It's a Weird Time in Movies - Here Are Some Bright Spots
Plus another edition of Retro Recs
To say that the last few months have been a rollercoaster of emotions for the film world would be a massive understatement.
After riding high off a remarkable Oscars telecast & deserving winners, we were treated to a pretty bleak March both from a business perspective and from a quality perspective.
First, there was a mini freak-out about how quickly certain studios are putting films on VOD after they don’t succeed in theaters. Many opined that it was training audiences to avoid the theater if they could just wait a few weeks to watch it at home (which I actually agree with mostly).
At CinemaCon we heard studios like Universal get on the defensive & state that the earlier VOD decision meant films could be more profitable, which will ultimately lead the studios to more of them. Call me a cynic, but that just sounds like playing to the crowd (the crowd in this instance being thousands of theater owners in the audience). For a deeper look into that topic, I would recommend listening to the panel that Matt Belloni lead at CinemaCon on theatrical windowing, which you can hear on this episode of "The Town". It is a nuanced issue & one that won’t be going away time soon.
Secondly, the box office overall had an abysmal start to the year. The first quarter of 2025 was one of the worst starts for the box office in over 40 years. There is a lot of factors at play here - the lingering impacts of the strikes, the lack of appealing films, etc. But what really made it worse is that you had two pretty great original dramas for adults that came nowhere close to recouping their budgets. One was “Mickey 17”, Bong Joon Ho’s follow up to the Best Picture winner “Parasite”, which cost about $118 million to make. The other was “Black Bag”, the new Steven Soderbergh spy thriller which cost about $50 million to make. In their theatrical runs “Mickey 17” made about $127 million worldwide and “Black Bag made about $35 million worldwide. In other words, both films are going to lose a lot of money.
Now, should the studios have spent that much money to make these movies in the first place? Probably not. Still, it is a real bummer to me that you have two great original dramas for adults & no one was interested in seeing them in a theater. For years we have been screaming that the problem for people not showing up to the theater was due to quality. Well, we are putting that to rest in 2025.
Finally, as if everything I have already mentioned wasn’t enough to get you down about the future of movies, there was one more nail in the coffin - it has been a terrible year in movies from a quality perspective. Sure, there have been a few bright spots, but for the most part 2025 has been a total clunker, especially March.
When I say clunker, I am not talking about a bunch of mediocre movies (2.5 or 3 star movies). I am talking genuinely BAD movies (1.5 or 2 star movies). Films that I was actually excited about/hopeful for before I saw them. Just to name a few of these clunkers I recently saw:
Holland (Directed by Mimi Cave) - 2/5
The Friend (Directed by David Siegel & Scott McGehee) - 1.5/5
Working Man (Directed David Ayer) - 2/5
Death of a Unicorn (Directed by Alex Scharfman) - 1.5/5
The Electric State (Directed by Joe & Anthony Russo) - 1/5
Queen of the Ring (Directed by Ash Avildsen) - 2/5
Riff Raff (Directed by Dito Montiel) - 2/5
I mean what is happening? I expect this kind of thing in January/February, but not in March! Is March the new January?
I think it is a bit too early to wave the flag saying the whole year is doomed, but I certainly haven’t been thrilled with what I have seen so far.
By now, you can probably tell how this triple whammy of poor quality, low box office, and films going to VOD too soon had Hollywood in a tizzy throughout most of March.
However, like Seth Rogan recently said in an interview with Howard Stern, “One weekend can change everything in Hollywood”.
All it takes is one weekend for the tides to turn.
And that is exactly what happened to start April as “A Minecraft Movie” absolutely smashed expectations at the box office & brought younger audiences into the theaters in droves.
Funny how quickly the tune can change!
Now, I don’t The Minecraft movie will solve the quality issue of 2025 because you only have to see one trailer to know that the movie is no “Citizen Kane”, but it will go a long way in helping the 2025 box office numbers.
