2024 is almost over, and November was actually a quiet month for me with film-watching. I did not see any films that I would consider bad, so my selections for Biggest Disappointment and Worst Film of the Month feel a little harsh in all honesty. So, let us see what films I saw this past November.
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story (2024) - 4/5 - Through his time playing Superman, Christopher Reeve made audiences believe that a man could fly within Richard Donner's iconic film, where he gave a performance that many consider the best embodiment of the Man of Steel. His was rocked due to a horse riding accident in 1995, which left him paralysed. Directors Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui mainly focus on how the accident affected Reeve and his family, leading them to become disability advocates, while also intercut with looks into Reeve's past as his career grew and he met the mothers of his children. It's an interesting structure which avoids the typical 'womb to tomb' structure, aided by good transitions between the two timelines. It avoids being a hagiographic work by focusing on Reeve's stumbles, including his handling of a past relationship and an advert that was criticised by the disabled community. Through the talking head interviews, home footage, and clips of Reeve's films, we are left with a touching tribute to the actor along with a fantastic insight into how wonderful a person Robin Williams truly was.
Crumbs (2015) - 3.5/5 - A unique vision about materialism told in engaging ways.
Happy Birthday to Me (1981) - 3.5/5 - For my birthday, I opted to watch this appropriately titled slasher which sees gruesome murders take place at a private school. What unfolds is darn fun, delivering on the characterisation to ensure that we know each of the characters before they fall victim to some terrifically staged kills. Less effective is the ending, which appropriately feels like it comes out of nowhere because it was a late change from what was originally planned. As a result, we are left with a Scooby-Doo style ending that feels like a ridiculous way to end this overlong slasher film. At least the shish kebab kill was worth the watch.
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| Best film of the month and Best film rewatched: Pan';s Labyrinth (2006) |
Misery (1990) [rewatch] - 5/5 - No matter how many times I rewatch this work, Rob Reiner's adaptation of Stephen King's novel remains a taut work which left me on edge throughout. That such tension and drama can be captured through a small penguin figurine is exceptional, particularly when it leads to the unforgettable hobbling scene.
Entitled fandom is perfectly captured in Kathy Bates' performance, while James Caan is exquisite as the captive writer who is bringing alive ridiculous fanfiction for the sake of his life.
I also watched this with my horror agnostic fiancee and she liked it. So that's quite the plus for me.
Godzilla Minus One (2024) - 5/5 - What an absolute pleasure to revisit this on the big screen, and in the form of its Minus Colour version. The story remains masterfully humanist, emotional, and utterly thrilling, so I will instead talk about the monochrome look that this iteration delivers. It remains exceptional to behold, with the black and white colouring allowing for a throwback to the 1954 original, while never dulling the impact of this cinematic masterpiece. I do personally prefer the original version, particularly for the scenes where Godzilla is charging up the Atomic Breath, but this is a darn great alternative.
Set It Up (2018) - 3.5/5 - With their demanding bosses leaving their personal lives in tatters, a pair of assistants unite to matchmake their bosses in order to make their lives easier. Clare Scanlon directs this utterly charming romcom that is powered by a strong cast, with Zoey Deutch and Glen Powell bringing oodles of charm to the assistants who reasses what they want in life, but have to first get their through shenanigans. Taye Diggs and Lucy Liu are also very good as the demanding bosses. It may feel a bit slight in plot and could have had a more compact runtime, but it's an utterly humorous and sweet film.
The Wild Robot (2024) - 5/5 - Having co-directed How to Train Your Dragon and Lilo & Stitch, it's safe to say that Chris Sanders has a strong track record with animated fare. Adapting Peter Brown's 2016 book, The Wild Robot follows an intelligent robot called Roz who awakens stranded on an uninhabited island. Looking for a task, the titular character is granted one when put in the care of an orphaned gosling, and subsequently bonds with the island's animals.
This is the last film that has been animated in-house at Dreamworks, and it is quite the stunner to go out on. The aesthetic feels like a cross between classic Disney films and Hayao Miyazaki works, for a feature that feels like the best Pixar film since Inside Out.
Through Roz's relationship with Brightbill, the orphaned goose, there is a sweet tale about parenthood and the difficulty that comes with parting ways. When Roz sees the child that she raised literally spread his wings and journey into the wider world, it is a touching moment that particularly resonates.
Also within are heartfelt relationships, as the characters grow together and bond through the tough times, with a great sense of humour lurking throughout. What remains feels indebted to WALL-E and, while it may take more familiar avenues, they work because the emotion hits so hard. One of the year's best films.
