Amy Wren Watched What? December 23-29, 2024
Teacher says every time a bell rings, a newsletter gets read. Why not ring a few bells with the latest edition of Amy Wren Watched What?
It's a Wonderful Life (1946) - Directed by Frank Capra
I watch this film every year around Christmas, and this year was no different. It never gets old, and I tend to notice something new every time I watch it. Just a complete classic of a film.
Flow (2024) - Directed by Gints Zilbalodis
What I love about this movie is that we never get any answers about any of the things happening. Instead, the movie keeps its focus on the cat at its center as it meets and works with a rag tag band of other animals to survive a catastrophic flood. It’s so wonderful how each animal has its own characterization that comes through without the animals being anthropomorphized and without a single word of dialogue.
But I know you don’t care about all that, you just want to know if the cat is cute.
Yeah, the cat is really darn cute.
Juror #2 (2024) - Directed by Clint Eastwood
Damn, it's nice when we get a solid courtroom thriller every now and then, isn't it? There's nothing spectacular about this film, sure, but it's still a good time and should have been much easier for all of us to see in a theater. One of three 2024 films starring Nicholas Hoult that I watched this month.
Babygirl (2024) - Directed by Halina Reijn
This film takes place entirely within the Christmas lights season, so Christmas trees and lights are all over the film. When we are at Romy (Nicole Kidman) and Jacob (Antonio Banderas) Mathis' apartment in the city, or see the exterior of their country house, it's all sterile white lights, the proper color of "refinement" and distance. But inside the country house they have a Christmas tree with big multicolor lights, which feels much more homey, more intimate. It's why Jacob finding Romy with her intern and lover Samuel (Harris Dickinson) together in this room causes such an emotional response for him.
Did I talk about the thin gruel of the Christmas lights because I'm trying to avoid talking about the rest of this (very good) film? Yes, yes I am. It is a very good film, and I'm annoyed that our AMC theater didn't show the Nicole Kidman "Ain't Movies Great?" intro before this given how the film starts.
Other Films Watched
Begin Again (2014) - Directed by John Carney
Like Once, but more Hollywood. Or rather, more New York, given that's where it's set?
Force Majeure (2014) - Directed by Ruben Östlund
This film asks what would happen if a husband and father pulled a George Costanza?
Nosferatu (2024) - Directed by Robert Eggers
Good to see a disgusting vampire for once. Especially at Christmastime.
Tokyo Godfathers (2003) - Directed by Satoshi Kon
Satoshi Kon's most grounded film is still a film where a bunch of miraculous coincidences happen, which is all so darn good.
Noah (2014) - Directed by Darren Aronofsky
The other film with a giant flood and a boat full of animals that I watched this week. The only one with a rock guardian voiced by Nick Nolte, though.
We are the Best! (2014) - Directed by Lukas Moodysson
Three Swedish teenage girls in 1982 form a punk band and be friends. That's it. That's the movie. And it's amazing.
Bird People (2014) - Directed by Pascale Ferran
I am like 99.999% certain this is the best film starring Josh Charles where a character turns into a sparrow partway through for a while.
Whiplash (2014) - Directed by Damien Chazelle
Look, I know J.K. Simmons is great in this, but I am scared if you think his character is some kind of role model.
This is Where I Leave You (2014) - Directed by Shawn Levy
My wife and I are a mixed family, in that I kind of like this film, and she most definitely does not
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) - Directed by Peter Jackson
My LOTR hot take these days is that I prefer the theatrical cuts to the extended cut. Let me know how I'm wrong in the comments!
A Most Violent Year (2014) - Directed by J.C. Chandor
Was 1981 a most violent year? I don't know, I wasn't around for most of it, and the part I was I can't say I remember a whole lot about. I especially can't speak to the New York heating oil market.
Nightcrawler (2014) - Directed by Dan Gilroy
You know Louis Bloom just really loves spending hours writing blog posts on LinkedIn every day.
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) - Directed by Peter Jackson
You know, Pippin gets a lot of shit for being a fool of a Took, but he convinced Treebeard to go right by Isengard, so at least for this movie he deserves some credit, dangit.
Have you watched any of these film? What did you think? What have you watched over the last week? Let's talk about it in the comments!
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