Below are my top 10 movies, albums and tracks of the year.
As always, lots of stuff that I haven't seen or heard... Frankly, this is a year were music in particular was impacted by having less commutes. The minutes allocated to discovering new artists has been below par.
With regards to films, it has been a bit the same, more so because this year I took the time to revisit some of my favourites, while also getting acquainted with a few classics.
I have a ton of movies that I want to watch but haven't had the chance, such as The Northman, Glass Onion and All Quiet on The Western Front.
Having said that, pretty good year. Four or five of them are epic stuff.
MOVIES
Everything Everywhere All at Once Top Gun Competencia Oficial Triangle of Sadness Banshees of Inisherin Living The Batman Vengeance Prey Good luck to you, Leo Grande
ALBUMS
Foals - Life is Yours Harry Styles - As It Was Taylor Swift - Midnights Arctic Monkeys - The Car Joey Alexander - Origin Terno Rei - Gêmeos Håkan Broström Meets Carl Winther Trio - The Copenhagen Session Avishai Cohen - Shifting Sands
Kendrick Lamar - Mr. Morales & The Big Steppers
TRACKS
Foals - 2am Arcade Fire - The Lightning II Harry Styles - As It Was Danny Ocean - Fuera del Mercado One Republic - I Ain't Worried Taylor Swift - Maroon Garrett Mahoney - Back Home Dan Deacon, London Contemporary Orchestra & the Royal Scottish National Orchestra - Already Dead
Carolina had never seen it before and - as a staple of my childhood and one of my favorite Christmas movies - I just had to show it to her.
The screening was just before 4pm and - to my surprise - was nearly packed (with adults and children).
That alone truly added to the viewing, which was already special on its own as it evoked all sorts of nostalgia of a time I was very happy.
Thought about my Mom, Dad, growing up and taking further steps into my passion for cinema. It was also a stark reminder of just how much of a happy childhood I had.
Interestingly enough, I enjoyed a lot more watching it now than I did about 15, 20 or 25 years ago.
One of the best parts of today was getting to share this with Carolina, who not only was watching it for the first time, but it was also her first visit to the iconic Prince Charles Cinema.
Seemed to be a great debut, as she was laughing out loud and having a grand time.
I can't say I was anxious with the fear of Carolina perhaps not enjoying it... despite all these years since i last saw Home Alone, I felt this cult classic enjoyed that precise status due to its habilty to pass the test of time.
And now that I've watched it, I can confirm it has done so with striking colors.
As a classic film from the early 90s, (a love labor of the collaboration between John Hughes and Chris Columbus) it's impressive to see how it still stands as a comedy masterpiece, carried by two of the best villains ever on screen played by Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern, rivaling with the ever charismatic and lovable Macaulay Culkin.
But we there's so much more to it...
From the incredible John Williams soundtrack, to the supporting cast (Catherine O'Hara, John Heard, John Candy) and even the iconic opening credits design, the movie is mandatory viewing for everyone out there wanting to have a good time.
It's a scene that has always led the way to leave me flooded with tears, but weirdly enough, I've experienced new things today that I haven't in the past. Thinking about it now, it was like I was able to look at each detail of this scene more carefully, picking up more nuanced elements on the camera movement, the body language, the cut between close-ups and wides, the whole cinematic language being used was just talking differently to me this time, that tears came out in places that they didn't use to before.
The moment in which Andrew Beckett, played by Tom Hanks, goes to Joe Miller's office, desperately seeking representation against an act of discrimination over his AIDS illness.
Jonathan Demme, a master of his craft, directed this scene superbly... offering some really intimate close-up shots to really deliver on emotions of frustration, fear, disappointment, and sadness.
The music, which subtlety echoes in the background, just enough to enhance the drama unfolding before our eyes, is a lovely detailed touch that elevates the scene.
Each beat given between shots is carefully executed to allow for moments of tension to grow, while the audience takes its time to look at the body language, and the space between both characters... particularly as it sets up an obvious reflection of the panic that AIDS caused in the early 90s, seen back then as an infectious deadly decease, with some deep association to the gay community, leading to a horrible social divide and a dangerous stigma that took years to repair.
Despite having seen this movie so many times, it's impossible for me to be indifferent.
Instead, as I proved to myself just now, I feel increasingly sad and outraged by each viewing.
Witnessing social injustice truly moves me to my core and here you have a perfect illustration of just how cold and passive the world could (and can) be.
The scene here on this particular YouTube clip ends just before one of my favourite acting moments of the movie when Beckett leaves the office and Demme goes for a slow close-up to the sound of Bruce Springsteen's beautifully moving and Oscar-winning song "Streets of Philadelphia".
