2023 Movie Log: November

5th: Signs – M. Night Shyamalan (2002)
Mel don’t swear but he sure do slur
Grade: B-

7th: Unbreakable – M. Night Shyamalan (2000)
Overall, kind of undeniable even if there are so many details that are idiotic. Like, if I had never been sick my entire life, I wouldn’t need to ask everyone I know if I’ve ever been sick? Also, kind of insane that M. Night never made a Batman film considering the premise for all of these early movies is that the city is a dangerous hell-hole filled with bad people.
Grade: B

11th: The Hunger Games – Gary Ross (2012)
A fun movie to watch at a hotel with your siblings. Makes me feel better about being a Harry Potter kid tbh
Grade: B-

12th: Alien 3 – David Fincher (1992)
This is a fine movie with some very good sequences in there. I actually like the story quite a bit. It feels like a return to the original film. Charles Dance is so good, wish he was in more of the movie
Grade: B-

12th: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – David Fincher (2008)
As someone who likes Forrest Gump, this is literally Forrest Gump. I did end up liking this much more than I expected to, but certainly not my favorite Fincher. Kind of wish the movie was just the Jared Harris segments.
Grade: B

13th: Peterloo – Mike Leigh (2018)
Look, I’m completely in the bag for Leigh. I love what he does on a level that I can’t really explain. I had saved this one for the end because it generally has received tepid reviews even from other Leigh fans. But clearly I’m at the extreme end because I fucking loved it. First of all, along with Mr. Turner, I love seeing what Leigh can do with a huge cast and an enormous production. The costumes and set designs are really delightful. Second, this, to me at least, is about as good as you can do with a historical film. Again, I’m in the bag for Leigh’s politics so I’m biased. But, I feel like the movie does such a masterful job at showing the buildup to a historical event without over explaining or moralizing it.
Grade: B+

13th: No Hard Feelings – Gene Stupnitsky (2023)
I think I like this a lot more in concept than execution. Still, it’s a pretty good studio comedy and for today, that’s rare.
Grade: B

14th: 28 Days Later – Danny Boyle (2002)
This movie fucking rips. I love the shitty digital, handheld cameras. I really gotta do some work to figure Danny Boyle out.
Grade: A-

17th: Tales From Earthsea – Goro Miyazaki (2006)
Why would you buy the rights to a perfect story and then just make a bunch of changes for no apparent reason except to make me mad?
Grade: D-

18th: The Killer – David Fincher (2023)
Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is the only Fincher film I’ve seen in theaters and that makes me sad. This deserves to be seen on the big screen!
Grade: B+

18th: Inning by Inning: Portrait of a Coach – Richard Linklater (2008)
For sure will be the bonus content on the “Everybody Wants Some!!” criterion release if/when it ever comes.
Grade: B-

18th: The Age of Innocence – Martin Scorsese (1993)
This is so, so good and among my favorite period pieces ever. Mr. Scorsese, please make “In Search of Lost Time!” Alas, there is a fundamental problem here in that I’m supposed to pity DDL’s grand sacrifice in sticking it out with Winona Ryder. Can you imagine? Unbearable suffering, to be sure.
Grade: A-

19th: In the Earth – Ben Wheatley (2021)
Grotesque and legitimately scary in places. I also appreciate that the strobes and psychedelics were built into the story as opposed to just being a filmmaking choice. What can I tell you, I love Ben Wheatley. Is this the most original or clever script in the world? Probably not. But the filmmaking makes it more than worthwhile and is occasionally awe-inspiring.
Grade: B+

21st: Rebecca – Ben Wheatley (2020)
So lifeless it feels worse than being just bad. There is a hint of a fascinating queer revenge story in here via Ms. Danvers, but the script or Wheatley never commit to it. Biggest disappointment for me is that it doesn’t even look good, especially for an updated period piece from a director who I really admire. I’d be fascinated sometime to read about the production inside any of these Netflix movies. Who knows though, maybe I’m overstating their effect and it’s just a miss from Mr. Wheatley? In any case, on to The Meg 2!
Grade: C-

22nd: Happy New Year, Colin Burstead – Ben Wheatley (2018)
Ben Wheatley’s take on a Mike Leigh film? Fitting that it was a BBC production.
Grade: B+

