As Nicole Kidman said, “we come to this place… for magic.” Over this winter break, a lot of my time was spent at the movies watching many of the new releases. This, combined with my opinionated personality, has driven me to rank each one I have seen. As an easily entertained person, it is really hard for me to completely hate a movie, so keeping this in mind, my opinion will not be so harsh. So before you pop the popcorn, get your comfy clothes on, and decide what to watch, maybe take a look at this list for some guidance from someone who consumes way too many forms of media.
5. Wonka
Unlike Mean Girls, I did not know this was a musical. So you can imagine my surprise seeing Timothee Chalamet belt his skinny little heart out on the crows nest of some ship. Overall the movie was a bit strange. Between the milking of the giraffe scene and different side plots like Wonka’s illiteracy, the movie was a little confusing at times (personally! I could just be dumb). The music itself is not something I can see a theater nerd listening to on their own, except for maybe the “well there’s chocolate” song (he popped off with that one). The saving grace for this movie was the set design, specifically the scene of Wonka’s grand opening. Everything looked magical, delicious, and did justice to the original Charlie and the Chocolate Factory movie. In the end, I do regret buying a ticket and not waiting for it too come out on streaming platforms instead.
4. Mean Girls The Musical
Now, I know people were up in flames about this movie, but I am not here to tear it to shreds. Disclaimer: I am not too well versed in musical theater and was not familiar with the musical before watching the movie. The dialogue in the movie at times was cringy and I’m not sure why the directors chose that angle when Katie was singing in “Revenge Party”. The three actors that really made the film were Renee Rapp as Regina, Jaquel Spivey as Damian, and Avantika Vandanapu as Karen. Between Rapp’s voice and Spivey’s and Avantika’s great portal of Karen and Damian. Ultimately the film was below average and I would not watch it again, sorry Tina Fey.
3. Anyone But You
I saw Anyone But You without many expectations. I knew about the plot and the insider scoop on Powell and Sweeney’s off-screen alleged romance (Powell separated from his long time partner and the internet has been picking up on some strong chemistry between the two), so when my friend asked me to go I thought “why not?”. Surprisingly, I actually enjoyed the movie. It was a cute lovers-to-enemies back to lovers rom com with slapstick comedy, all-in-all an average movie.
2. Iron Claw
This movie was not what I was expecting at all. When I went into the theater I thought “oh fun wrestling family movie”… Wrong. This movie was one of the saddest I have watched, and on top of that, it is a true story. Zac Efron did an amazing job as Kevin Von Erich, one of the best performances I have seen from him so far (besides Troy Bolton of course). I would 100% recommend this movie, just make sure you have tissues on hand.
1. Saltburn
What can I say, I am a sucker for A24 films. I actually purposely avoided seeing anything regarding this movie online because I was so interested to see what it was truly about, and I was not disappointed. This film was insane in the best way possible. I knew Barry Keoghan was a very talented actor, from his performance in The Killing of the Sacred Deer, and this film definitely flexes his acting skills. I don’t want to give too much away, but I would HIGHLY recommend watching this film. You will never listen to “Murder on the Dance Floor” by Sophie Ellis-Bextor the same again!
I hope this helped you get interested in any of these films or made you want to add them to your watchlist. Whether you agree with my opinion or not, I would still give these movies a chance whether it’s for a laugh or for a thrill. To end with some more wise and DRAMATIC words from Nicole Kidman, “Because we need that, all of us, that indescribable feeling we get when the lights begin to dim. And we go somewhere we’ve never been before; not just entertained, but somehow reborn. Together.”