While the film wasn’t made for someone like me, I am happily rooting it on. Movies like that succeeding are important for younger generations to learn early in their life how fun it can be to go to the cinema.
Things are still pretty bleak long term, but we will take every glimmer of hope we can get!
Alright, enough negative talk, lets explore some of the glimmers of hope we have had quality wise in March! For a recap of the great films from January & February, be sure to check out my piece highlighting those.
Black Bag (Directed by Steven Soderbergh)
Plot - “When his beloved wife, Kathryn, is suspected of betraying the nation, intelligence agent George Woodhouse faces the ultimate test -- loyalty to his marriage or his country.”
My thoughts - Best movie of the year so far! The kind of film where you leave the theater buzzing with excitement. Give me a taut, sexy thriller from Soderberg every year!
Can’t think of a better date night movie - everyone will leave satisfied. As always, some great performances by Michael Fassbender & Cate Blanchett, but it was up and comer Marisa Abela that stole the show for me.
Watch this movie! I don’t care if it is on VOD or in theaters, support is support at this point.
Rating - 4/5
How to watch - Available for rent & purchase on Amazon video
Armand (Directed by Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel)
Plot - “When Elisabeth gets called to a parent-teacher conference, she's presented with scathing allegations that trigger a tangled web of accusations between parents and faculty.”
My thoughts - An absolute masterclass in how to reveal information throughout a film. The slow trickle of information gives you just enough to chew on while also ensuring you aren’t handed all of the intricacies in the first 15 minutes. It all quietly builds until the final act of the film when it all comes together.
In fact, it builds up so nicely that you could argue the conclusion/climax feels a bit random & sudden. There are also far too many moments where the filmmaker makes an artistic choice or two that get in the way of the story and characters at the heart of it.
Speaking of characters, Renate Reinsve gives a jaw dropping performance as Elizabeth. I still think that her performance in “The Worst Person in the World” is one of the best performances of the decade, yet her performance in Armand may be even greater than that. The physicality in this performance is unlike anything I’ve ever seen from her.
There is one scene in particular where she looses her marbles in a stretch of laughter that feels like it lasts for five minutes straight. Someday, this will inevitably be included on some reel showcasing her life’s work.
She’s going to be around for a long time & I can’t wait for future generations to discover Armand when they watch through her filmography decades down the road.
Rating - 3.5/5
How to watch - Available for rent and purchase on Amazon video
One of Them Days (Directed by Lawrence Lamont)
Plot - “When her boyfriend takes her rent money, Alyssa and her roommate race against the clock to avoid eviction and keep their friendship intact.”
My thoughts - Some great gags, a reminder of how remarkably talented Keke Palmer is, and a really excellent original story.
Can’t take those for granted these days!
Rating - 3/5
How to watch - Currently streaming on Netflix & available for rent and purchase on Amazon video
The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie (Directed by Peter Browngardt)
Plot - “Porky Pig and Daffy Duck become Earth's only hope when their antics at the local bubble-gum factory uncover a secret alien mind-control plot.”
My thoughts - Given how natural it plays on the big screen, you wouldn’t think it was the first fully animated Looney Tunes feature film to play in theaters. The film naturally matches the humor, quirks, and spirit of the cartoon we all grew up loving as kids.
Sure, it feels a little long in the tooth by the end, but I laughed quite a few times throughout. What more can you ask from a Looney Tunes movie?
Rating - 3/5
How to watch - Available for purchase on Amazon video
Mickey 17 (Directed by Bong Joon Ho)
Plot - “A disposable employee is sent on a human expedition to colonize the ice world Niflheim. After one iteration dies, a new body is regenerated with most of his memories intact.”
My thoughts - I think my favorite thing about Bong Joon-Ho as a filmmaker is how he excels at getting the audience invested in every character (big and small) on screen. Some of those character building moments are big & some of them are incredibly small, but they all make a massive impact over the course of a two hour film. Especially when most movies nowadays don’t have protagonists that feel as well rounded as even some of the supporting characters in his films.
