This Week in Cinema, I Learned…Nov 24-30 2024
Written by Cameron Geiser
Welcome to This Week in Cinema, a yearlong film criticism project wherein I will be watching a new film that I haven't seen every single day.
Welcome to the last week of November and therefore the end of the Awards and Prestige theme for the month. This week’s films are an insane combination of titles if I’m being honest. Remember earlier on in the month when I noted that any film even nominated, for anything, would count for the theme of the month? Well, when skimming The Criterion Collection’s streaming service, The Criterion Channel, with a friend one night to see what was available for the movie of the day that qualified for the theme of the month- we found something all right. The film Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky flashed across the screen and we were enamored with what looked like a plainly ridiculous genre action film. So I dug for an excuse and found one. Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky was indeed nominated for an award at a Hong Kong Film Festival, and that was enough to put it on the list. More on that insanity later.
I cannot say the same for the movie that fell on Thanksgiving though. In my defense, I drove thirteen hours straight to Atlanta for Thanksgiving the day before the holiday and planned on driving straight back to Michigan the following day. So, when word got around that I was watching a movie every single day this year, I relented and let the room pick the movie regardless of theme. I simply noted that I only had to have not seen it since I was planning for a specific film for my monthly allowance of a rewatch later. That’s how 47 Meters Down made it onto my list during the Awards and Prestige month, and honestly, it was a refreshing break from the recent deluge of Oscar caliber work. Even if it was for a silly shark attack film.
The remainder of the month’s film selections were The Machinist, The King of Comedy, Conclave, Juror #2, and Planes, Trains, and Automobiles as my allotted rewatch for the month. These films held some surprises and cinematic triumphs alike. Conclave was a film I expected to not give a damn about, but I ended up thoroughly enjoying it as it harboured thoughtful discussion on Faith, Religion, and the nature of Power. Juror #2 was another film that surprised, but in the opposite manner. I found the film to be engaging and enticing for the majority of the runtime but thought the ending sort of petered out, not something I would have expected from Clint Eastwood. The Machinist and The King of Comedy essentially met my expectations, both were entirely serviceable and entertaining enough. The last film of the week however was my rewatch for November, and it is one of my all time favorites. Planes, Trains, and Automobiles is a comfort watch for me, and it only reinforces my nostalgia and longing for a time long gone in Cinema. John Candy really was one of the best when it came to heartening comedic roles.
November 24th
The Machinist (2004)
3/5
Ironically, I ended up watching this movie late at night on little sleep from the previous night and had blended bits and pieces of the film together to recall a mostly subpar film built on a cardboard thin mystery. However, after looking back into the actual story and plot at hand after some much needed sleep, I found The Machinist to be better than remembered, even if it wasn't really my cup of tea. Christian Bale's performance as Trevor Reznik, the painfully emaciated machine shop worker, was decently layered and filled with the proper paranoia for the ideas laid out in the script. The story follows Trevor attempting to track down Ivan (John Sharian), a new coworker that distracts Trevor while at work ending up in another coworker losing his hand to one of the machines. Later Trevor gets close to losing his own hand in one of the machines and blames his coworkers for rigging the machine irresponsibly, with Ivan assumed to be behind that and more of Trevor's missteps and failures in his life. This leads Trevor down the path of “ill-informed Detective” as he takes bigger and bigger risks in tracking down this mysterious figure in his life. This one isn't horrible, but I consider it to be a “feel bad” style of movie. This could be attributed more to the muted color palette, harsh world of characters around Trevor, but also Trevor himself as a constantly confused, occasionally brash person whose world consistently feels as grungy as the inside of a used ashtray. I didn't much care for The Machinist, but I can't say it's a bad movie.
November 25th
The King of Comedy (1982)
3.5/5
Now having seen both of Martin Scorsese's films, Taxi Driver and The King of Comedy, I have to say, I am far less impressed with Todd Phillips' first Joker film. Robert De Niro stars as the lead of both those films, while also essentially playing the Jerry Lewis Character, Jerry Langford, in Phillips' Joker film. It's incredibly blatant after seeing both of those films, that Todd Phillips *really* just wanted to make an homage to Martin Scorsese's early work through the prism of the well known Batman villain. Anyways, this film is about the fast talking and incredibly desperate Rupert Pupkin (Robert De Niro), a wannabe comedian who wants a spot on Jerry Langford's show, in the style of the old Johnny Carson late night talk show. At times he presents himself as just normal enough to potentially make it on stage but his obsession and off kilter tactics showcase the paranoid and needy persona underneath. After a few letdowns he takes things into his own hands and kidnaps Jerry in order to get his ten minutes of fame on TV. It's a fairly entertaining flick if I'm being honest. It's nowhere near the heights of Scorsese's work obviously, but The King of Comedy is a good time and worth a watch for De Niro's performance alone.
