More on the form that newfound sense of hope has taken is to come in the week. For now, I’d like to kick off the year by appreciating the 10 movies that shepherd in this new era of moviegoing that make the trouble all worthwhile.
May they all at least be the start of an era of strong and unique content.
I struggled on how to place this one for a while.
While everybody’s criteria for this sort of selection process may vary, something key that I like to look out for in curating my favorite movies of any given year beyond the quality of craftsmanship relative to my personal tastes in storytelling is the ability of my potential readership to actually be able to follow said films suggested.
Regarding anime franchise films and their typical status as glorified extended episodes of already filler laden television adaptations, they very rarely even come close to the short list but how fair is it to expect a typical viewer to be kept up on decades of relevant discourse and continuity of an anime that’s nearly 3 decades old to take in an allegorical deep dive into the human condition that becomes increasingly removed from its more literal post-apocalyptic giant robot vs. primordial alien text?
I’m not entirely sure how fair it is but the movie in question is absolutely worth the most basic level of investment.
Rounding out a tetralogy of films serving as a contemporary reinterpretation of the original anime’s narrative known as “Rebuild of Evangelion,” “Thrice Upon a Time” covers the end of the story of humanity’s post apocalyptic struggle to surviving against extraterrestrial entities that can only be repelled by individuals capable of neurologically synchronizing with the titular Evangelions, giant bio mechanical robots that may serve as mankind’s salvation or accelerate their destruction.
“Thrice Upon a Time” precedes 3 other features released across the last 15 years and on the surface appears to be the climax of the post apocalyptic saga that sees teenage protagonist Shinji Ikari struggle to reconcile the pain of fear and loss from war that no child should have to suffer compounded by his crippling issues of anxiety and self loathing induced by betrayal and poor upbringing by an abusive father, in order to pilot the source of all of his pain as a weapon to save the human race once and for all.
What the film ultimately reveals itself to be with even a passing knowledge of the franchise’s controversial development history and the mental health struggles and revelations undergone by director Hideki Anno, is a character study designed to meditate on the challenges of depression and mental trauma, the dangers of stagnating one’s personal growth over maturing to grapple with your problems directly, and the importance of meaningful human connection in the face of finding non-productive isolation preferable.
The authenticity of theses struggles is undeniably enhanced by some sense of investment in the emotional complexity of this story but Anno’s wisdom nevertheless lands with impact so powerfully and relatably to anyone that’s struggled with reminding themselves that life is more than the agony of scarring and confusion that festers in one’s head that the majority of the film’s meaty two and a half hour runtime is so moving in its most quiet and subtle moments that you almost forget that it’s a conclusion to a science fiction war for the fate of humanity.
Although it can struggle particularly roughly in the back half of the movie with reconciling its more interesting allegorical storytelling and musing on the human condition with the actual text of the alien robot war waging to rewrite reality, the heart of 2 characters locked in conversation, 1 struggling to understand the concerns of others with him in the face of his self assessed worthlessness only to be met by the simple sincere response of “because we like you,” is indicative of what carries the entirety of the feature.
Being the finale of a revision of a controversial cult hit, “Evangelion 3.0 + 1.0: Thrice Upon a Time” isn’t gonna be suited to everybody’s sensibilities if only based on barrier for entry alone but for its ability to explore human vulnerability and tackle timely mental health issues in a manner more authentic and powerfully resonant than many live action dramas, I salute and cherish it.
Built on the back of a legacy both positive and negative, “The Matrix Resurrections” may be the third sequel of the series but is the first to come close to the first installment’s marriage of psychedelic filmmaking and philosophically ponderous writing to tell a story of human will with real bite.
Neo grappling with the legacy of his actions and presence across the original trilogy can deservedly be seen as a cynical indictment of Hollywood’s abusive exploitation of nostalgia and franchise storytelling but additionally examines the importance of living in the present to navigate the uncertainty of the impending future, along with the need to more deeply examine myths beyond the reverence for iconography in a way that resonates in an era that has capitalized on the comforting illusion of the past as a means of cocooning itself from pressing issues of the world that we live in.
