2024 Movies: Cleaning Up Our Watchlist

Narrator: 00:01:08

In the dying embers of human existence. As the asteroid, a behemoth the size of Texas, hurdles relentlessly toward Earth, the world braces for an apocalyptic end.

Deep beneath the bunker, a refuge plunges into the bowels of the earth. Here, the chosen gather their purpose clear to preserve the very soul of our civilization.

The 35 and 70 millimeter prints that encapsulate the magic, the emotion, the dreams of generations past. These masterpieces, each frame a testament to the human spirit, are carefully cataloged and cradled in the cavernous confines of the bunker.

Perhaps there was room for more, for friends and family yearning for salvation. But sacrifices must be made.

The movie nerds stand united, the keepers of a flame, promising a future where the art of storytelling endures, transcending the boundaries of time and space. God help us all.

Nathan Suher: 00:02:17

Welcome to Back to the Frame Rate, part of the Weston Media Podcast Network.

Join us as we watch and discuss films on VOD and streaming platforms, deliberating on whether each one of us is worthy of salvation or destined for destruction in the face of. Of the impending asteroid apocalypse. I am Nathan Shore, and accompanying me are the extraordinary movie mavens Brianna Butterworth and Sam Cole.

How was everybody?

Brianna Butterworth: 00:02:43

Hello.

Nathan Suher: 00:02:44

Let's. We're going to get to our first segment, which is going to be our weekly highlights, but it's probably.

s catch up on everything from: 2024

I'm not going to probably get through all of these, but I had a lot of time on my hands this past weekend, so I'm like, yeah, I. I did a lot of watching, and this isn't even including the things that weren't from this year that I decided I was just gonna, like, get through.

Brianna Butterworth: 00:03:16

What were your favorites?

Nathan Suher: 00:03:18

So I took the family to see. I'm not gonna go through my favorite. I'm just gonna mention a few.

I took my family a couple weeks ago to see Moana too, and this is not gonna be even close to my top 10 of the year, but we all loved the. My family and I, we loved the first film a lot. I think the songs are great. They are sung in my household all the time.

Yeah, I think the entire story of that first film was groundbreaking. But Moana too, what I can say is that my kids loved it. It delivered what they wanted.

But for me, this was an inferior film in just about every conceivable way. From the first film, I think not having Lin Manuel Miranda back to write the music was a big loss because the songs are not there.

And I would be shocked if any of the music from this movie enters the zeitgeist of the mainstream culture the way that the first film did, the way that many other Disney musicals have done in recent years. It's also very much a beat for beat retread of the first film. It's not putting the characters in new situation situations.

It's about the safest version of a Disney animated sequel that I've seen, you know, in a really long time. I mean, I'm happy, my kids love the movie, but I'm.

A big part of me is sad that a film like this is setting all these records because it just means that we're going to get more sequels that don't take chances. At the same time. You know, I looked at Inside out too. A movie that I liked a lot. Not wasn't everybody's cup of tea.

But what I did like is that it took the characters and really did some did take some chances. It did not tell the same story again, which I know this Pixar Disney Animation isn't two different entities in a lot of ways.

But Moana 2 is really did took no chances at all. And that really disappointed me. So that's one thing that I. I saw in the theater about two weeks ago, I'll mention. You want me to keep going?

You want to like ping pong around?

Sam Coale: 00:05:26

I would like to bring some comedy to this discussion. All this is true. So I've been in obviously in Los Angeles recently.

And the only reason I'm mentioning that is because I've been to events and premieres like incredible movie theaters, picture and sound. And so I went to Providence Place to see War of the Rohir, Lord of the Rings and excellent IMAX theater. As we all know, we saw a Twister there.

The IMAX theater is excellent. But went to see the 9:50pm show on the night of Friday December 13th. I should have known because it was Friday the 13th.

Get there, there are me and four other people in the auditorium. It did not do well at the box office this weekend and no one is there.

