Due to the overwhelming amount of film released over the course of last month, and with January primarily being a month filled with downtime, I’ve complied another list, this time featuring the best films that came over over the past several weeks. Using my extensive expertise on the subject, I’ll tell you why these are worth your while.
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery- Releasing on Netflix just like its predecessor Glass Onion and being the third installment, it might be easy to excuse due to the preconceived idea that it’s more or less the same. To do that is to ignore how the franchise’s writer/director Rian Johnson (Breaking Bad, Star Wars: The Last Jedi) manages to elevate the series even further with this film’s contemporary themes of faith and corruption.
Once again following Detective Benoit Blanc, we see him try to solve the seemingly impossible murder of Monsignor Jefferson Wicks, a radically eccentric preacher at a small church in upstate New York. Blanc collaborates with young priest Father Jud, and they are forced to uncover several strange secrets, mainly involving the primary group of church attendees.
Being a major step up from Glass Onion, this film feels like it has a better sense of what it wants to be. Just at a glance, you can immediately tell the production design, cinematography, and lighting show more diligence and style. Something that also sets this apart is how the narrative structure is changed, as it doesn’t introduce the murder and Blanc until about 40 minutes in, which was made into an amazing opportunity to be introduced to Father Jud, who sort of acts as the audience throughout. Instantly becoming a hit among film fans, there’s no secret why people are already demanding a fourth film.
Avatar: Fire and Ash- James Cameron (The Terminator, Aliens) once again proves how he is still able to elevate his filmography with more and more breathtaking visuals with his third chapter in the acclaimed and commercially successful Avatar franchise, but sadly misses the mark on character development and plot consistency.
Set several years after the events of the previous film, The Way of Water, we once again find Jake Sully and family in the middle of constant threat when they come across a new violent and ruthless tribe.
While it uses themes of anger and rage to help further its themes, you can feel how one-sided the characters truly are for its over three hour runtime, which is a problem considering how critical they are for the storytelling. Also, several unimportant characters come and go at various points, which makes it hard to keep track of each of their roles. Despite this, you can still feel Cameron’s passion in every action scene, which is where the film truly shines. These films were meant to be seen big, and they will likely stand the test of time. However, if you’re coming into this expecting a strong story, this likely won’t do it for you.
Sophomore Ethan Johnson says, “It’s something that I wouldn’t care to see. I feel like it won’t be as memorable as the other ones.”
Anaconda- Starring Paul Rudd and Jack Black and borrowing heavily from action satires, this film meddles between action and comedy to a point where you feel like it doesn’t know what it wants to be.
The film follows a group of childhood friends as they aspire to recreate the 1997 film Anaconda in the South American jungle, but soon find themselves being hunted by a real threat.
Released in between a series of some of the best films of the year, it is very easy to look past this film. If you are wanting to see a lighthearted funny movie, this is for you, but if you’re looking for something that you’ll feel is worth your time, this isn’t. The narrative is exhausting, as it practically steals elements from better films like it. But once again, if it interests you, you’d probably get more out of it than others.
Junior Hudson Lasher says, “It doesn’t really interest me that much.”
Marty Supreme- Solely written and directed by Josh Safdie (who with his brother Benny Safdie created the acclaimed films Good Time and Uncut Gems), and starring Timothee Chalamet (who has already won several awards for his performance including a Golden Globe), the film is still able to capture the same effective themes of stress and obsession that brothers are so well at creating in spite of only being made by just one of them.
Set in 1950s New York City, we focus on young table tennis prodigy Marty Mauser as he attempts everything in his power to be the best at what he does, ignoring the threatening risks it has on his friends, reputation, and everyone he encounters.
Releasing only a few short months after Benny’s very own independent effort The Smashing Machine, it becomes easier to see which each of their strengths are when you compare the two films. With Marty Supreme, we are able to see a stronger and more confident script and direction. It feels more chaotic, which provides an additional level of entertainment while watching. Also Chalamet gives what many are saying as a career best performance, which is saying a lot considering some of his past works include the Dune films, A Complete Unknown, and Interstellar. Backed by an 80s soundtrack and unforgettable score, there’s no confusion as to why this is considered one of the best films of last year.
Lakeview Alum Evan Hyde says, “The reviews say it’s a great movie, plus the advertising was good at getting the word out. It looks entertaining, plus you gotta love Timothee Chalamet.”
Now while these were only a few films released over the course of last month, there are several others that might intrigue you more. Take this list as a point to jump off of to find something that’ll truly suit you. Maybe you’ll find a new favorite within one of these.
