Reflecting on 2024 and Movies

This year, I reached a wonderful point in my life when my daughters’ tutu dance parties in the family room and a few more visits to the gym superseded the necessity to write about movies.

I’m good with this.

I’m a firm believer in a life that evolves. If anything, time to simply watch a movie is scant, so when I do get it, I simply watch. I’m good with this too.

With a two-year-old and four-year-old daughter, the viewership genre and count have changed too:

Mary Poppins (1964) – viewed 4 times

The Sound of Music (1965) – 3 times

Moana (2016) – 3 times

Countless episodes of Bluey – viewed countless times

When I see a recent movie release, I find myself in “they-don’t-make-‘em-like-they-used-to” territory, but I’m content with this too because there are always a few gems that pleasantly surprise me:

I was captivated by every minute of Jeremy Saulnier’s Rebel Ridge on Netflix; Inside Out 2 made me cry tears of empathetic joy; Casa Bonita Mi Amor was a literal and metaphorical blast of nostalgia; Clint Eastwood’s Juror #2 checked the courtroom drama comfort box; and Twisters turned me into a country music and Glen Powell fan—two little miracles.

I was enthralled by Dune: Part 2, but the upheaval of 3-hour theatrical sit-downs haven’t been friendly to the bladder. (I won’t be seeing The Brutalist, clocking at a whopping 215 minutes!)

Honorable Mentions: Conclave, Oddity

There were far too many CGI-saturated duds, shameless cash grab remakes, and unnecessary sequels:

Megalopolis celebrated narcissism as an art form; Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga sold out for me; The Substance was 30 minutes too long, and I saw it when it was called Death Becomes Her (1992); for a Disney movie about a powerful hook, there is no hook to be found in the music of Moana 2; and the no-brainer entertainment of Gladiator 2 actually felt like no brain was used to make it.

“They don’t make ‘em like they used to” dates me, but it rings true because we don’t really do what we used to either. Weekend trips to the indie theatres in Denver (two of the three now gone) have been replaced by setting up miniature tables and chairs in the dollhouse and distributing wooden fruit to a plush Bluey and plastic Cinderella.

I will never stop watching movies, and I will write about them when I get the free time.

“I can’t remember the last time I had that was free.” -Mr. Holland’s Opus (1995)

For now, I consider my life a movie, and I’m playing the role of Chevy Chase. It will be a fun, family-filled Christmas break, and I’m excited to direct the music to The Little Mermaid at our high school next semester.

(I am most excited to have my daughters come and see it!)

Merry Christmas to you all! Please share your favorite movies of 2024 (and duds).

Reely Bernie