And then it gets to: 10:15

And so I was just sitting there waiting because I didn't want to be the guy to go out and speak to management. I was hoping somebody else would get motivated because I was feeling lazy. So someone did. They came back in.

Then the previews start, but the projector is off. And so it's every. All the images are all tiny on the screen. There's a lot of black space. So I go outside, fix it again.

They fix that, they get it a little bit better. But the whole film, which is in like a beautiful 235 to 1 aspect ratio, played small on the screen. Like they just couldn't get the fitting right.

All right. Then halfway through, it's mid December, it's a winter night, they started blasting the air conditioning and it was freezing.

And I was like, guys, I mean you don't have to be perfect, but this is like unbelievable. But that was the story. And to get to the film, I will not give away any spoilers. I will say some really cool animation. I solidly enjoyed the movie.

It was not bad.

I think for me, the whole time I was watching it as an anime, my entire feeling throughout the film was I wish this was a live action film with like actors present, like a cast with like a, you know, a fresh director. Even though it's, you know, good director. And ultimately it felt like a storyboard for a live action film. The story I liked. The plot I liked. I just.

For me, anime was not a fit. And I like anime. I've seen some anime films, but this was this strange, awkward hybrid for me where the whole time I appreciated it.

I recommend people go see it, but boy did it just make me want a liveaction film. If this movie had been acted out and they'd gone to New Zealand to shoot it, this might have been a worthy, worthy spin off film in my opinion.

Nathan Suher: 00:08:08

Okay, I'm gonna say yeah. It did not. It did not do well. I think it made about 4.5 million.

Brianna Butterworth: 00:08:13

I think it's a little bit dead on arrival. People were saying the animation style was very. Like a well tread animation style. Very standard, nothing exciting to bring out the anime people.

Sam Coale: 00:08:24

Not innovative.

Nathan Suher: 00:08:25

I still.

Sam Coale: 00:08:26

I would love it though, if you saw it. Be like I. Because I just want. I would love your be fascinated.

Nathan Suher: 00:08:30

What?

Brianna Butterworth: 00:08:30

You can't wait to see it? Yeah, it's just. It's so busy right now. I hear that. Controversial. Controversial. I caught up on Juror number two, so.

Nathan Suher: 00:08:39

Hated it.

Brianna Butterworth: 00:08:40

Hated it. How did you.

Sam Coale: 00:08:43

Now I have to watch it. No, I'm just kidding.

Nathan Suher: 00:08:45

So tell. Why did you hate it? Give me, give me, give me your thoughts. I hated it.

Brianna Butterworth: 00:08:48

So I hated it from Beginning to end there I, you know, I hated it in a box. I hated it with a fox. I do not understand why people like this movie. It looks like it was made for like TV reruns. It's flat.

The lighting on it is so flat and boring to look at. It's an A story I've heard like a bunch of times. It's 12 Angry Men at points. And it does not at any point reach those heights.

Sam Coale: 00:09:15

To try to get to the lingo of the cool new kids. This. If they say, like this movie slaps or this movie, you're saying that this movie definitely does neither of those things, right?

Brianna Butterworth: 00:09:25

It does neither of those things.

Sam Coale: 00:09:26

I know I'm cool. I'm hip, I'm. I'm young. Guys, I'm not this movie.

Brianna Butterworth: 00:09:32

People really are. And Nathan, maybe you have a different opinion. I know a lot of people really like this movie. There's clearly something that I just totally missed.

It did not anchor me emotionally or visually. And I do think you have to have one or the other.

Nathan Suher: 00:09:48

Well, I will say that I think that there was a period of time where Clint Eastwood in the mid aughts could do no wrong between Mystic River, Million Dollar Baby.

Brianna Butterworth: 00:09:59

Million Dollar Baby, yeah.

Nathan Suher: 00:10:01

orino, that whole period from: 2003

I actually loathed Cry Macho, which came out maybe over the pandemic. I don't. I think it was just terrible, terrible storytelling, terrible writing.

Juror number Two, I think, is his best movie since that heyday, actually. I really. Although I've missed a lot of his movies since then. I did not see Sully. I did not see several.

