It’s a pretty flat experience. No need to beat around the bush. The two new songs (not in the stage production) written by the original musical composer Stephen Schwartz (“No Place Like Home” and “The Girl in the Bubble”) are pretty mid compared to the caliber of songs expected from this artist. The rest of the songs don’t really hit either, except “For Good” which director Jon M. Chu couldn’t have ruined if he tried. This entire underwhelming feeling very much speaks to the many directorial missteps from Chu. The film ends up being one more focused on getting to the end of a story, than continuing to build on the aspects of Wicked which connected so strongly with so many. Now, there will definitely be those who will enjoy Wicked: For Good, but the connection/experience won’t be anywhere close to how they felt coming out of the theaters in 2024.
The story: Desperately attempting to liberate the enslaved animals of Oz, Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) is now considered an enemy of the state, with Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh) proclaiming “she will kill us all” at every given opportunity. The anti-animal propaganda from the Wizard (Jeff Goldblum) is working as the animals who haven’t been captured yet are fleeing, while Elphaba attempts to get them to stay and fight back. Glinda (Ariana Grande) is struggling between becoming the beloved “good witch” she’s always wanted to be and coming to Elphaba’s defense. And Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey) who is set to marry Glinda, still longs for Elphaba.
The two leads continue to have undeniable chemistry and their performances are solid, although every supporting character seems to have been reduced and stripped of anything that made them interesting. The story itself continues to carry the same anti-fascist overtones and personally I did appreciate the darker tone this movie took when displaying sequences of persecution, bigotry and manufacturing consent. This is also a two hour and seventeen-minute movie and to Chu’s credit it never felt particularly long, even during the final hour and change as the storytelling unfortunately stumbles down the yellow brick road towards its finale. Aside from the final song, this is the portion of the film which I would deem a bit of a clunky mess. While the story makes sense and the final hour plus does promise a spark with the arrival of the Dorothy character, this is also where the pacing begins to jump around wildly making the journey awkward, confusing, rushed with certain details glossed over and hollow during scenes written to elicit a strong reaction. It’s as if an invisible fast forward button was pressed in a frustratingly distracting way.
Final Thought: If watched together, parts one and two would be nearly five hours long. I’ve never seen the Broadway production, but I’ve read it’s under three. I would guess this is the underlying reason as to why Wicked: For Good feels the way it feels. Sure, there are bits and pieces here that work and it looks like hundreds of millions of dollars. And because this story is an extension of the first half, the tale is a good one; maybe only pissing off the “keep politics out of my movies” crowd. It’s clearly not a stand-alone film; God help anyone who tries to follow what’s happening here without having seen part one and 1939’s The Wizard of Oz. Again, I won’t be surprised if someone were to tell me they enjoyed this movie. It’s all just so tied to Wicked that it’s impossible not compare the two. And in doing so, this half of the story is mostly (and it pains me to say this) borderline forgettable.
A lesbian love story set in small town 1980’s USA (Louisville). Jackie (Katy O’Brian) is an idealistic female body builder, passing through town with dreams of winning an upcoming body building competition in Las Vegas and earning enough money to make it to California. Lou (Kristen Stewart) is a women hardened by the corrupt town she calls home, as well as a secret life she’s desperately attempting to get away from. Lou works at a gym and it’s love at first sight when she spots Jackie from across the room. They quickly move in together finding hope in each other’s existence. But in this town full of violent men (the most dangerous of these men is Lou’s estranged father (Ed Harris), a psychotic gangster) their love story will be tested. What the movie becomes is a violent revenge story with surrealist elements. And truthfully, the story itself is pretty sparse. But it’s the direction from Rose Glass that allows Love Lies Bleeding to be a far more intriguing film than it undoubtably was on paper. She presents her unabashedly sexual, queer, and at times grotesque vision of the quest for the American dream quite well, centering two leads who give two commanding performances. Glass makes it a point to focus on these strong women who are not at all helpless, but surrounded by an environment made unsafe due to the brutality of men.
