The Great Movie Conquest of 2022

The Great Movie Conquest of 2022 - July

This month, the focus was on fantasy epics of the 1970s and 80s, and I chose this time period and this genre as an option specifically because I was interested in the state of the genre during that time immediately preceding and following the release of Star Wars in 1977. While this type of movie is the sum and substance of films produced these days, Hollywood didn't always have the resources or experience to pull these off. A lot of fantasy epics made during this time read as inherently goofy to modern audiences. Part of this is the limited effects available at the time, part of this is just the weird tone. There are a rare few gems from this era that are kindly regarded these days (e.g. Time Bandits), but the majority of these offerings don't dare hope for much more than an ironic cult following.

So ... yes, I kind of entered into this challenge expecting a lot of junk food. I wasn't exactly ready to hand out a lot of ten-star ratings. Maybe this wasn't entirely fair of me, but I also can't imagine what kind of mindset I'd have to warp myself into in order to unironically enjoy something like Red Sonja, whose title character barely had a personality. A lot of these films ran into similar issues that gave the finished product a very paper-thin structure. What sinks most of these movies isn't the rudimentary effects, it's poor plotting or poor characters. Star Wars still floated under these conditions because the plotting was strong. In that way, they're actually held to the same standard as any other film, and so I can only feel so bad about giving them low marks.

Just so, I almost had a meaningful experience watching "Masters of the Universe," (featuring a pre-FRIENDS Courtney Cox). I was only really familiar with the "He-Man" franchise through memes, and I think I may have accidentally watched an episode with my younger cousins some twenty years ago. Despite its general incoherence, the movie was just so sincere that I couldn't bring myself to hate it.

Looking at a lot of the (mostly valid) critiques of these kinds of films, I'm reminded of complaints thrown against films like 2018's Aquaman. I think that the film has an overall tighter story than many of those films, but it still chases the flavor of the pre-Jurassic Park adventure film, and a part of that flavor is general shamelessness. In hindsight, I don't doubt that James Wan took deliberate inspiration from many films of this genre and era, especially now that I realize that Wan cast He-Man himself, Dolph Lundgren, in his movie.

Sometimes a movie's ability to move or inspire audiences surpasses its technical prowess. I'm reminded of the 1995 "Power Rangers" movie, a movie that I still gladly watch despite the clear shortcomings of the production value and writing. I think it's possible for the intellectual mind to still have meaningful engagements with these kinds of films, and for serious filmmakers to take inspiration from them.

Of the two reviews I put out this month, only one of them counted toward my challenge. The last half of Stranger Things 4, glorious as it was, didn't technically meet the conditions of the challenge. Meanwhile, Jordan Peele's Nope was an experience to remember. I've shared multiple times on this blog that I'm only a recent convert to the horror genre. Even three years ago, paying to see a big-budget horror film in the theater would have been unthinkable. Even though I've now seen a small handful of horror films on the big screen, I think I'll remember Nope as the first film to give me that flight or fight response that I've at once been chasing and dreading.

Looking outside of this month's theme, I also really responded to 2013's Labor Day. The movie tended to put the cart before the horse in some areas of narrative development, but the movie was still sincere in its presentation, and it succeeded in its ultimate goal of creating a believable romance out of an unbelievable situation.

I'll admit, while I enjoyed many of the films I hit this month (Defiance, At Eternity's Gate, Bright Eyes, etc.), I didn't find as many standouts. This far into the challenge, I can't help but wonder if that's actually because I'm not finding good movies or because I'm developing some kind of resistance to new films. That would be an unfortunate development since I'm little more than halfway through this climb.

I'm curious to revisit many of the films I'm collecting through this challenge, both in the immediate aftermath and in the years to come. I've already tried revisiting some highlights from earlier this year like Pressure Point and Belle to try to further initiate them into my reserve of favored films.

Looking forward, I apologize here and now for not polling the public for next month's theme, but I've known for a while that I wanted to dedicate part of this challenge to watching Netflix original movies, and I decided that August is going to be the lucky month.

Fear not, the polls open back up in September. I like what I did back in April theming my viewings after a specific country of world cinema. Whereas April's options were tailored for countries I was already pretty familiar with, I want to use this chapter to explore countries that I don't know as well. This month, it's down to Poland or Brazil. Cast your votes here.

Thanks for following this challenge. I hope we're all learning something.

--The Professor

Really puts into perspective what Sean Astin brought to the role, doesn't it?

July's Harvest:

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (2022)

Krull (1982)

Period of Adjustment (1962)

Peninsula (2020)

Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970)

The Men Who Stare at Goats (2009)

Red Sonja (1985)

Defiance (2008)
On Moonlight Bay (1951)

Masters of the Universe (1987)

At Eternity's Gate (2018)

Imitation of Life (1959)

Most Dangerous Game (2020)

The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1973)

Fences (2016)

The Last Laugh (1924)

The Dark Crystal (1982)

Sing Street (2016)
Viva Las Vegas (1964)
Labor Day (2013)

The Lord of the Rings (1978)
Nope (2022)

Wall Street (1987)

Bright Eyes (1934)
Antwone Fisher (2002)
Witness for the Prosecution (1957)
Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (2012)
Return to Oz (1985)

Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)

On the Beach (1959)

A Letter to Three Wives (1949)

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