Lana Wachowski’s solo outing on the franchise that made her and her sister household names manages to lean into meta text from the history of the franchise’s development to weave a narrative that can be about indicting its own existence and the circumstances that saw to its creation as much as a personal journey about unpacking the baggage of the past to uncover answers of self identity imperative to to moving forward but manages to generally succeed in its juggling act by recognizing the value of the impact of “The Matrix” while being willing to indict its imperfections without diminishing that respect.
The movie doesn’t quite achieve as admirable a degree of polish, most noticeably action that’s more serviceable than spectacular and a cast that skews ever so slightly on the bloated side and contributing to a runtime that could benefit from a light trim.
Flaws aside however, “The Matrix Resurrections” excels at being a thoughtful and complex epilogue to “The Matrix” and its sequels with a forward looking perception that will hopefully not include further sequels but similar to the other existing sequels, shouldn’t diminish the uniqueness of what has been achieved.
Dev Patel’s portrayal perfectly visualizes the layers of internal conflict within the young Gawain, reliant more on suggestion and reaction than explicit dialogue in ways that can only be pulled of by a talented performer and a director as deft with actors as he is with the balancing of cinematography elements behind the camera.
Lowery’s eye for leaning into psychological realism to the dramatic effect of its character study gradually paints a picture of an epic adventure narrative that can occasionally come across as more alienatingly surreal than rousingly fantastical but its focus on humanistically interpreting a literary classic with a wondrous scope without losing focus on its compelling narrative thread help “The Green Knight” to stand out in a Hollywood that has used genre fiction to pump out mega franchises over tell actual stories.
7. Tick, Tick... Boom
I won’t pretend that a movie about the existential crisis of a 30 year old writer realizing the thankless nature of the craft as a career path, doesn’t ring too close to home for comfort in a way that easily landed it a spot in my favorites films of the year.
It’s still a damn good feature regardless.
Jonathan Larson’s reality check on the cusp of his career breakthrough serves as a powerful reminder that however quickly time may feel like its passing as you look backward, human life is long, full of twists and turns, and is measured in success achieved based on what one has accomplished more than the timing and magnitude of said achievement.
Andrew Garfield continues to earn his accolades as one of the most under appreciated actors of our time, striking a perfectly charming balance between self absorbed artist too obsessed with his own craft to give due to the people supporting him that don’t quite have his degree of privilege and the heart of that toxic passion coming from a desire to lovably, if not naively, nurture those loved ones to lead their best lives.
The result is a surprisingly complex and unflinchingly human portrait of a man lost tragically before his time.
Much has been said of “Tick, Tick... Boom” and how Lin Manuel Miranda’s directorial debut, coupled with his previous work on “In the Heights” may have ‘saved the cinematic musical.’
Though I more often than not find such claims to be hyperbolic and perpetuated by a certain culture of stage theatre elitism in the 21st century, I can’t deny that “Tick, Tick... Boom” is a beautiful, sincere, emotional, and powerful movie from the magnificence of its performances and direction, which will hopefully be the beginning of an excellent directorial career for Miranda, to its criminally relatable and catchy soundtrack.
It’s given me an admittedly more complex appreciation for Larson and his experience even if I still despise “Rent.”
In an entertainment industry rife with products designed to pander to audiences as hyper commercialism necessitates, character studies of the truly despicable are rare breeds of stories.
“The Card Counter” is cold, blunt, and unflinching in its character study of a man seeking redemption he may never be able to achieve and the revelations of one’s self that can only be uncovered at rock bottom.
To that note, Paul Schraeder’s direction perfectly guides the tale of a man pulling together the pieces of himself by living one day at a time doing the one thing that he’s found himself to be exceedingly brilliant at by letting the disturbing nature of his journey and the severity of their turns and reflections there of upon his character, speak for themselves with few bias inducing flourishes thrown in.
Oscar Isaac additionally nails the note of cold regard with which protagonist Will Tell regards the world around him, numbing himself to process the demands of daily life alongside his own guilt and a desire to do better as he continues to understand his own true nature, along with a surprisingly substantial performance from Tiffany Haddish, who seems to step outside of her usual realm in a way I hope to see more of in the future.
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