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Friday, December 31, 2021
Films That I Saw: December 2021
The year is almost over and it’s been a pretty crazy year but now it’s coming to an end. Even as there’s the presence of the Omicron-variant that is coming with more stupid people just causing problems as I hope they get fucked.
In the month of December 2021, I saw a total of 19 films in 14 first-timers and 5 re-watches with two of those first-timers being films directed by women as part of the 52 Films by Women pledge. One of the highlights of the month has been my final Blind Spot film for the year in War & Peace. Here are the top 5 first-timers that I saw for December 2021:
From HBO as part of their Music Box documentary film series that has so covered subjects such as Woodstock ’99, Alanis Morrissette, the late DMX, and Robert Stigwood so far. This film is about one of the polarizing figures in popular music as I am not a fan of Kenny G’s music as I think it’s grating to the point that I’d rather have something drilled into my head that would end the pain. Yet, I give him a pass because there’s worse music than what he does while the man himself doesn’t come across as some smug, entitled, clever guy but rather a really nice dude who just loves to play the saxophone, practice, and never takes himself seriously. I actually respect that as the film chronicles his career and how he broke through to the world of the mainstream with this new sub-genre of jazz known as soft jazz (which still sucks). The film also does tackle the criticism that he receives which Kenny G manages to take rather well though the best critique is from famed jazz guitarist Pat Metheny whose rant on Kenny G on a publication is fucking classic. It relates to Kenny G’s performance of Louis Armstrong’s What a Wonderful World which G added his saxophone to the song and it is terrible and Metheny’s rant is entertaining. It is a worthwhile film though he still sucks but at least he’s not that no-talent ass-clown Michael Bolton, Justin Beiber, all sorts of bad shit that’s out there, and Limp Bizkit. Take it away Mr. Richard Thompson.
Ted Lasso: The Missing Christmas Mustache
This was a nice little short as it is presented in Claymation Rankin/Bass animation style where Ted Lasso’s mustache goes missing and the people of AFC Richmond try to find it as well as find an alternative before he chats with his son Henry on Facetime. It is a fun short film as it has a lot of the quirky elements of the show while it is also this little stop-gap thing as fans wait for the third season.
Acapulco (season 1 finale)
The season finale of this show from Apple TV+ is a heartfelt episode as it is about a New Year’s Eve party where Maximo tries to win over Julia after the events of the Xmas party as well as to try to get this promotion. Yet, the older Maximo reveals to his sister and nephew that he never had the chance for the promotion as well as lose his chance to win over Julia because of Chad who makes a bold gesture. It is an excellent finale to a show that deserves a second season and hopefully gets one. It is a show that myself and my mom have fallen in love with and we hope to show to her friends.
Hawkeye (episodes 3-6)
The last four episodes of the season so far definitely puts the series as one of the best entries of the MCU as it is a more grounded show in comparison to the other shows from the MCU. Notably as it is about this murder mystery but also a man trying to clear up his own mistakes only to be confronted by something even more dangerous. Yet, the show doesn’t just feature great performances from Jeremy Renner and Hailee Steinfeld in their respective roles as Clint Barton and Kate Bishop but a major discovery in Alaqua Cox as Maya Lopez/Echo is definitely a character to watch as someone who is deaf and with a prosthetic right leg yet is a fucking badass and way more interesting than a lot of the people on the show as I’m glad there’s a spin-off coming for her. The show doesn’t just reveal a lot of small Easter eggs that relate to a few character including Clint’s wife Laura who gets one of her own in the end. There are also a lot of other things that helps the show be so engaging.
The second half of the series features appearances from Florence Pugh reprising her role as Yelena Belova as she just completely stole the entire show from everyone. Notably as her scenes with Steinfeld including their dinner scene is where Pugh really shows how charismatic she is and her own confrontation with Barton is definitely intense but also extremely emotional. For anyone who was still recovering from the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home, this just added more emotional baggage as what Barton did to stop Belova from killing him. It is a phenomenal show that Marvel has created as it’s definitely given the studio a really bright future.
Disney’s Fastpass: A Complicated History
For anyone that wants to Disneyland and Walt Disney World right now or are planning to go to one of these places this year. Well, this is a documentary from the Defunctland channel that they need to watch and it’s best to probably go somewhere else. Thank goodness I went to Disney World in the 80s/90s when there wasn’t this kind of shit. The film explore the creation of the fastpass that would allow people to get a ticket and when to get on the ride to avoid the lines. It was a good idea at first but greed and confusing technology only made things worse as the ideas of waiting 7-8 hours to go on a 3-4 minute ride just isn’t worth it. I must give praise to the people who did the research as I hope my niece and nephew don’t have to endure this shit.
The Book of Boba Fett (episode 1)
The first new episode that is a spin-off of The Mandalorian revolves around the titular character taking over Jabba the Hutt’s old job but this time with his own rules. Having Temuera Morrison in the role that he had played in The Mandalorian doesn’t just feel right but he is the only person to play that character. Along with Ming-Na Wen reprising her role as Fennec Shand who is Boba’s right-hand woman, the first episode follows two narratives about what happened to Boba after Return of the Jedi and how he survived that whole ordeal but also becoming a new target in Tattooine because of his new role. It’s off to a damn good start as I’m eager for what the series will bring.
That is all for December 2021. Next month, I’m going to start everything from scratch as I’m going to catch up on some 2021 releases including a few films in the theaters and maybe what is available on rental while I going to starting make new watchlists involving the streaming services that I’m currently subscribed to. Until then, this is thevoid99 signing off…
Great recap, Steven, out of the newer movies you saw I'm most curious about A Most Violent. Btw I agree w/ you that in HAWKEYE, Alaqua Cox as Maya Lopez is excellent and Florence Pugh is phenomenal isn't she? She always steals every scene she's in.
Ooooh you rewatched HEAT, I need to do that at some point, it's a brilliant film from Michael Mann.
@ruth-I could watch Florence Pugh read a phone book while wearing the most ridiculous costume such as a banana and she would still kill it. I'm so happy she's part of the MCU!!!!! I'm glad there's love for Alaqua Cox as she was incredible as I can't wait to see her again in Echo.
2 comments:
Great recap, Steven, out of the newer movies you saw I'm most curious about A Most Violent. Btw I agree w/ you that in HAWKEYE, Alaqua Cox as Maya Lopez is excellent and Florence Pugh is phenomenal isn't she? She always steals every scene she's in.
Ooooh you rewatched HEAT, I need to do that at some point, it's a brilliant film from Michael Mann.
@ruth-I could watch Florence Pugh read a phone book while wearing the most ridiculous costume such as a banana and she would still kill it. I'm so happy she's part of the MCU!!!!! I'm glad there's love for Alaqua Cox as she was incredible as I can't wait to see her again in Echo.
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