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| Best film seen in cinemas: Godzilla Minus One (2023) |
The Wicker Man (1973) [rewatch] - 4.5/5 - A film that I rewatched on the big screen courtesy of Chippenham Film Festival and Evolution of Horror Presents, and it was such a fun experience. The pacing flowed more smoothly for me than last time, and held my attention more consistently throughout. I particularly found it interesting when Sergeant Howie tried forcing his religious beliefs on the residents of Summerisle, as it recalled stories of missionaries who met untimely ends as they tried "civilizing" island remotes who they looked down upon.
The most memorable thing is the audience reactions, as they were laughing throughout at how preposterous it all was, but in the final 10-minutes, there was dead silence throughout the theatre. An exceptional work complete with banging tunes.
Akira (1988) [rewatch] - 4.5/5 - Adapting his manga series of the same name, co-writer/director Katsuhiro Otomo presents a streamlined version of his unique cyberpunk vision. Set in Neo-Tokyo, 2019, the story sees a member of a biker gang undergo a terrifying transformation, as he is imbued with psychic powers that send him on a destructive rampage.
What Otomo and screenwriter Izo Hashimoto have crafted is a tale which feels massive. So much ground is covered, as the story mixes together teenage rebellion, political upheaval, and psychic children for something so bloody, kinetic, and visually masterful. What Tetsuo goes through is an exceptional amount of body horror, brought alive with an untethered imagination that sends shockwaves through viewers courtesy of the gorgeous animation.
There are times when the story and visuals can feel overwhelming, but through all of the bike-sliding, milk leaking, blood spurting goodness, the story is utterly character driven. If West Side Story, Chronicle, and 2001: A Space Odyssey had a baby, that would not even be scratching the surface of describing this exceptional work. It's no wonder that this film was so iconic and paved the way for anime in the west, as it is utterly phenomenal stuff.
Gladiator (2000) [rewatch] - 4/5 - I remember sitting down to watch this with my dad on video over 20 years ago, so I was curious to revisit this with the long-awaited sequel finally being released. I can see why the world went gaga for this film, as it brings alive a familiar revenge story within a grand epic. From the sets to the costumes, this is a handsomely crafted work that is enthralling across its lengthy runtime that flies by. Key to it all is Russell Crowe, utterly magnetic as the titular gladiator who is determined to avenge his wife, son, and surrogate father. Opposite him is Joaquin Phoenix, who does effective work as the snivelling man-child that desires power and love, regardless of whether anybody else wants to give it or not. When Ridley Scott is on form, he is an absolutely terrific director.
Look Back (2024) - 5/5 - An impactful masterpiece that hits one emotionally.
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| Best film watched for the first time and Biggest surprise: Look Back (2024) |
Reality+ (2014) - 3.5/5 - It's fascinating to see how many elements from this 2014 short would be reused a decade later in Coralie Fargeat's masterpiece, The Substance. As it is, this is an interesting short film about societal pressures regarding bodily perfection. It could stand to be a bit darker, funny, or strange, something to help set this apart a bit more, but it is ultimately sweet as it is.
A Different Man (2024) - 4/5 - For his latest work, writer/Director Aaron Schimberg puts beauty in the eye of the beholder, as a struggling actor with neurofibromatosis undergoes an experimental medical procedure to transform his facial appearance. Yet his dream soon becomes a nightmare, as he finds that the real issue was his confidence, particularly when he meets somebody with with neurofibromatosis who is living his best life.
What unfolds is a compelling work that is as darkly funny as it is bizarre, while ready to push back against works that exist to pity those it portrays. Renate Reinsve terrific captures that in her playwright, willing to capitalize on such half-hearted representation to push her career forward.
Adam Pearson's role provides a wonderful contrast in embodying that push back, filling his role with such humanity that shows he is more than his condition while sticking a middle finger at such outdated pieces of performative art. Central to this film is an excellent Sebastian Stan, as the man central to this cosmic joke who finds his life falling apart when confronted with that side of him which he was previously ashamed of.
I must admit that the ending felt a bit messy, as though there was a confusion how to resolve this work, but that does not harm what is a rather effective feature.
End of Evangelion (1997) - 5/5 - After I fell in love with Neon Genesis Evangelion earlier this year, I figured it was about time to watch this feature retelling of the final two episodes. While Hideaki Anno initially focused on an introspective look at what the characters were going through, this takes a very external approach that is phenomenally realised by the nightmarish visuals and the exceptional animation. Asuka's singular onslaught is utterly magnificent to watch.
What's especially impressive is how much Anno manages to fit into this 87-minute runtime. While wrapping up character arcs and plot points, there is religious allegory, eye-popping imagery, a thought-provoking message regarding existing with ourselves, and all while telling the "fans" who sent Anno death messages about the original finale that they need to get a life.
This is an exceptional monument to the phenomenal places that animated cinema can go to, and is something that I must make my life's mission to experience on the big screen. It is an utter masterpiece, and I am in awe of it.
