#Rian Johnson deserved better

[thehollowprince]

I know I've talked about this before, but I absolutely loathe how the character of Finn was treated in this movie. Not only the redundancy of his plot, but the sheer laziness of it.

[antidisneystarwars]

Poe and Finn's Stories Should've Been Swapped

I think Poe and Finn's story arcs should've been switched, and someone else should have replaced Holdo or written her to be more bearable. Poe could go with Rose since he's a competent pilot and a high-ranking Resistance member, which might have more sway when he learns about the corruption in the Resistance and how they're not as perfect as he's always assumed they were; they could even have a moment where they learn the bombers were terribly made but extremely cheap which is why the Resistance bought them which nearly shatters their view on them being the good guys because of how many died thanks to those cheaply made bombers. Meanwhile, Finn remains on the ship because he's still healing from the injuries to his spine and gains a vendetta against the commanding officer since he thinks they're no better than the First Order commanders who just say 'Trust me' while throwing their men's lives away like scraps from their plate.

[silentauroriamthereal]

What a pity that Mark Gatiss, an openly gay man who co-wrote and co-ran a show about a detective, didn’t have the guts to be the one to make that happen when he had the chance. What a shame that he didn’t use that platform, that he chose instead to squelch all the people who saw the relationship for what they queerbaited it to be and did everything in his power to kill the chemistry, up to and including casting one person’s then-RL partner, and all but killing the onscreen friendship rather than risk anyone thinking that those two characters even liked each other anymore. What a genuine pity and a shame for all of us in the LGBTQIA+ community worldwide. Those characters deserved better. WE deserved better.

It’s taken me a few weeks to remember who said it and where, but

“I think when the day comes that you have a big detective show where the first half hour was this man at work and he’s a maverick and all the usual things and then we went home and his boyfriend says, ‘Are you alright?’ it was just a thing, then something would have genuinely changed.”

- Mark Gatiss for Gay Magazine, February 2012 (x)

[vampire-exgirlfriend]

what if tros was written by rian johnson

I ask myself this question at least twice a day, nonnie.

We could have had it all. Rey would still be Rey from nowhere, proving you don't have to have some super fancy family lineage to be special, to be worthy. Finn would have revealed the fact that he was force sensitive as well, and we would have gotten to really explore that and how that's juxtaposed against his forced conscription as he starts training with Rey and Leia. Poe would not have been a drug smuggler (fuck you jj, that shit is racist as hell and you know it), but the son of famed resistance fighters who were genuinely trying to make the world a better place. Rose would have actually had a fucking role and done her best to avenge the loss of her sister while still fighting for those she loves and upholding her belief in a galaxy that is better than her homeworld. Ben would have lived and, in turn, actually had to atone for his wrongs against the resistance and the galaxy at large while also exploring what it actually means to be half of a dyad - literally the other half of someone's soul. We could have had an exploration of what the Jedi order (potentially a gray Jedi order) would have looked like in the hands of Rey, Ben, and Finn. I think that Hux would have been the Big Villain™️ and it would have been an insane fight against the closest thing to space nazi's we've got. Because let me tell you, that speech Domhnall gave in TFA? Bone chilling. That is the villain we deserved in TROS.

But all in all, it would have been a story about hope, love, and redemption. All the things that star wars stands for that jj abrams hates apparently.

So yeah, I have a lot of thoughts about this lol

[thehobbem]

I finally figured it out what's been bothering me about s03 of The Mandalorian; but it's not a problem specific to s03, or to this show, but to this entire era of Star Wars shows. (Disclaimer: I have not watched Andor yet, so this may not apply to it.)

Filoni and Favreau love Star Wars, you can tell this much. And they know the lore. They're very good at the lore, at the world building, at the action.

They're not very good at themes and emotion. As in, they don't seem to use these as the very fabric of their stories.

Yes, obviously, they can write emotions for certain moments, and make us feel it! We all felt it when IG-11 sacrificed himself, for example. But that was for that moment, and that moment only. It had little to no resonance in the rest of the story. It didn't inform Din's actions other than "he mistrusts droids slightly less now". And that kind of lack of lasting impact is a constant in The Mandalorian.

"What about all the emotion in Obi-Wan?" you ask. I'll argue that 1) dealing with Obi-Wan's profound emotions on finding out Anakin is Vader is unavoidable, if you want to write a story about Obi-Wan during that time period, and 2) that wasn't even the main aspect of the story, when it should've been. No, the story was the Action, it was about Rescuing the Princess, and it was a way to explain why Leia named her son Ben. His emotions were a secondary aspect, a consequence, and it was soon over.

They write better than J. J. Abrams, but that's a low bar to clear at this point, and honestly, they deserve a better compliment. They have brought a semblance of order to this post-IX era, and I'm honestly thankful.

However, it really does seem to me that the only one who thought about themes, and how present and past emotions and experiences inform a character's actions, was Rian Johnson.