9. Smile 2
I was a fan of the original, but honestly didn’t expect much from Smile 2. I don’t think many did. But as you’ve probably figured out by now, not only did I enjoy this sequel, but I was blown away by how much better it was than the original. Parker Finn is back writing and directing Smile 2 and he definitely went into this production with a specific vision on how to expand the story. Continuing only days after the last film ends, the smile demon virus thing has infected pop icon Skye Riley (played in award worthy fashion by Naomi Scott) as she is about to launch a global comeback world tour, having been out of the public eye in the wake of a huge scandal. If you don’t remember how this whole smile demon works, it’s basically an entity that jumps from host to host by making the infected kill themselves in front of a witness, who then becomes infected themselves by said demon. The newly infected are then terrorized by hallucinations of smiling people for a couple of days (the demon feeds on fear) and then the process starts all over again. There are so many things that Finn gets right here. This movie is nonstop horror entertainment. When I say non-stop, I mean I saw this movie at 10pm (way past my bedtime) and I stayed wide awake, eyes glued to the screen the entire time. The horror choreography aspect of this is fantastic as well, some sequences reminding me of Roman Polanski’s Repulsion, including one horror dance sequence which was uncomfortably amazing. But the best move Finn makes is having his protagonist be a pop star. It’s an absolute stroke of genius. We not only get a great dramatic performance from Scott, but a vocal performance as well. Yes, there are songs and they are low-key bangers. This could’ve easily been a horror musical. Her being a pop star also gives us a completely satisfying ending that made me immediately want a Smile 3. In fact, with a runtime of two hours and seven minutes, Smile 2 is one that I could’ve watched two more hours of.
8. We Grown Now
As a Black man, throughout my decades of movie watching there are things I don’t come across nearly as much as I’d like to. One of which are sensitive Black movies centering around boys. And so, when I find one, it goes right onto my list. We Grown Now was that movie for me in 2024. Set in Chicago’s Cabrini-Green housing in 1992, a place known for being one of the largest public housing communities in the nation. This is a sensitive movie about two young Black boys growing up in that community, processing the world around them. They are best friends and inseparable. Malik (Blake Cameron James) is a dreamer, believing there is a greater world outside of the projects. He lives with his grandmother, little sister and mom (Jurnee Smollett, who is also a producer on this film). His mom struggles as the main breadwinner, with a goal of getting a job that moves them out of Cabrini-Green for good. Eric (Gian Knight Ramirez) lives with his father (Lil Rel Howery) and older sister who is about to leave for college. He is a depressed and defeated child. His grades are low and he has come to believe that he was born in Cabrini-Green and will die there. Writer/director Minhal Baig gives us a personal look into their lives, as we watch the toll this place takes on them. The film’s slower pace asks us to spend some time with Malik and Eric as they watch the people they respect go through hardships and as they themselves process loss, violence, trauma, joy and love. In one scene we watch them cut class and visit an art museum. In another they both stand in front of the fence of the public housing complex they live in and shout “I exist”. Sure, it’s overly sentimental at times, but the movie and this type of storytelling feels completely lived in. These people existed and I was grateful for every moment I had with them.
7. The People’s Joker
The People’s Joker tells the coming of age story of an aspiring clown/comedian who later goes by the name Joker the Harlequin (Vera Drew), as she comes out as a trans woman and finds her place in the world. All of this is set in a version of the DC universe where Batman is a bad guy and an Alex Jones-style political commentator (voiced by Tim Heidecker) is continuously playing on the television set. As a child she is sent to Arkham Asylum by her verbally abusive mother and given a drug that dulls her to the world. As an adult, this becomes her way of masking. Deciding to leave home for the big city (Gotham) to become a comedian (during a time where Batman has outlawed comedy) she befriends a group of “misfits” (all Batman villains) and decides to start an anti-comedy stand up theater in order to skirt the law. There is also a love story subplot that is so perfectly not for the cis-gaze. The love story is presented as the most personal aspect of the film while still keeping true to the notoriously abusive dynamic between the Joker and Harley Quinn in the comics. Director/co-writer/editor and star of this movie, Vera Drew has constructed a unique trans story told by way of parody and created by the very community it’s portraying (imagine that). And how she gets around the copyright laws is nothing short of brilliant. Paying homage to the DC Universe while also paying respect to the trans community by way of humanizing portrayals, the literal bleeping out of a deadname, a plethora of references and cutting humor pointed at the heteronormative world and visuals that are aesthetically counterculture; utilizing a mixture of green screen, animation and puppetry. The People’s Joker is the best written satire I saw all year and couldn’t imagine this story being told any other way.
