I am in a text chain with my brother and friend, Eric. We started talking about the best movies of the year, now that it is award season and the year is about over. While I didn't realize it at the time, with additional consideration, I believe this is the worst year for movies in recent memory.
The nominations are out for the Golden Globes and, while I haven't seen them all, Eric asked us what our top 5 of the year was, which I assumed to mean top 5 nomination-worthy movies. And guess what? I couldn't name 5. That was strange for me.
I've seen about 35 movies this year, enough to renew my Platinum Movie Club status at Cinemark, so a relatively frequent moviegoer. It's easy as I tend to front-load my viewings with Oscar nominations in the first quarter every year, then a heavy dose of summer blockbusters. My behavior didn't change this year, so it was strange that I couldn't come up with 5 nomination-worthy films. With so many movies being streaming only, that doesn't make it very easy either. However, of the Golden Globe nominations this year, many were streaming only, so I need to adjust my pattern.
Given this year's viewings, though, here's the best I can do:
- One Battle After Another - This appears to be the favorite, and it's good. Sean Penn is amazing in it and I hope he runs away with Best Supporting Actor. However, as great as it is, it's low on the best from Paul Thomas Anderson. He just has too many other great films that are better.
- Train Dreams - This is a heartbreaking film. Beautifully shot and such an emotional story. It was streaming only, too, which feeds my theory that the movie theater industry needs to completely re-evaluate their existence.
- Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale - Hard to include this one in nomination-worthy films because it really isn't. I just loved this show so much that I couldn't help but love the movie. I'm too invested in all the characters.
- Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery - The best of the three, in my opinion. Also a streaming-only film. Not particularly nomination-worthy, though.
- Jay Kelly - Decent film, but I wouldn't nominate it for anything. Yet, both George Clooney and Adam Sandler are nominated. Again, a streaming-only movie.
- Bugonia - This is my kind of nomination-worthy film. Batshit crazy in its uniqueness and STELLAR performances from everyone in the cast, specifically Jesse Plemons.
- Sinners - Enjoyable, but not nomination-worthy. Yet, it is nominated for EVERYTHING. I don't get it. Not your traditional nominated film.
- Wicked: For Good - I've never seen the Broadway version of Wicked, so I was not aware of how disconnected this sequel was from the show. That is apparently why a lot of people didn't like it. I, however, absolutely loved it. It should be nominated for score and for effects, at least.
- The Long Walk - I enjoyed it, but wouldn't think of it from a nomination standpoint.
- The Roses - With the cast and the foundational story, I thought this was a safe bet. Not so much. It was ok.
- Tron: Ares - Yeah. No. I had low expectations, which is why this was better than I thought it was going to be, but talk about an unnecessary film NO ONE asked for, this was it.
- Caught Stealing - Not sure what I thought was going to happen, but it sucked.
- Good Fortune - Should have been streaming only. Cute, low-budget film, but meh.
- Ballerina - I love John Wick movies, very unlike me, and this one was just as enjoyable, but not nomination-worthy.
- Honey, Don't - Showing that the Coen Brothers need to work together again. This is the third straight Ethan Coen bomb without his brother. It. Sucked. Ass.
- A Big, Bold, Beautiful Journey - I probably liked this movie more than most as it is definitely my kind of film. Reminiscent of "Somewhere in Time" and "The Lake House," movies I'm a complete sucker for, but it didn't quite get there.
- Death of a Unicorn - Just stupid and insane.
- Novocaine - I remember very little of it. That's the impression it left.
- Anaconda - Just no.
- Roofman - I love Kirsten Dunst, but no.
- Superman - Hard for me to be objective. I love Superman. I love James Gunn. I love Rachel Brosnahan. I loved the film. I would never think of it being nominated except for technical awards, but sad that it truly was one of the best films of the year. Superhero films should not be on that list except for die-hards, like me.
- Fantastic Four: First Steps - Again, hard for me to be objective. I'm a superhero junkie and, in particular, LOVE Galactus. Like OBSESSED with Galactus, so seeing him onn screen just blew my mind. But, no, not nomination-worthy.
- Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning - I loved these films (except #2) and will be sad to see them go, but this was a rather meh ending.
Movies I still need to see:
- Hamnet
- Is This Thing On?
- Song Sung Blue
- F1 (Apple)
- Marty Supreme
- Frankenstein (Netflix)
- Nuremberg
- The Phoenician Scheme
- After the Hunt - This was poorly received, but somehow nominated. Weird.
- If I Had Legs, I'd Kick You
- Blue Moon
- The Smashing Machine - I tried numerous times to see this, but it was gone too quickly
- Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere
I had high hopes for Ella McKay just because it's a James L Brooks film, but WOW, did it bomb.
Oddly enough, many nominated are on the list of ones I hadn't seen. For one, they are in limited release, or haven't even formally released except to critics. Others were just ones I skipped, not realizing that maybe I should have seen them.
But this brings ups a greater point...
The movie theater model doesn't work anymore. I LOVE seeing movies in the theater, but as a businessman, it isn't working. If I were running things, my useless opinion would be to do the following:
- Restructure current theaters to be 3-5 large theaters only outfitted for huge blockbuster films, even IMAX, and charge accordingly. Nice stadium recliners (that aren't always broken), restaurant-quality food maybe, drinks, etc. These are the only movies that should be shown in full-blown theaters. Also use them for big sporting events, concert events, etc.
- Cordon off a section of existing theaters, or better yet, open a smaller chain of rebranded small theaters (like 30-40 seats each theater) for indie and low-budget, low-effects movies, like comedies or kids movies, and charge lower prices, or a flat monthly rate, and obtain your profits from snacks. That's the only way these films are worth attending instead of just watching at home on streaming.
Otherwise, most non-blockbuster movies simply need to go straight to streaming. People love the comfort and budget friendly confines of their home for movies that are just as good on their home big screen as they are in a theater.
