The Wasteland Reviewer

The Wasteland Reviewer Recommends (APR 28th, 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:

Midnight in Paris (2011)

What does Woody Allen love most? New York City. The way he captures “The City” with such passion and reverence has been a fixture of his works for a long time. But the way he redirects that beautiful vision to the city of Paris is quite remarkable. Midnight in Paris is a beautiful love letter to this classic city with the cinematography and score capturing its personality. The film is one of the most romantic films you might find and not just in the traditional sense. Owen Wilson’s Allen stand-in character is a writer who is trying to capture the magic of his nostalgia and he finds it in a literal time travelling journey during the Parisian night. He meets the likes of Hemingway, Fitzgerald’s, Picasso, and Dali. This impeccable ensemble is talented and charming which just reinforces the creative sensibilities of Allen’s film. This is a clever and engaging contemplation on nostalgia that is quite the engrossing watch.

The Godfather (1972)

What do you have to do to be in consideration for being the greatest film of all time? Francis Ford Coppola’s crime epic is certainly the prototype. You have direction and sensibility. Coppola elevated a genre that was not well respected. Gangster movies were some good fun, but The Godfather added dramatic weight and a human story rooted in family and obligation. The Mafia war that wages is intense and full of action and shocks. The technical aspects are pristine with beautiful and rich cinematography, costuming that is quite perfect, and production design that captures 1940s life impressively. The cast is dynamic with an ensemble that would rival any other film ever. Marlon Brando leads the way with his iconic turn as Vito Corleone, the patriarch of this mob family. Al Pacino, James Caan, John Cazale, Talia Shire, Diane Keaton, and so many more deliver iconic performances that have lived on in popular culture. This is one of the first true representations of the Italian American life in mainstream film and is one of the most significant films in the history of cinema. If you haven’t seen it, you are missing out.

Titanic (1997)

How do you make one of the greatest tragedies in modern history into one of the biggest blockbuster films of all time? With James Cameron behind the camera, Titanic was about to be a hit! Cameron is one of the greatest blockbuster filmmakers of all time. Few directors are ablet o deliver as advanced effects as him and capture the same impressive scale. Cameron’s own drive to find the Titanic in real life and his incredible skills as an inventor made for the perfect combination. But Titanic also features one of the most beloved romances in the history of cinema with Jack and Rose (Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet) which stole the hearts of millions over the years. The mixture of romance, disaster movie, and social commentary has allowed Titanic to live on in the cultural lexicon. Few films have been so successful critically, awards-wise, and financially. This is a historical disaster epic that is a must-see experience even if it is just the one time.

Moonlight (2016)

How did a little film from A24 go and win Best Picture at the Oscars? Moonlight did it by offering a gorgeous looking drama that looks deep inside the world of a young gay man trying to navigate his world of struggle and identity. This is a poignant film that tells the story over the course of three distinct acts at different pivotal points of his life. The trio of Alex R. Hibbert, Ashton Sanders, and Trevante Rhodes bring our protagonist to life with authenticity, rawness of emotion, and empathy. There is a talented group of veteran performers who deliver anchoring turns in this story from Janelle Monae to Naomie Harris to the Oscar-winning turn of Mahershala Ali. There is so much empathy in Chiron’s story for a young man who was let down by the people in his life at every turn. This queer story is poignant and moving as Chiron confronts his homosexuality and connects with Kevin, a young man who just might be the one person in his life who he truly connects with. This film might not be talked about on the same level as other Best Picture winners, but this one deserves to be.

Blue Jasmine (2013)

What if you had a Woody Allen type lead…except they were a woman instead? Then you would have Blue Jasmine. Cate Blanchett won herself an Oscar for portraying this mash-up of high society neuroticism and A Streetcar Named Desire level depressive. You can tell Allen wanted to create his Blanche DuBios and Blanchett was ready to make it happen. Allen tells a story of parallel times including the great fall of a wealthy woman living on the money of her grifting husband and the broken shadow of her trying to pull all the pieces back together. Jasmine is not the best human being but watching so many men breaking her and abusing her makes for quite the drama. This stacked cast (like only an Allen film of that time can deliver) is filled with the slimy suave of Alec Baldwin, the chameleon talents of Sally Hawkins, the salt of the earth personalities of Andrew Dice Clay and Bobby Cannavale. This is a spiral that is hard to watch but also hard to look away from.

A Bug’s Life (1998)

Pixar has come a long way, hasn’t it? But that is not to say that A Bug’s Life is a great time still. This is a perfect homage and subversion of Seven Samurai and The Magnificent Seven as we witness a group of circus bugs helping an ant colony defend themselves against the brutish and bullying grasshoppers. This is a much better nod to such films than some other more recent Netflix offerings. This voice cast is stacked to the gills with talented comedians, character actors, and one of the best antagonists in Pixar history with Kevin Spacey’s Hopper. You have legends like Phyillis Dillar and Madeline Kahn. There are 90s stars like Julia Louise-Dreyfus and Denis Leary. This film has tons of heart, exciting action (and bits of horror), and a rousing score that is a perfect homage to the westerns that influenced it. This might not be top tier Pixar but it is such a wonderfully fun time.

A Quiet Place (2018)

Who thought that Jim from The Office had something like this up his sleeve? A Quiet Place turned into quite the phenomenon for movie goers. This unique horror film took the concept of an alien invasion film except you cannot make a sound. The audience fed on this and even stayed super quiet themselves in the theater. This is a lean and effective high concept horror film that surprised the heck out of everyone. Krasinski is fantastic behind the camera crafting a tension and thrilling experience while his wife, Emily Blunt, joins him on screen. But it is Millicent Simmonds and Noah Jupe who steal the show as they deliver mature and impactful performances from a pair of young artists. From the opening scene of horror and heartbreak, this film keeps your attention. The bathtub sequence has become an iconic moment in the horror genre. Most importantly, this stands as a film that works on its own but opens the door for so many stories and world building that we can have a whole fleet of spin-off films.