We all know that Bong isn’t known for his subtlety & Mickey 17 is no different, but boy is it fun. Pattinson is excellent & Ruffalo is a riot.
There are no shortage of themes & ideas to take away from the film, even if he does once again opt for a sledgehammer to hit the nail. There is the angle of how corporations or governments don’t see those it oversees as actually humans (and quite literally expendable). There are angles environmentalism & colonialism. There is the angle of fascism. But one of my favorite (more subtle) angles is just how romantic of a film it is. The idea of having someone out there who loves every version of you, even the versions you wish you could strangle is really cool. Makes me think about how well this will play in a rewatch. There is so much baked in and happening that you probably can’t even appreciate it all on the first watch.
Go see this in theaters. It isn’t often that you walk into the cinema and sit down to see a new film from a legend. It also isn’t often that someone parlays the success of a best picture winner into something that the studio is so scared of that they are burying.
Rating - 3.5/5
How to watch - Available for rent & purchase on Amazon Video
Snow White (Directed by Marc Webb)
Plot - “Fleeing from the Evil Queen, Snow White finds refuge with Dopey, Bashful, Grumpy, Sneezy, Happy, Doc and Sleepy.”
My thoughts - Pretty frustrated with the reception of this one. I get that most people are just review bombing the film because they don’t like the politics of either Zegler or Gadot, but it’s upsetting that the lowest rated film in IMDB history isn’t even bad.
Sure, we can all agree that some of the CGI is less than ideal & Gadot can’t sing or act to save her life, but everyone else is EXCELLENT. The music rocks, actual Broadway level singers (minus Gadot) were cast, Rachel Zegler is a star, and the updated spin on the story actually justifies its own existence (unlike most other Disney live action adaptations).
Not only is this not even remotely one of the worst live action Disney adaptations, it’s actually one of the best. Yet, people who will never even bother to sit down and watch the film will dedicate every waking hour to convince you it’s bad.
Shame on anyone who trashes this movie or any movie that they haven’t watched with their own eyes from start to finish. If you watch it and have issues, that’s totally fine. But anyone who trashes a movie without even engaging with the end product is a total loser and everything wrong with not only movies at the moment, but our world as a whole.
Rating - 3/5
How to watch - Currently in theaters
See all previous Retro Recommendations here.
In honor of Steven Soderbergh giving us the best movie of the year so far, I figured it was time to honor one of his classics with none other than:
Erin Brokovich (2000) (Directed by Steven Soderbergh)
Premise - “A flamboyant law firm secretary works tirelessly to gain justice for a small town wrecked by a utility company's pollution.”
Noteworthy cast - Julia Roberts, Albert Finney, & Aaron Eckhart
My thoughts - The whole film is filled with much more life than the log line suggests thanks to the combo of Julia Robert’s charming/fiery performance & Soderbergh infusing the story with so much heart. Not to mention some great one liners from Roberts.
There is a moment in the film where everyone is waiting for a decision by the judge. When he says “denied”, Julia Roberts gives a masterclass in facial acting. It was in that moment that I fully understood her movie stardom.
Rating - 4.5/5
How did it do at the box office? - Grossed $256 million ($125 million domestically) on a $52 million budget
Did it win any Oscars? - It was nominated for Best Original Screenplay, Best Director (Soderbergh), Best Supporting Actor (Finney), Best Actress (Roberts), and Best Picture. Julia Roberts won for Best Actress.
Where to watch - Currently on Netflix until the end of the month plus you can rent or buy on Amazon
That is all for now! Lots of interesting looking new releases in theaters this weekend with “Drop”, “The Amateur”, and “Warfare”. Plus the much anticipated “Sinners” coming next week.
I am sure I will be back soon to let you know which are worth your time and which aren’t!
Until then, enjoy some great films!
Aaron Nolan
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