A while back, I laid out something that, at best, could be called my 'rough outline' for a Hanna-Barbera Cinematic Universe. At the time, I thought, "Okay. Got that out of my system and now I can move on and focus on other nonsense."
Wrong. Apparently.
I'm still on the same nonsense.
The beginning of a new year is always a good time for looking back... and reflecting...
Hmm... yeah... Reflection...
Hey! It's also a good time for talking about movies and TV shows, sooooo LET'S DO THAT! Here now are some of the best things I watched in the year 2022!
DISCLAIMER: None of them are Avatar.
I really liked Rian Johnson’s take on murder mysteries with Knives Out, so I was definitely looking forward to this one. I don’t know if it’s necessarily better than Knives Out, but it’s certainly not worse. Each character is a blast to watch and, like the original, it’s really fun. Although, if you’re a billionaire, you might not have the same reaction as me.
SIDE NOTE: If you’re a billionaire, why are you looking at MY blog?!
I'm going to go ahead and get the Marvel stuff out of the way. This year, Marvel Studios has had more misses than hits, in my opinion, but this one is definitely among the hits. I thought this movie was a crazy ride and Elizabeth Olson as Wanda is one of the best things the MCU has going for it right now.
I recently read something about being able to sue studios over putting things in the trailer that don't make the final cut of the film. It's technically false advertising. That's great and all, but now I think we need to do something about the trailers containing major spoilers. Professor X being in this movie was such a sweet touch, but the impact of the moment was drastically lessened by the fact that I knew it was coming. Maybe I should just stop watching trailers..
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Of course, this one was easily my favorite Marvel movie of the year. The way it dealt with the loss of Chadwick Boseman was really well done and finally getting to see a live-action Namor flap around on screen with his stupid little wing feet… I say this without an ounce of sarcasm. PURE CINEMA!
I go back and forth on this movie a lot... but that, of course, means I have watched it A LOT! Sometimes it just seems to me like it's about a huge narcissist who becomes so obsessed with his own dreams that he rejects the woman he loves and destroys any chance at a meaningful relationship. But on the other hand, can't she just wait ONE WEEK to talk about this relationship stuff? This is important to him and, in the moment, maybe his perspective is a little skewed! Meh. I don't know. The songs are really good though, as is Andrew Garfield, and the bit with all the Broadway legends in the diner was... GOLD!
Speaking of musicals, I was pleasantly surprised with this one. Normally, I’d be opposed to remaking such a “classic,” but I honestly feel that this is the better version. The cast is incredible and Steven Spielberg still finding ways to challenge himself and do something new is just more proof that he’s the absolute GOAT!
I'm throwing this one in here to show that I'm perfectly capable of also enjoying the melancholy artsy stuff. Maybe it’s the beautiful scenery, or just my love of Brendan Gleeson, but I ended up finding something kind of charming about this thing. It's sad, to be sure, and full of people dealing with different degrees of... loneliness? Depression?
Nevertheless, I though it was sweet.
Meanwhile, on the exact opposite end of the cinematic spectrum lies this gem! When this movie first came out, I heard nothing but bad reviews of it. I had just put it out of my mind completely until sometime later when I happened across it as an in-flight movie and cracked up throughout the entire thing!
It is, and I quote, “a real tit-flapper!”
Back to Marvel. I really dig this “Special Presentation” thing that they’ve started. I wouldn’t have cared to watch a full-length movie of these, and an entire series would have definitely dragged. This hour long one-and-done thing, however, is the sweet spot!
For Werewolf By Night, specifically, this is one of those Hollywood rarities that you hope to come across. Director Michael Giacchino definitely has a love for old movies and... well, yeah! So do I!
And what's not to love about James Gunn returning to direct the Guardians of the Galaxy? This was a fun romp with zero stakes and does a good job wetting my appetite for the full course meal that I expect Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 to be!
Oh and when I say 'zero stakes' I, of course, mean for everyone other than Kyra Sedgwick. That should always go without saying.
Since we've transitioned to talking about television now, I finally got around to watching this show and BOY does it live up to the hype! I had never heard of League of Legends before, so I knew nothing going in. I didn't need to... because let me tell you what I do know. I DO know something about great storytelling and stellar animation though… and that something is that I LOVE IT!
And I was reeeeally late to the party on this one, but I made it and I am here. I am here for the party.
I had seen an episode or two of this back when the show first aired, but when I saw that there was a movie coming straight to Netflix, I decided to binge the entire series. While I didn't care that much for the movie, the series is easily my favorite iteration of the turtles to date! If you've been to this blog before, you'll know that I have been a TMNT fan since the very beginning, and like a lot of fans, I had my reservations about this series.
"Why do they have different weapons?!" "Why is Raph the leader?!" "It's too funny and I'm sooo serious!" "Bwaaa! I don't like things that are... different!!"
Yeah. I'm here to say 'get all the way up over that noise' and appreciate this show for the wonderful thing it is!
And finally, uhh Star Wars! Andor was, BY FAR, my favorite thing to watch this year! After being tremendously disappointed with The Book of Boba Fett and Obi-Wan Kenobi, I was beginning to accept the possibility that Star Wars was just no longer my thing. Then along comes this prequel to a prequel and completely restores my faith in the franchise! Star Wars, at its core, was always about the "little guy" overcoming incredible odds and rising up against evil. That’s my stance, at least, and Andor completely nails it!
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And that’s the list! OH! And Stranger Things!
I’ll always love Stranger Things.
Happy New Year, everyone!
For 2022, I changed my blog headers to resemble a sort of corner card like you might see on a comic book. It's less of a traditional "header," but I don't know... I'm liking it.