Imo, it's clear now that, had Filoni and Favreau been George Lucas in 1977, they would've absolutely come up with a Luke who uses the Force to hit the Death Star's exhaust port. What they would not have come up with is a Luke who, after cutting off Vader's hand, realizes his worst fear is coming true, and he's turning to the Dark Side, like his father before him.

[redrascal1]

Adam Driver celebrated his 40th birthday last month. And looks better than ever. Like Harrison Ford and Hugh Jackman, he's maturing like a fine wine!

Meanwhile...it will be exactly four years this month that Kylo Ren/Ben Solo faded into the Force and took my four decades plus love of the SW franchise with him.

As a woman in her fifties, I'm too old to 'fall in love' with another franchise. And I intend to avoid ANY Disney products in future, another franchise that I loved as a little girl, because they are no longer entertaining but promoting what I see as a highly toxic agenda.

The more I see of Adam's performance in the ST the more I simply cannot believe Disney did what they did to him. His outstanding portrayal of the broken Ben Solo dominated the entire trilogy. The others gave good performances but Adam was sensational - only matched by Mark Hamill in TLJ, both of them easily as good as some I've seen win Oscars - and better than some of the said winners.

The way they treated him in TROS was diabolical.

That whole mess of a film was from start to finish just a two hour plus promotion of how great Rey's character is, and how we must all WORSHIP her, as the rest of the cast did.

Unfortunately it had exactly the opposite effect on me.

I have completely lost all interest in Star Wars. I don't want to watch any of the spin offs. As for further Rey adventures to quote 'frumfrumfroo' ...you couldn't pay me to watch them. Especially if Boyega is in them after his treatment of Loan Tran and his behaviour on twitter.

His fans tediously drone on about hard done by he was in the ST, but he had far more screen time than Adam. Heck, all three of the Trio did - despite Poe and Finn being the supporting characters (no, 'J' of the JCF, Finn was not meant to be 'Black male lead' as you told me before getting me banned). Finn was conceived as a supporting player right from the start.

Adam was playing the last descendant of the OT heroes. He shouldn't have just had a major role, the entire saga should have been HIS story. Not that of a rogue stormtrooper. Not that of a Han clone pilot.

And certain not that of the daughter of a failed Palpatine clone.

Adam's behaviour has been a masterclass in dignity since aTROSity. No ranting on twitter. No moaning about hos 'hard done by' he was. Domhnall Gleeson and Loan Tran have been equally classy, with Domhnall making just one lighthearted joke about his shameful abrupt exit at the beginning of TROS(he SHOULD have been Big Bad) and Loan making no complaint over her truly racist erasure from TROS (she was a MAJOR character for crying out loud.) The three of them deserved better.

As Kylo/Ben did. As Hux did. As Rose Tico did.

As anyone who truly loved SW did.

They let every single one of us down.

And I am so very sorry for Rian Johnson, whose beautiful film was the most critically acclaimed of all three and who reacted to it's brutal retcon with good humour, joining its three stars in class.

[mylifeincinema]

My Week(s) in Reviews: January 1, 2023

First and foremost... Happy New Year!!

Okay... now let’s get into it. I’m keeping these short because I have little to say about them or they’re going to be featured in My Best of 2022 shortly, anyway, so let’s just go with the old three things format for most of these, yeah? Good.

The Fabelmans (Steven Spielberg, 2022)

1. Wholly feels like the film Spielberg’s been working toward.

2. That final shot is the reason (as if I needed another one) why Spielberg is my favorite director.

3. I’m going to be genuinely shocked if this lands anywhere other than on top of my top films of 2022. - 10/10

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (Rian Johnson, 2022)

1. What a cast!!

2. A ton of fun, and it chooses an approach and sticks with it. If you’re underwhelmed with the ‘twists’, that’s kinda the point.

3. Seriously, though... what a cast!! - 8.5/10

Babylon (Damien Chazelle, 2022)

What a clusterf*ck…

It’s very clear Chazelle lost the thread about 40% in. Cutting that whole Tobey storyline would help. Also cut the opening scene, just start on the party. Tighten up Margot’s arc, we didn’t need that snake shit. Cut Jovan’s arc complete, there’s enough there thematically for a separate film. Give that to someone who can tell it in a way that’ll actually resonate. Leave everything with Brad Pitt alone. He was fantastic and his arc is the only one that felt like it progressed and ended naturally. Beautiful, tragic, interesting shit, right there. Actually loved the ending, but a bunch of other late moments for Diego felt sloppy/rushed. The phenomenal editing helps some of the more upsetting issues throughout, but can’t save the film from the total loss of cohesion in the those final acts. Despite all its many flaws, though, I still pretty close to loved about 65% of this film. - 6/10

Avatar: The Way of Water (James Cameron, 2022)

1. Visually stunning. Probably the easiest VFX win since the last, right?

2. Someone should give Fincher the money for his 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea... if this film is anything, it’s proof the tech has reached the point where Fincher’s vision is not only possible, but feasible.

