A measure of how much of a deficit is in place regarding what I have watched against what has been produced is illustrated, at least in part, by the fact that I was originally going to do two posts - one for movies and one for TV - and then I realised that I have not seen enough genuinely remarkable cases of each to fill such posts. More so, at least two entries here should properly be considered 2017 releases. I'm not going to worry about it...
Anyway, here, TV first and then movies, are my picks - in no particular order:
The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (Netflix)
Scary Sabrina, I call this. The original show with Melissa Joan Hart, I call Happy Sabrina. Sad Sabrina is Buffy, The Vampire Hunter. (So far as I care to discuss the matter, they're all sort of the same - teenage girl navigates 'muggle' life and a new-found super-natural reality.)
Of course, it's not super scary, but it tries. It's still mostly silly but it has a greater sense of foreboding than either of the other shows. Either way, I found it pretty entertaining. I like that it tries to be stylish and a bit gory and a bit 'woke'. I'm looking forward to the next season.
The Deuce (HBO)
This is a David Simon show. I needn't say too much more. Like The Wire, it contains a world that is both intimate and sweeping and the world in this case is Times Square, New York in the early 1970s, when it was still full of skin flicks and prostitutes. Primarily, the show revolves around the intersecting stories of Vincent's attempts to run a bar and Candy's move from prostitute to getting behind the camera. It's gritty and unsentimental whilst being utterly honest and true about it's characters. Everything is shades of grey - even the worst villains have human warmth.
The Terror (AMC)
This horror drama blew me away early this year. That said, the horror element was oddly superfluous in that the drama offered enough tension and intrigue without requiring much of the apparent threat from some mysterious arctic beastie. In brief, The Terror concerned a pair of ships tasks with finding a short cut through the arctic wastes in the mid 19th century. The pig-headedness of the commander resulted in the ships being stranded for three years and the crew turning on each other. I'll say no more but the psychological terror of such a scenario was deeply compelling to me.
The Marvellous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon Prime)
I'm still watching season 2 of this, but I have been loving it so much. It concerns a Jewish housewife at the turn of the 1960s who gets caught up in the nascent stand-up comedy scene in New York. My friend Paul didn't gel with it finding it overly mannered. I can't argue with that conclusion but I hold it as a strength. It is deftly choreographed both in movement and dialogue, coming across a little like a stage play. The supporting cast are also excellent. I am loving this show!
Taskmaster (Dave)
OK, I know - I am really pushing the 2018 inclusion here. This show properly started in 2015 and I began watching it in 2017. However, it was in 2018 that my enthusiasm for it got out of control. Bella and I rewatched all seven seasons this year and I still can't quite decide which one was my favourite, although I sadly must confess that I find season six the weakest.
I don't need to tell you the premise, do I? If you haven't seen it, please just go watch it. It's on Dave or the UKPlay channel.
Hereditary
Horror films have been massively on the upturn in the last few years. I think that the potential of the genre is really beginning to become apparent. Really good horror movies are rarely about the ghosts, ghosts and monsters that are present within them. Instead, they are metaphors come to life. The director of Hereditary said that he wanted to make a film about suffering that took suffering seriously. In particular the effect that it has on families and the way that that suffering manifests through the generations. In this case, the death of the matriarch and the issues that she possessed begin to manifest in her daughter and her two children. This is presented in a Rosemary's Baby type story that is genuinely unsettling.
A Quiet Place
John Krasinski has had an incredible year. IMDB tells me that he has been busy in the time since The Office concluded in 2013, but I have largely missed him until both this incredible film and 'Action Jim'. (Action Jim is better known as Amazon Prime's Jack Ryan adaptation.) The latter was very entertaining in a 24 cum Homeland kinda way, but this film, also directed by Krasinski, is on a whole other level. The synopsis suggests a future where most people have been killed by creatures who are blind, but with incredible hearing. Krasinski's family (in the film), along with real-life wife Emily Blunt, survive by using sign language. The movie is so small in scope it has a real intimacy and so when things go awry (you knew they were going to), there is a real sense of investment. The film is a solid achievement and a real indication that Krasinski's career is looking pretty healthy!
Christopher Robin
If I have an Achilles heel, it is the dynamic of childhood to adulthood and the urge that we put away childish things. It is important to grow up, of course, but childish things can still speak to us. Not only can they, but they should and we should listen. One iteration of that dynamic is Puff the Magic Dragon, where Little Jackie Paper grows up and abandons Puff, who is left sad and lonely. Winnie the Pooh is another. When Christopher Robin grows up, despite his promises, we know that he will forget Pooh and the One Hundred Acre Wood. This film forces a grown up, miserable Christopher Robin to revisit his friends and shows how they refresh his outlook on life and revitalise his relationships.
The film is, of course, silly and a little sentimental and elements of it tilt towards the obvious. Nonetheless, the portrayal of Pooh and Piglet and the others is very charming - a nice blending of the Disney version and the original E.H. Shepherd illustrations. Ewan McGregor is right as Robin as his Hayley Atwell as his wife. The story is heartwarming and engaging - I loved it!
Tag
I don't have a huge amount to say about this except that it was really stupid and I enjoyed it a lot. It concerns a bunch of friends who have maintained game of tag since childhood and, despite being the 40s, have not put it behind them. It is stupid and is pretty obvious, but I bought into it and enjoyed it beyond reason.
Jumanji
Again, much like Tag I am not inclined to say too much. Again, it is silly and stupid and sort of obvious, but again I enjoyed it enormously. The premise is similar to the Robin Williams original, four disparate kids (breakfast club style) are brought together for a detention of cleaning up an old stock room. In it they find a video game - a magic video game where they are all transported into the world - Jumanji and then they have find their way back. No big surprises...
However, part of the joy of this is seeing the kid's characters represented as video-game cliches. The nerdy weak kid is Dwayne Johnson, the stuck up princess is Jack Black, the jock is Kevin Hart, the bookish nerdy girl is played by Karen Gillan. Again, nothing surprising. But for a dumb movie, I found a lot to be entertained by.
Disappointment of the Year: The Meg
How can you mess up Jason Statham and a giant shark? To be fair, it wasn't terrible but it was a lot less than it should have been. Sad face.
(Apparently studio interference de-fanged it....)
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