In all seriousness, I loved this list! Just as I was glad that you got to see my video with some of my selections on it, I loved listening to you listing off some of your selections that I haven’t gotten around to seeing, like ‘Suicide Squad’ and ‘The French Dispatch’ (or even some titles that I wasn’t aware of, like ‘Licorice Pizza’). ‘Dune’ is one that I’ll have to catch on streaming, now that it’s available; I remember you mentioning how it gave off strong vibes of wanting to be another great cinematic franchise, one of my friends saying that it felt to him fairly akin to ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows’, where this film established the setting and characters and ended on an apparent cliffhanger to a second part/follow-up. It’s no secret that I absolutely agree with your stanz on Tik, Tik, BOOM! It seemed at first like either ‘In the Heights’ or ‘Encanto’ would be Lin Manuel Miranda’s magnum opus for the year, but TTB just stood out in so many ways that I was not expecting it to. Obviously, I was engaged so much in the “Artist Journey” story that resonated with me and rekindled some of my own creative AND personal sparks (in ways that Pixar’s ‘Soul’ didn’t quite, though that’s not to discredit that movie at all). But the movie was also full of so much energy and aesthetic appeal that it kept me engaged, and Andrew Garfield (and yes, Vanessa Hudgens as well) bring so much energy into the musical numbers where you wouldn’t expect it, and really is a testament to how truly versatile they are as actors! BTW, I don’t know if you’ve heard this recent news, but “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” just beat “Let it Go” as the most charting Disney song since the 90s! That’s a damn impressive feat! (Although I’m also bracing myself for the potential backlash that is sure to arise from people who are so sick of hearing the song!)
My list changed a lot over the course of a few weeks. I started working on it towards the latter half of December. Originally I had Dune at #1. Then I was finally able to watch Licorice Pizza, and that made me revamp the list. There were even a few movies that I had in my original top 10 that ended up as an honorable mention because last year was a really strong outing for movies. Dune is really, really good. I enjoyed it more during my second viewing. I do think it has a lot of potential in terms of being the next great Hollywood franchise because it has a lot more substance than something like Star Wars. If Villeneuve continues to deliver I could see the Dune franchise being more akin to The Lord of the Rings, which I adore. Comparing Dune to Deathly Hallows Part 1 is actually a very good comparison. I'm not sure how that never crossed my mind. I've always preferred Deathly Hallows Part 1 to Part 2. I know that puts me in the minority, but Part 1 is just so different from every other film in the franchise. It's almost like an indie road movie. Either way, it's a fair comparison in terms of being "half of a story" while establishing story and character in a really strong way. Tick, Tick... Boom! is fantastic. I had heard about it before I watched it, mostly about Andrew Garfield's performance, but when I sat down to watch it I was moved by the heart of the movie. Like you said, I tend to be a sucker for anything about art and dreams as well -- especially when it's done right. I think Tick, Tick... Boom! was really well executed and a great showcase of Lin Manuel Miranda's penchant for musicals. Surprisingly I have not heard about We Don't Talk About Bruno surpassing Let it Go. That is surprising for so many reasons. I'm sure there will be a flurry of takes that the song is "not that good," because the same happened with Let it Go, and to a lesser extend with How Far I'll Go.