3. Has James Cameron actually ever heard two people talking to each other? My God, that dialogue is atrocious. (The screenplay all-around, really.) Yikes. - 6.5/10

Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (Eric Appel, 2022)

1. This is not only the perfect approach to a Weird Al biopic, I’m pretty sure it’s the only approach to a Weird Al biopic.

2. Very funny if you’re familiar with Yankovic as a person, downright hilarious if you go in only knowing his music.

3. Evan Rachel Wood as Madonna... I repeat, Evan Rachel Wood as Madonna. My God! - 7.5/10

Emily the Criminal (John Patton Ford, 2022)

1. Aubrey Plaza is really damn good.

2. So is just how terribly things go in that third act.

3. The rest... not so much. I really don’t get all the hype. - 5/10

Black Adam (Jaume Collet-Serra, 2022)

1. This is a very bad movie. Very easily one of the worst of the year.

2. Any promise Dwayne Johnson had every shown has been tossed in the garbage for terrible line delivery and tough-guy stares.

3. Pierce Brosnan deserved better than this. An interesting character and perfect casting completely wasted in favor of whatever this shit was supposed to be. - 2/10

The People We Hate at the Wedding (Claire Scanlon, 2022)

1. Not a good movie by any stretch.

2. But Kristen Bell.

3. And Allison Janney. - 5.5/10

A Christmas Story Christmas (Clay Kaytis, 2022)

1. Corny as f*ck.

2. But the type of corny I can get behind.

3. And that Christmas morning was the obvious tear-jerker material I’m a sucker for. - 6/10

The Shop Around the Corner (Ernst Lubitsch, 1940)

1. James Stewart really is one of my all-time favorite actors. Just always so damn good.

2. Love me some Lubitsch, yet for some reason I have so many blind spots with him.

3. I know we live in completely different times, but even looking through the scope of the time, that ending seemed a bit forced. Still a delightful film overall, but she must’ve been really desperate to let the shit he pulled go. - 7/10

Elvis (Baz Luhrmann, 2022)

1. Significantly better than I expected. But painfully overlong.

2. Austin Butler is fantastic. Tom Hanks is (somehow) borderline awful.

3. Baz Luhrmann’s direction is god-awful. But there’s a shit-ton of it, so I guess the Golden Globes look at Directing like the Academy does editing, now. - 5.5/10 (Almost all of those 5.5 are for Butler and the early performance sequences only.)

Enjoy!

-Timothy Patrick Boyer.

[courtneysmovieblog]

“Glass Onion” shatters all expectations (in the best possible way)

As far as I’m concerned, Rian Johnson can tell the Stars Wars fandom to eat shit for the rest of his life. 

Knives Out was a fantastic murder mystery with a razor-sharp satire about the idle rich and the racist classism that shapes society, with Daniel Craig breaking out of Bond as Benoit Blanc--a detective who was much sharper than his Southern charm let on. It was such a surprise hit that while people were excited for the sequel, Glass Onion, they were afraid that it wouldn’t be as good as the original.

Well, it’s not. 

It’s better.

Taking place in early COVID days of 2020, Benoit receives an invitation to a murder mystery party on a Greek island. Ridiculously wealthy tech head Miles Brand (Edward Norton) thinks it’s a bright idea to invite all his friends (i.e. associates and hangers-on he financially supports) to come pretend to murder him. And if that description makes you think the guy is an idiot...you’re absolutely right.

And that’s all of the plot I can reveal. Seriously, you need to go into it as spoiler free as you can. The twists are even more mind-blowing than Knives Out.

What I can tell you is that Craig’s Blanc is as fantastic as ever. With an all-star cast like Norton, Dave Bautista, Kathryn Hahn, Janelle Monae, and Leslie Odom Jr, it’s hard to pick the best performance. However, the MVP of the movie has to be Monae, and I’m sorry again, but I really can’t say more about their character without giving anything away.

Glass Onion has EVERYTHING. More biting commentary that’s especially relevant right now. Poignant cameos from the late Stephen Sondheim and Angela Lansbury. Twists more mind-blowing than Knives Out. Impeccable fashion that’s both stylish yet over-the-top. And an ending so cathartic that it makes it one of the best movies of the year.

It sucks that Glass Onion got only a limited week-long theater release before hitting Netflix. It deserved more box office love. But if Rian Johnson can keep cranking out more Benoit Blanc mysteries as good as this, I’ll see them whether it’s in theaters or streaming.

10 out of 10

[fantasyinvader]

Rian Johnson has now said that he wanted TLJ to be like a viking funeral for Star Wars, that despite him doing episode 8 he couldn’t stand his movie not having a big ending that wraps things up. This was the guy who had JJA change the ending of TFA to accommodate what he was doing for Episode 8, and refused to return the favor for episode 9. He went in, decided to wrap up the major plot threads and leave nothing to wrap up the trilogy, just because he wanted his movie to feel like a grand finale. Never mind him not understanding Star Wars yet trying to deconstruct it, saying he knew Luke better than fans that only knew some idealized version of Luke then saying he added things to Luke’s character that weren’t there before.

Dude deserves to be hung by his nuts.

