Watched Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio tonight, liked it. Felt good watching something with stop motion in it too. Will admit, the scenes of war was not something I expected from Pinocchio, and I did find the ending sad. Everyone dies and Pinocchio lives forever, that's what I'm getting from it. Then again, I've always been a happy ending kind of guy. Especially since you grow to like Pinocchio, Geppetto, and Sebastian. Still, a very good version of the classic tale and enjoyed my time with it.
I know people are gonna compare this and the Disney one, for me personally, I like both movies.
Christmas Carol Goes Wrong
I just discovered this. Ohh, will that cast ever get it right!?😉
For US, it's free via Roku channel, possibly Tubi (steaming app). Also youtube
After Adam Savage (of MythBusters) recently showed this weird robot on his youtube channel. I had see it. So, I watched wierd-looking Return to Oz via Disney+.
Rewatched Toy Story 3 for the first time in a while and I felt like crying all over again. I think 4 is a great movie with stellar animation and a fun story....but man 3 is just animated perfection in my eyes, one of my favourite movies ever made.
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Avatar: the Way of Water (IMAX 3D) - the blue cat people are back, now joined by new & improved green cat-fish people.
First time I've ever been to an IMAX screening, and this was an absolutely magnificent theatre experience.
Story was pretty simple in themes like the first (family drama, can't run away from your problems, obvious environmental angle), however it worked to hold things together, though there were a few interesting wrinkles as well. Without getting into spoiler territory, they made a decision about a certain character I wasn't expecting them to commit on, and in expecting sequels one of their adopted kids (Kiri) has a mysterious origin & abilities that weren't fully explored here.
Of course being an Avatar movie it was absolutely triumphant from a technical & visual standpoint. I'm a bit undecided on how I feel about the enhanced framerate (not that it's an inherent negative, but at times it felt like a video game cutsene, albiet one several generations ahead of what's currently available), however the 3D is magical and a few steps above found in the original. From an aesthetic/artistic perspective I'm not sure how they're going to top the underwater scenes in this one though. It often felt like a religious experience & I want to give a special shout-out to a scene from inside a mini sub who'se immersion was bordering on what VR provides.
Really interested in how it's going to hold up in a 2D home viewing though. While the climax is an absolute tour de force that'll probably still entertain in that inferior viewing arrangement, the middle of the film (where the family is learning "the Way of Water"â„¢) I could see being a lot slower without that 3D magic elevating it.
Also, crab mechs.
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Well I didn't really watch much from this year but if I had to pick one, I'd probably go with The Bad Guys. Excellent animation and style, fun characters and some absolutely fantastic action/comedy come together to make what is probably my favourite Dreamworks movie since How to Train Your Dragon (especially that scene at the end with Snake holy s*** my jaw dropped to the floor with that one). Would highly recommend watching it!
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12. Thor: Love & Thunder (Theatre 3D) - Had some cool moments, but leaned way too heavily into comedy (that didn't always work). Gorr could have used some more fleshing out too. The black & white scene on that moon looked dope though (especially in 3D).
11. Morbius (Netflix) - This wasn't even all that terrible IMO. Just felt like an average 00's superhero flick, and they've evolved so much so by now (I think it could have hit harder had they been allowed to get a bit gorier, but as a Spider-Man adjacent property that was never going to happen).
10. Jurassic World: Dominion (Theatre 3D) - While it was cool seeing most of the old cast again & there is an inherent level of fun with dinos, this was very been there seen that & it's disappointing because it didn't have to be. The big premise is that the dinos are finally out of the park/reserve, then they go ahead and reign it in to our heroes having to escape a dino reserve anyways.
9. the Bob's Burgers Movie (Hulu) - Bob's Burgers isn't one of my favorite adult animated comedies, but it's still pretty okay & this is pretty much a really long, better animated episode of the show. One for the fans.
8. Chip N' Dale: Rescue Rangers (Disney +) - A bit more of a B-grade Disney film, but it was still a pretty good time with some fun cameos.
7. Turning Red (Disney +) - As someone who was a young teen in the early 2000's with a taste for anime I thought this was pretty fun too. Not being a girl it didn't connect with me as well as it could have, but I'm glad it exists.
6. Lightyear (Theatre 3D) - Maybe the most controversial thing in this ranking, but I actually kinda liked this. Now, it probably didn't need to be a Toy Story tie in (though it made a few references) and I get why it could be a bit slow for young kids, but as someone who enjoys deep space sci-fi I thought it was actually a pretty good time (and had some cool 3D scenes), and is the best thing Pixar has released in awhile.
5. Prey (Hulu) - Really solid, back to basics Predator prequel, with some suitably brutal kills.
4. Doctor Strange & the Multiverse of Madness (Theatre 3D) - Maybe a bit high because I thought it made really good use of 3D, but I thought this was really fun & I liked the light horror elements.
3. Blonde (Netflix) - Parts of this were hard to watch (and from what I understand, it plays very fast & loose with the facts for drama's sake), but it was absolutely excellently shot & one of the most memorable things I've seen this year.
2. Top Gun: Maverick (Theatre) - The quintessential summer blockbuster. With a narrative that pays homage to the original without being overbearing with it, it's an absolute thrill on the big screen.
1. Avatar: the Way of Water (IMAX 3D) - The visuals & 3D are an absolute religious experience, and while the middle might be a tad slow the climax is a tour de force of thrilling action, and the story is quite a bit improved over the original with a family angle that gives it a more personal stakes.
Honorable mention to the Avatar rerelease (Theatre 3D), which while technically not a 2022 film was a fantastic theatre experience in it's own right (it'd easily fit there alongside Blonde or Maverick if I had to place it.
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Watched Glass Onion last night. This one is hard for me because the viewing experience wasn't the best. The TV was a little far, the volume was too quiet, and we had subtitles on. I struggle with subtitles, especially in comedies, because I can't not read them. So I'm focused on the subtitles and miss the movie. Ergo, I probably would have liked this better, but it's only average for me given my experience. I don't really get Le Blanc's character, or feel particularly attached to him. He's the worst part of Knives Out and not much better here. I think the accent does him a disservice. Janelle Monáe is excellent though. Easily the highlight.
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