The Starlight Journal

The film that will forever be special to me as the first movie I watched again in the theaters after the pandemic shutdowns, I just really, really love this movie. While we give Jon M. Chu all the praise for directing a great movie musical in Wicked, let’s not forget the excellent work he did adapting Lin-Manuel Miranda’s pre-Hamilton Broadway musical to the big screen. Criminally slept on, anchored by an all-timer cast, this is one of my all-time favorite musicals, and one of my favorite films of the decade so far.

In my mind, there’s nothing more healing than the power of the arts, and this movie showcases just that. How this was snubbed for Best Picture, and how Clarence Maclin somehow did not get a Best Supporting Actor nominated irritated me even more after watching this powerful, wonderful film. I kept alternating between trying not to violently sob and having the biggest smile on my face from this film’s portrayal of hope and healing through the arts. Colman Dolmingo is a special, unique talent. I don’t know if I can name five actors better than he is right now. He is just consistently excellent in every single project he is in. How this didn’t catch on more with the Oscars crowd baffles me. A wonderfully crafted film that is one of my absolute favorites of the year.

Well, would you look at that? A 2025 release! Took me long enough!

Thankfully my 1st new watch of the year was a good one! I really liked this, blending multiple genres into a damn good time at the theater! Sophie Thatcher is a star. She’s one of those actresses that just works so well in genre filmmaking. Between this, Heretic, and The Boogeyman, she’s established herself as one of the scream queens of the era in record time. Great cast, incredible fun, and twists aplenty beyond what the marketing revealed, this was a great way to start the year.

A month out from this watch, and I’m still living from that Bee Gees needle-drop near the end. *Chef’s kiss*

Middling expectations due to a mixed bag marketing campaign, and hard to ignore reshoot drama during the production, made this an interesting watch. I enjoyed it, but I had my fair share of problems, particularly with the visual effects. The third act felt stitched together, with some pitiful looking green-screen during what should’ve been the film’s highlight – the Cap. vs. Red Hulk fight. That being said, Anthony Mackie still excels as Sam Wilson, and I am even more on board with him as our Captain America after this one. I liked quite a lot of what they set up for future MCU stories, and if Sam is going to be the one that leads this new iteration of The Avengers, I’m all here for it. Nowhere near as bad as some say, but I wish it hit more of the best beats from The Falcon and the Winter Soldier series, and that the many reshoots could’ve led to a more coherent, less patched-together story. A fine movie that, if more focused, could’ve been a great one.

Read my review of the film here!

A Valentine’s weekend getaway with my girlfriend led to us having a mini Greta Gerwig marathon. She had never seen Lady Bird or Little Women, so of course I had to change that right away. I expected many moments in the movie to hit home for her, and hit home they did. It was a very rewarding rewatch for an excellent, excellent film. (I’m gonna ignore that Lady Bird was on Canadian Netflix, but Netflix wasn’t working with the TV’s Chromecast for the first night, so I had to rent it on Prime. I’ll make an exception for such a great movie) I go back and forth with which one of Greta’s films is my favorite, because I think all 3 are 10/10, all-timer masterpieces for me. I’m not sure if Lady Bird takes my crown at the present moment, but it is one of, if not the best coming-of-age films of this generation.

As much as I love Lady Bird, as someone who thinks Barbie is one of the defining films of the decade, as of this moment I think Little Women is still Greta’s best film. It’s one of those movies that are so good you just watch it in awe the entire runtime, no matter how many times you’ve seen it. Arguably one of the best screenplays ever. In my mind, the best cast ever assembled for a film. How Saoirse Ronan didn’t get the Oscar for this, I have no idea. Let’s just say I loved this rewatch so much I bought a coffee table book about the film a few days later. Just one of the greatest movies ever.

God this movie marathon we had in Toronto might be one of my favorites I’ve ever done. This was our original choice the night prior before the aforementioned Chromecast debacle, so when for shits and giggles I decided to check if Netflix would work after our Little Women watch, and it did, we had to watch our boy Andrew Garfield act and sing his ass off in arguably his best role to date. I loved this movie when it came out 3 years back, and it held up just as well on rewatch. 2021 really had some damn good musicals, didn’t it?

That Andrew Garfield guy, he’s quite good.

Still on a Saoirse Ronan high, I finally watched her newest movie from last year that kind of went under the radar, despite some Best Actress buzz as award season kicked off. I believe she’s one of the five best actresses on the planet, and performances like hers here further prove my point. Her character’s story of addiction, her deep struggles, and her emotional road to healing make this a somber, yet moving watch filled with wonderful cinematography and beautiful shots of nature. I don’t think it stuck with me like I hoped for it to going in, but I’m glad I got around to seeing this, just for Ronan’s performance alone.

So many great moments ripped straight from the book here, like Alec Baldwin in fat suit, Mike Myers doing SNL bits in a kids movie in 2003, whatever that voice he chose for the Cat was, the babysitter being a rollercoaster train – man I loved those parts from the book….

What’s that? This bombed and Dr. Seuss’ widow vowed there’d never be another live-action adaptation of his books? Yeah, that checks out.

I wasn’t expecting to see this again in theaters, but the family wanted to go see it once it came back in theaters in time for the Oscars, and so I went again. A pleasant surprise.

Still really, really good on rewatch, and getting to focus more on Dylan’s evolution as a musician on this watch now that I’m more educated on the “Dylan Goes Electric” controversy made it a very rewarding rewatch. Might pick up the book that Mangold based this off of in the near future.

While Timothée didn’t take home the Oscar, he for sure gave one of the most impressive performances of his young career. I know it won’t be too long before he has his Oscar moment.