My 2023 in Movies

A still from Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon

After setting a personal record last year, and after being on a record pace for the first 3 months of 2023, I fell off quite a bit, largely due a bunch of weird events in my life all converging simultaneously during the summer. Going from a pace of 3-4 movies per week into April... down to 15 movies over a span of almost 4 months derailed my attempts at matching or exceeding last year's pace.

I logged 110 1st-time watches in 2023, and you can add 21 repeat watches to that list, for a total of 131 movies watched this year in total. 35 were released in 2023, with the remainder spanning from 1940 to 2022.

Let's get to it. A few spoilers, but nothing which should stop you from seeking anything below out (with one exception).

My 2022 in Movies

A still from Steven Spielberg's The Fablemans

I finally got serious about watching movies in 2022. Before this year, I had no idea what seeing a lot of movies meant. Now, I'm only more aware than ever of everything that's out there, and a little sad knowing there are amazing things I might never get to. Still, better to get a late start than not at all.

I logged 154 1st-time watches in 2022, and you can add 17 repeat watches to that list, meaning I watched 171 movies this year in total. 67 movies were released in 2022, with the remainder spanning from 1944 to 2021.

Let's get to it. A few spoilers, but nothing which should stop you from seeking anything below out (with one exception).

West Side Story (2021): Review

West Side Story is my favorite Steven Spielberg film since at least Catch Me If You Can. Not merely a worthy successor to the landmark 1961 musical, it's a modern classic on its own terms, and is also a fascinating tour through Spielberg's career.

The 1961 adaptation of West Side Story, co-directed by Jerome Robbins and Robert Wise, has been my favorite movie musical ever since I first saw it. 

I don't recall exactly when I saw it in high school, but when I did see it, it fit right in with other operatically intense (if not excessive) romantic tragedies I enjoyed at the time, among them Franco Zeffirelli's adaptation of Romeo and Juliet (1968), Francis Ford Coppola's adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992), Michael Mann's adaptation of The Last of the Mohicans (1992), and Doug McHenry's Jason's Lyric (1994).

The Robbins/Wise West Side Story (hereafter referred to as '61 WSS) also had the benefit of being just edgy enough not to feel stale to a teenager - racial epithets, snappy insults between cops and hoodlums, suggestions of sex and violence, and an unhappy ending all played a role - making the Romeo and Juliet-inspired love story between Tony and Maria more accessible. I got sucked in to the movie, crushed by the result of the brawl, and shattered by the ending. Considering it was also around the time I first fell in love, this movie (and the others named above) left an indelible mark on my teenage years.

Fast forward decades later, as I walked out of the theater having watched Steven Spielberg's West Side Story (hereafter '21 WSS), I felt something like a teenager again and was asking myself whether or not Spielberg had not only matched the 1961 original, but maybe even surpassed it.

Moving forward, I'm assuming some degree of familiarity with both the '61 WSS and the '21 WSS. Click the links if you require a synopsis of either film.

Let's get into it below the jump, with SPOILERS ahead.

Considerations for Tua Tagovailoa and the Miami Dolphins

Some thoughts on what the Miami Dolphins have with Tua Tagovailoa, what they could do next, and how to position themselves for long term contention in 2021.

This was a remarkable season of growth bookended by a pair of desultory performances. It started with a quarterback throwing 3 interceptions on the road against a divisional opponent and it likewise ended with a quarterback throwing 3 interceptions on the road against a divisional opponent. 

In between, the Dolphins flirted with defensive dominance, strong special teams, and had a good look at a playoff appearance. The coaching, particularly on defense and game management with a strong instinct for when to deploy gadget plays, helped to hide a very young roster and a wildly inconsistent offense. It resulted in a 10-win season where the Dolphins demonstrated their ability to control poorly coached opponents, as well as teams with limited QBs and limited rosters. 

On the other hand, they were 1-5 against 2020 playoff teams, and 0-4 against MVP caliber QBs (Josh Allen twice, early season Russell Wilson, Patrick Mahomes), which clearly indicates they aren't yet a championship caliber team. There's several questions on the offensive side of the ball, along with some holes on defense and a roster which  needs more quality depth after the 1st year of a rebuild.

