A Couple Recs Before the New Year
A few films I'd love to bring attention to
It’s the end of the year and awards season approaches. The Oscars and the Globes will give Top Gun: Maverick and Avatar 2: The Way of Water its laurels — and I’m not that bitter about it! But do not let the Oscars or my decent level of enthusiasm for both of those movies fool you into thinking that they’re the best of the year. They are not, and in fact most of the movies that we’re most important (and not even esoteric) we’re overlooked or unceremoniously shit out onto a streaming service. Here is a short list of overlooked films I think most people can get behind.
Confess, Fletch
Okay Confess, Sam for a second — I love Jon Hamm. So if this film was just a Jon Hamm fan cam on tik tok I probably still would have recommended it. But really, this film is one of the great tragedies of the year. It’s a mystery comedy of course, but the tragedy is that this was released in three theaters across the country for about 16 and half minutes before it was cast aside to the barren wasteland of Paramount+. And then everybody watched it there! Just kidding, does anyone know this movie exists?? I digress. This film has so many things to like. This is Hamm’s finest film performance, and the supporting cast is phenomenal to boot. The writing is smart and quippy, with jokes flying around like an episode of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt ,(also starring America’s most underappreciated star, Jon Hamm) and the delightfully silly mystery propels us just enough to earn our investment. But finding out whodunnit is not why you watch this film — you watch it for the warm, enjoyable feeling it gives you in your tummy. In an era where mid-to-low budget studio comedies are doomed to fester outside of theaters, you have to enjoy these while they’re around.
Lady Chatterly’s Lover
This entry on my list should really be marked Lady Chatterly’s Lover and Bridgerton because I love both and they’re of the same genus. Both are Netflix productions with the same aim — torture its audience with repressed horniness. Lady Chatterly’s lover in that respect, is actually more akin to the first season of Bridgerton in that there is quite a lot of bodice-ripping. But what I believe is crucial to point out about this film is that the level of nudity and sensuality in it is somewhat unprecedented for a main-stream project. To me this means Netflix is finally realizing that one of the great strengths of releasing content on a subscription-based service is that they do not have to adhere to rating guidelines. And as far as that goes, I think this movie is a-rousing success (that’s a sex joke). The film is true to the essence of the novel, but the depiction of the sex had by our two leads — Emma Corrin and Jack O’Connell — is less Jane Austen and more the trailer of Don’t Worry Darling. It’s remarkable honest, beautiful, and genuinely moving. Don’t watch it with your parents.
Tar
This is the film of the year. I know it’s been getting plenty of press but it deserves all of it and more. Masterfully written and directed by Todd Field and featuring another stunning Cate Blanchett performance, Tar starts in such a cold, sophisticated manner that many googled, “Is Lydia Tar real” after leaving their screenings. She is not, but she could be. And this story, to me, is as important to tell as any true one. Tar confidently guides you to places you haven’t been before, immersing you in the extremely snobbish world of classical music conducting. But it has to make you feel stupid before it can stick the landing. Because this is a movie about simple truths steeped in dense language designed to manipulate and control. If that sounds vague it’s because I don’t want to spoil a single aspect of this film. So much of what made seeing it a wonderful experience for me was allowing it to communicate its message in a fully uninhibited fashion. Give it a chance, you won’t regret it.
Black Adam
:) jk.
RRR: Rise Roar Revolt
If I did nothing with my life except have one day on set, helping to shoot one scene in this movie, and then I spent the rest of my life doing absolutely nothing except disappointing everyone who loved me, I would consider that a life well-lived. RRR is an Indian epic by S. S. Rajamouli (a beloved figure in his country) that depicts a blossoming friendship between two fictional revolutionaries during Britain’s colonial rule. It is insane. It’s on Netflix, turn it on, strap in. Rajamouli instills so much flavor, so much action, so much love of the possibilities of cinema into this movie. It’s infectious.
Pinocchio
Speaking of a love for cinematic expression, there is one of two Pinocchio films that came out this year that you should watch. It’s the one by Guillermo Del Toro. For the longest time it feels like I’ve been wondering how Pinocchio would have handled the rise of fascism in Italy. Finally we have our answer. But the story of the boy puppet come to life is really unimportant — we all know the basics. What you might not be familiar with is Guillermo Del Toro’s inimitable style of stop-motion puppetry. If you aren’t, leave work and fire up Pinocchio, and actually, all his other movies too. Every ounce of character design in his work is stunning, and this film is clearly no exception. Whether you’re talking about Shape of Water, Hellboy, or the iconic Pan’s Labyrinth, nobody makes movies about lovable freaks and monsters like Del Toro, making him the perfect person to have imbued this story with new life. It is also a sneaky musical! Watch this film to feel wonderful.