The Wasteland Reviewer

The Wasteland Reviewer Recommends (APR 21st, 2024)

 In a cluttered and overwhelming world of cinema, it is literally impossible to watch it all (trust me…I try). There is a hard balance between rewatching your favorite films, new releases, and films from your ever growing watchlists. But there are so many gems in film history to enjoy so it is a great way to utilize your movie watching time. But how do you decide what to watch? Queue The Wasteland Reviewer Recommends! This series will highlight my weekly journey through previously released films (whether they are rewatches for me or new discoveries. Here are my picks:

Sorcerer (1977)

How to remake an iconic thriller and make it possibly more thrilling? Well…William Friedkin is a great place to start. After his great efforts with The French Connection and The Exorcist, he took on The Wages of Fear and brought it to an intense new level in the form of Sorcerer. Roy Schieder leads the way as a man leading his crew to transport nitroglycerin to an accident area well across the jungle. The original film uses little moments of great tension and greatly personal events on the journey to build tension. Friedkin goes bigger and even more visceral. Every gun shot, explosion, storm, and any other noise producing element, there is a shockwave of auditory distress thrusted upon the audience. There are multiple moments as well that are striking from a visual standpoint with a mix of great makeup, lighting, shadows, and framing that bring this crazy rider to life. There are few moments that you can get a breather and not even the ending will end the violence and fear that embodies this film.

Shrek 2 (2004)

What makes a great sequel? The next film in a series needs to advance the story from the first one in an authentic way that connects with the audience. You go bigger and add new characters who can add layers to the story and dynamics. One of the quintessential examples of how sequels should go is Shrek 2. What makes it even more impactful is just how poorly Shrek the Third did in recapturing the magic. Andrew Adamson led the way again and crafted a film that every voice actor wanted to be a part of. There are hilarious moments of pop culture humor from an OJ reference to Joan Rivers leading us down the red carpet in Far Far Away. There are rousing action moments from the invasion of the castle with a giant gingerbread man and Jennifer Saunders’ perfect rendition of “Holding Out for a Hero”. Shrek was a pitch perfect film on its own and Shrek 2 just ups the game in everywhere. Of course, we also get the debut of Puss in Boots who Antonio Banderas has portrayed so well for 20 years.

Scooby-Doo! WrestleMania Mystery (2014)

Do you like Scooby-Doo? Do you like wrestling? Then this might be the perfect combination of entertainment for you as the Scooby Gang finds themselves in WWE Town for WrestleMania season! But a giant ghost fire bear is haunting their existence, and the Demon Kane seems to be up to no good. This fun romp has the classic Scooby-Doo! structure with a masked criminal causing some issues. But it injects plenty of fun with tons of WWE personalities including the masked luchador Sin Cara taking center stage. We are treated to Shaggy and Scoob getting into the ring for some big match fun. There are chases through caves and a giant cage match at the end. The story is completely absurd but there is plenty of charm and fun to be had with this film.

The Wages of Fear (1953)

Sorcerer might be a killer remake of this film but what makes The Wages of Fear such a classic in the first place? There is a fantastic set up for this story. They will transport volatile explosives through dangerous lands full of possible roadblocks. There is so much drama that can be leveraged there. There is obvious weight and emotions between the duo that the film focuses on. They get put through the ringer in so many ways. There are plenty of moments throughout the film whether it is blowing up obstructions to being stuck in sludge pits to being on the edge of a mountain. These scenes are shot with great care and deliver such impactful thrills around every single corner. The two lead performances are so strong as they help craft this care and dynamic that gets challenged in so many ways. The final moments will shock you and drive home the themes of violence and danger. This is not a film for the faint of heart but one for cinephiles out there looking for an absolute foreign language classic.

The Last Unicorn (1982)

What is more 80s than The Last Unicorn? This Rankin-Bass fantasy film boasts the iconic and specific hand drawn animation style of this iconic duo. Mia Farrow is fantastic as the titular unicorn who navigates a dangerous fantasy world that has left the unicorns decimated. Joined by a young magician (Alan Arkin), this unicorn goes on a great adventure to find the destiny of her kind. This film has all the most important elements of fantasy from creatures to magic to medieval trappings. There are some deeply affecting moral dilemmas that bring weight to the decisions of the characters. The most magical element of the film is the insane cast with Angela Lansbury, Christopher Lee, and Jeff Bridges adding their voices to Farrow and Arkin. This is a quintessential fantasy with a perfect animation style of its own. This is a beloved cult classic for a reason and is worth a watch.

The Flight of Dragons (1982)

Do Rankin-Bass have other fantasy adventures in animation? They sure do! Another high fantasy filled with wondrous creatures and magic is The Flight of Dragons. This film is an interesting mix of modern sensibilities coming into conflict with old time magic. There is a council of wizards including a Red Wizard of Dark Magic voiced by the legend himself, James Earl Jones. John Ritter portrays a young man of science who finds himself transported into a full world of magic. The film navigates this conflict in a fun and interesting way. There are tons of dragons (if you couldn’t tell from the title) who have awesome designs. This film is full of cinematic magic on top of the magic portrayed on screen. Strong voice performances, engaging themes, and a wondrous story make this a fun adventure that the whole family can enjoy. This is another nice entry into the hand drawn animation catalog of Rankin & Bass.

The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988)

Does a movie need to be smart to be funny? Certainly not as The Naked Gun is such a dumb and silly experience that it is so funny. The Zuckers are clever enough to find absurdity in any situation and just swing for the fences with how outrageous their comedy can be. They brought their manic and wild sense of humor over from Airplane! and into the police form. Police Squad is such a fun lampooning of the cop procedural. The gags can be downright stupid, but they come every couple of seconds which makes it hard to breathe over the 85-minute runtime. Leslie Nielson is the perfect dry comic force as he takes all these situations dead serious but always finds a way to add humor and humanity to the proceedings. Some of the funniest sight gags in all of film are thanks to your film and the Zucker brand of humor. You will try not to laugh because it is so dumb…but you will fail every time.

The Lord of the Rings (1978)

A few decades before Peter Jackson did the unthinkable…did you know Ralph Balski did it first? J.R.R. Tolkien’s legendary trilogy was brought to the silver screen in the form of a roto-scope fever dream of animation. The Lord of the Rings condenses the events of The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers into a singular run time that still captures some amazing work. This animated film might be one of the most terrifying adventure films of all time with the visualizations of the Ringwraiths, orcs, and the Balrog get unique and nightmare inducing redesigns that hit perfectly. The voice cast does a good job bringing these iconic characters to life including John Hurt as Aragorn. There are big battles, chases on horseback, and plenty of other fantastical elements in this grotesque and beautiful fantasy world. If you are a fan of The Lord of the Rings, this is a must-see entry in this beloved and fantastical romp.

The Town (2010)

Who thought that Ben Affleck would have so much talent behind the camera? The Town is not his first go around as a director, but this gritty Bostonian crime thriller delivers the goods. Affleck leads a stacked cast including a never better Jeremy Renner, Rebecca Hall, Jon Hamm, Blake Lively, Pete Postlethwaite, and Chris Cooper. The film is dripping in tension from start to finish with some of the best robbery scenes on this side of Heat. Affleck’s crime thriller mixes unlikely romance, brotherhood, community, and classism as it navigates the crime-ridden sections of the Boston area. The heist scenes are impressively intense, but the human drama is where so much of the impact originates from in the film. Affleck proved that he could create an impactful and powerful film through a story that strikes a personal chord. There is a gray morality that makes this film thought-provoking and challenges its audience to confront the uncertain lives of its characters.