Luckily, the Dolphins (thanks to the 2019 Laremy Tunsil trade with the Houston Texans), have 2 1st round picks, 2 2nd round picks, and at least $33 million in cap space space with which to address these issues.

Author's Note 1: Before we descend into the rabbit hole, I will note that there is conjecture regarding the status of current Offensive Coordinator Chan Gailey, though he is on the Dolphins staff as of this writing. I will not discuss the offensive system, as it is beyond the scope of this post. That said...

Down the rabbit hole we go!

Review: Deadpool 2

I wrote a review of Marvel's irreverent sequel Deadpool 2.

It's up over at Unplugg'd. Click on the link below...

Ryan Reynolds and Deadpool 2 Just Want Your Love.

Quick Cuts #1: A Quiet Place and Blockers

I wrote a pair of brief reviews on A Quiet Place and Blockers.

It's up over at Unplugg'd. Click on the link below...

Quick Cuts #1: A Quiet Place & Blockers

Review: The Death of Stalin

I wrote a review of Armando Iannucci's black comedy The Death of Stalin.

It's up over at Unplugg'd. Click on the link below...

Review: The Death of Stalin

Pass On What You Have Learned - Thoughts on Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

I wrote about the the themes of teaching, the danger of idolartry, and learning the right lessons from the past in Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

It's up over at Unplugg'd. Click on the link below...

Pass On What You Have Learned - Thoughts on Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

Annihilation: Review, Analysis, Thoughts & Musings

Annihilation is exactly the kind of intellectual science-fiction/horror film I love. By turns poignant, beautiful, mesmerizing, terrifying, wondrous (sometimes simultaneously), Alex Garland's follow up to Ex Machina is a tremendous achievement.

WARNING! - SPOILER WARNING IN EFFECT

In 2015, longtime novelist and screenwriter Alex Garland (The Beach, Sunshine, 28 Days Later, Dredd) made his (official) directing debut with Ex Machina, a coldly intimate story about an inventor who contrives to put one of his creations to the Turing Test.

Ex Machina (which I liked quite a lot) was like a filmed stage play, due to the low budget and intellectual bent of the material. At the same time, Garland seemed constrained on both an emotional and imaginative level, and so the end result was tense and heady, but frankly a bit sterile.

Intellectual and sterile (to varying degrees) are characteristics of Garland's previous works, and Annihilation is no different. However, in this case, I think the larger canvas of the story and budget has loosened Garland on a visual and emotional level.

I loved Annihilation. Which makes the behind-the-scenes drama between producers Scott Rudin & David Ellison, as well as Paramount's handling of the film's theatrical release all the more tragic.

More below the jump...

Speculating on the Future of Alien

The recent deal between Disney and 21st Century Fox involves the acquisition of all of Fox's film library. Specifically, the subject of my interest is the Alien franchise and what I'd do with it if I were Disney.

Author's Notes: Most of what follows is conjecture on my part, unless otherwise supported with external links. Also, the Predator franchise is beyond the scope of this post.

Last we saw, the colony ship Covenant was bound for Origae 6, piloted by Peter Weyland's mad android son David. To be clear, I'm not here to argue the merits and debits of Alien: Covenant (but you can click here for my thoughts).

Comments like this one, attributed to Fox Executive Fred Baron (in this article) are what matter in the context of this post:

"(Alien: Covenant) got great reviews and was everything we set out for it to be, it just didn't hit the note at the box office. It will be a profitable film for the studio but whether there's another one (is uncertain)."

What is plainly evident is that the film was nowhere near the hit that 20th Century Fox and/or Ridley Scott expected, and certainly not close to what was needed to rubber stamp another installment. The future is even cloudier, with 21st Century Fox recently agreeing to sell its entire film library to Disney.

So, where shall we go from here? More below the jump:

When the Chargers Left San Diego

So, one year ago, the Spanos family made the decision to relocate the Chargers to Los Angeles after over half a century in San Diego.

The pain has dulled, but not disappeared. With that in mind, I'm writing up a short post which will include all of the thoughts and feelings I had a year ago.