[maaruin]

My impression after watching Knives Out and Glass Onion: Rian Johnson movies apparently have the following characters.

Rich Assholes who hate each other.

Good Person(TM): a young women of lower social status who gets overlooked, and it is said/implied that she is better than the Rich Assholes.

Smart Cynical Observer, likely a Rian Johnson self-insert, who brings down the Rich Assholes and makes the Good Person(TM) get the reward she deserves. (Benoit Blanc in those two movies.)

The weakness in both films, IMO, is that the Good Person(TM) doesn’t show much actual goodness during them, the focus is entirely on Rich Assholes (all but two of the main cast fall into this category) and how they get torn down.

Though this isn’t strictly speaking a weakness of the films as films, but of the ideas behind them. Rian Johnson focuses on imagining “destroying what he hates”. Ironic, isn’t it.

We see prototypes of these characters in The Last Jedi. Rose is the Good Person(TM), who we are told is a good person but her actions say otherwise; she doesn’t get rewarded to the extend of Marta and Helen. DJ is the Smart Cynical Observer, but he only comments, he doesn’t get to tear the Rich Assholes down and lift the Good Person(TM) up. And the Rich Assholes... well, they are nameless characters on Canto Bight, but most the established Star Wars characters also get to play somewhat similar roles. They don’t represent the concept of rich people, which Rian Johnson hates, but particular movie tropes, which Rian Johnson also hates. Luke, Poe, and Kylo Ren get hit particularly hard by this, but Rey and Finn get targeted as well.

I did watch those movies to try to understand why The Last Jedi was so bad, why its maker made the choices he did. I do think I understand it now.

[wonderfulworldofmichaelford]

I honestly think that the biggest mistake that Rian Johnson made with TLJ was kill off Snoke halfway through the movie, because every other problem in that movie could've been salvaged in TROS (they weren't, but still). Like, I get what he was going for, but it came at the expense of Snoke (and later, Palpatine) being completely wasted.

A lot of people point out Snoke wasn’t super interesting and having the Vader expy kill the Sheev stand in at the halfway point of the ongoing story was a bold move. The problem is Snoke has so little revealed about him that there’s no impact. This is kind of true for Palpatine on the original trilogy, but I feel that narrative at least did a bit to make him seem as grand as he is, plus we now have years worth of prequel material backing him up so there’s no excuse.

So while I disagree that it’s the biggest mistake—killing Phasma, keeping Leia alive, turning Hux into a butt monkey, how they wrote Finn and Poe, and the execution of Rose’s character are all bigger mistakes—I will at least concede it was a twist that ended up handled poorly and deserved to be built upon better

[samprestonbigbadabruce]

Possible Cast Members for “Knives Out 3”?

Rian Johnson has done it again with Glass Onion, an excellent follow-up to the raucously enjoyable Knives Out. The consistency in the writing and the way both films award repeat viewings make them great comfort watches, and Daniel Craig seems to be having a wonderful time playing the over-the-top Southern drawling, eagle eyed dandy Benoit Blanc. 

The success of the series so far has been not just the clever writing, but the casting, as each film utilises an ensemble of tremendous character actors who enjoy being outlandish and ridiculous. Unsurprisingly, Twitter quickly began asking who fans would love to see in the cast, and it prompted me to consider my own ideas. It won’t shock many to hear I quickly thought of many, but below are some of my ideas. The good thing is that Benoit Blanc has the potential to be the Columbo of feature films, appearing every few years in an ongoing franchise, so even if these don’t all appear in the third movie, there could always be the next one...

Brendan Fraser is currently in the midst of a career renaissance due to his performance in The Whale, where he has become a front runner for Best Actor prizes in his heartbreaking portrayal. But this kind hearted, beloved man first came to prominence with his self-deprecating manner in fan favourite cult classics such as George of the Jungle and one I particularly love, The Mummy. He’s shown his ability to balance comedy with pathos, so he’d be perfectly suited in this world.

Jon Hamm is man who looks like he is chiselled out of perfection, and yet surprised many with his comedic timing in 30 Rock and the Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. Hamm could work perfectly as the murder victim in a Benoit Blanc movie, his magnetism allowing him to be depicted positively before flashbacks reveal a darker edge, akin to his more dramatic roles.

Stephanie Hsu was the surprise break out from Everything Everywhere All At Once, demonstrating surprising pathos in her support role and impressively holding her own against Michelle Yeoh. A trope in the previous two movies of the series has been Blanc’s double act with a young female, firstly the Cuban-Spanish Ana De Armas, and then the non-binary African-American Janelle Monae, so it wouldn’t be surprising if they continue that method. Hsu could have a brilliant double act with Craig, so I think she’d be fantastic.

Hugh Jackman is handsome, can sing, is funny, an amazing dramatic actor, and reputedly one of the nicest human beings in Hollywood. Renowned for his classic portrayals of Wolverine, one of the few action heroes to challenge James Bond, I could see him portraying one of Benoit’s best friends, inviting both Blanc and Hugh Grant’s Phillip to a Broadway event (any excuse to see Jackman, Grant and Craig singing Broadway together).

