Wicked (2024)

2024 was a better year for movies (although, I missed seeing Dune 2).  The three films I saw in theatre were "Conclave" with my son, "Wicked (Part One)" with my wife and daughters (and a friend of theirs), and "Gladiator II" with my cousin Jim.

 "Wicked (Part One)" (2024)

"Wicked (Part One)" was hands-down my favorite moviegoing experience of the year (although Gladiator II's opening scene depicting the siege of Numidia almost catapulted that film into first place).  I'm looking forward to seeing it, again.

I remember watching "The Wizard of Oz" (1939) as a kid in our old house, so I must have been 4 or 5 years old.  Margaret Hamilton was terrifying as the Wicked Witch (I don't think I was able to make it through the whole movie).

Years later, I picked the Del Rey paperback editions of Baum's 14 original Oz books, part of a late 1970s Oz revival seeking to capitalize on the burgeoning popularity of fantasy fiction (I regarding them as "required" reading).

I was therefore primed for Gregory Maguire's "Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West".  I read the novel a year or two after it was released, soon after seeing an ad for it in "Realms of Fantasy" magazine, and genuinely enjoyed it.

I suggested "Wicked" to Meg, shortly after we started dating, and I've read the other three books in the series.  I think we've seen the musical 2 or 3 times.  The film was a fantastic adaption of the musical, and I'm looking forward to Part Two.

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023)

Another year has come and gone, and I still haven't gotten back into the habit of seeing movies in theatre.  One of the exceptions was "Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves", although the film came close to a boycott by D&D fans.

"Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves" (2023)

The reason for this was Hasbro's ill-considered move to monetize D&D's Open Game License (OGL), resulting in a destruction of the relationship with their fan base.  While the corporation eventually backed down, the damage was done.

Announcing this decision in the run up to the release of the D&D film was myopic in the extreme, but certainly worked in favour of the fans.  Who knows if Hasbro would have stuck to its guns, without the prospect of major collateral damage?

My old gaming buddy Joe and I got together to see the movie, a few weeks after its release.  We were pleasantly surprised!  They absolutely nailed the balanced mix of danger and humour that's part of every D&D game.

I saw it again a few months later, with my wife and our daughter, Eleni, on the small screen.  It held up well to a repeat viewing, and the two of them enjoyed it.  (My wife and I actually saw the original D&D movie in theatres, back in 1999).

Who knows what next year will bring?  The only film I'm really looking forward to is "Dune 2".  At this point, I see so few movies in theatre, I might start blogging on the ones I do see, shortly after I see them.  Anyway, stay tuned!

Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)

I only saw a few movies in theatre in 2022.  "Everything Everywhere All at Once" was interesting and memorable, but weird.  "Smyra, My Beloved" would have been my actual choice for this year, although was technically released in 2021.

Avatar: The Way of Water

Which leaves us with "Avatar: The Way of Water", the sequel to James Cameron's ground-breaking "Avatar" (2009).  I never got a chance to see the first film in theatre, when it first came out, but enjoyed it when I finally saw it, a few years later.

My daughter, Sophia, is environmentally-conscious, and asked if I would take her to see the movie.  We caught it in IMAX 3D at Cineplex Cinemas in Ancaster, at the beginning of the holiday break, and both enjoyed it.

Cameron has gone on record to state that the John Carter and Tarzan stories of Edgar Rice Burroughs were a major influence on "Avatar", and as a Burroughs fan, I caught multiple references (including the source of the serum which stops aging).

The first part of the film was a pleasant return to the forest ecosystem of Pandora, but I feel that the second part dealing with its marine societies was better.  The culture of the reef people and ecology of the sea creatures were well-realized,

If I have any complaint about the film, it involves the similarity of the plot to the first film, with the unwelcome return of its previous villain.  I would have preferred new challenges, but perhaps these are being reserved for "Avatar 3".

Dune (2021)

After a difficult year for many, it was a pleasure to begin seeing movies in theatre, once again.  "Dune" had originally been slated for release in November, 2020 but was pushed back to October, 2021.  For me, it was the beginning of the end of the pandemic.

Movie poster for "Dune" (2021)

I remember learning as a kid that Frank Herbert's novel had been rejected multiple times before finally being published, which was amazing, since my friends and I considered "Dune" to be the science fiction analogue to Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings".

The 1984 movie adaption featuring "The Police" frontman, Sting was a mixed success.  Critics largely panned it, although Herbert was apparently happy with it.  I rented the film on VHS, and appreciated many of the visuals, but hadn't read the novel.

