2021 Movie Log: December

1st: King Richard – Reinaldo Marcus Green (2021)
A really solid sports movie. I was skeptical about Will Smith’s performance. Particularly, whether he would dominate this character. I think he pulls it off. Perhaps ironically, I think where this movie suffers is where it has to do the typical “sports movie” stuff. I’m thinking about the fights between the parents and the contention around whether Richard will let Venus play. Still, an enjoyable movie. It’s obviously a great story. I would not be surprised if this becomes a big hit.
Grade: B

3rd: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire – Mike Newell (2005)
I will say that this film is better than Sorcerer’s Stone and Chamber of Secrets as a piece of entertainment. But other than that, it’s a bit of a mess and a bad adaptation of the book. My main frustration with the movie is how and where it chooses to deviate from the novel. I am by no means a purist when it comes to adaptions. In fact, I believe Prisoner of Azkaban is the most successful HP film precisely because of where it differs from the novel. But the changes in Goblet of Fire just don’t make any sense to me. I seriously question whether this movie makes sense to non-readers. I mean, there’s not even an explanation for the big twist at the end of the film. It just happens. Oh well. If I could pick a movie in this franchise to get a do-over, it’d be this one.
Grade: C

6th: Save Yourselves! – Alex Huston Fischer, Eleanor Wilson (2020)
It’s hard to make movies. I assumed this film might be pretty mediocre going in. It turns out I was right. There are parts of the premise and overall concept that I do like. But besides that, there wasn’t much to enjoy. Oh well.
Grade: C-

7th: Belfast – Kenneth Branagh (2021)
First of all, I should say I quite liked this movie and was certainly moved by it. Perhaps it should be no surprise given Branagh’s acting talent, but the performances are the best part of the movie. Centering a film on a 9-year-old is always a tricky proposition. Fortunately, Jude Hill is able to carry the film. That being said, I did struggle with Branagh’s direction at times. This film is not for fans of subtlety. The cinematography across the film is incredibly busy. That feeling even extends to the storytelling mechanics. This movie gives a very broad picture of this time and place. There are good people and bad people. Perhaps that’s fitting given that a child is the focal point of the movie. Still, I think the film could have done with a bit more nuance.
Grade: B-

8th: Buffaloed – Tanya Wexler (2019)
As I said in a previous post, filmmaking is hard, especially for genuine independent features like Save Yourselves! or Buffaloed. I generally watch these films to see what directors, writers, and actors are able to pull off without a budget. When these movies are good, it’s thrilling. Unfortunately, this is a case in which almost every aspect of the film doesn’t work.
Grade: D

10th: Seven Beauties – Lina Wertmüller (1975)
This honestly may be one of the best films I’ve seen. It is certainly one of the boldest. I can’t find many comparisons to it. The filmmaking and central performance are highly reminiscent of Fellini. This film, like many of his, follows the misadventures of a laughable, despicable, tramp-like manchild. Still, I don’t know if I’ve seen that premise taken nearly this far. This film’s misadventures run through murders and dismemberment, psychiatric wards, and jarringly realistic sequences set at a Nazi concentration camp. What’s more, it seems like Wetmüller must have had a pretty big budget. The concentration camp scenes are shot with the same scope and precision as a great war movie. I’m going to need a few more viewings to fully process this film. But even after one viewing, this movie knocked me out. Oh yeah!
Grade: A-

11th: Citizenfour – Laura Poitras (2014)
Probably the most thrilling documentary I’ve ever seen. I kept forgetting that the events in this film are real. In other words, that Edward Snowden was not going to be killed during the film. I am someone who is shamefully ignorant of most of this story and its significance. I think the documentary really succeeds at getting its message across. We not only hear about Snowden’s findings first hand, we see the immediate fallout and repercussions of his decision to go public with it. The fact that he, these journalists, and Poitras are forced to hide in a hotel room as they publish these stories is significant!
Grade: B+

12th: Karaoke Girl – Visra Vichit-Vadakan (2013)
I really like this genre of blending documentary and narrative. I’m thinking of directors like Sean Baker and Crystal Moselle. Here, I thought the narrative aspects didn’t always hold up. The relationship with Sa’s boyfriend, for instance, felt forced. But the documentary bits more than made up for it. I also was a big fan of the surreal, surprise ending.
Grade: B-

13th: Butter on the Latch – Josephine Decker (2013)
My favorite of the three Josephine Decker films I’ve seen. I don’t know if there’s another director doing what she does. I also realized that this was shot by the same Ashley Connor who has directed almost every music video I like. It’s all coming together!
Grade: B

18th: Thou Wast Mild & Lovely – Josephine Decker (2014)
I stand corrected. This is the best Decker film to date. In any case, it’s the one in which her fever-dream style of filmmaking most aligns with the story she is telling. I was on the edge of my seat, waiting for the movie to finally turn. When it does, it’s both completely brilliant and utterly horrifying.
Grade: B+

19th: Microhabitat – Jeon Go-woon (2017)
There’s so much to like here. Esom’s performance, in particular, is phenomenal. She brings so much depth and empathy to her part. In fact, if I have a critique of the movie, I think it may be that her character, Miso, is too likable. To some extent, that’s baked into the story. But I thought this could have been more interesting if a) Miso was a little messier as a character or b) one of her friends, or especially her boyfriend, wasn’t a total loser. Just my thought. Still, a really well-done film.
Grade: B

26th: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix – David Yates (2007)
Overall, a pretty good film and a decent adaptation of the novel. I feel bad that my recent reviews of this franchise have been less than positive. But after revisiting the novels, some of the decisions in these films are just maddening. Did they really have to make the longest book the shortest movie? And why, for the second straight film, do they cut the explanation for what’s just happened completely out of the movie? I’ll never understand it.
Grade: B

27th: Blow the Man Down – Bridget Savage Cole, Danielle Krudy (2019)
Hey! A Maine movie. A pretty good one too. I loved how intimate the world of this film was. Everything takes place in one town, across a few locations, and involves about 8 characters. It’s a really smart piece of filmmaking.
Grade: B-

28th: Don’t Look Up – Adam McKay (2021)
This is not nearly as bad as people are making it out to be. I’m not saying it’s a masterpiece or anything, but for the most part, I enjoyed it. When is the next time you’ll see so many A-list actors in a film not based on IP?
Grade: C+

29th: The Breadwinner – Nora Twomey (2017)
This reminded me so much of Persepolis. I think both films succeed at making a foreign, misunderstood place easily accessible for a wider audience. Here, that might even include children. I really liked the way Twomey weaves the story within a story back into the main narrative. If I struggled with a piece of the movie, it was probably the animation. Not that it was bad by any means. I just found myself wishing for a more tangible performance in the film.
Grade: B-

29th: How to Build a Girl – Coky Giedroyc (2019)
I hate to shit on movies but this was pretty much a disaster. In almost every regard it’s completely misguided. Also, they couldn’t have found an English actress for this part?
Grade: D-

29th: The To Do List – Maggie Carey (2013)
How had I never heard of this before? It’s great! Aubrey Plaza’s central performance is, of course, perfect. I honestly just found myself gravitating toward Bill Hader’s character. He’s so good at everything he does.
Grade:
Grade: B