Links and embedded content are below the jump.

2017 In Movies

This year, I saw 51 movies which were new releases and/or movies I watched for the first time. Generally, I felt like the movies I saw in 2017 were pretty good.  On my scale of 0-100, 2017's releases averaged 67.35.

That being said, I don't think any of the movies I saw which were released in 2017 qualify as a masterpiece. I'll get to the movie I saw this year which I do think qualifies shortly.

Let's get to it. And no - there's no spoilers here.

On Turning 40

I'm likely at least halfway through my life. With that in mind, here's a somewhat random series of thoughts about what I've learned.

I've been thinking about turning 40 for some time now... I can't say I'm dreading it, and I can't say I'm looking forward to it (though I am looking forward to seeing my family for a late celebration the following week).

I can say that 40 shouldn't matter more than any other birthday, though the whole round number/closing of a 4th decade/roughly halfway through life business helps it feel less arbitrary than other birthdays. I mean, who has a reckoning at 34, or 26, or 43 which isn't prompted by some external set of conditions?

Starting Over

In which I recount the winding road which led me to watch a Los Angeles Chargers game but root for the Miami Dolphins to win.

In retrospect, I think I knew this is how it would end up once the Chargers moved to Los Angeles.

Ultimately, what may be most surprising was that it took so long, and the series of events which coincided to help ease me into the hardest sports fan decision I've ever had to make.

It's one thing to just not root for any team. It's a whole other thing to decide you're ready to start that journey over again with a new team.

For me, that team is now the Miami Dolphins, and this post explains in some small part how I came to that seemingly bizarre decision.

The Chargers Aren't Coming Back to San Diego

There's been a string of reports recently of the Chargers "panicking" over their preseason attendance numbers. That may or may not be true, but one thing is for sure: they're staying in Los Angeles for the foreseeable future.

Some people don't think Dean Spanos or the National Football League meant it when they moved the Chargers to Los Angeles in January? Not even when they moved their equipment and materials from Murphy Canyon this summer? Not even with their "Fight for LA" campaign?

Maybe the team and league is panicking over their preseason numbers. One (unidentified) source alleges this is the case. Spanos says otherwise.

I hope it's true, for my own personal schadenfreude regarding the Spanos family, but that hope certainly doesn't make it true.

More importantly, the problem I have is the long leap people are making from the alleged panic over preseason attendance to the possibility of the Chargers returning to San Diego.

Every single one of the stories which lay out why the Chargers are eventually returning to San Diego are built on speculation and fantasy. Nothing has been stated or proposed which would indicate a return to San Diego is a real possibility.

I'll go a step further... people who tell these stories are trading on the anger and heartbreak of San Diego sports fans for personal gain, and I think that is utterly fucking terrible.

All that said, let's get into why the Chargers are going to be staying in Los Angeles for a long time.

More below the jump...

How San Diego Helped Push the Chargers to Los Angeles

Over the last couple months, the stumbling ineptitude of Mayor Kevin Faulconer has cast new light on the Chargers' last year in San Diego. I still maintain Dean Spanos is primarily at fault for the Chargers relocation to Los Angeles, but it seems more apparent than ever that Faulconer (among others) helped to push him out the door.

Just to be explicitly clear, Dean Spanos is the primary reason the Chargers are in Los Angeles.

As I outlined in January, Measure C was perfectly designed to give Spanos the political cover he needed within the National Football League to execute his option on Los Angeles. Further, it's plainly obvious Spanos could've made a deal in San Diego by putting some of his own skin in the game, as opposed to doing barely more than then minimum required and expecting taxpayers to shoulder the rest of the burden.

Having made that point, it has also become clear the political establishment in San Diego, headed by Mayor Kevin Faulconer, was virtually as hard-headed, short sighted, and possibly compromised by alternate options in trying to reach an agreement to keep the Chargers in San Diego.That's what I want to explore in this post.