On a final note, I just recently got to see Spielberg’s ‘West Side Story’! And it absolutely lived up to all of the hype surrounding it! I do have to admit it was higher priority on my list than ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’, largely because I knew the latter was bound to be around in theaters longer, being the major blockbuster that it was and still currently is. Not helped is the fact that ‘West Side Story’ had such a dishearteningly low income of just $10 million for its opening weekend; like you said, it is just criminal that more people aren’t seeing this one! I may have exaggerated a little bit in the past when I said that the original ‘West Side Story’ was one of the most perfect classical film musicals out there, but it was largely as good as it could be for the time being, with most of its flaws deriding from certain Hollywood tethers at the time (namely the dreaded “Hayes Code” which prevented onscreen interracial romances even in the 60s). This movie was always going to have the advantage of featuring an actual Latino cast for Mariah and the Sharks instead of white actors in brownface (God forbid that latter even be up for consideration in this day and age!) But my interest in going to see that was only truly piqued when I found people saying that this movie had a lot to offer in the way of its own accolades, rather than just borrowing all of them from the original! THAT’s what a good remake does! I mean it’s no secret how Disney’s ‘Aladdin’ has been perceived by many middle-easterners as racist (the voice actors are white, the human characters are all largely exaggerated except for Aladdin and Jasmine, and of course that one line from the original ‘Arabian Nights’ opening number “Where they cut off your ear if they don’t like your face, it’s barbaric, but hey, it’s home!” that was excised from subsequent releases). And I’ve heard at least one film fan from the Middle East, who says that amidst the stigmatization the Middle East often gets in the landscape of Hollywood, the remake of ‘Aladdin’ is more sensitive and verse to their culture. I even know there is even some defense for the ‘Lion King 2019’ having a predominantly black cast this time around. But even with that, neither of those remakes could emerge from the shadows of the animated classics. But that’s why this movie succeeds in the venues that Disney’s recent trend of remakes have been void of on the whole (as well as a bunch of other Hollywood remakes)! It’s always good to retell classic stories, and it’s not a bad idea to give them updates here and there to allow for more inclusivity as our society evolves. But like you said, this movie treats the narrative like it’s telling the story for the first time, in ways where it clearly wants to respect its source without being completely tethered to it. It treats it like an actual reinterpretation rather than just an imitation or a mask over what we already recognized. And that’s what a remake should be! This is a movie from which other studios and other film producers and directors need to take notes from, if ever they’re remaking/rebooting something! Now I can swear that I’ve seen Rachael Zegler before somewhere, but for this being her major debut in film, she really knocked it out of the park, as did everyone else! The dance sequences and choreography (like especially in the “I’m in America” number), or even the part where they do a little hot-potato with the gun as a choreograph dance sequence! And there were some other elements that really highlighted Latino/Hispanic prejudice really well, like how every American, including the police, order them to always speak in English rather than Spanish, in their presence. I especially love how diverse the cinematography is! While the original kept all the scenery clean and shiny in classic-Hollywood-fashion, this opens with muted colors and cinematography that makes you feel uncomfortable and intense, and during the moments where you get to experience the world from Tony’s optimistic and dreamlike perspective, that’s when the colors and camera movements all come alive and flourish! (I mean, during the church scene where Tony and Mariah are proclaiming their unyielding love for one-another and how they would not not rest until the feud was over, I was literally tearing up!) And some people have even been saying that there were certain moments that this movie outshone the original. For me, one of those moments was the ending, where rather than Mariah has her monologue about killing with hate and they all disperse as the screen fades to black, she has her rant and then the Jets and Sharks call a truce and carry Tony’s body with all the other still-standing characters in tow. Where the original was basically leaving the audience with that one monologue as a message for them to walk away with and think about, as it was in early stage in battle of race relations, this one recognizes that today’s audience is familiar with this battle and values unity above all else, not just the end of hatred and prejudice.
