Chaos & Confetti

I hope the new year continues to treat you well.  Personally, I am in a bit of an odd phase myself.  On the upside, my winter break has been extended a few days, which means more time to relax, spend time with family, and simply enjoy life.  However, what started out as some extra days due to snowy weather, has transformed into a world with no water from the faucets and the knowledge that when it does return, we’ll need to boil our water for at least the next few days.  The city’s water pumps have malfunctioned and not too surprisingly, it takes a lot to get everything back up and running.  

My family is in a pretty good place, since we tracked down some bottled water and we have family/friends close enough to visit if needed.  However, it’s still odd to ration bottled water, to think about how to go around washing hands, to be able to shower less, and to melt snow to flush the toilet.  2025, you’re already an interesting year.

So again, we’re overall in a decent spot, but when life is tough, it’s always nice to have a bit of escapism.  Movies and television helps with that.  That’s why just last night I finally watched Midsommar.  I put it off for years because I heard how scary it is and Ari Aster’s movie before that, Hereditary, did a number on me. The beheadings and cult chanting, still pops up in my head some night.  However, seeing that Midsommar was going to be leaving my streaming services soon, I decided to finally go for it.  Almost three hours later, I can say that it was an interesting movie, but not scary in a way that really impacted me.  Honestly, the dark opening hit me harder than anything else in the movie.  Oh well, at least I finally know.

Thankfully, I’ve had the chance to see plenty of great movies over the last year or so lets turn our focus there.

If you joined me for yesterday’s post with my top books of 2024, you already know how this will go.  I’m going to share a few of my favorite movies and tv shows that I watched during 2024.  These are based on my opinions and experiences.  Some entries will be from things that debuted in 2024, others will be things that I finally got around to watching in 2024.  

Let’s get started.

MOVIES

1. Wicked

Wicked immediately won points from me because it was a musical movie that wasn’t afraid to be a musical movie.  Sometimes musical movies really embrace what they are, going all in all the music and spectacle.  Other times, they try to downplay things with a more grounded take and toned down flair (looking at you 2024 Mean Girls).  You never know what you’re going to get until you watch it.  Thankfully, Wicked owned its entry into the musical genre.

Obviously, a lot of the music was already Popular, but there is a reason why social media and memes have latched on to the music and moments of this movie.  It presents itself proudly and doesn’t back down from its over the top elements.  

The acting was fantastic, the choreography well done, the set design to notch, etc, etc, etc.  Everything on screen added up to a wicked good time.

I’ll be honest. Despite being a big fan of musicals, I actually don’t have a deep background with Wicked.  I know plenty of the music and big story beats, but I’ve never seen the show performed or listened to the soundtrack all the way through.  It was a delight to go into this movie somewhat blind.  The music hit well and the story pulled me in, both as a stand alone and as something that ties into my knowledge of The Wizard of Oz.  

I left the theatre wanting more and I can’t wait until part two drops.      

2. Everything Everywhere All at Once

I know I’m a few years late to this one, but when it first came out I had a less than one year old at home.  Then, after hearing so much praise for the movie, I put it off some more because I wasn’t sure how it would live up to the hype.  Long story short, it does.

This is a fun, action packed movie that really allows itself to be strange and innovative while still being based around some simple and relatable messages.  As wild as hotdog fingers, bagel black holes, and cross dimensional fights are, it’s all rooted in the ideas of love, family, and kindness.

I enjoyed the exciting and thought provoking nature of this movie, but more importantly I loved that it expressed a message of optimism.  Everyone gave great performances in this movie.  If you’re like me and you put off watching this one, do your best to change this into a universe where you have seen this movie.  

3. Heretic

I’m a big Hugh Grant fan (Music and Lyrics is one of my all-time favorite rom-coms), so I was excited to see him take on a darker and more serious role.  Oh boy, did he deliver.  Grant does an excellent job portraying his religiously fantastic and possibly crazed character.  The man can deliver chills and unease.  This movie really centers around his acting, but all involved bring a lot to the table. 

As a horror/thriller Heretic really shines.  It keeps the tension and pressure turned up, while not neglecting characterization.  There is a constant sense of dread about what might happen next as the viewer, along with the character, try to make sense of what’s happening and what may be real. 

A lot can be done with a small cast in an isolated setting, and this movie does so much with so little.  Definitely a strong recommendation for Heretic from me.  

Honorable Mentions

• Nimona
• Renfield
• Abigail
• Deadpool and Wolverine
• Trap
• Strange Darling

TELEVISION

1. What We Do in the Shadows (Seasons 1-6)

What We Do in the Shadows, which just wrapped up its final season, is an absolute delight.  It’s that stupid style of comedy that you know must actually take a lot of thought behind the scenes.  The show finds a great balance of fun, wittiness, gore, satire, raunchiness, and heart.  It is full of memorable lines, moments, and character beats.  This fake documentary about vampires provides its unique and hilarious spin on sitcom tropes, dipping them in the supernatural and absurd.