I know there are many people who simply want this issue to die off (it's as painful and maddening for me to write it as it will be for many to read it). I still believe it's crucial to document what's happened, before party spin doctors and political consultants start attempting to whitewash events - especially if recent California gubernatorial scuttlebutt is accurate. And if San Diego is ever going to have a chance at another professional sports team, it's high time to understand the failures of the past.

So, let's take a trip back in time after the jump.

The Heroes We Need: Moana & Wonder Woman

Of the movies I've seen in 2017, two have hit me with an emotional punch that no others have. Those films are Moana and Wonder Woman. This won't be a traditional review of either film, rather an unpacking of ideas and feelings about why they really hit a nerve with me.

Author's Note: I'm aware Moana was released theatrically in 2016.

SPOILER WARNING IN EFFECT.  CONTINUE READING AT YOUR DISCRETION/PERIL.

I loved both Moana and Wonder Woman. 

I love the brightness, vivid color, and clarity both films presented. Both films are buttressed by a terrific musical score. Both women are portrayed beautifully, by Auli'i Cravalho as Moana & Gal Gadot as Diana, and they get splendid support from Dwyane Johnson as Maui and Chris Pine as Steve Trevor. Both films touched a nerve for me in really unexpected ways. Both are elegant in the simplicity and directness with which they engage their audiences. 

There's real pleasure and joy in watching these women fulfill their destinies. As befits great heroes, they have to overcome everything: their parents, social norms, overbearing machismo, and finally using love to both overcome the final challenge and fulfill their own considerable potential. Both films' heroes achieve greatness by simply becoming that which they have always been, and being willing to commit the ultimate act of love - sacrifice - to save humanity.

With this in mind, I'm going to spend some time comparing these two films and seeing what it is they've done well and why I've felt so moved by both of them.

There's a lot to unpack here, so let's get to it. More below the jump.

Alien: Covenant. Review & Analysis

Alien: Covenant, Ridley Scott's sequel to 2012's Prometheus, also brings us closer to 1979's Alien. While there are sequences and shocks which recall the latter, there is a fair amount of the former's ruminations on divinity, creation, and destruction. The end result is tense, heady, & entertaining, but it also feels like a hybrid of two different films imperfectly stitched together.

(WARNING! SPOILERS AHEAD! CONTINUE READING AT YOUR DISCRETION / PERIL!)

Part of the problem is expectations. We know what to expect from an Alien film.

We also have high expectations when it comes to Scott and science fiction, primarily thanks to Alien and Blade Runner (more recently, The Martian, and for some, Prometheus). Fair or not, we've seen what Scott is capable of when he maximizes his ability. Let's also be honest - no one is more aware of those expectations than Scott himself.

Alien: Covenant, like Prometheus, is preoccupied with making a big statement. Like Prometheus, the narrative twists doesn't cohere well enough to make the film an unqualified success.

But, also like Prometheus, it's visually resplendent and thematically challenging, as well as one of the bleakest franchise films in recent memory.

Tons more past the jump!

Scene Analysis: The Last Supper, Alien

Scene Analysis is where I'll take a look at a scene from a film and try to determine what makes it work (or not), and what it communicates to the audience about the characters, plot, and themes of the film in question.

For my 1st post in this series, the most iconic scene from my favorite movie will kick us off. I'll be taking a look at the infamous "The Last Supper" scene from Ridley Scott's 1979 classic, Alien.

It should go without saying (Alien is 38 years old in May) that spoiler warnings are in full effect. This particular scene also has several NSFW images.

Let's get started!

My 10 Year Plan for San Diego Sports

We can't do anything about the Chargers. We can start setting up San Diego to be successful with sports over the next 10 years - and maybe even give ourselves a second chance at the NFL.

Ok folks, here's the deal. The Chargers are gone. They aren't coming back.

San Diego should grieve, and San Diego fans have every right to be angry. After a certain point it becomes unhealthy to dwell too much on the sadness and anger. As a community, we're fast approaching the point where those raw emotions need to be channeled into something productive.

I don't mean anti-trust lawsuits against the Chargers or NFL. They don't want to be here. Let them go. Don't chase the name, logos, uniforms, colors or records. I want to talk about something different.

My 10 year plan for San Diego sports follows past the jump.