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.
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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) 

My May movie recommendation is one that some people might be a little surprised that I’ve never seen before, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller’s 2012 buddy cop action/comedy “21 Jump Street.”

My friend Brittany actually recommended the sequel “22 Jump Street” to me but nicely allowed me to switch to the first film so I wouldn’t have to watch them out of order – something I did with last month’s film from the ‘Harry Potter’ series.

I’ve never really been one for crude comedies – though I do love the Greg Mottola, Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg collaboration that was 2007’s “Superbad” – so I just never felt the need to rush out and see “21 Jump Street,” especially having never seen its inspiration – the Fox drama series of the same name that aired from 1987-1991 and gave Johnny Depp his big break.

“21 Jump Street” stars Jonah Hill, also in “Superbad,” and Channing Tatum as rookie cops who had gone to the same high school and were the exact opposite of each other. Tatum was the cool jock. Hill the nerd.

When the two, who became buddies at the police academy when they realize they each have a strength that can help the other become a cop, get into some trouble after their first arrest goes wrong they’re transferred to the 21 Jump Street unit, headed up by a hilarious Ice Cube, in which they’re to use their young faces to infiltrate a local high school’s drug ring, led by Dave Franco who seemingly plays the same character in every role he’s in (I wonder how that’s working out for him at 38?).

I enjoyed the cameos from some of the “21 Jump Street” cameos, which I won’t spoil if you’re like me and have let a dozen years go by without seeing this.

One of my favorite scenes was Nick Offerman’s lone one. I wish he had stuck around for more but I guess after the leads get transferred there’s not much use for him. Also, this is a criminal under-usage of Jake Johnson. I felt like his principal character could’ve had a more important role. I found Rob Riggle funny in this which is somewhat of a surprise for me as one who’s often annoyed by him.  

My worry going in was that “21 Jump Street” would be too stupid for me.

It wasn’t.

It’s obviously not going to be a smartly written satire but it kept me entertained and laughing mostly throughout.

If you want to be entertained for an hour and 49 minutes there are certainly worse ways to spend your time.

That being said, “21 Jump Street” isn’t something I’ve ever really going to need to see again. It’s one of those solid, I don’t regret watching it but I don’t feel like it’s anything more than popcorn entertainment. I’m sure I’ll get around to watching “22 Jump Street” as initially recommended but I also don’t feel the need to jump right back into this world anytime soon.

Director: David Leitch
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Emily Blunt & Aaron Taylor-Johnson
Rated: PG-13 (action and violence, drug content & some strong language)
Runtime: 2 hours & 6 minutes

 
Not to put anyone off “The Fall Guy,” but it does feature massive spoilers for a 33-year-old movie titled “Thelma & Louise.” Warning aside, it is the film’s appreciation, admiration and recognition of such films as that Ridley Scott crime romp along with countless others like “First Blood,” the ‘Fast’ franchise and any number of Julia Roberts romantic comedies that make stuntman-turned-filmmaker David Leitch's latest so endearing to avid movie fans like myself. The flip side of that coin is that “The Fall Guy” is also very much one of those types of movies, whether it be an over-the-top action adventure flick or a bombastic rom-com, for modern audiences now breaking free of the serialized blockbusters we’ve become accustomed to over the last generation and who are now being ingratiated into true summer blockbuster territory. It may spoil “Thelma & Louise,” but what it really wants is for you to either seek these movies out or re-visit them in hopes of discovering or renewing a sense of inspiration. As Ryan Gosling's Colt Seavers would say, “The Fall Guy” is very much a “thumbs up” version of this kind of moviemaking; a fun, ostentatious (in the best way) and wholly entertaining palette cleanser. 
 
What makes “The Fall Guy” even more of a return to those summer blockbusters of yesteryear beyond the somewhat novel concept (it’s partially based on the 80s TV show starring Lee Majors and Heather Thomas who both make cameos in a mid-credit scene here) is the fact the film is being sold as much if not more on its stars than its premise. Riding high off the pink nuclear fumes of last summer’s “Barbenheimer” Universal paired Emily Blunt of “Oppenheimer” with Ken himself and in many ways, this feels like a culmination of this current phase for both of these actors' careers. Gosling is THE marquee star of the moment yet upends that persona by playing a “forgettable” stuntman (brilliant!) whereas Blunt is not only game to be the love interest but very intentional about positioning her Jody Moreno as a woman at the helm of this massive production who not only has a vision and a voice but can successfully steer the ship all while working with Colt to better understand their relationship status. That relationship status is the heart of the film as Colt seeks to atone for past mistakes but the action he's chasing outside his professional life doesn't supplant the film's main objective: blowing things up and beating the shit out of people.  
 