November 26th
Conclave (2024)
4/5
I was very impressed with Conclave. As a non-religious person, a movie where the Cardinals of the Catholic Church must choose a new Pope seemed like it might be less than interesting personally. However I am happy to say I was very wrong in that assumption. This film felt like a throwback to what the majority of films for adults used to be. Thoughtful discussion with powerful performances by a huge cast of incredibly talented actors with a score, edit, and cinematography that all melded to create a beautiful picture. Astounding. This was incredibly refreshing and I hope more filmmakers take heed from the success of this film to lean into this sort of filmmaking once again. Scandal in the Church, and not of the usual kind? Give me ten more films of this caliber each year please. I feel we need more art like this in the world.
November 27th
Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky (1991)
3.5/5
Okay. So. Remember, my friend and I only briefly saw a few shots of a teaser for the film before we stopped to see if I could make this one count for my theme of the month. Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky is an adaptation of a popular enough manga from the 1980s that got this live action version made by the Golden Harvest Hong Kong film studio, and boy howdy- this one was a riot. I could explain to you the various things we saw with our eyeballs that night, but I feel most of that description would rob you of the joy/shock of witnessing these things yourself. I'll give you a brief distillation of what to expect though. Ricky (Louis Fan) lives in a dystopian future where mega-prisons rule the land and authoritarianism has a firm grip on most people's lives. Ricky has a pretty basic backstory in that some gangsters killed his girlfriend but they didn't know he was essentially a bulletproof fighter with super strength who is the walking embodiment of Justice for the sake of Justice. After Ricky gets his revenge on them, he wanders the earth getting into extremely violent shenanigans wherein he fights for his, and others, right to justice and freedom. I must warn you however that this film has Terrifier levels of violence. Ridiculous, shocking, and hilarious levels of grotesque violence. If you're looking for a movie to throw on in the background of a Halloween party, this one could be it- but you may have to clean up after the stomach churning display of hyper violence.
November 28th
47 Meters Down (2017)
2.5/5
After driving for thirteen hours straight, I had very little processing power for Cinema, and no critical analysis was going to happen after eating a huge Thanksgiving meal. So, the movie chosen for the night was 47 Meters Down. I believe I had mentioned that Jaws is basically my favorite movie of all time, so a shark movie was picked in my honor. Apologies to fans of 47 Meters Down. This wasn't the worst film I've ever seen, nor was it the worst shark movie I've ever seen, I just wasn't all that impressed with the film. Basically, two young women go out to sea to confront their fears and get in a shark cage around a few Great White sharks and then be done with it. Obviously things don't go as planned and the cage falls with them trapped inside to the ocean floor. Despite the clunky script, shoddy CGI sharks, and weak characterization, there was some fun to be had with the thrills of the idea at play. Though as the film went on I was reminded of another very similar film called Fall. In that film two young women decide to get over the passing of one of their boyfriends who fell to his death a year prior by climbing the tallest structure in the western US, a massive old signal tower. Truth be told, between the two I would more highly recommend Fall over 47 Meters Down, the acting is a bit better, but both are in the same category of specific fear-based thrillers.
November 29th
Juror #2 (2024)
3.5/5
Despite this film not getting the wide release push to more theatres in the US, I found Juror #2 to be a good film directed by Clint Eastwood. I just expect more from him so I saw it as a bit of a letdown to me personally. I actually far preferred another recent film from him in Cry Macho. However, Juror #2 had another great performance from Nicholas Hoult (his rising star is a fascinating one) as the titular Juror. In a case that appeared closed and done from the start, Justin Kemp (Hoult) realizes early on in the proceedings that he is actually at the center of the case without anyone knowing. Thus, through his own guilt and sense of justice, he is the only not guilty vote. This is a solid legal thriller where tension builds in an organic sense with every new complication ratcheting up the sweaty anxiety for Kemp. Once realizing that the defendant isn't guilty, and that he may have accidentally been the cause of death for the man's deceased wife, things get interesting. I won't ruin the plot, but I found the third act to be a bit muddled and somewhat unsatisfying. There are strong performances from a big cast of names like Toni Collette, J.K. Simmons, and Kiefer Sutherland, but Nicholas Hoult takes the cake when it comes to acting here. I do highly recommend this one, much like Conclave, it was refreshing to watch a reasonable movie made for adults.
November 30th
Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (1987)
4.5/5
When I think of Thanksgiving, I think of Steve Martin and John Candy on the road together. I think of this film, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. It is one of my all time favorites, and for my money, the best John Candy character and performance he ever did. I also think this is the best John Hughes movie too. Since this is one of those insanely well known films I'll just note what struck me this time around since I haven't seen the film in a few years. With more experience in both national and international travel in my life, the frustrations of travel are far more relatable now. Every setback made my own heart quicken in connecting with Steve Martin's eternally annoyed Neal Page that much more now. The loss of John Candy also hit me so much harder now. That offbeat, undying optimism covering up deep emotional wounds of a character was so genuine and charming. John Candy's Del Griffith was and remains the exact welcoming stereotype of a true Chicago guy that's closer to life than you might expect. After living in downtown Chicago and the suburbs for years- I feel I can make that distinction with some level of accuracy. If you haven't seen this movie before, I implore you to give it a watch.
Cameron Geiser is an avid consumer of films and books about filmmakers. He'll watch any film at least once, and can usually be spotted at the annual Traverse City Film Festival in Northern Michigan. He also writes about film over at www.spacecortezwrites.com.