Every character of the main cast is great in their own way.  Guillermo, the human familiar with the hunger to become a vampire himself, is obviously the easiest for viewers to relate to and care for, but the rest of the cast find their own way to becoming beloved characters as well.  The vampires may be terrible, stupid, murderous, and often selfish but its hard not to enjoy and like them.

This is a show that will appeal to many tastes.  Heck, even Confetti who hates horror ended up getting into it.

2. Invincible (season 2)

Season two of Invincible continues the fantastic adaptation of an already great comic book series.  One of the best things I can say about this show is that it shares a story I already know so well, and yet I’m still 100% into it and craving more.  A lot of this is thanks to the solid source material, but the show finds great ways to update plot beats, modernize characterization, and adjust pacing for a new medium.

Season two continues to set up plot threads while also delving further into the established characters and world.  Mark must continue figuring out what being a superhero means to him, learning to balance his person and heroic life, while haunted by the sins of his father.  Meanwhile, harmful forces seem to be popping up all around him.  The season is only eight episodes long, but it packs a lot into each episode.

3. X-Men ‘97

X-Men ‘97 is a continuation of the 90s X-Men animated series.  As a child, I watched a lot of random episodes as I could, but never as regularly as I would have wanted.  Sometimes, I was lucky enough to be home at the right time, and sometimes my mom would tape cartoons for me to watch later, and X-Men would pop up there too.  I still have a VHS with “Have Yourself a Morlock Little Christmas” on it somewhere in my parents’ house.  I’d watch an episode and for some reason Xavier and Magneto were in the Savage land, but that was fine because I liked the show and I was down for whatever.

I’ve never gone back to watch all of the original animated series, but I have read a lot of X-Men since then and seen most of the movies.  So, when X-Men ‘97 ws announced, I went in hopefully but not overly attached to the original series.  Honestly, beyond the awesome theme song and iconic line-up, it mostly held only hints of nostalgia.

Anyways, when I finally got to see X-Men ‘97 I was blown away.  It’s a well animated and well written show.  Most of the characters get attention and a chance to shine during the series, but more importantly, the show feels epic as it takes big swings with the plot and action.  Each episode feels like a lot is happening and those events are going to have consequences that matter.  I got hooked immediately, and these animated X-Men jumped in levels of investment for me.  I loved the first season, and now I can’t wait for what comes next.    

4. Scott Pilgrim Takes Off

I loved Scott Pilgrim in graphic novel form.  I enjoyed him on the big screen.  When I heard about a show coming to Netflix though, I lacked some excitement.  I was still fond of Scott and his world, still pulling the occasional reference and quote from time to time, but I wondered how much I could really get out of another adaptation of the source material.  It was cool that they were getting back many of the movie’s actors to provide voiceover work, but I wasn’t sure if that would be enough.

When I finally sat down to watch the show, it felt like sinking back into an old and comfortable chair.  I took joy in the old jokes that still hit well, and liked that I’d be able to share this world with my wife who never experienced it before.  And then, the end of episode one changed everything.  The show suddenly became a better “What If?” than Marvel’s What If? that happened to be running at the same time.  Change one fight and suddenly everything else changes too.

The character still stayed true to who they were, but they suddenly had all new adventures and challenges.  I was thrilled to get to re-experience this world and its cast in a whole new way.  Even better, some characters that didn’t get as much time in the original material suddenly had a whole lot more to do and a lot more time to be explored.  Even better, even better, the show was actually really good.  The plot was strong and the messages were solid was well.

The original Scott Pilgrim story had a lot to say about growing up, finding your way, and relating to others.  The new show hits those notes as well, but in fresh ways.  There is a lot to be said about working through things with others, dealing with your own baggage, and figuring out how to exist in a world full of complicated and imperfect people.  

I really liked getting to revisit Scott and his world again. 

5. Love

Love is Judd Apatow’s romantic comedy Netflix series that sees two deeply flawed people try to build a relationship together.  Gus and Micky and Mickey are very different people, who meet while both their lives are messes.  They lean on each other as friends and as romantic partners, support and destabilizing each other as they figure out themselves and their capacity for true romance.  In classic Judd Apatow style, the show is funny, dramatic, awkward, and grounded in its own sense of reality.  At times the show gets a bit ridiculous or vulgar, but there is also heart and humanity at the center of the story.

What I liked about Love is that both character were fascinating their their own ways, but also people I wanted to see better themselves and succeed, even when they were making the absolute worth decisions.  The series did a good job of exploring the couple’s ups and downs, and how they reacted to not just changes in their own lives but each other.  

There are strong examinations of the ideas of love and success.  Love might not always look picturesque and fairy tale like, but it works if people are able to put each other first, put in the work, and own up to their own issues.  Success comes from messiness, and sometimes having your stuff together still looks strange, but the sense of purpose and pride matters.

Love is purposefully cringey and awkward at times, but if you can get through that, there’s a real gem of a show to enjoy.     

Honorable Mentions:

• Fargo (season 5)
• Squid Games: The Challenge
• Agatha All Along
• Hazbin Hotel
• Nobody Wants This