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| Biggest Disappointment: Happy Birthday to Me (1981) |
The Devil's Backbone (2001) [rewatch] - 4.5/5 - A tragic tale about the brutality of humanity, and the ways that trauma can eat ourselves from the inside if it isn't properly grappled with. Jacinto is a great cinematic bastard, yet del Toro prevents him from being two-dimensional by allowing the vulnerability to seep through. He is somebody who feels ashamed at being in the orphanage due to his unhappy childhood, and also at how his headmistress took advantage of him. It is effectively conveyed to allow sympathy, without dulling his monstrous actions as he carves a destructive path for what he believes he is owed. The ghost element is the less interesting part of the film for me, but that just speaks highly of how the human drama works, leaving a saddening question mark regarding if tragedy will repeat itself again.
Pan's Labyrinth (2006) [rewatch] - 5/5 - Guillermo del Toro masterfully crafts a story where the adults have experienced so much terror, whether perpetrating or receiving it, leaving them struggling to believe in something better than that hopelessness. When many see Ofelia losing herself in fairy tales, she is chastised for escaping that bleak reality in favour of something that makes sense to her. If the adults must wallow in this miserable life, then many believe that she must remain there with them.
But in a world that seems so bleak, it is important to find those little moment of hope that carry us forward. The revolutionaries are uncertain if they can triumph against the fascists, but they are more than willing to try, and it is their most compassionate member who repeatedly interrupts pre-planned grandstanding to shatter those fantasies. The Captain wishes to paint himself as somebody grand, and Mercedes is more than willing to break his fantasy for a harsh return to reality that may as well have come complete with a middle finger to him.
This is an utter marvel of cinema, and I am so glad everytime I get to experience this masterwork.
Gladiator II (2024) - 3.5/5 - 24 years after Gladiator became a phenomenon that shot into people's hearts, persevering at the box office and the Academy Awards, Ridley Scott has finally got his sequel made. It's a shame that we didn't get the bonkers work that was Christ Killer, but this one is an interesting beast with its own wild moments.
The less interesting moments are when this feels like a retread of the first film, particularly regarding Lucius' story. It hits similar beats to Maximus' journey, only in less impactful ways, despite Paul Mescal's performance. There are also the unnecessary callbacks which are part and parcel of a legacy sequel, feeling too fanservicey as a whole.
It is in the wild moments that the film bursts alive, such as a sequence where slaves are forced to fight otherworldly looking baboons. The visual effects are jarring to look at, but Mescal's performance sells to me that he is fighting those baboons.
I was also entertained with the underhanded plotting that occurs throughout, but the biggest plus to this film was Denzel Washington. He is relishing this devious role as a former slave plotting his way upwards in search of power in Rome, and I could have watched a whole film of him being underhanded. As it stands, this is a better sequel to Gladiator than I could have imagined.
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| Worst film of the month: Gladiator II (2024) |
Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio (2023) [rewatch] - 5/5 - A gorgeously crafted work that works the story of Pinocchio into a dark fairy tale set in an Italy under fascist rule. It's fascinating to see the Podesta so intent on weaponizing this wooden puppet to take lives, as they wish to use a seemingly immortal child as the ideal soldier. It effectively highlights their disregard for human life, and is a compelling contrast to the innocent Pinocchio learning the beauty and tragedy that comes with such fragile mortality. My second favourite work of del Toro's filmography.
Gladiator II (2024) [rewatch] - 3/5 - When Gladiator was released on video, I remember watching it with my dad. It was the only time that I watched it before a recent rewatch, yet scenes from that film were firmly held within my memory. I went with my dad to watch the sequel, and it dawned on me that I was the same age watching this follow-up as my dad was when we watched the original. What a bizarre realization to have during the movie.
I never thought that this would be a film I would watch twice in cinemas, and maybe I shouldn't have because my feelings have cooled upon a rewatch. That's largely due to the script, which is trying to recapture the feeling of the 2000 original through considerably more moving parts, or how it keeps trying to impart that Lucius needs to work as part of a team while simultaneously using him to persevere as part of a "chosen one" narrative. It's an odd beast, but Denzel remains a highlight who steals the film out from under everybody else.
The Contestant (2024) - 4/5 - A fascinating look at a horrendous true story.
Return of the Living Dead (1985) [rewatch] - 4.5/5 - What a treat to not only revisit this zombie classic, but to also watch it with friends who experienced it for the first time. An excellent addition to the zombie subgenre, approaching it in a blackly comedic way that shows the futility against fighting the onslaught of the undead. I love how the characters are presented, selling so much about their relationships and history through so little, and delivering exemplary practical effects. My previous watch left me wanting more regarding the ending, but I was satisfied this time as it drew to a tragically relevant point that shows how little individual human life is truly valued by those in charge.
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