Everything, Everywhere All at Once

Everything, Everywhere, All at Once (Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, 2022)

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Rating: Q=7, P=6 / Can't Get Enough

Scale 1=4, Scale 2=3, Scale 3=3, Scale 4=3

Action, Adventure, Comedy, Philosophical

I've often thought about what my life could have been like IF I had gone away from home for college, IF I had not gone to Australia to study abroad, IF I had not met certain people, etc. And also about how the little, seemingly unimportant decisions could have made a difference, too: what IF I had walked one the other side of the street or chosen to put my socks on before my shirt... Everything, Everywhere All at Once is a fantastic voyage into this world of "what ifs" and it plays with the multiverse theme (which has kind of gotten out of hand recently) in a new way that I found refreshing and wonderful. This film is mesmerizing and chaotic and lightning fast. It is hilarious and poignant and beautiful. It is the perfect representation of what our human lives really feel like--a miraculous and ridiculous mess.

At the heart of this action-packed, fantasy sci-fi story, is reality. Evelyn and her family are real people with real problems, however mundane or typical. They live a noisy life that's pulled them apart and left them unhappy. In those moments of unhappiness, people wonder what they've missed or what they could have been in different circumstances or by making different decisions. If I had only done this I would be happier now... wrestling with these thoughts, diving head-first into the emotions can help bring us back. This film definitely leaps into our heads and pulls out the thoughts and daydreams right before our eyes. It's spectacular.

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Oscars 2023: The Nominations

It's that time of year again...The Oscar nominated films were released today! It's no longer an Oscar Dash for me, though, but I do hope to watch all the films eventually. And I do plan to post about each one, so watch for those throughout the year and beyond. And don't forget to watch the big even on March 12, 2023!

Here are the nominees for best picture:

All Quiet on the Western Front

Avatar: The Way of Water

 
The Banshees of Inisherin

Elvis

Everything Everywhere All at Once

The Fabelmans

 

Tár

 

Top Gun: Maverick

Triangle of Sadness

Women Talking

Summer Magic, Revisited

Summer Magic (James Neilson, 1963)

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Rating: Q=5, P=5 / Average OJ

Scale 1=2, Scale 2=3, Scale 3=3, Scale 4=2

Comedy, Family, Coming of Age, Uplifting

I had only watched Summer Magic once and only really remembered some of the songs. This time watching was lovely--it was heartwarming to watch Burl Ives (as Osh Popum) and James Mathers (Peter) sing about caterpillars and see Michael J. Pollard (Digby) hide his adorable smiles when talking about venturing out of his small hometown. It's nice to live in a world with so much charm and light-heartedness for a few hours :)

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Pollyanna, Revisited

Pollyanna (David Swift, 1960)

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Rating: Q=5, P=6 / Average OJ

Scale 1=2, Scale 2=3, Scale 3=3, Scale 4=3

Comedy, Family, Coming of Age, Uplifting

Winter tends to make me nostalgic and I like returning to uplifting Disney classics. So, I've been re-watching all the animated feature films in chronological order, throwing in a few live action favorites. It had been some time since watching Pollyanna, and I'm glad I decided to watch again. Such a lovely, cheerful story! And much funnier than I remembered it. Hayley Mills is charming, Agnes Moorehead's Mrs. Snow is hilarious, and the story is timeless and brings a tear to your eye. Worth watching every so often, especially when you need a reminder that life is precious and beautiful. Hope, good cheer, and love for your fellow human beings can absolutely change everything.

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Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger

Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger (Sam Wanamaker, 1977)

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Rating: Q=4, P=4 / Average OJ

Scale 1=2, Scale 2=2, Scale 3=2 Scale 4=2

Adventure, Fantasy, Based on Book

Another weird story about Sinbad...stranger even than The Golden Age of Sinbad and more 1970s. It was still a fun escape, but overall felt over the top. I enjoyed watching Sinbad (who looked a lot like Barry Gibb) sale the icy Northern seas and also seeing a young Jane Seymour.