West Side Story was such a pure moviegoing experience because it somehow felt like it was made during the golden age of Hollywood despite being a remake. Its underperformance at the box office saddens me for so many reasons. A lot of people aren't going to the theaters anymore, and I don't just mean they aren't going to see movies like West Side Story or Nightmare Alley. I know a handful of people who are pretty hardcore cinephiles and it seems like they don't watch anything that isn't on Disney+ or Netflix. So many good movies are getting lost due to the streaming wars. I wouldn't disagree with you about the original West Side Story being one of the best musicals ever made. It was up there for me as well. I think the biggest draw for me, apart from this movie having appropriate casting, was Spielberg's involvement. I know he wouldn't make something that he absolutely didn't believe in. This movie has plenty of its own merits rather than trying to provide the exact same experience as the original. I understand your point about the examples of Aladdin and The Lion King. However, the biggest differences between movies like those and West Side Story is the quality of the storytelling. If people want to make the case that 2019's Aladdin and The Lion King at least do a better job of representation, that's valid. But unfortunately it doesn't change the fact that the actual story of those movies are heartless, retreads that exist solely to cash in on 1990s nostalgia. If anything I would argue those movies eliminated any nuance that both the animated Aladdin and Lion King had. The animated Aladdin is, in my opinion, somehow underrated because its themes of egalitarianism somehow fly under the radar. West Side Story (2021) offers plenty for audiences to think about and learn from because the story is prioritized above all else. I completely agree that Spielberg's West Side Story is a lesson in how to do remakes correctly and honorably. Rachel Zegler has had roles before this movie, and there was no doubt she's a talented actress. The majority of her work was in television, so for this to be her feature film debut is nothing short of stellar. I won't be surprised at all if this opens up so many doors for her. She was what really tethered this movie together. She just understood what movie she was in and how to play the role. The technical prowess on display in this movie is awe inspiring. Spielberg and Janusz Kaminski did such a good job with the cinematography and look of this movie. It exudes so much of the classic Hollywood shine while also managing to feel a little bit more oppressive, which is appropriate for the story. For some reason Spielberg still has this reputation within the establishment as someone who's not a great filmmaker, which I find ridiculous. His work is dismissed as sentimental and too guided in terms of the audience's emotion, but if there was ever a question about his skill as a director -- that has to be put to bed after this movie.
@@NightfallFilms I completely agree with everything you said here about the movie, how it adds more nuance as a remake rather than removes it (like the afore-mentioned Aladdin and Lion King remakes do), and that there should really be no question left regarding Spielberg's skill as a filmmaker!
Hmm. That's a good question. There are a lot of options to choose from. That said, I think the worst kind of insults are the ones that are derived from an individual's fears and insecurities. I'm not sure what those would end up being in terms of disparaging names, but I think those are probably the worst. I've heard regular mud slinging so many times throughout my life that it's not really anything new.
In all seriousness, I loved this list! Just as I was glad that you got to see my video with some of my selections on it, I loved listening to you listing off some of your selections that I haven’t gotten around to seeing, like ‘Suicide Squad’ and ‘The French Dispatch’ (or even some titles that I wasn’t aware of, like ‘Licorice Pizza’).
‘Dune’ is one that I’ll have to catch on streaming, now that it’s available; I remember you mentioning how it gave off strong vibes of wanting to be another great cinematic franchise, one of my friends saying that it felt to him fairly akin to ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows’, where this film established the setting and characters and ended on an apparent cliffhanger to a second part/follow-up.
It’s no secret that I absolutely agree with your stanz on Tik, Tik, BOOM! It seemed at first like either ‘In the Heights’ or ‘Encanto’ would be Lin Manuel Miranda’s magnum opus for the year, but TTB just stood out in so many ways that I was not expecting it to. Obviously, I was engaged so much in the “Artist Journey” story that resonated with me and rekindled some of my own creative AND personal sparks (in ways that Pixar’s ‘Soul’ didn’t quite, though that’s not to discredit that movie at all). But the movie was also full of so much energy and aesthetic appeal that it kept me engaged, and Andrew Garfield (and yes, Vanessa Hudgens as well) bring so much energy into the musical numbers where you wouldn’t expect it, and really is a testament to how truly versatile they are as actors!
BTW, I don’t know if you’ve heard this recent news, but “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” just beat “Let it Go” as the most charting Disney song since the 90s! That’s a damn impressive feat! (Although I’m also bracing myself for the potential backlash that is sure to arise from people who are so sick of hearing the song!)
My list changed a lot over the course of a few weeks. I started working on it towards the latter half of December. Originally I had Dune at #1. Then I was finally able to watch Licorice Pizza, and that made me revamp the list. There were even a few movies that I had in my original top 10 that ended up as an honorable mention because last year was a really strong outing for movies.