My cousin Louie is a big fan of the series, and kept after me to read it.  I finally did so, one hot summer, back in the late 1990s, when I was living in Montreal (the fact that I didn't have air conditioning really helped set the mood).

I never got around to reading any of the sequels, but imagery from the book stays with you.  I was therefore excited to learn that a new movie was being planned, and looked forward to its release.  I saw it at Ancaster Cinemas with my son.

The movie won his approval.  My cousin Louie, a "Dune" purist, also loved it, as did mainstream audiences.  I'm happy for director Denis Villeneuve that "Dune" was well-received, and that a sequel is in the works.

Dolittle (2020)

My "rule" for deciding my favorite movie experience of the year is to have seen that movie in theatre, the year of its release.  Only thing is, I never imagined there would be a year in which movie theatres would remain closed for months.

Movie poster for "Dolittle" (2020)

"Dolittle" wasn't my favorite movie of 2020.  As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, it was the only movie released in 2020 that I saw in theatre.  (I also saw "1917" with my son in January, which was technically released in December, 2019).

I read several of the Doctor Dolittle books as a pre-teen, and enjoyed them.  Dolittle is a physician and naturalist who can speak with animals.  (Hugh Lofting first conceived of the character in letters to his children while stationed in the trenches during WWI.)

My daughter, Sophia, wanted to see a movie one evening, and since I had seen the trailer a couple of times and had fond memories of the books, we just went and saw it.  Unfortunately, "Dolittle" is possibly one of the worst movies I have ever seen.

How can you go wrong with Robert Downey Jr.?  He was a great choice to play Doctor Dolittle, (I also enjoyed Downey Jr. as Sherlock Holmes).  I blame the horrible script (the film apparently underwent re-shoots after poor test screenings).

I tried to catch "The Invisible Man" before the shut-down, but just missed it.  I wouldn't see another movie in theatre until the summer of 2021.  Fortunately, there were some pretty great films, released that year (to be continued...)

Tolkien (2019)

I hadn't been aware that a J.R.R. Tolkien biopic was in the works, and so it came as a pleasant surprise when my wife and I learned about it.  We saw "Tolkien" in theatre, and both of us really enjoyed watching it.

Movie poster for "Tolkien" (2019)

Nicholas Hoult was a fitting choice to portray Tolkien as a young man.  There were also great performances by Lily Collins as Edith Bratt, and the actors who portrayed Tolkien's friends, the other members of the T.C.B.S. club.

I had read both Daniel Grotta-Kurska's "unauthorized" and Humphrey Carpenter's "authorized" biographies of Tolkien, published around the time of Ralph Bakshi's "The Lord of the Rings" movie, and so was already somewhat familiar with Tolkien's life.

I didn't realize the film had received such mixed reviews, or that the Tolkien Estate didn't endorse it.  (Certainly, there were liberties taken with historical facts.  Tolkien and Bratt were married by the time he went to fight in WWI, for instance).

Nevertheless, I'm a big fan of the Inklings, particularly J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and Charles Williams, and so am also looking forward to seeing "The Most Reluctant Convert: The Untold Story of C.S. Lewis".

As for "Tolkien", I think it needs to be understood that a biopic is a form of storytelling, just as historical films should not be equated with documentaries, and so my wife and I are looking forward to watching it again, this time with our kids.

Black Panther (2018)

As a collector of comic books growing up, I was familiar with the character of T'Challa, Prince of Wakanda, aka Black Panther, mostly in his role as a member of the Avengers.  (I also picked up the 1st issue of "Black Panther" in Greece).

Movie poster for "Black Panther" (2018)

By 2018, Marvel Cinematic Universe fatigue was beginning to set in.  Nevertheless, I really enjoyed "Dr. Strange" (2016) and "Thor: Ragnarok" (2017), and so went into "Black Panther" with high expectations.

I was quickly impressed with the complexity of themes the film was willing to address.  Although primarily a superhero movie, "Black Panther" is nuanced and leaves the viewer with much to think over.

The score by Ludwig Goransson is fantastic.  (Goransson researched traditional African music, and even went on tour with Senegalese musician Baaba Maal, who contributed an original song for the film.)

"Black Panther" was the first superhero movie to be nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, winning three (for Best Costume Design, Best Production Design, and Best Original Score).

Chadwick Boseman's unexpected passing a couple of years later due to colon cancer was truly saddening.  He was a gifted actor, and made such a tremendous impact during the time he had with us.