Daniel Kaluuya is mostly known for his partnership with Jordan Peele, specifically in the excellent horror films Get Out and Nope, as well as his appearances in Steve McQueen’s Widows and his award winning performance in Judas and the Black Messiah. However, an often underrated element is his dry, deadpan line reading, epitomised by his performance in Nope especially. I could see Kaluuya in a similar role to LaKeith Stanfield from Knives Out as an exasperated detective working alongside Benoit Blanc.

Lupita Nyong’o may be better known for her dramatic roles in 12 Years A Slave, Jordan Peele’s Us, and even her role as Nakia in the Black Panther series, but it’s actually her role in the horror comedy Little Monsters that makes me think she would suit the series. Portraying a kindergarten teacher trying to protect her class from a zombie outbreak, her mix of sincere positivity and deadpan humour could make her a Toni Collette / Kathryn Hahn esque figure.

Sandra Oh finally got the lead role she deserved in her series Killing Eve, her role as Eve Polastri allowing her to demonstrate her tremendous range in comedy and drama. She mainly now features in voiceover roles, such as Turning Red or Invincible, but it would be great to see her bring her frazzled energy to a Benoit Blanc mystery.

Pedro Pascal is currently the lead in two of the biggest possible television shows, firstly playing the eponymous character in Disney’s The Mandalorian, and recently taking on the lead role of Joel in HBO’s The Last Of Us. Although these two roles means Pedro is likely going to be fully booked for the majority of his time, a role in a Benoit Blanc ensemble seems perfectly suited for him.

Florence Pugh is probably the least likely, considering she’s now a critical and commercial darling with upcoming roles in Dune: Part Two and ongoing performance as Yelena Belova in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, her comedic timing demonstrated in Fighting With My Family and as Yelena is an underrated element of her repertoire that deserves more attention. She would seemingly suit a similar role to Ana De Armas and Janelle Monae, but I’d love to see that expectation get turned on its head and reveal her to be more similar to Kate Hudson in Glass Onion, the reversal of “hidden depths”.

Those are just some that come to mind, but I’d love to hear others thoughts on who they would have join the Benoit Blanc Cinematic Universe?

[agentnico]

Top 10 Best Movies of 2022

Happy New Year everyone! Another year, another day, another annual calendar change. Here’s hoping 2023 brings us many more fun movies and entertainment, however before that let’s look back on 2022, and these are the 10 movies that to me personally stood out the most. Doesn’t mean they are your favourite or anyone else’s. This is a full biased me-list. Therefore your lists might be completely different to this one, but at the end of the day that is the beauty of cinema - we all have our own personal opinions and takes. So without much further ado, these are my favourite films of 2022. At this point in writing I am still yet to see The Whale, so even though I feel that Brendan Fraser will absolutely kill in that role, that movie unfortunately won’t be on this list, as I cannot speak of that what I have not seen... duh. Anyway, here we go...

HONOURABLE MENTIONS: The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent; Barbarian; Three Thousand Years of Longing; Apollo 10 1⁄2: A Space Age Childhood; Studio 666; Jackass Forever; Babylon, The Sea Beast

SPECIAL HONOURABLE MENTION: ELVIS - This one just missed the Top 10, but I feel like it deserves recognition anyway, so here we are. There’s always something really special about seeing an actor completely lose himself in a biopic role, and Austin Butler achieves that by literally becoming Elvis Presley. Baz Luhrmann’s film is flashy and manic, but there’s a real style to it, and those last 30 minutes are truly heart wrenching. And look, I would be lying if I didn’t admit that I had the soundtrack playing on repeat for weeks after seeing this film! Full review: https://agentnico.tumblr.com/post/688752839453999104/elvis-2022-review

10) PUSS IN BOOTS: THE LAST WISH - Look, I am as shocked as anyone at how good Puss in Boots: The Last Wish turned out to be. Easily better than its predecessor and in fact taking a run for the money at the better Shrek movies. With remarkable animation, great voice acting and featuring a spine-chilling personification of death in the form of the Big Bad Wolf, The Last Wish is a great sequel for the favourite fearless hero. Full review: https://agentnico.tumblr.com/post/705961629983162368/puss-in-boots-the-last-wish-2022-review

9) MARCEL THE SHELL WITH SHOES ON - I am going to straight up say it - Marcel is fricking cute! This tiny little shell with very bright pink shoes and one singular googly eye has such an innocent yet overly positive outlook on anything and all. With slapstick humour and loads of heart, this is an adorable little indie film that exists sorely to remind us to appreciate the little things in life that we have. Full review: https://agentnico.tumblr.com/post/700915329295106048/marcel-the-shell-with-shoes-on-2022-review

8) GLASS ONION: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY - Though nowhere as good as the original Knives Out, Rian Johnson nonetheless manages to conjure up another fun murder mystery whodunnit with a very game cast and a sharp witty script. And again, Daniel Craig’s detective Benoit Blanc with his Southern drawl is a character creation that is so damn good, that I cannot wait to see him again and again and again. Full review: https://agentnico.tumblr.com/post/701987284695875584/glass-onion-a-knives-out-mystery-2022-review

7) ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT - This movie is a bleak experience from beginning to end. From the opening moments where the blood-soaked uniforms of the dead are washed and then handed nice and clean to the new recruits, with the latter having no idea where these clothes have been scavenged from, to the main character Paul stabbing a French soldier in No Man’s Land, only to then have to lie in horror by his side and listen to the victim choking on his own blood, this film is a grim reminder on the terrifying brutality of war, that is unfortunately very relevant to this day. A very powerful adaptation of Erich Maria Remarque’s original masterpiece. Full review: https://agentnico.tumblr.com/post/699530184482766848/all-quiet-on-the-western-front-2022-review

6)THE WHALE - There’s always that one movie a year where folks clamour on about featuring the best acting performance of the year, and how said performance is a shoehorn for an Academy Award. Nine times out of ten that performance ends up being alright, but very overrated. In the case of The Whale, Brendan Fraser deserves all the praise and then some. It’s a role you’ve never seen from him before, and he shows so much emotion just in his eyes... it’s truly incredible. Austin Butler is great in Elvis, don’t get me wrong, but Fraser here does something truly special. Film’s a hard watch, but so worth it for him. Full review: https://agentnico.tumblr.com/post/708405214578917376/the-whale-2022-review

5) X -  X is a shocking and provocative erotic slasher horror that benefits from taking itself seriously enough to be genuinely unsettling, however self aware enough to still have that element of cheese factor, especially when it comes to the sexual scenes and the genre misdirects. Featuring shocking and truly creepy and grotesque sequences, I am reminded of a quote from a character in this movie - “I say this is one goddamn f****d up horror picture”. Full review: https://agentnico.tumblr.com/post/679353856708198400/every-so-often-i-get-a-bright-idea-in-this-case

4) EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE - This one offered us the real multiverse of madness, unlike a certain other Marvel outing this year.  Part science fiction, part black comedy, part drama, part fantasy, part romance, part martial arts film, part family film, part absurdist surrealism, and even an animation at one point, it literally is a movie about everything everywhere all at once. Probably the most original film of the year, which makes sense as it comes from the director’s of that Daniel Radcliffe farting corpse movie. Full review: https://agentnico.tumblr.com/post/685330781899505664/everything-everywhere-all-at-once-2022-review

3) TOP GUN: MAVERICK -  Well pardon my pun, but Top Gun: Maverick is simply ace! This is such an adrenaline fuelled, riveting and exciting action film, and is exactly what perfect summer blockbusters should be like. With nail-biting aeronautics featuring cast members having to train and physically learn to fly the jets themselves, making it feel more real like you’re in the cockpit yourself. Miles Teller spends most of the movie sweating and red faced mid-air with his expression reading “damn, I may actually snuff it”. Truly thrilling stuff. Full review: https://agentnico.tumblr.com/post/686795061603794944/top-gun-maverick-2022-review

2) THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN - Having one of this year’s most simple premises - one friend decides to suddenly unfriend the other, and the other friend refuses to accept it. Result? The funniest bloody movie possible. Equally hilarious yet tragic, I honestly find it difficult to find a fault in this one. Even the ending that really dials up on the dark madness feels deserved and the only direction for these characters to go, especially with the Irish folklore and myths behind it. Also the cinematography is stunning. Like guys, who knew Ireland was so beautiful!? Full review: https://agentnico.tumblr.com/post/698895813551718400/the-banshees-of-inisherin-2022-review

1) RRR - Of course my No 1 movie of 2022 is RRR. It could only be RRR! No other film this year came even close to the absolute joy I had watching the 3 hours+ of nonstop thrilling action, crazy Bollywood dance sequences (Naatu Naatu is my new life jam!) and a wonderful timeless tale of brotherhood and friendship. And again the action! A dude tosses a motorbike at one point like its nothing!! RRR’s key success is its sincerity. Unlike typical modern day Hollywood blockbuster cash-grabs (no shade!), RRR never strives to be anything other than its supposed to be. It’s a Telugu movie through and through, and you can tell the director, actors and crew are so unified in their collective mission and passion for the material that it simply glistens on the screen. It’s insane, its romantic, its funny, its exhilarating, it’s everything you’d want from a movie and more! Bloody love RRR I do! Full review: https://agentnico.tumblr.com/post/693281002805690368/rrr-2022-review

[ylojgtr]

star wars movies ranked by how much i like rewatching them:

1. Revenge of the Sith - the culmination of the prequels, where everything comes together so nicely, just such a satisfying story. my favourite characterizations of pretty much everyone who appears in it (except grevous lmao) and the 3d cgi finally came into its own to make a very unique aesthetic imo

2. A New Hope - the original, full of creativity from so many people, just a perfect movie honestly. the special effects are absolutely fantastic and the story is simple but so well told. i feel myself getting swept away by the adventure and mystique in this one more than any other