I've missed about two or three of his movies in the last 10 years. But I actually did have a good time with Jury number two. I found it very pulpy and. And kind of silly in a lot of ways.

And I do watch a lot of courtroom drama, law and order type things. And this felt. Yes, it felt like an extended episode of that. I do see your opinion on it is not out of the ordinary. Be.

I've seen people that are really loving this movie and I've seen a backlash that this is one of the worst things they've seen as well. I feel most opinions are in the positive on this, but I did like this. I really, I really did have a good time with this.

I think Nicholas Holt is great in this movie, I think. And also we're I think on the cusp of a whole assance right now.

Brianna Butterworth: 00:11:22

Between I'd like to see him in more roles like this.

Nathan Suher: 00:11:26

They could have done more with his role. They could have done more with this guy. He's a little flat his character. I would have liked to have seen him kind of wrestle with this.

The situation that he's going through. He doesn't kind of sweat it out maybe what's going on. We're not really spoiling what this movie is about. Although it's everywhere. But I.

I can't wait to see him in Nosferato next week and he is going to be Lex Luthor next year in the Superman movie, which I see. So. But I. I did have a fun time with this movie is all I'll say. I. I have the opposite opinion. I'm in the more this fair the.

Brianna Butterworth: 00:12:02

Do you liked it camp.

Nathan Suher: 00:12:03

Yeah, I did like it.

Brianna Butterworth: 00:12:04

I really.

Sam Coale: 00:12:05

Guess we're gonna have to wait and see what Jura number three says, huh?

Brianna Butterworth: 00:12:12

Just so it's not all heavy. I movie that I loved. I finally caught up on the Beast with Lea Seydoux. So fun. Oh my gosh. This movie was all over the place.

I thought it was a rip burn. Good time. Really interesting, innovative, different, engaging, fun to watch. Not necessarily the lightest watch, you know.

Nathan Suher: 00:12:35

But the Beast, I don't know the.

Brianna Butterworth: 00:12:37

Beast, you gotta check it out.

Nathan Suher: 00:12:40

Where. Where is it at? Is it on the streaming platform now?

Brianna Butterworth: 00:12:44

Yes, good question. Where though? I don't remember. I think maybe on Max is where I saw it. Or it's definitely on Criterion and Emilia Perez.

I don't know if anyone's caught up on that, but that's another just like big taking chances, big swings.

Nathan Suher: 00:12:59

That's on my end of year list if I can squeeze it in.

Brianna Butterworth: 00:13:02

Yeah.

Nathan Suher: 00:13:03

So speaking of things I've squeezed in B, there was something you watched early in this year that you mentioned that I finally caught up on. I. When you mentioned it, I kind of dismissed it, but I finally caught up on it and it's called Hundreds of Beavers. Wow.

Brianna Butterworth: 00:13:22

What can I say except you're welcome.

Nathan Suher: 00:13:25

I'll credit you for putting this on my radar. So I had no idea what I was getting myself into.

This is this, I guess I'll call it a low budget comedy that it's hard to describe, but basically a man stranded in the wilderness trying to survive the winter and he encounters these many woodland creatures in these comedic situations. And mind you, these creatures are just basically actors dressed up, you know, in as rabbits, raccoons and beavers.

This movie is like a fever dream and it's almost like a sitcommy situations that it gets into. I didn't know in the first like 20 minutes of this movie if I was gonna make it through or not. Like if this is like is this the movie?

Is this what's happening? And then I looked at this is an hour and 40 plus minute movie. Like this can't be what the movie is, but it is.

And the whole time it won me over after a while because I didn't realize because the first, I'd say the first like 20 minutes of it actually are kind of slow in some ways. But this movie picks up. The jokes come rapid fire at the end and there's so many wonderful callbacks.

The, the way that jokes are set up and paid off in this movie are genius. I can't even describe this in a way that would make people probably want to watch this. But you just have to like check this out. It's on Amazon Prime.

