 - (30/???)

The Sweet East (2023) Sean Price Williams -- (2/5)

Someone wanted to make their own Slackers or Clerks, but rather than a brilliant sign of things to come, you can't help but think Williams's next film has to be better than this one. Not a penny was spent on this that wasn't vital (and maybe a few more should have been on a particular scene), protagonist motivation is unknowable; it's ultimately a wonder the bigger names in the cast signed on to this script (if it was anywhere close to the finished product).

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Films Watched in 2024 - (29/???)

Turtles All the Way Down (2024) Hannah Marks -- (4/5)

The start of the third act is very telegraphed if you've seen any other media, and there's a subplot that gets forgotten for the bulk of the film (to the point where you could cut it to get closer to the 90 minute mark than two hours without ill effect), but I'm really glad this exists. It's a great depiction of a mental health difference (by the original author's own words) and I'm really looking forward to seeing Hawkgirl by Superman's side, now that Merced can be so much more than Dora the Explorer.

Also: THIS MOVIE KNOWS HOW TO SHOW PEOPLE TEXTING EACH OTHER. It's amazing how many people still get it wrong post-Sherlock.

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Films Watched in 2024 - (28/???)

The Retirement Plan (2023) Tim Brown -- (0.5/5)

This is the worst movie I've ever seen; Cage, Perlman, and Haley deserved so much better. At least it saved me a trip to the Caymans.

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Films Watched in 2024 - (27/???)

Blue Beetle (2023) Ángel Manuel Soto -- (3.5/5)

While the relatively recent create of the character in 2006 (and even more recent big-screen adaptation) puts him at a disadvantage in terms of "originality," Maridueña is one of the few DCEU members sticking around for the Gunn-led DCU, so there's clearly more to enjoy going on than just a perfectly-adapted suit with great action scenes. Sarandon is cartoonishly, irredeemably evil, Lopez is annoying as hell (and arguably more stereotypical than you'd hope to see in a 2023 film, and Guillén is utterly wasted in a role that feels like he shot in a week and was only cast in for the sake of a last-minute reveal. They'll never take "Batman's a fascist" away from us, though.

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X-Men: The animated series vs X-Men '97 opening

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Films Watched in 2024 - (26/???)

Argylle (2024) Matthew Vaughn -- (2.5/5)

This is what happens when Vaughn not only tries to top himself from one film to the next, but one scene to the next in a film. Props to the marketing team for not spoiling it, but I just wasn't on board for all the ridiculousness (even with the joy that Rockwell and O'Hara always bring to the screen), and the final/mid-credit scene is doubling down on a bad idea. There's also a lot that looks very fake, particularly compared to the most recent Mission: Impossible (which has a lot of unfortunate parallels, and we all know real action is done best by Cruise et al).

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Films Watched in 2024 - (25/???)

First Time Female Director (2024) Chelsea Peretti -- (2/5)

Unfortunately, Peretti's debut shows that she's incredibly well-connected (and understandably refused help from her spouse) rather than actually skilled at filmmaking. Maybe the second time around will be better; in the meantime, at least Kate Berlant and Megan Mullally help get the audience through the tough points. Jak Knight deserved so much more for his sole feature film credit, though.

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Films Watched in 2024 - (24/???)

Spirited Away (2001) Hayao Miyazaki -- (3/5)

I'll just get this out of the way now: I don't think I'm a Miyazaki guy like everyone else seems to be. Despite the great animation (particularly food) and remarkable score, I feel like some parts could have been cut (giant baby? a character is secretly a shapeshifter and our lead knows about this before seeing them change?) and it was a bit light on exposition, at least in terms of the typical American audience, but my biggest gripe was how loud the lead character was. Why are we screaming half our dialogue? Was it an American director issue, or did this happen with Lilo and Stitch too and I just don't remember?

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Films Watched in 2024 - (23/???)

Lil Nas X: Long Live Montero (2023) Carlos López Estrada & Zac Manuel -- (3.5/5)

There are far worse ways than this to spend 90 minutes. Long Live Montero is a surprisingly upbeat look at the ins and outs of Lil Nas X's (aka Montero Lamar Hill) first tour in 2022. I don't remember them ever giving the present year, and jumping around in time both on the tour itself and back to 2016 and 2019 with the releases of his first single and the eventual album make things a bit convoluted. No explicit mention of what happened in March 2020, so it's a bit off-putting to suddenly see occasional masked audience members when the time comes, but it ultimately helps the documentary keep its upbeat tone and message provided by the grounded lead and his loving fans that are individually involved.