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Welcome to the final installment of Looking Back at the Films of 2022, and I feel like we end on kind of a bang.
Why Didn't I See Christmas Bloody Christmas?
Now I actually had plans to watch this just incase I couldn't see The Mean One, but then I got a chance to see The Mean One, and decided to cancel the initial review in favor of this segment.
What is Christmas Bloody Christmas?
Christmas Bloody Christmas is a Christmas-themed horror movie. It was produced by Channel 83 Films and distributed by Shudder. Christians Bloody Christmas was written and directed by Jon Begos.
The story is, two teenagers think that their Christmas will be nothing but sex, drugs, booze, and music. Little do they know, a malfunction robotic Santa Claus is on the loose and is going on a killing spree, and they're its next victims.
My Thoughts
The Good: One thing that really took me by surprise was the overall look. The majority of the time the movie is lit by all of the Christmas decorations, in this case Christmas lights, and it looks like pretty cool. I'll also liked how this is some holiday horror fun. You get your gory kills, while also getting chase scenes, and then next thing you know, there's an explosion! So if you just want to turn off your brain, I say give this movie a shot.
The Bad: I've got nothing.
The Okay: The first mix bag is the dialogue. Some of it is fine, because it's very realistic for you trash talk and debate about pop culture with your friends. Hell, I've done that plenty of times with mine, especially the debate part . Where it loses steam is with all of the cursing. Now I am by no means against swearing in films, especially since it's for a rated R flick like this one. The problem comes in the form of doing it too often. The characters drop the f-bomb so much, that not only does the f-bomb losses its shock value, but it'll start to come off as the filmmakers trying so hard to be edgy. Speaking of characters, I actually did like them for the most part. It's just that the previously mentioned dialogue wasn't helping them.
Final Verdict: Okay.
Why Didn't I See The Whale?
I was hoping to see this, solely for Brendan Fraser, but sadly, there wasn't a showing.
What is The Whale?
The Whale is a drama movie based on the 2012 play of the same name. It was produced by Protozoa Pictures and distributed by A24. The Whale was written by Samuel D. Hunter and directed by Darren Aronofsky.
The story is, an English teacher named Charlie is a morbidly obese reclusive, who just wants to reconnect with his estranged daughter, in the hopes that it'll be his chance at redemption.
My Thoughts
The Good: One thing I'll praise is the director, Darren Aronofsky. It was a great thing he was attached to this movie. Stories about very flawed people are very much in his wheelhouse, and he did a great job here. Then there's Brendan Fraser's performance. Whatever praise you've heard about his acting, it's all true. There is no denying that he was truly amazing, and he definitely earned that Academy win for best actor. Then there's the story, which received controversy for being "fatphobic". Which I found ridiculous. Sure, the main character's weight is obviously brought up, but Charlie could've easily been written as either an alcoholic or a drug addict. Not to mention, they completely missed the point. This story is a heartbreaking one, because it's about a man who screwed up everything in his life, not just because he ate too much, because he abandoned his family for what he thought he wanted, and for the longest time didn't bother to try to fix things, until his health started declining. That's the real story, and it's a great one, even if it is hard to sit though.
The Bad: I've got nothing.
The Okay: Nothing to see here.
Final Verdict: A Must Watch.
Why Didn't I See Puss in Boots: The Last Wish?
While I did like the first movie, it wasn't one of the Shrek films that I would repeatedly watch. So when I heard of the sequel, I personally skipped it. And wow, I really missed out on this one.
What is Puss in Boots: The Last Wish?
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is an animated adventure comedy movie. It's not only the sequel to 2011's Puss in Boots, but it also serves as the sixth installment of the Shrek franchise. The movie was produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Universal Pictures. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish was written by Tommy Swerdlow, Tom Wheeler, and Paul Fisher and directed by Joel Crawford.
The story is, Puss has come to the realization that eight of his nine lives are gone, which means he only has one life left. After finding out the Wishing Star is real, he sets out to find it, and get his lost lives back. But he's not the only one after the star, and to make it worse, a mysterious hooded wolf is after not the star, but Puss.
My Thoughts
The Good: First thing to get out of the way is the performances. The cast is wonderful in this. They brought the humor, sadness, fear, heart, etc. to their characters. Then the animation. While there is a clear Spider-Verse influence in it, the animators still found a way to put their own style to it. If anything it felt like a mix of both new and old. Which I greatly appreciated. I also really enjoyed the humor. I was laughing throughout the whole movie, and typically I'd tell you my favorite part, but I don't want to give anything away. What was also done perfectly was the characters. We understand why they want the Wishing Star. They all have very understandable reasons whether it be for family, love, or wanting to avoid something inevitable like death, or in Jack Horner's case doing it just for the sake of being an egotistical dick. And when your not getting character development than you get a character who's just entertaining like Perrito. At first I was worried he was gonna be an annoying comedic sidekick, but I actually grew to like him. Not only is he pretty happy with life and his glad to be making friends, but all he wants to be is therapy dog just for the sake of wanting to help people. How could someone possibly hate that? My final praise is the story. Not only is a fun fairy tale adventure, but it also has some great themes going on. Such as not taken the one life you have for granted, not being able to escape death, anxiety, etc. Deeply layered things I'd never expect from a Puss in Boots movie of all things.
The Bad: Nope! Don't have anything negative to say.
The Okay: I've still got nothing.
Final Verdict: A Must Watch.
Why Didn't I See Babylon?
This was yet another instance of wanting to see this, but couldn't because there wasn't a showing.
What is Babylon?
Babylon is a epic period black comedy-drama movie. It was produced by Paramount Pictures, C2 Motion Picture Group, Marc Platt Productions, Wild Chickens Productions, and Organism Pictures and distributed by Paramount Pictures. Babylon was written and directed by Damien Chazelle.
The story is, we're taken on a journey to the rise of very promising young stars. However, with every rise we will also see their fall thanks to them given into their vices. These stars are also trying to deal with the fact that Hollywood is transitioning from silent films to ones that provide sound.
My Thoughts
The Good: The first thing I'll praise is the performances. From Brad Pitt to Margot Robbie to Diego Calva, everyone was tremendous, and they were all truly amazing. Even someone who has a small part like Tobey Maguire does an incredible job. I also loved the look of the movie. It's can be stylish, but at the same time does have a very dirty and gritty feel to it as well. I also enjoyed the dark comedy aspect. There's a hilarious scene where Pitt's character is making his newest silent film, and people on the set are either getting horribly injured, or just getting straight up killed. The last thing I'll praise is the story. While we do get a glamorous Hollywood, we also see how these people are falling apart from both their addictions and the fact they just aren't made for this transition from silence to sounds. Not to mention the story felt like a dark Hollywood tale, while also feeling like an exploitation flick. Which I'm clearly not complaining about, it was pretty awesome for doing that.
The Bad: I've don't have anything for this section.
The Okay: If there's one slight problem I had with the movie, it was the pacing. Some parts of the movie are just breeze to get through, but you do have others that really needed to speed things up.
Final Verdict: Great.
Gotta say, this was a fantastic way for me to end the year. That's all for now. Come back on Monday, Jan 8th, where I'll tell you my most anticipated movies of 2024. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day, have a Happy New Years, and let's hope nothing but good things for 2024.
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