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by Julian Spivey Last year I embarked on a movie challenge in hopes of seeing some films I’ve never seen and more importantly opening myself up to some kinds of films I likely would never see. The premise is that you have 12 months to watch 12 movies recommended by 12 friends. I don’t often participate in such social media challenges but being a movie buff, I felt this might be an interesting way to get out of my comfort zone a bit when it comes to watching movies. Like in 2023, I have some movies on the list that I’ve always meant to get around to watching but haven’t – most notably the 1962 classic “To Kill a Mockingbird,” which I think I saw the first half of in school but was absent on the day it finished. And there’s some stuff I probably never would’ve gotten around to like Andrzej Wajda’s 1958 Polish film “Ashes and Diamonds.” As I did last year I will write about my thoughts and feelings on each of these films after I have viewed them. Here are the 12 movies recommended to me and the months I’ve assigned myself to watch them: January: “The Wonder” (2022) February: “To Kill a Mockingbird” (1962) March: “Dreamgirls” (2006) April: “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” (2004) May: “21 Jump Street” (2012) June: “Mamma Mia” (2008) July: “City of Angels” (1998) August: “Fried Green Tomatoes” (1991) September: “Ashes and Diamonds” (1958) October: “Clue” (1985) November: “The Intouchables” (2011) December: “The Agony and the Ecstasy” (1965)  Photo: Universal Pictures My June movie recommendation “Mamma Mia!” comes from my friend Hailey. I believe it may be her favorite movie. Having never been a big fan of ABBA I knew this one might not be my cup of tea from the outset but trying new things is a big reason for this series I’ve been doing for a year and a half now. Based on the Broadway play that debuted in 1999, “Mamma Mia!” is a jukebox musical that tells the story of Donna (Meryl Streep) and her soon-to-be-married daughter Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) and Sophie’s recent realization that one of three men her mom spent a summer with on this Greek island they call home is her father. She invites all three (played by Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth and Stellan Skarsgård) to her wedding to find out which one. That’s the entire plot and the film uses 20-plus ABBA songs to move it along - even though some of the songs and scenes probably would’ve been better off on the cutting room floor. For instance, I don’t quite see the point in Christine Baranski’s “Does Your Mother Know.” Most of the songs seemed to be more seamless. There were the big songs everybody, even non-ABBA fans would know like “Dancing Queen” and the titular song and many others that are likely known only to ABBA fans. I found Streep, Seyfried and Brosnan to be the most entertaining singers of the group – Streep and Seyfried could both hold a tune and, while Brosnan couldn’t it seemed to fit his character well. “Mamma Mia!” is a gorgeous film to look at having filmed mostly on the island of Skopelos, Greece. Why the story chose a fictional Greek island for its setting I don’t know but it doesn’t impact the film. Ultimately, I feel like “Mamma Mia!” is one of those particular films where it’s almost a necessity to be a fan of the group’s music it’s set upon. For instance, I'd be the first in line if they ever did a film version of the 2002 Broadway musical “Movin’ Out,” which told a story completely using Billy Joel songs. But ABBA and the whole disco, Europop thing was never really my interest in the realm of popular music. Watching he film it felt like the cast seemed to enjoy every second of making it and that leads to enjoyable moments whether you’re all that interested in the songs they’re singing or not.
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