22nd: The Foot Fist Way – Jody Hill (2006)
Kind of amazing how Danny McBride has essentially been playing this character for his whole career and somehow it never gets old
Grade: B+

24th: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse – Joaquim Dos Santos, Justin K. Thompson, Kemp Powers (2023)
I promise I am not trying to be a stick in the mud about this stuff. I loved Into the Spider-Verse and think its maybe the best superhero film I’ve seen. Frame for frame, there’s nothing about Across the Spider-Verse that’s a drop off in quality. Still, two things kind of ate away at my enjoyment of it. First, was that as a sequel and a story, it felt pretty redundant after the first film. Same story, same beats, same jokes, etc which honestly is fine. The first film was great for a reason. But second, and much more damaging, is that this film doesn’t really work as its own story. It’s plotted and told essentially as a bridge to the third film. I’m all for a good trilogy, but I think a large part of why I can’t get into these superhero movies is because they’re all told just to engineer a next movie. As such, basic parts of making a good film are often missing or deferred. Here, there’s really no resolution or conclusion it’s just “See you in two years.”
Grade: B

26th: The Beatles: Get Back – Peter Jackson (2021)
To me, there are basically two categories of five-star films. The first and easiest definition is something that I would consider flawless. In art, nothing is technically perfect, but these would be cases where, across the board, every aspect of the film not only works, but builds to the same thing: usually moving me in some profound way.  The second category is more nebulous and I think, where a project like Get Back fits. Get Back is by no means a flawless film. It’s overlong and tedious in some places, and frustratingly lacking in other contexts. (In fact, I’m a little baffled by where Jackson ends his film. I know the scope of the project was determined by using pre-existing footage, but given the contextual information in other places, it feels wrong not to close the loop on what happens with these recordings and the “Let It Be” album). But, in any case, Get Back is a five-star film because my god, I have not thought about a film more in a long time. 
It’s a chicken and egg thing at this point, but the Beatles are the textbook archetype of a rock and roll band and possibly any creative unit. I have, of course, eaten up all the mythos surrounding the band, their dynamics, and these infamous “Let it Be” recordings. What I find so fascinating about this documentary is how much of the legend around this album is true and yet how different it feels when you actually see it play out. And full disclosure, everybody in this doc knows they are on camera, so sure, maybe we don’t see the nastiest stuff (in fact, if you want the real nasty stuff, just read about their relationships with one another in the 70s). But much of what made these sessions so infamous is here, although in more passive terms than what the rumors would have you believe. 
For instance, I always had a hard time reconciling some of John’s quips about McCartney’s songs. And here, you see him make these jokes, and realize that 1. He’s zooted out of his fucking mind and 2. He doesn’t take anything seriously. Likewise, the tension between McCartney and Lennon is palpable but honestly doesn’t feel malicious. Not only do they want to do different things, but they’re in two separate places. Again, is it that John’s stopped giving his best effort because McCartney has become the de facto band leader, or does McCartney have to step up because John’s stoned out of his brain? 
And obviously you have all the George stuff which is really the most frustrating thing to see play out. But again, it’s not a big blow-up or Paul or John saying something egregious to him. It’s that they can’t get out of their own way to recognize that “Something” and “All Things Must Pass” are the two best songs that anybody’s brought to the sessions. 
In every case, it just screams of a band that absolutely needed to break up and each do their own thing. And yet, as Get Back reminds us again and again, it’s just impossible to fully let go of the fantasy of what if they stayed together. This is where I would have loved more context on these recordings, “Abbey Road”, and then the eventual “Let it Be” release. Because on the rooftop, they are the best band in the world. And while I like “Let it Be” just fine, their next and final recorded album, “Abbey Road” is their best one. And then obviously, you have each of their solo careers which make it apparent that there were way better songs in the can than most of what makes up “Let it Be.”
Man, I really went on a tangent here. And that’s not even to get into how mesmerized, delighted, annoyed, and frustrated I am by Paul in this movie. That’s probably a conversation for my therapist. But, to wrap it up, you probably do need to like the Beatles to make it through this long of a documentary about them. If you can though, it is one of the most fascinating and insightful movies about art, creativity, relationships, music, fame, and group dynamics that you’ll ever see.
Grade: A

26th: A Hard Day’s Night – Richard Lester (1964)
Leave Ringo alone!
Grade: B+