If Gosling and Blunt feel a little senior for such roles it’s because they are, but the absolutely effortless and electric chemistry between the two of them in addition to the overall goofy tone the movie strikes outweigh any responsibility to emphasizing credibility. The film even goes to the lengths of emulating those ‘80s and ‘90s trends of launching a fan-favorite TV star into the world of movies via Hannah Waddingham’s (“Ted Lasso”) conniving producer, Gail. The most important piece of “The Fall Guy” puzzle though? That would be director Leitch who worked both as a stunt performer and stunt coordinator before crossing over to filmmaker in 2014 with his longtime collaborator Chad Stahelski on the first ‘John Wick’ film. While only having produced the three ‘Wick’ sequels, in the decade since that first film Leitch has directed two original action films and two massive sequels for pre-established franchises. With “The Fall Guy,” Leitch is very deliberately paying homage to as well as elevating the craft of the stuntman and the critical role they play in the making of large-scale Hollywood productions. The absence of a category devoted to doing just that at the Academy Awards has long been a hot topic with Leitch and screenwriter Drew Pearce (“Hobbs & Shaw”) acknowledging as much in the context of the film. While this is very clearly a film close to Leitch’s heart and carries a message that hopefully extends far past this moment it is equally as impressive that Leitch doesn’t lose sight of the small moments necessary to make the film engaging and memorable within that overarching goal. And sure, the aforementioned chemistry between the leads does a fair amount of heavy lifting, but Leitch and co. also have enough filmmaking tricks and storytelling ticks to keep us wrapped up in the drama and intrigue of it all.
 
Colt is a former stuntman who experienced a career-ending accident on the set of his last collaboration with worldwide superstar Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson doing his best Matthew McConaughey) during which he’d also begun courting a camera operator AKA Blunt’s Jody. The two had hit it off and were seeing one another, but after the accident, Colt disappeared from Hollywood, cut ties with everyone from his old life, and started working as a valet at a local restaurant. Seclusion only lasts so long though as Waddingham’s Gail comes calling several years later requesting Colt return to what he does best as Jody has moved up the ladder and is getting her shot at directing a big summer tentpole (“It’s high noon at the edge of the universe.”) with some major stunts (that will be shown at Comic-Con, Hall H, it's a big deal.). Colt jumps (and barrel rolls, and gets set on fire, and...) at the opportunity to reconnect and potentially rekindle what he and Jody had, but upon his arrival discovers all is not as it seems. Ryder is AWOL and Gail has essentially recruited Colt to find him and bring him back to set before the studio cancels the project and Jody loses her dream job.
 
To set the tone (and your expectations) this is a film largely set against variations on and different arrangements of KISS's 1979 classic "I Was Made For Lovin' You". This is fitting as the mission statement and core values of arena rock are one thousand percent in line with that of what “The Fall Guy” intends to accomplish. The hair may not be as big as some of the staples of that genre, but the stunts are as big as the guitars and the stars are as sweeping as the big, melodic choruses. And like arena rock, one might question whether or not the film is more concerned with spectacle and mass appeal over artistic merit and the answer is obvious, "of course it is!" That said, The Fall Guy is also a movie that loves movies so the difference between the interests of the "middlebrow" populace versus critics and cinephiles is a perfectly blurred line in this case. Yes, The Fall Guy is first and foremost about dramatic production, but it also understands that designing itself for a mass audience doesn't mean it has to sacrifice the nuances specifically thrown in for movie lovers whom the cast and crew relate to. Whether it be in something as obvious as Winston Duke's stunt coordinator character whose relationship with Colt is based purely around movie quotes - The Fugitive moment is pure bliss - or simpler choices such as having Colt and Jody discuss their relationship via metaphor while on set through speakers in front of the full cast and crew rather than taking the easy way out for such a scenario. Finding ways to make the mundane creatively inspired is what movies do best when they're at their best and whether it be through little (literal) unicorn touches, the way certain sequences are cut - namely the hotel card sequence - or the split screen scene, Leitch is at the very least always pushing to find more innovative ways of conveying necessary but nt always exciting moments. There is also a running joke about Colt trying to obtain a cup of coffee that I wish went on longer and had a better payoff, but hey, the set list can't be all hits.

To speak of misses within “The Fall Guy” though, is to note there truly are not many. Sure, the "conflict" between Gosling and Blunt's characters begins to feel slightly redundant after we haven't made much progress after the first half hour, but the pacing almost immediately corrects itself as soon as such thoughts begin to surface. No, there isn't a ton of characterization as we are meant to understand who these individuals are from the word go: Colt exudes gritty charm and has messy, dirty blonde hair while Jody wears perfectly tailored jumpers that exude "cute as a button" that also bet on others underestimating her based on these looks. And yes, the plotting gets a little convoluted going into the third act when Taylor-Johnson's Ryder (pay attention to the ‘Funny People’-level fake posters in his trailer btw) begins to figure in more prominently, but there is a sequence at the end of the second act that largely embodies everything, good and bad, about “The Fall Guy.” In the scene, Gosling's Colt has been captured by a set of goons looking to retrieve a phone that contains an incriminating video and while there are some puzzles to be put together around the master plan at play (to be fair, this movie could either fall completely apart or surprise me with how well it holds up on a second viewing), but amid this interrogation and seemingly impending doom for our hero he pulls out a stunt so badass you almost don't care if the set-up or execution strains credibility. It doesn't hurt that the series of shots following this stunt pay off a Miami Vice joke that was set up exceptionally early in the film.
 