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Willow Season 1

Willow, Season 1 (Jonathan Kasdan, 2022-)

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Rating: DSQ=8, SP=5 / Average Snack

Scale A=3, Scale B=2, Scale C=3, Scale D=3, Scale E=2

Fantasy, Adventure, Epic

I have fond memories of first watching the film Willow. It was one of my sister's favorite films growing up and made a strong impression on us both--the fantasy, the goofy humor, the possibilities. So, I was very much excited that a show set 20 years later was coming. The show started out OK and definitely had some misses in the middle, but ultimately I felt it was a fun, average show and one I hope will continue. Many of the characters are just now getting interesting. Not surprisingly, there was a barrage of negative reviews at the start (and still), as all shows and films that are nostalgic seem to have. My biggest issue with the show was the writing--many of the lines felt forced and the plot felt all over the place/up and down. Modern music choices, also, did not work for me. The best part, for sure, are the visuals and some of the character dynamics.

Here are my 0-4 ratings of each episode:

"The Gales" 3/4

"The High Aldwin" 3/4

"The Battle of the Slaughtered Lamb" 2/4 had some very strange character and plot choices

"The Whispers of Nockmaar" 2/4

"Wildwood" 3/4

"Prisoners of Skellin" - 2/4 very mixed episode

"Beyond the Shattered Sea" - 3/4 the best episode, in my opinion

"Children of the Wyrm" - 3/4 a (mostly) good ending

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The Golden Age of Sinbad

The Golden Age of Sinbad (Gordon Hessler, 1973)

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Rating: Q=4, P=5 / Average OJ

Scale 1=2, Scale 2=2, Scale 3=3, Scale 4=2

Adventure, Fantasy, Based on Book

I love all stories about Sinbad--a favorite film is the The 7th Voyage of Sinbad from 1953. But The Golden Age of Sinbad was...weird. While it had the escapist tone and the Ray Harryhausen visuals, it definitely felt like Sinbad in the 1970s. The story was a little outlandish and some of the characters a bit stereotypical or flat, but it's still a fun little adventure.

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Kings of the Sun

Kings of the Sun (J. Lee Thompson, 1963)

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Rating: Q=6, P=5 / Average OJ

Scale 1=3, Scale 2=3, Scale 3=3, Scale 4=2

Adventure, Fantasy, Historical Fiction

Continuing on our journey through adventure movies of the 1940s-1960s, Kings of the Sun is an interesting film. It is a story of cultures and philosophies during the time of Chichen Itza in Mesoamerica. The visuals and color are beautiful and some average performances by Yul Brynner and George Chakiris. The film isn't especially grand and the story isn't amazing, but it still left a good impression and the world was fun to delve into for a few hours.

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The Thief of Baghdad

The Thief of Baghdad (Berger, Powell, Whelan 1940)

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Rating: Q=6, P=6 / Average OJ

Scale 1=3, Scale 2=3, Scale 3=3, Scale 4=3

Adventure, Fantasy, Based on Book

I'm not entirely sure why I hadn't watched this film until now. A fantastic adaptation of the 1001 Arabian Nights story and a marvel for 1940. This film won many awards for its innovative cinematography and art direction. It may feel a bit goofy today, but the tone and vibrancy of this film still holds up, in my opinion. I love the music and the acting is great. I felt immersed in a world far, far away and that's exactly what I want.

--Don't understand the ratings? Click here

Happy 2023!

Happy 2023, everyone! This year's film watching was a lot of fantasy, adventure, and some truly amazing series. Probably my favorite film I saw this year was The Northman (closely followed by The Batman), favorite show was Andor: Season 1.

Other highlights were finishing my all-time favorite drama series, Peaky Blinders, an epic Season 4 of Stranger Things, Obi-Wan and Boba Fett--wow, what a year of excellent shows!

I'm hoping to keep watching new and old films in 2023 and doing a few more marathons: Mel Brooks films, revisiting Hercule Poirot BBC series, and a list of good films/shows about sailing/navigation (starting with the Horatio Hornblower series). I'll also be watching lots of classic 1940s-1960s adventure films I haven't seen before.

Best wishes!