Stay tuned…
Movies: seen on TV, probably on a streaming service, or on an airplane
- Maestro: First film of 2024. Choices are always to be made in telling someone’s complex life but I enjoyed this interesting telling of the famous composer and conductor and found Carey Mulligan and Bradley Cooper watchable and magnetic.
- Saltburn: Some critics are apparently asking, ‘What was the point?’ but I couldn’t keep my eyes from the screen. This was never boring.
- Good Grief: A fan of Schitt’s Creek, I really wanted to like Daniel Levy’s debut film, but it asks too much of a viewer, to feel for these characters and to explore grief when we’re given so little to work with: pretty images of Paris, tons of pornographic signs of wealth, a sad, sad soundtrack, and various themed songs. The dialogue rang false to me, though the two sidekicks did their best with what they were given.
- Nuovo Olimpo: A romantic, nostalgic film, set in Rome, about a short, passionate gay romance and then decades of melancholy. I loved it.
- No Hard Feelings: Jennifer Lawrence and Andrew Barth Feldman: I kept waiting for the movie to fall apart but I thought the acting perfect and charismatic and that the film was very, very funny. I needed a light film to watch during a Sydney heatwave and this was a good one.
- A Haunting in Venice: And why not? A Hercule Poirot mystery set in a murky, wet and atmospheric Venice, with a wonderful cast. I liked the intrusions of the supernatural and most of all, Venice. And that moustache.
- The Lobster: Whoah. I liked Poor Things so much, I thought I’d check out the Lobster. Amazing premise. Hilarious scenes and to start with, some sharp satire, I thought. But then it totally loses it’s way when I was hoping for a strong finish.
- Tár: As usual, Cate Blanchett is magnetic. And what a story. A cerebral entry to the world of classical music, to start with, and then … a story that takes the typical story of an abusive, powerful womaniser, and makes him a her. Raising interesting questions along the way.
- Talk to Me: Horror films aren’t my thing but I’d heard about how successful this Australian film was, and I think Sophie Wilde, the lead, is an amazing actor. And I loved this: a good premise, good storytelling, creepy as hell.
- American Fiction: I knew the basic premise, about writing and publishing and identity politics, so I did not expect such an engaging, human story about one charismatic Black family. I really, really loved this film.
- Deadpool: We saw this in advance of seeing Deadpool and Wolverine, and while I can see the appeal, I didn’t *love* it. It was better watched in parts.
- Argylle: I thought this was going to be a spoof of a spy movie starring Henry Cavill, rather than a spoof of a spy movie with a major focus on a woman who writes spy novels. I kept waiting for it to make me laugh or intrigue me or interest me and husband noticed I was just not that into it.
- But I’m a Cheerleader: Hearing this was a cult queer hit, I was profoundly disappointed (and bored) by this simplistic satire of a gay conversion centre. No shade, complexity or wit. I thought the gays were supposed to have good taste.
- May December: Such material to work with and I found much of the film intriguing. But dramatic music and pretty images (and analogies about monarch butterflies) seemed to sometimes substitute for better storytelling.
- Past Lives: Saw this in the cinema when it came out but watched it again on TV with husband. I love it. It’s a very understated film, filled with emotion, about how we connect with people, and our past and present, and the different worlds and cultures that can live within us, simultaneously.
- The Iron Claw: As a boy, I remembered seeing the Von Erichs wrestling on TV and there was something electric about them. So, I remember afterwards reading about the many tragedies that struck the family. A film about the family was somewhat hard to watch though Zac Efron, bursting out of his body with muscle, gives a soulful performance.
- Will & Harper: I found this engaging, emotional and often hilarious. I valued the chance to spend time with an older trans woman who has transitioned late in life and I can’t help but think how important this film is. I hope it reaches many people.
- Gladiator: As preparation to see Gladiator II, and I’d never seen it. Russell Crowe had a ton of charisma, I liked the classic story and the soundtrack, and yup, I was entertained.
Movies (seen in the cinema)
- All of Us Strangers: A good first pick for a film seen in the cinema for 2024. Though is this categorisation silly. I basically hived off movies from television and theatre, because we saw so many last year, but then most of those were on streaming services. In any case, I thought Andrew Scott’s acting was so beautiful in this. Paul Mescal is always watchable. And Claire Foy and Jamie Bell: also fantastic. An interesting melancholy meditation on loss and feeling you never fit in. A slow pace, like Haigh’s Weekend, and I got mixed up with the plot, perhaps getting so emotionally involved, I sort of drifted off into what I wanted to happen then what the story was telling me.
- Next Goal Wins: My mate Tom from England, who is a sports fan, booked in for this and then couldn’t make it to Sydney to see it. So Stevie and I saw it at the outdoors cinema on the Harbour, with a meal beforehand at the specially built restaurant! Couldn’t have been a more spectacular setting to see this fun film. The story and plotting was shaggy, but we enjoyed it just fine (I see pretty mediocre reviews though; honestly, most films I just want to generally be entertained so am less critical than I used to be).
- Poor Things: I don’t think I’ve seen a similar film and I couldn’t take my eyes off it. Everything about it – the sets, the music, the odd filming techniques, the acting, the costumes and particularly the script, the funny wordplay of a baby’s brain become adult – I loved it. Still a bit speechless. The weirdest hero’s journey ever.
- Deadpool & Wolverine: With mediocre expectations, having watched Deadpool, and not loving it, we saw this in 3D at the Imax cinema, and I thought it was amazing. A funny, tight script, great pacing and I was really, really entertained. That is one ugly dog though.
- Gladiator II: I was so entertained by this. Usually, with a film with action scenes, say, a superhero film, I roll my eyes occasionally at the script or the excess CGI or activity. But I was fully engaged with this: the spectacle and actors and I thought Paul Mescal had great presence and charisma.
- Wicked, Part I: We were huge fans of the musical and I thought, how can you go wrong with this musical and that cast? Any expectations were surpassed. They turned the magic of the stage into the magic of the movies. Those voices could not be more pretty. The crowd scenes and dancing. The expanded songs. It was incredible.