This particular moment, alongside the iconic "opera scene" (where Hanks and Washington are rehearsing the Q&A as they listen to "La Mamma Morta", sung by the majestic Maria Callas), is my absolute standout moment in all of movie-making history.
In both scenes, Hanks' acting is absolutely unmatched, to the point that you forget there's any "craft" behind each moment.
I have never seen more commitment, done full-hardheartedly, than here.
If you haven't seen Philadelphia, please watch it. It may not resonate the same way it did with me (it sits on my top 5 of all time), but Hanks' performance is undeniably one of the greatest we've ever seen in our lifetime.
NOTE
Here's a clip with the rest of the scene I've mentioned.
(I loved it so much that I even got the same cap he has as a little memento of the movie and my appreciation for that city.)
I absolutely balled my eyes out during my flight back to London after watching the documentary Val (2021), a very intimate and powerful viewing about the life and career of Hollywood star Val Kilmer.
Kilmer had an inventive side to him that started to show very early on and manifested through the lens of his camera, which would be ever present at home and on set, like a trusty sidekick.
Hours of “home made behind the scenes” footage were gathered over the years, bringing this documentary to life by revealing a very beautiful and raw look into the heart and mind of one of the most dedicated and popular actors of his generation.
Assembled and stitched together by the narrating voice of his son, Jack, the documentary takes us on a journey that begins by showing Val’s first signs of artistry at a very young age alongside his siblings, writing and staging amateur plays, recording goofball skits and toying with reality and the abstract via his vivid imagination.
Those early events would eventually lead him to continue developing his artistic vein and take him to Julliard, arguably the most renowned theater school in the world.
By that point suffering from personal tragedy, it was through acting that Kilmer would begin to try and heal his heart, later understanding that it would never be fully healed, but ready to love and embrace other challenges nevertheless.
During that process, Kilmer would reach many places - both physically and emotionally - bringing him much joy and influence over his continued evolution into the spiritual kind human being that he became so well-known to his family and friends.
Those of us on the "outside", however, didn’t really know much about Kilmer despite seeing him in some of the biggest blockbusters in years.
Much of his private life was kept… well… private!
Even having met his wife - a fellow actor - on set, seemed somehow a “discreet” affair.
Many roles allowed him to travel through a plethora of characters and their lives, while setting him the opportunity to work with some of his heroes and even - as indicated before - meeting the mother of his children.
Like any story though, there were plenty of highs and lows, a lot of which really takes us to places where you get to relate or feel a tremendous amount of empathy, as Kilmer provokes you to undergo through some of the most intimate emotions. The need for love, the desire to live passionately, elevated by his fear of death, the struggles to keep balance within your family after loss or deceit, the frustrations of being misunderstood over your own personal passions...
All of which gets examined intimately, as we observe this eccentric, loving and gifted actor reveal a candid side that has been captured on camera and put together through collages like in a scrap book.
An absolute must see documentary, regardless of your own personal connection with the rebel, the entertaining, the mischievous, the only... Val Kilmer!
Based on a novel of the same name, the movie - which was surrounded with tremendous hype since its announcement - lives in a permanent state of horror, like taking us into a nightmare that we just can't wake up from.
In fact, after watching it, it's no wonder to me that the film received an array of bad reviews, with viral posts even suggesting that many viewers across the globe had given up watching after the first twenty minutes.
Before the movie came out, people were very curious to see it, after all, its subject is one of the biggest stars of our time.
With de Armas being cast in the role, it drew even more attention, particularly from viewers like me who were keen to see how she would handle a role of such magnitude.
Given that she had led a career in Hollywood somewhat sheltered from leading roles, to me, she had yet to prove herself and this was certainly her biggest opportunity to do so.
So she did!
Despite the movie's polarizing reviews, one thing seemed to draw universal consensus: Ana de Armas delivered a magnetic performance.
The Cuban actor definitely looked the part!
With make-up, hair, costume design on point and, more importantly, the acting, it really felt like Marilyn Monroe was alive on our screens. Even the accent, which was a point of concern for many, didn't deter the audience from enjoying her performance.
That said, despite being able to acknowledge de Armas' valiant efforts, I came out feeling like I had only seen a one dimensional presentation.
Don't get me wrong, this observation has more to do with how the character was laid out in the script, rather than her ability - for which she deserves plenty of praise - but I wish I had seen more of this character.
See... Monroe's life, as tragic as it may have been, seemed to be escalated to higher levels just for the sake of shocking the audience.