Dune is really, really good. I enjoyed it more during my second viewing. I do think it has a lot of potential in terms of being the next great Hollywood franchise because it has a lot more substance than something like Star Wars. If Villeneuve continues to deliver I could see the Dune franchise being more akin to The Lord of the Rings, which I adore. Comparing Dune to Deathly Hallows Part 1 is actually a very good comparison. I'm not sure how that never crossed my mind. I've always preferred Deathly Hallows Part 1 to Part 2. I know that puts me in the minority, but Part 1 is just so different from every other film in the franchise. It's almost like an indie road movie. Either way, it's a fair comparison in terms of being "half of a story" while establishing story and character in a really strong way.
Tick, Tick... Boom! is fantastic. I had heard about it before I watched it, mostly about Andrew Garfield's performance, but when I sat down to watch it I was moved by the heart of the movie. Like you said, I tend to be a sucker for anything about art and dreams as well -- especially when it's done right. I think Tick, Tick... Boom! was really well executed and a great showcase of Lin Manuel Miranda's penchant for musicals.
Surprisingly I have not heard about We Don't Talk About Bruno surpassing Let it Go. That is surprising for so many reasons. I'm sure there will be a flurry of takes that the song is "not that good," because the same happened with Let it Go, and to a lesser extend with How Far I'll Go.
On a final note, I just recently got to see Spielberg’s ‘West Side Story’! And it absolutely lived up to all of the hype surrounding it! I do have to admit it was higher priority on my list than ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’, largely because I knew the latter was bound to be around in theaters longer, being the major blockbuster that it was and still currently is. Not helped is the fact that ‘West Side Story’ had such a dishearteningly low income of just $10 million for its opening weekend; like you said, it is just criminal that more people aren’t seeing this one!
I may have exaggerated a little bit in the past when I said that the original ‘West Side Story’ was one of the most perfect classical film musicals out there, but it was largely as good as it could be for the time being, with most of its flaws deriding from certain Hollywood tethers at the time (namely the dreaded “Hayes Code” which prevented onscreen interracial romances even in the 60s). This movie was always going to have the advantage of featuring an actual Latino cast for Mariah and the Sharks instead of white actors in brownface (God forbid that latter even be up for consideration in this day and age!) But my interest in going to see that was only truly piqued when I found people saying that this movie had a lot to offer in the way of its own accolades, rather than just borrowing all of them from the original! THAT’s what a good remake does!
I mean it’s no secret how Disney’s ‘Aladdin’ has been perceived by many middle-easterners as racist (the voice actors are white, the human characters are all largely exaggerated except for Aladdin and Jasmine, and of course that one line from the original ‘Arabian Nights’ opening number “Where they cut off your ear if they don’t like your face, it’s barbaric, but hey, it’s home!” that was excised from subsequent releases). And I’ve heard at least one film fan from the Middle East, who says that amidst the stigmatization the Middle East often gets in the landscape of Hollywood, the remake of ‘Aladdin’ is more sensitive and verse to their culture. I even know there is even some defense for the ‘Lion King 2019’ having a predominantly black cast this time around. But even with that, neither of those remakes could emerge from the shadows of the animated classics.
But that’s why this movie succeeds in the venues that Disney’s recent trend of remakes have been void of on the whole (as well as a bunch of other Hollywood remakes)! It’s always good to retell classic stories, and it’s not a bad idea to give them updates here and there to allow for more inclusivity as our society evolves. But like you said, this movie treats the narrative like it’s telling the story for the first time, in ways where it clearly wants to respect its source without being completely tethered to it. It treats it like an actual reinterpretation rather than just an imitation or a mask over what we already recognized. And that’s what a remake should be! This is a movie from which other studios and other film producers and directors need to take notes from, if ever they’re remaking/rebooting something!
Now I can swear that I’ve seen Rachael Zegler before somewhere, but for this being her major debut in film, she really knocked it out of the park, as did everyone else! The dance sequences and choreography (like especially in the “I’m in America” number), or even the part where they do a little hot-potato with the gun as a choreograph dance sequence! And there were some other elements that really highlighted Latino/Hispanic prejudice really well, like how every American, including the police, order them to always speak in English rather than Spanish, in their presence.