6. Heretic
Heretic tells the story of two Morman missionaries, Sister Paxton (Chloe East) who was born into the church and Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher) who is a convert. They arrive at Mr. Reed’s house on a rainy afternoon, as he’s requested to hear about the church. Mr. Reed is played by Hugh Grant in my favorite performance of his career. Grant’s performance is completely irresistible and even though he’s essentially a wolf luring in these little red riding hood characters, it’s nothing short of a delight to watch him effortlessly take over every scene he’s in. Anyway, he invites them in, but they are reluctant at first, informing him that they need another woman present in order to enter his home. He assures them that his wife is in the other room baking a blueberry pie. They enter eager to get out of the rain. Mr. Reed is one part hospitable and charming and one part creepy debate lord. Once the girls begin to talk with him, they quickly realize that he knows more about religion than they do. It seems to be his obsession. The girls become uncomfortable with the types of questions he begins asking them. At times he ridicules their faith and at one point he claims to have discovered the one true religion. Also, there is still no sign of his wife. And a candle on the coffee table which Mr. Reed had lit is labeled “blueberry pie”. Soon after, they discover they are locked in. But Mr. Reed gives them an option for escape. Two doors in the back of his house. One marked “belief” and the other marked “disbelief”. They simply have to choose. Why I spent so much on this set-up is because it’s absolutely indicative of how tantalizing, meticulous and wonderfully intricate this cat and mouse script is throughout. Starting off as a horror of politeness and complicity, as the movie evolves filmmakers Scott Beck and Bryan Woods navigate us through what becomes a theological thriller that was absolutely made for people like me. If you’re a little nerd and this kind of religious debate stuff is enjoyable to you, then Heretic will scratch that itch mighty good.
5. Wicked: Part 1
Who am I fooling? Everyone reading this has already seen Wicked, so I’ll make this short. Wicked is basically The Wizard of Oz fan fiction, “and make it a musical”. And it’s everything I could’ve asked for from a big-screen adaptation, is what I said both times I paid to see this in theaters. It begins with Galinda (Ariana Grande) announcing the death of the Wicked Witch, who we discover is named Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo). The film is told as a flashback, recounting the young misunderstood Elphaba, treated badly because she was born with green skin and her subsequent and unlikely friendship with Galinda. This is a two hour and forty minute “part one” that again, I saw twice because it’s so good. Also, being instantly engaging doesn’t hurt. Props to director Jon M. Chu for delivering a vision that sucks audiences in whether you’ve seen the stage play or not. Every single choreographed musical number works in the exact way you need it to in order to compliment these beloved songs. Nobody is Kristin Chenoweth, but Grande gets damn close, nailing the cadence and mannerism that define her as this self-absorbed lead mean girl. She earns every hair toss. Erivo is a powerhouse both vocally and theatrically. Jeff Goldblum is Goldbluming. In fact, when he enters the film in the final thirty minutes is when things really take flight (pun intended). Not to say that the first two-plus hours wasn’t selling, but the third act is perfection and is everything everyone you know has hyped it up to be. If you cry at the end of this, I DO NOT BLAME YOU. Side Note: There are many sociopolitical themes throughout the film which elevate the story into something very politically relevant, but you know my left leaning ass loved that the idea of manufacturing consent comes into play more than a few times throughout.
4. lo Capitano
Nominated for an Academy Award in the Best International Feature category during last year’s Oscars and released in the states in 2024, lo Capitano tells the story of two Senegalese teenagers, Seydou and his cousin Moussa who have been secretly saving money to travel to Europe with dreams of becoming famous musicians. When Seydou tells his mom he wants to leave, she becomes enraged and forbids him to go, informing him that many have died doing what he’s thinking about doing. Others tell the boys similar things, reenforcing the idea that this journey is a death sentence, not only by way of the elements but also the dangers that arise from soldiers, thieves and smugglers looking to take advantage of travelers. But these two are persistent and leave in secret to begin an odyssey that will take them across the Sahara and the Mediterranean. The way director Matteo Garrone chooses to frame the beginning of this film is almost like a Disney live action. Everything is lighthearted and hopeful. These teenagers are presented as just that; kids. They are relatable, they crack jokes and listen to music with their friends and are innocent to the ways of the world. In the beginning their enthusiasm is infectious. This is what makes the brutal reality of what they see and go through during their journey so hard to watch at times. There were more than a few moments when I audibly gasped. In addition to the unflinching storytelling, Garrone’s use of magical realism is done so beautifully and with utmost respect for all of the immigrants who set out on treks like this every day and don’t make it. This viewing experience is elevated even more by the performance of Seydou Sarr who plays the lead, giving a powerhouse performance that allows audiences to feel every second of his anxieties, fears and hope. This movie does not shy away from the more brutal aspects of immigrant journeys. It may sound silly, but I’m grateful that no punches are pulled. I haven’t felt this way about an immigration story since I saw Cary Joji Fukunaga’s Sin Nombre.
