January Movies - Week 1

Good Afternoon & Happy New Year!!!

Still going one day at a time... work is consistent... so is the movie watching...

January 1 – Dune: Prophecy (2024)
 
This is a six-episode series that takes place in the Dune Universe… but 10,000 years before the events of Dune… yet also have all the same families involved in the story… where you might be like “Oh Jesus, everybody gotta be a Skywalker even though this was 300 generations before Anakin & Luke” and… you wouldn’t be wrong. However, keep in mind the concepts of royalty & generational wealth and… add the oppression of intergalactic technology & the McGuffin powers of the spice mélange and… okay, you can still kinda see how this might be a thing. Anyway, the Bene Gessuit (space witches) are starting their plan to infiltrate all the powerful families of the universe & mold society to their whims and create a more perfect society with a perfect ruler… and then hijinx ensue when things don’t go as planned & betrayal is a thing. You may be aware that… I really enjoy the Dune universe. Am I an expert? Of course not. So the question comes… do I recommend watching this six-hour movie about treachery, alliances & family bonds?
 
Rating – 10/10 – I really do… and I’m intrigued where a season two would go with how it ends… but yeah, if you like the Dune movies/universe then definitely check it out
 
January 3 – The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (2024)
 
So remember a few weeks ago when we watched “Domino” and I complained about it being loosely based on a true story… well, this one is based on a true story… but the casting was done by Michael Bay too (or Guy Ritchie, the director) about a motley crew of English operatives and/or criminals who were sent on a secret mission to Africa during WWII to destroy U-boat resources & turn the war back in England’s favor (and I guess convince the US to join too?) and yeah, it’s what you expect from a Guy Ritchie war movie. There’s plenty of one-liners, big explodies, jacked up dudes covered in gun butter (Superman & Reacher among them), Nazis getting blown up & the inexplicably hot woman in the film getting a LOT of screen time… and yeah, I thought it was dumb fun. The real story it’s based on is apparently what Ian Fleming based the character of James Bond on but… I mean, when you see the real people at the end & some guy that looks like DJ Qualls is portrayed by Henry Cavill, you know that’s it more movie than documentary or anything.
 
Rating – 8/10 – Still a bunch of fun because you realize what you’re getting into
 
January 5 – The Hobbit (1977)
 
Yes, the 75 minute animated classic that they turned into 8-9 hours of movies a decade or so ago… but yeah, Bilbo Baggins going on a magical journey to take out the dragon Smaug & give the dwarves their home back… and hijinx ensue when the wizard they brought keeps randomly disappearing… you know, for plot reasons. The animation is great, voice acting too… and thankfully the story moves at a SUPER clip… but I assume that’s because doing animation for a 75 minute movie is more cost effective than doing it for 120 minutes or something.
 
Rating – 7/10 – I enjoyed it… but didn’t grow up with it & has its limitations
 
January 7 – Christmas Twister (2012)
 
Casper Van Dien leads this movie about a storm chasing dad who hasn’t been spending time with his family… and then a bunch of twisters start hitting the city & nobody believes his predictions because there was one time he said there’d be tornadoes & it was meh… look, it’s an Asylum movie… and the most telling part of this movie & how dull it is… the opening credits… THE TITLE IS MISPELLED!!! AND THEY DIDN’T GO BACK AND CHANGE IT!!! ON ANY LEVEL!!! IN ANY VERSION!!! So I guess technically… I’m talking about CHRISTAMS TWISTER instead of Christmas Twister…
 
Rating – 5/10 – Even less compelling than “Twisters” which is a pale comparison to “Twister” and barely a Christmas movie (cuz it’s a Christams movie)
 
January 9 – National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989)
 
So… I had seen this once or twice as a kid… but it really wasn’t a staple per se around Christmas time. The timeless story of the Griswolds just trying to get through the holidays in their palatial estate in suburban Chicago… and then all of their family arrive to stay for a week or two… and even the unexpected family… and Clark keeps wanting everything to be perfectly over-the-top but hijinx ensue… but this year the part that stuck was the waiting for a Christmas bonus that’s not going to come. Spoilers… but then again, a $20 gift card to a place I don’t go like Starbucks? Or did they really have Christmas bonuses in the Reagan years for non-C-Level employees that was enough to put a $7500 deposit on a pool? I asked my parents (government worker & nurse) and the answer was a hardy laugh… and today you’re lucky to get pizza… but how does the movie hold up?
 
Rating – 9/10 – Still a fun watch… even though I found myself personifying with the DINK neighbors who did nothing wrong but kept getting screwed over

See y'all next week!!!

​Steve