It is really really cool. It's done for only I think a hundred and forty thousand dollars this movie or something like that. And it got did really well at Fantastic Fest.

Brianna Butterworth: 00:15:00

You have to wonder how it even got that budget. The guy was like picture guy Madden Meads Looney Tunes.

Nathan Suher: 00:15:07

Honestly, it really does have some wonderful post effects in it and it's a.

Brianna Butterworth: 00:15:14

Brilliant, it's a good looking film.

Nathan Suher: 00:15:16

And I like the fact that it's referencing like Legend of Zelda video games and other style video games. The way that it's creating like a map of his fur trap and stuff like that. It's like something I never expected was gonna happen.

Sam Coale: 00:15:30

What's the name of the film again?

Brianna Butterworth: 00:15:32

Hundreds of Beavers. And you know what, I think they're underselling it. There might be thousands of beavers.

Nathan Suher: 00:15:37

And honestly it's the kind of movie. I will say I don't encourage this to everyone but.

But being under the influence of maybe something that assist you might be the way to enjoy this movie just a little bit more.

Brianna Butterworth: 00:15:50

We shouldn't Raw Dog Hundreds of Beavers completely sober.

Nathan Suher: 00:15:55

But it was a lot of fun. So I do recommend this movie and I almost kind of want to find a way of fitting this in my top 10 list of the year.

But like can I take this movie seriously? I don't know. But man, what a wild time it was. So yeah, I, I do think it could have been a little bit tighter. It's hour and 40 plus minutes.

It feels like something that could have been like a Short film. Hour and 25, tops. Yeah, they did kind of milk this.

Brianna Butterworth: 00:16:22

Oh, yeah.

Nathan Suher: 00:16:23

All right. Anything else? B. Or should mention? My last thing.

Brianna Butterworth: 00:16:26

Go for it. All right.

Nathan Suher: 00:16:27

My last thing is.

Narrator: 00:16:29

Or.

Nathan Suher: 00:16:29

Sam, do you have anything else or just the war.

Sam Coale: 00:16:32

Just, just, just.

Nathan Suher: 00:16:37

Okay. The last thing I'll just mention is I. On the same day, I watched two films that were both getting some critical acclaim starring Saoirse Ronan.

And I watched both the Outrun and Blitz on the same day. But the Outrun is a movie I'm going to talk about in this. And Blitz was directed by Steve McQueen.

But I think Blitz is the film I was actually looking more forward to based on McQueen's track record with 12 Years a Slave. And I really like Shame, but I discovered that the Outrun, which is directed by. I'm gonna not say name. Right. Nora Fig Sheet. Oh, my God.

Was a far superior film. And so Ronan plays a woman who is recently.

Has recently left rehab for alcoholism and returns home to northern Scotland where she helps her father on her farm. And this film is told in a series of flashbacks of her time in London showing her slow demise and eventually hitting rock bottom.

And Ronan is excellent here as a woman battling her past demons of addiction. She gives an Oscar caliber performance and I wouldn't be surprised if she's nominated for this.

The on location filming in northern Scotland is so gorgeous. It's the most of all the films I've seen this year. The cinematography, the location filming is the best of any movie I've seen.

So I highly recommend the Outrun. It is. It really wrecked me as well. And there's some fun comedic moments in this as well here and there, but it is a fantastic film.

Brianna Butterworth: 00:18:13

I want to see it.

Sam Coale: 00:18:15

Yeah, I'll definitely see it. I'm a huge fan of Cersei Ronan. I know it's 15 years ago, but I've always enjoyed the lovely bones I was thinking about. I really love that movie. Yeah.

Nathan Suher: 00:18:25

All right. So that's the show for this week. Back to the Frame Rate is part of the Western Media Podcast Network.

Special thanks to Brian Ellsworth for our show opening. On behalf of all of us, we bid you farewell from the fallout shelter.

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This is the end of our transmission. Back to the frame rate. Signing off.

Narrator: 00:19:25

You to know it's over.

Nathan Suher: 00:19:29

Well, bye.