3. Babygirl
Romy (Nicole Kidman) is the CEO and founder of a large company. In public she must maintain an outward veneer of confidence and dominance, as she works around a slew of older male executives. In her private life she is unsatisfied physically and emotionally. She wants nothing more than to be dominated in a very specific and high-risk style of BDSM. She loves her husband and kids and feels the need to keep this part of herself repressed, as this is more than an embarrassment for her. There are points in this movie where she goes so far as to proclaim a hatred for herself and this part of her which she sees as dark and monstrous and the thing that will never allow her to lead a “normal” life. One day a handsome young intern enters the scene and she becomes drawn to his effortless assertiveness and dominance. This reminded me so much of Michael Haneke’s The Piano Teacher, a film equally as daring and (at times) uncomfortable as what writer/director Halina Reijn has delivered here. Nicole Kidman gives my favorite performance of the year; one which is completely vulnerable and exposed. As Reijn maintains a show don’t tell examination of this “fetish”, we watch as her protagonist is dominated and degraded and then given very specific forms of affection and praise. For many of the sexual sequences the camera is right up in Kidman’s face. While she has orgasms, while she sobs post orgasm, the camera is unblinking. Through Kidman’s performance we see everything from the visual pain and anxiousness which comes from a reluctance to be seen as vulnerable, to her full-on embrace of the transformation that happens when this intern helps her fantasies become reality. This is an absolute masterclass of acting from Kidman. What I believe Reijn and Kidman have achieved here is something quite interesting and layered and controversial and more than simply a throw away romance novel. It supersedes expectations on so many fronts. Including making this character highly flawed. Romy is a character that we are meant to root for and sympathize with, but also who engages in flawed, unethical and morally questionable activities in order to navigate the even crueler and oppressive world around her. Babygirl has so much to say about shame, sexuality and women.
2. Late Night with the Devil
In the 70’s a late-night talk show called Night Owls hosted by Jack Delroy (David Dastmalchian) gains national popularity, but is always coming in second to Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show. After Delroy’s wife passes away, he disappears from the public eye. He returns in 1977 to plummeting ratings and an expiring contract. A desperate Delroy plans a Halloween episode that will air during sweeps week which he is positive will get him enough attention to finally push him into that number one spot in the ratings. His idea is to showcase a young girl who is supposedly possessed by the devil. This is technically a found footage film and so we know this night doesn’t go well from the very beginning. In fact, during a brief prologue we find out that the episode we are about to see is known as the television event that shocked the nation. Feeling like a total time capsule of a movie, filmmaking duo Cameron and Colin Cairnes take us to 1977 and for 90 minutes create an atmosphere that feels as if we are sitting at home in front of our televisions watching an authentic late-night talk show program. The authenticity factor is taken up a notch by Dastmalchian’s performance, nailing the cadence, mannerism and somewhat corny charisma of the stereotypical American host. As for the story itself, it’s a slow but playful burn. As segment after segment passes and unsettling and more unexplainable things being to occur on-set, our anticipation for the possessed girl to enter the story grows more and more. The Cairnes make this form of storytelling look effortless. While there were many entertaining horror movies in 2024, as someone who grew up on late-night talk shows, Late Night with the Devil is my favorite of the lot. Though this isn’t technically the scariest horror movie of this year, the combination of a very personal nostalgia and my love for a good creepy tale, allowed this to be such a comfort watch for me.
1. Didi
Many of the films on my list are completely interchangeable with one another (in a good way). But my top slot is usually reserved for the movie (if there is one) that has something I relate to on a deeply personal level, over any other film. In 2024, that film was Didi. Filmmaker Sean Wang’s coming of age story, set in Fremont, California (Bay Area, stand up) follows Chris (also known as Didi, which is a term of endearment meaning “younger brother” in Mandarin) during the summer before high school. Chris is an acne ridden, braces having, voice cracking every five seconds, stubborn and outgoing, but also awkward kid who just wants to fit in. He hangs with his friends. They talk about girls and film themselves doing stupid shit for YouTube all day long. The movie takes place in 2008, so YouTube was still a relatively new thing. There is also a heavy use of MySpace and instant messenger throughout. But being a teenager is hard. And Wang does well to capture the frustrations and anxieties that come with being that age. As well as making the character of Chris, a teenage boy that at times is very unlikable, making nonsensical decisions that lead to mistakes which hurt the feelings of the people who love him. These aspects are what gives this movielife. Not only does Wang capture the time and place, the clothing, the lingo and the technology, but he captures the teenage point of view. This is the best coming of age movie of 2024. And if you grew up anytime around this era and/or grew up in an immigrant household then Didi will hold a special place in your heart.
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