The biggest compliment one can pay “The Fall Guy” is that with all it has going on and all it is attempting to do the finished product feels so assured and its appeal so effortless that the substance is inherently baked into the style. This is a world that Leitch has lived in and a story with characters who have no doubt made up his world for the majority of his life - it would be strange if this didn't feel as much for him and his people as it is the masses; the beautiful thing is that it easily accomplishes both. When a film features needle drops from The Darkness and Phil Collins there's no mistaking what perception the film is embracing and that its artistic merit will undoubtedly be questioned yet “The Fall Guy” is kind of explicitly challenging all walks of life - high culture, working class, middle class - to try and not have fun with the show it's putting on...much like arena rock; balance is key, but indulgences are necessary. “The Fall Guy” also ends with a fake trailer straight out of “Tropic Thunder” followed by a theme song sung by Blake Shelton over the credits, which, more or less renders the "dazzling yet empty" criticism a moot one.

Director: Alex Garland
Starring: Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura & Cailee Spaeny
Rated: R (strong violent content, bloody/disturbing images & language)
Runtime: 1 hour & 49 minutes

 
Not all, of course, but the majority of politicians typically turn out to be boring, quite predictable people who - in place of actual personality - feel the need to pervert even the simplest of exchanges or interactions as they often mistake complicated for interesting. Photographers, writers and other members of the press, the more creatively inclined types, inherently stand to be more individualistic or at least more occupied with ideas than they are with self-preservation or importance. To clarify, I'm not discounting the ego numerous members of the media possess, but am more drawing attention to the difference between those who believe they naturally possess a sense of charismatic authority and those who seek it above all else to prove to the world they aren't who they know they truly are. And knowing who you truly are is key to knowing where you'll land on Alex Garland's “Civil War.”
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Despite writer/director Garland's latest not explicitly making any type of political allegiances where his ideologies occupy are made more than clear in the text. By making his protagonists objective photojournalists who "record so others can ask questions" while making the antagonist a fascist President who has dismantled the FBI it's pretty explicit where Garland tends to fall even as the film’s allegiances end up not mattering as the writer/director and the movie itself are more interested and fascinated by what brings individuals to their loyalty in their beliefs in the first place; why they believe, not simply that they do. Drawing understanding from under the surface and not just from it gives the frame of mind of these photojournalists a more particular outline rather than being reduced only to the stereotype their label provides. Much of it goes back to Tommy Lee Jones in “Men in Black” when he said, "A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals, and you know it." While the context of the title and timing of the release would lead audiences to expect members of two staunch, opposing sides battling things out on the street in a modern fashion intercut with talking heads in suits discussing strategy and morality in board rooms the truth of the matter is, the bullet points for siding with one political party over another go out the window once actual bullets begin flying.

In essence, it no longer matters what we're fighting about but instead in the scenario presented society has reached such a boiling point that the people's mentality has officially overpowered the independent rationale. As with any worthwhile film, each audience member will apply their personal feelings or, in this case, politics to what they are consuming and that is one of the only guarantees regarding reactions to “Civil War.” By upending those expectations and making this something of a science fiction/road trip movie, viewers are required to answer the exact kinds of questions Garland seems to have gone into this project asking himself. There are all sorts of reasons people come to hold certain beliefs, but to write them off as good or bad based solely on some of those things doesn't always correlate. Sometimes they do, and sometimes things are black and white, but each person deserves the benefit of the doubt. Attempting to fill in these gaps by taking a journey across a dystopian future America presents contradictions both visually (a crashed helicopter in front of a JCPenney, a dead soldier in the middle of a Christmas display) and comprehensively (Texas and California?), but the more we begin to dabble in and attempt to understand why things are as they have become rather than being explicitly told why things are the way they are the more we realize what is being fought over isn't the point, but rather it is more about what we're losing in the process.

My immediate thought when leaving the theater after experiencing “Civil War” (and it is very much that, an experience) was that I don’t know that I want to watch it again, but I absolutely would. Aside from all of the philosophizing and contemplating taking place within and around the film, it is also an expertly crafted, paced and impeccably performed (think)piece of entertainment. If Jesse Plemons were to win Best Supporting Actor next year, I wouldn't doubt that choice for a second despite his limited screen time; the impact is unreal. Stylistically, the weight and symbolism added to shots of sprinklers considering the film's opening moments only enhance the questions and ideas around what I might have missed on this initial viewing. Technically, the film was a marvel in IMAX with the music supervisor especially deserving praise for choices that both elevate and encapsulate the tone and emotion Garland sought to elicit from his viewers. This isn't a film where one can leave the politics at the door even if some will feel that is exactly what Garland did. Despite feeling amorphous in its ideals, the central theme is as clear and prescient as ever in that right and wrong become irrelevant when the world is crumbling around you.