A simple two-hander sketch that executes its premise pretty well and has a solid punchline. Of note due to its cult hit status as a New Year tradition in parts of Europe.
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Dinner for One (1963)
Author: Dan Stalcup
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Sesame Street Stays Up Late! (1993)
I like it more in concept than in practice — unlike the best Sesame Street specials, this feels more squarely targeted at kids with less consideration for the adult attention span. But the international Sesame Street coverage is intriguing, and there’s something apocalyptic about Telly’s fear of a new year.
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I Wanna Hold Your Hand (1978)
So often, you hear great filmmakers talk about their love of film in spiritual terms.
Hello movie-going friends! Merry Christmas, or whatever your winter salutation of choice is!
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Monster High: The Movie (2022)
When they’re singing, it’s watchable, and that’s about as far as I’ll go.
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Bones and All (2022)
One of my favorite movies of the year — and it might have been my #1 favorite if it had cut out the cannibalism and just been a tragic romantic teenage odyssey, but that’s just a matter of personal taste, because what’s here works well. Guadagnino’s filmmaking is outstanding, the metaphoric purpose of “eaters” is never too on-the-nose, and the acting is very good (although when I hit play, I thought Zendaya was starring in this, and kept thinking how great she would have been).
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Aftersun (2022)
I’m not convinced the retrospective framing story accomplishes much, though it perhaps adds some extra finality to the incredible shot that ends the movie.
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The Banshees of Inisherin (2022)
This is the kind of movie I like talking about a little more than I actually like watching, I think. I finished the first act convinced it was an outright bore, but its little tendrils started to hook me, and I started laughing more, and then we get that first dramatic “thump” against Padraic’s door, and I was locked in. I don’t much mind that it’s generic looking, since it’s all about the characters; I do mind that it seems so disinterested in the gorgeous location it’s shot on for 95% of its runtime. I was leaning towards a slightly lower rating, but I’ve spent a lot of time thinking and talking about it, and I think that’s worth the benefit of the doubt.
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Let It Snow (2019)
The threads are uneven in both screentime emphasis and quality, but as a teen-focused Love Actually riff, it works well enough. The cast is really delightful overall. In ten years, there will be one or two names here that are stars and make us say “man, remember when *whomever* was in a straight-to-Netflix romcom with a zillion other teens?”
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Sam & Kate (2022)
You may as well call it Nepo Baby: The Movie.