This week, Sony Pictures CEO Tony Vinciquerra made some interesting comments regarding the studio’s Spider-Man-less Spider-Man films. He contends that the reason those movies were failures because the critics killed them. Those comments are laughable to me when it comes to Madame Web. “Let’s just touch on ‘Madame Web’ for a moment. “Madame Web’ underperformed in the theater because the press just crucified it. It was snot a bad film, and it did great on Netflix. For some reason, the press decided that they didn’t want us making these films out of ‘Kraven’ and ‘Madame Web,’ and the critics just destroyed them. They also did it with ‘Venom’, but the audience loved ‘Venom’ and made ‘Venom’ a massive hit. These are not terrible films. They were just destroyed by the critics in the press, for some reason.” Those comments in the Los Angeles times just highlight how clueless Vinciquerra is. Plenty of movies get terrible reviews and still make money (looking at you, Transformers). The reason the Sony films flopped is because they were bad films period. Him dying on the hill that Madame Web is good is a great point to show where I’m coming from. Morbius was a dud in the box office, but when it went to Netflix did better. Sony saw this and thought that people really did love it, so they re-released it in theaters, where it bombed again. This shows to anyone with a brain that the public will watch a trainwreck, but not if they have to pay to see it outside of a monthly streaming service. The fact Sony never saw that just makes me happier that their failed experiment is now over. On to the reviews!
This was one I was very curious about as it got closer. Biopics are a tricky thing, and musical ones are even more puzzling. Sometimes we get Walk the Line, and other times we get Bohemian Rhapsody. What made me hopeful with Unknown is James Mangold was the director. He was at the helm of Walk the Line, and while this one isn’t quite as good as that first biopic, it’s still very good. Chalamet was excellent in this as Bob Dylan. He doesn’t completely transform into Dylan, because nobody could ever do that, but he gets enough mannerisms right that the whole thing works. Where this movie shines, appropriately, is with the music. There are 23 songs performed in the film. So you can imagine how much of the run time is filled by them. This isn’t a musical though. Those songs all fit into the part of the story they need to and nothing feels stuffed in here. Chalamet isn’t the only one here that stands out. Monica Barbaro is great as Joan Baez, and Edward Norton brings a sadness towards the end as Pete Seeger that really works. I’m not a huge Dylan fan, so I’m sure I’m missing glaring changes that could make fans mad. I didn’t have that problem though.
I remember a time when video game movies were garbage. We still have a dud every once in a while, but it seems some studios have figured out things. The current king of the genre is Super Mario, which will return in 2026 to make all the money again. However, lurking just behind the Plumber is his blue rival. The first two Sonic movies have made a combined $725 million, and have cemented there place in the minds of children at the theater, including my family (more on that in a few days). What makes these fun to watch with the kids is that each movie adds an element that I remembered when I played the games as a kid. In the sequel, we got Tails and Knuckles added. Here the 4th one coming in 2027, weeks have two more being added. I won’t spoil that here. For this third entry, we get Shadow, voiced by Keanu Reeves. Shadow really works as the “villain”, as we see his backstory and we have a reason for his pain that makes sense. We also get a second Eggman for Carrey to play, and that makes less sense. While I think this is a good movie, I do think it is the weakest of the series so far. The third act is kind of where things fall apart for me. I also am overthinking a kid’s movie that is doing its job very well. However, when comparing it to Inside Out 2 or Wild Robot, it just falls short of what those two achieved. Still, I’m looking at this as an adult. If you take the kids to see it, they will have a lot of fun, and there is enough to not bore you either. That is a win.
Robert Eggers is on a short list of directors that I will be there for every time. His first three films are excellent, and I will defend the greatness of The Northman to any that challenge it. So, when I learned his fourth feature was going to be a remake of a more than 100 year old film, I was locked in. The 1922 film Nosferatu is a great film. The German silent film was based on Bram Stoker’s Dracula, and preceded Universal’s iconic 1931 Dracula film. So, going into this one, those that know cinematic history knew what we were going to get. While the story is pretty close to the 1922 film, there are some improvements that are evident here. The obvious one is sound and dialogue, but that is an easy one. What really works here is the way Eggers filmed the story. There is a feeling for dread and fear that just grows as the film goes on. I wouldn’t say this is a scary film per se, but this also isn’t a fun one. It’s just hard for me to describe the look of Eggers films, but it really works for me. Lighting really sets the mood in his films, and in this one, I don’t think we get a colorful shot until towards the end of the movie. Just a lot of candlelit rooms and shadows. Exactly what you are looking for when you go into this kind of film. While I don’t think this reaches the highs of The Northman for me, this is still a great film that will be in the top end of my rankings for the year.
This was the 164th and final film of the year for me, and I didn’t exactly go out on a right note. The was a chore to get though for me, but I don’t think I was the target audience for this, so there is that. In the film, Nicole Kidman’s Romy is CEO of a tech company, and begins an affair with an intern named Samuel, played by Harris Dickinson. What makes it less than normal is that their “relationship” is one of dominant/submissive one. This just passed the point of believability for me. Am I really supposed to believe that on Day 1, and intern will ask the CEO she wants a cookie in regards to her good behavior? Dude would be fired so quick in the real world. The film is kind of making us think Romy has a problem, as the story is really told in her point of view. However, to me, something is wrong with Samuel. His viewing of Romy basically being his plaything is something the film doesn’t feel like exploring, but it was something I picked up on. Also, and this will spoil the ending, Romy would not stay CEO. Someone would have let the news leak. This want a mediocre film to end an honestly mediocre year. It’s fitting.
No new releases this week of note, so let’s run it back. Does Mufasa pass Sonic? Does Moana pull closer to Wicked? How does Nosferatu do in its second weekend?
- Sonic the Hedgehog 3
- Mufasa: The Lion King
- Nosferatu
- Wicked: Part One
- A Complete Unknown
This week sees the end of 2024, and here on the blog, I have a week of wrap-up posts to share. On Tuesday, I will announce the winners of my Inaugural Aluminum Mitten Awards. That will document what I thought was the best and worst for the year in a host of areas. Following that on Wednesday will be the Top 10/Bottom 10 for 2024. Finally, the next day will have my look ahead of what is heading our way in 2025. Thankfully, those post have been done and scheduled for a couple weeks now, so I have time to see a couple movies. The options are scarce though.
Mitten Film Nerd 
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