The string of horrifying sequences, the brutally invasive close-ups ("a la" Darren Aronofsky in Requiem for a Dream), the violence - both physical and psychological - was at points too much to handle, offering just one side of a very extremely complex and layered personality.
Sure, that was the path that the director, Andrew Dominik, decided to embark on... but I found that (and more) very questionable.
Dominik certainly made some bold decisions... Some of them work, others are interesting, but for the most part they fail to deliver any meaningful direction to a story that tries too hard to deliver punches in the gut. Where it often tries to address a web of problems, such as the abuse of power and the sexual exploitation of women, it actually ends up being a part of it.
If anything, the movie seems to continue building on excesses that have no place in a cinema room, regardless if you are attempting to be a provocative art house project.
There needs to be a line drawn, particularly when exploring the life of an iconic and troubled character who isn't here to tell her side of the story. That not being the case, it truly feels like exploitive work from Dominik, who seemed to fail grasping the weight of the subject matter.
Not all was bad, as there were plenty of refreshing scenes done creatively, with a switch between aspect ratio and colour grading, often dipping into a beautiful black and white picture. Along the way there are some outstanding transitions that look astonishing on the big screen.
Add to that a beautiful, but often tense and harrowing soundtrack from Nick Cave and Warren Ellis, and you end up getting some good marks to give out...
The highest naturally going to de Armas, who played a tortured soul, who's heart and mind had been plagued mostly by men who abused her throughout her life.
Monroe coveted love, appreciation and approval from these abusive figures, pointing out just how frail she was as someone who dreamt of having a male role model, clearly establishing her as someone who was broken with severe "daddy" issues.
While I understand that this, and other painfully intimate details, are a quintessential part of Monroe's life, it all felt very gratuitous at points - including the various nude scenes - during the exceedingly long run-time of 2h46m - that at a certain point had me doubting its artistic value.
In a nutshell, Marilyn Monroe didn't get the movie she well deserved. Instead, she got a horror show that depicted her as an inanimate object living in a man's world, stripped of any shed of humanity and dignity.
Last night I finally went to see Superman in Concert, in
which the London Symphonic Orchestra played the iconic John Williams
soundtrack, as the 1978 movie played on the big screen, purposely placed at the
majestic Royal Albert Hall in London.
It’s a movie that I have seen hundreds of times as a young
kid and in my adolescent years, but never did I have the opportunity to see it
in the big screen... let alone with the music being played live.
I can't quite recall how I was first introduced to the
character or the cartoons themselves, but I’m pretty sure my Dad had something
to do with it, even if just by following the logic that it was in his house
that on early mornings I would take up the living room and emulate everything
I saw on TV, including stretching out both my arms as I pretended to fly (even
at one point donning the costume for that effect).
That’s why, for yesterday's special evening, I decided to
take my Dad along with me, by wearing his watch and a double breasted blazer I
inherited from him. I should have brought a tie too (Dad was of the opinion
that a man should always look his best and wear a tie), but that detail only
occurred to me later.
As cheesy as it may sound, I somehow felt his presence as I
rewatched one of my all-time favourites, this time as an adult.
Last night also provided me the chance to introduce Richard
Donner’s timeless classic to my girlfriend, who had patiently (and I mean
this!) heard me talk about the character and watched several videos about
Superman, Christopher Reeve or the making of the movie.
I was confident she would embark on this journey with an
open mind and an open heart...
The movie, being a big product of the late 70's, had various
elements that already piqued her interest. From the star-studded cast (including
the likes of Marlon Brando and Gene Hackman), the iconic soundtrack (with the
added bonus of being played live), the Mario Puzo (of The Godfather
fame) writing involvement, the dominant presence of Reeve's legacy and the
production value of a big-budget movie for that time.
Most of all, I felt that being introduced to something that
I deeply cared about had already made the evening special before it even began.
Sure enough, as I flew through memory lane, I learned new
things and caught fresh details that I had not noticed or understood before
during my younger days of watching that run-down BETA tape (also known as Betamax).
Feeling privileged to have such an opportunity, with good
seats at such a cultural staple and surrounded by many, who like me, are massive
fans of the movie and comic books (many in attendance came with some sort of
Superman merch, some even in full costume) it made this night one for the ages.
From the opening credits right til the very last frame, I
was gripped to my seat and fully aware that a dream of mine - no matter how
small or silly it may sound - had been fulfilled in that moment.
Maybe that same awareness was the trigger that made me
emotional several times, in moments that I had not been emotional before.
I don't know.
All I can say is that I felt that room feeling
incredibly grateful and hoping to one day share this movie with kids of my own.