3. The Empire Strikes Back - personally my favourite star wars movie, it builds on the original in every way i could hope for. some excellent character development for luke and the jumping between storylines is super fun. it has some great silly moments with yoda and lando and also some seriously dramatic set pieces on hoth and bespin

4. Rogue One - what was probably pitched as a nostalgia bait plot hole filler turned out to be one of the best character driven team movies in the last decade (all in my opinion, of course). jyn's faith in life and hope being restored is what makes the conclusion so heartbreaking and krennic is such a hateable villain with stakes directly connected to the protagonist. of course the whole cast is amazing. i remember being surprised at how fast i learned the names of all these previously unknown characters because i just liked them so much. each one is unique in personality, aesthetic, and what they bring to the discussion of the movie's themes. they don't all get a ton of screentime, but for what they're given each has a really well deserved heroic conclusion, however sad they are

5. Attack of the Clones - while its not my favourite in terms of characterization, plot development nor does it have my favourite gags, i still find myself coming back to this one for the vibes. it's 85% cgi, but the giant battle on geonosis and the intrigue of kamino are so fun and i think those awkward special effects kind of add to it. it's just fun, yk? the mystery elements are some of my favourites in the movies, although i think that aspect is better done in the clone wars series

6. The Last Jedi - really difficult spot to pick but i ultimately chose this over phantom menace because honestly i usually just watch the maul fight lmao. this movie is tricky for me since i like a lot of the ideas present, but hate it at the same time for completely derailing the sequels. had jj made all 3, we could have had a mildly entertaining if very repetitive nostalgia trip. with the way it was done, we have one of those movies, one movie that completely swerves the opposite direction and gives a taste of something more, then violently course corrects to the point of everything going off the rails. i think had rian johnson been given control for the whole series, we could have gotten something very special, and so this movie is here because it's fun to live in that world even for just one film. kylo is at his peak here and i love the idea of rey coming from no "important" background, i don't love how rey developed in this movie but had it been followed up on properly it probably would have been better. really i like rose and finns story as well as the end scene, which is more of the movie than phantom menace, so there

7. Solo - i really like this movie, don't get me wrong. the star wars underworld is super cool to see on the "big screen" (so they say) and i think han's portrayal is EXTREMELY well done. his arc fits perfectly into his story, the naïveté at the start and the reluctant hero at the end. he's a pure hearted boy thrown into a situation where heroism is punched in the stomach and kicked in a corner and seeing him navigate it is endlessly captivating. i like the new characters too (especially l3-37 and enfys) and it's so cool to see lando in his prime. all the forced-in explanations about how han got his name, how the millennium falcon ends up looking like that, etc etc is kinda unnecessary but id imagine they needed to do that to get the movie greenlit lmao, but honestly those are the things that drag it down in terms of rewatchability for me. once you see how the falcon lost its escape pod for the first time the novelty wears off, and enough time is spent on it that it becomes a drawback, time taken away from what i really want to see: character interactions, development, and fun, unpredictable action. the end where han kills beckett never gets old though and everytime i watch it i have that same feeling of relief, sadness and shock

8. Return of the Jedi - i love this movie, but in terms of rewatching it for fun on its own, i get a lot of what i like about it from other movies. ive always been a little underwhelmed by this one tbh. the death star again is fine, but it doesn't hold the same existential horror as the first time around. the emperor is perfection, but he's way more over the top in rots which is more entertaining lmao. vaders redemption is awesome and the perfect way to end the trilogy, but it is what we were expecting, isn't it? ewoks are fun and work symbolically i thinkbut they make for less spectacular action than other combatants

9. The Phantom Menace - qui-gon is one of my favourite star wars characters, ever. liam neeson's performance is excellent, and i love watching him throughout the whole thing. however, the story isn't as tight as other movies and while i love the thought and implications of the politics it explores, the senate and trade disputes kinda bring it down if im just watching it for fun. the podrace section is really popular for how fun it is, and i do like it, but car chases and races are often my least favourite type of action and i would sooner choose to watch a different action set piece. the fight at the end is AMAZING but i can watch it on youtube if i want so yeah, it goes here

10. The Clone Wars - it's...not good lmao. everyone knows this. but it is pretty fun. and most importantly, it kickstarted the best star wars media of all time, Star Wars: The Clone Wars. seeing the introduction of ahsoka and rex, and the reintroduction of ventress and cody, while neat to look back on, are improved upon in the series so id sooner just watch that. i have no problem watching it, despite its faults, but definitely not my go-to (i do wish we got to see rotta the hutt again though smh)

11. The Force Awakens - literally just watch a new hope. lmao that's not entirely true but all the characters here i prefer in tlj. there are some great moments, like when you think ben is going to accept help but he cements himself on the dark side or when finn and poe escape the star destroyer. the practical effects are nice, the sets and costumes are cool. but really this movie just makes me sad seeing how much promise these characters had and knowing how they all went to waste. maybe this will change someday and ill be able to take it for what it is, but now is not that time lol

