Subscriber Weekly - Week 50
Everything on Toisto, December 9 - 13, 2024.
Hi everyone! I'm running late on this one because of a sudden influx of embargos and last-minute junkets. But they're all good things, as it means we're in for some really cool things to watch and play at the start of 2025.
First things first: The Game Awards happened. If you're not a gamer, they're basically the Oscars for the gaming community. It's mostly a lot of ads for future titles, but it is nice to see what has kept people interested. 2024 was the first year I got to vote as well, which was super exciting. Most of my picks didn't win a thing, but those that did really deserved it.
I'm still putting together my best-of-the-year lists, and it's proving a lot more difficult than initially expected. I saw over 260 films in theaters this year, at least 30 new series, and approximately 60 films on streaming. So I'm thinking that some of these lists won't be traditional top tens. There are just too many films to choose from!
I also did a surprise visit on an American podcast called Critic Box, where two critics are pitted against each other to talk about a film that one loved and the other didn't. I spoke with the wonderful Julian Lytle, who really enjoyed Gladiator II. I didn't, but I think we both came from the same place of love for Denzel Washington that it evens things out.
This was a lot of fun and I'll definitely go again if they ask me. So stay tuned!
Right, now to the good stuff.
In Cinemas
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim
Not a great week for premieres, I have to say. The big release this week is The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, which is an expansion and prequel of the Peter Jackson trilogy from over 20 years ago. I grew up with Jackson's films, so I'm naturally a bit biased about their quality. Even so, The War of the Rohirrim did very little for me. I also had a lot of issues with certain uses of AI to bring back dead actors, which I always find immensely distasteful.
Read the full review below.
Review: The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim
Kraven the Hunter
I think I spoke too soon when I declared Madame Webb the worst movie of the year back in February. I clearly should have waited for Kraven the Hunter, a movie so inept that even its failures are boring.
Luckily, this is the last Sony film in their expanded Spider-Man franchise. The higher-ups finally got the message that this wasn't what the audience wanted. I'm not surprised, since this is a dull, pointless Z-movie without a single interesting thing to its name.
Kraven the Hunter review: Another comic book misfire
Streaming
Carry-On
Now here's a movie that sounds like a joke created to poke fun at the state of modern blockbusters. But it isn't, and it's not entirely a bad film, either. Which sounds like faint praise, but that's not the case.
Instead, Carry-On is an entirely solid and dependable action romp that's dumb as a bag of hammers, but so entertaining and well-acted that it almost pulls it off. The second half falls apart under some truly bizarre antics, but the first hour is so good that it doesn't matter. Taron Egerton and Jason Bateman deliver solid leading performances, and it's thanks to them the film works the way it does.
It's on Netflix today, check it out.
Review: Carry-On is a Netflix Die Hard for Christmas
Interviews
I spoke with the delightful and smart Jessica Barden, who plays Valya Harkonnen in Dune: Prophecy, which streams on MAX.
During our brief discussion, I asked her about women with power and their tragic stories throughout history, the nature of prophecy, and how she sees Valya's journey across violent deeds.
You can read our full talk here:
Interview: Jessica Barden on Dune Prophecy
Next Week
Right, next week is the second to last of the year, so it means last-minute shopping guides, reviews, and stuff that I've missed in the previous weeks.
Look for reviews on: Here, Nosferatu, Babygirl, Juror#2, Last of the Summer, Mufasa: The Lion King, Sonic 3, and A Real Pain.
The week after that will be all best-of-the-year lists and a lot of what to expect from 2025.
Thanks for tuning in. As always, send questions and comments and stuff you want me to cover to joonatan@toisto.net.