I especially love how diverse the cinematography is! While the original kept all the scenery clean and shiny in classic-Hollywood-fashion, this opens with muted colors and cinematography that makes you feel uncomfortable and intense, and during the moments where you get to experience the world from Tony’s optimistic and dreamlike perspective, that’s when the colors and camera movements all come alive and flourish! (I mean, during the church scene where Tony and Mariah are proclaiming their unyielding love for one-another and how they would not not rest until the feud was over, I was literally tearing up!)
And some people have even been saying that there were certain moments that this movie outshone the original. For me, one of those moments was the ending, where rather than Mariah has her monologue about killing with hate and they all disperse as the screen fades to black, she has her rant and then the Jets and Sharks call a truce and carry Tony’s body with all the other still-standing characters in tow. Where the original was basically leaving the audience with that one monologue as a message for them to walk away with and think about, as it was in early stage in battle of race relations, this one recognizes that today’s audience is familiar with this battle and values unity above all else, not just the end of hatred and prejudice.
West Side Story was such a pure moviegoing experience because it somehow felt like it was made during the golden age of Hollywood despite being a remake. Its underperformance at the box office saddens me for so many reasons. A lot of people aren't going to the theaters anymore, and I don't just mean they aren't going to see movies like West Side Story or Nightmare Alley. I know a handful of people who are pretty hardcore cinephiles and it seems like they don't watch anything that isn't on Disney+ or Netflix. So many good movies are getting lost due to the streaming wars.
I wouldn't disagree with you about the original West Side Story being one of the best musicals ever made. It was up there for me as well. I think the biggest draw for me, apart from this movie having appropriate casting, was Spielberg's involvement. I know he wouldn't make something that he absolutely didn't believe in. This movie has plenty of its own merits rather than trying to provide the exact same experience as the original.
I understand your point about the examples of Aladdin and The Lion King. However, the biggest differences between movies like those and West Side Story is the quality of the storytelling. If people want to make the case that 2019's Aladdin and The Lion King at least do a better job of representation, that's valid. But unfortunately it doesn't change the fact that the actual story of those movies are heartless, retreads that exist solely to cash in on 1990s nostalgia. If anything I would argue those movies eliminated any nuance that both the animated Aladdin and Lion King had. The animated Aladdin is, in my opinion, somehow underrated because its themes of egalitarianism somehow fly under the radar. West Side Story (2021) offers plenty for audiences to think about and learn from because the story is prioritized above all else. I completely agree that Spielberg's West Side Story is a lesson in how to do remakes correctly and honorably.
Rachel Zegler has had roles before this movie, and there was no doubt she's a talented actress. The majority of her work was in television, so for this to be her feature film debut is nothing short of stellar. I won't be surprised at all if this opens up so many doors for her. She was what really tethered this movie together. She just understood what movie she was in and how to play the role. The technical prowess on display in this movie is awe inspiring. Spielberg and Janusz Kaminski did such a good job with the cinematography and look of this movie. It exudes so much of the classic Hollywood shine while also managing to feel a little bit more oppressive, which is appropriate for the story. For some reason Spielberg still has this reputation within the establishment as someone who's not a great filmmaker, which I find ridiculous. His work is dismissed as sentimental and too guided in terms of the audience's emotion, but if there was ever a question about his skill as a director -- that has to be put to bed after this movie.
@@NightfallFilms I completely agree with everything you said here about the movie, how it adds more nuance as a remake rather than removes it (like the afore-mentioned Aladdin and Lion King remakes do), and that there should really be no question left regarding Spielberg's skill as a filmmaker!
Out of morbid curiosity, are there any two particular disparaging names you can think of that stand out to you more than others?
Hmm. That's a good question. There are a lot of options to choose from. That said, I think the worst kind of insults are the ones that are derived from an individual's fears and insecurities. I'm not sure what those would end up being in terms of disparaging names, but I think those are probably the worst. I've heard regular mud slinging so many times throughout my life that it's not really anything new.