12. The Rise of Skywalker - *sigh* yeah this one is just painful to watch. i honestly can only think of one character moment i like from this movie, which is when c3po calls the cast his friends. and thats like one line. i hate what they did to rey, to ben, to finn, to poe. rey's arc just sizzled out, she's more just going along with whatever comes her way, doing what she's told. she has more agency than that!! i honestly think she should have turned to the dark side. my ideal head canon was that rey and ben essentially switch sides at the end of tlj before both realizing that absolute adherence to either the extreme light or dark would only result in death and destruction as the universe fought to have balance. so they both come together in the middle and try and explore the practicality of living in the neutral area of the force. this would have opened up some really cool discussion about good vs evil (which is what star wars is known as being an excellent example of), it would have created a new, unique era of star wars to set future stories in in the future, and it would have ended the saga in a poetic way (the prequels end in darkness, the originals end in light, the sequels end in the middle). alas, this didn't happen, and this movie just makes me sad. there's nothing wrong with liking it, to be clear, i just like to pretend it doesn't exist

[stuff-diary]

Top 10 movies watched in 2022

With this second 2022 in review post it's finally time to announce the best 10 movies I watched this year. Before we properly begin, I must explain that I included all the movies I watched for the first time in 2022. This means some of the movies in the ranking might have been released in earlier years (although I admit most of them are from 2022).

With that out of the way, let's begin:

10-Encanto (2021)

Beautiful animation, great characters, an important message and an iconic soundtrack. What more could one ask for?

9-The House (2022)

I know a lot of people disliked this move, but I found it haunting and weird in the best of ways. The stop-motion is really unique and takes the eerie vibes of the stories to the next level.

8-Apollo 10 ½: A Space Age Childhood (2022)

This movie is just so charming. It made me feel so much nostalgia for a time in which I didn't even exist yet. I think most people can relate to the story and the characters, even if you didn't grow up in the 60s.

7-Shiva Baby (2020)

I don't think I've ever seen something quite like this movie. It's pretty much a comedy, but with the cinematography, directing and the music you'd find in a horror film. It's hilarious, claustrophobic and anxiety-inducing. Truly one of a kind.

6-Dune: Part One (2021)

Villeneuve is a science fiction master and one of the best filmmakers in the world. Incredible production values, great acting and an absorbing story make for an unforgettable experience.

5-Drive My Car (2021)

It's slow paced and long in that way that Japanese directors have mastered, but this goes the extra mile and becomes something truly special. It's not for everybody, but if you're on the same wavelength you'll love it.

4-Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)

Rian Johnson does it again and reinvents the whodunnit genre with another surprising, hilarious and thrilling movie. Let's hope he keeps making sequels for a really long time, cause I could watch a thousand of them.

3-Turning Red (2022)

The animation is delightful and refreshing, and the story is relatable for anyone who has gone through puberty. It just perfectly captures what it's like to be 13. Also, kudos to the soundtrack too.

2-Everything EveryWhere All At Once (2022)

What can I say about this movie that hasn't been said alrady. It's relentlessly original and an audiovisual marvel. And, on top of that, it wears its heart on the sleeve with a beautiful underlying message that makes sure the movie has as much substance as style.

1-Flee (2021)

What an incredible movie. It takes a very refreshing approach to documentary filmmaking, but it never forgets how important its story is and makes sure to give it the focus it deserves and needs. A must-watch.

Bonus:

Tbh, if I had seen it for the first time this year, Better Days (2019) would have probably been number 1. When I first watched it, I was not in my best moment and I found the movie too heavy and grim, so it didn't even make my yearly top 10. I rewatched it in 2022 and I was just floored by how good it was. So yeah, it deserrves a mention.

[fangeek-girl]

While I love the idea, I don’t trust Rian Johnson with that. I don’t trust him with any pre established characters anymore.

Bring back Barriss. Give her a satisfying journey back to the light. Give her her own goddamn show if need be. But I don’t believe Johnson would properly handle it. Give her story to a woman, or to a man that hasn’t been involved in the last few shows/movies. Give it to someone who will be able to weave in the Muslim subtext without disrespecting her character.

Barriss deserves better than another man using her as a plot device and discarding her without any more thought when he’s done playing with her.

I didn't think of this when I made my post about what I want from Rey's Jedi Order movie, but Barriss should absolutely be in it, have her be and elderly Jedi Healer (Barriss is anywhere between 15-17 years old at the start of the clone wars in 22 bby, so by the time of when this new movie is set-50 aby-she should be in her late 80s-early 90s), shoe that she found her way out of the darkness, that what happened to her was a misstep (in and out of universe) in her path, that she regained her faith and light, that she became what she was always meant to be before she was taken the wrong way

And more importantly, showing her as having returned to the light and alive 50 years after ANH means she'll be "locked down", so to speak, no writers will be able to do more terrible things to her (fuck you filoni), and better yet they'll be obligated to have her return to the light if they want to use her

@devondeal @jedimasterbailey