Home Alone (1990): It’s so bizarre watching a movie you know almost every beat of and have seen, inadvertently, many, many times over the years. But I don’t think I had seen it from start to finish in a while, so it was good to catch it on TV last night – as one does. I think I have always been a fan – it’s a wonderfully laid out story with real-life cartoonish elements and typical Christmas feel-good fodder. The atmosphere is a good reflection of what I’ve come to expect as Christmas sentiment, only to be let down by global warming and diminishing December snowfall. A lot of elements come together, but it’s the casting that has ensured Home Alone to be a staple of the holidays. In no small part, I would say, thanks to Catherine O’Hara, who so exceptionally embodies the anxiety of being a good parent. Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern make a great couple as well, John Candy’s minor role adds to the fun, and, of course, Macaulay Culkin is just adorable. Add to that some iconic scenes of mischief and you’ve got yourself a real treat. The only bummer to watching HA today is realizing how many years have passed – and kind of wondering what this movie means to younger generations. 8
Juror #2 (2024): Nonagenarians directing movies isn’t a first, but it’s always a mind-boggling feat. This is not Clint Eastwood’s most impressive work, but it’s still an engaging story, rife for discussion. With a well-rounded cast, including Nicholas Hoult, Toni Collette, JK Simmons, Zoey Deutch or Kiefer Sutherland, Juror #2 plays on the 12 Angry Men set-up: can a hold-out convince a jury of its peers to change their opinion? The twist is that the juror has ulterior motives. It’s a cool enough idea and the movie goes by quickly, but does stretch your disbelief. Ultimately it doesn’t do anything brave, posing moral questions for which it duly offers moralistic answers about definitive rights and wrongs. When it waltzes in moral relativism, it is most exciting, so that’s what I want to take away from it. 7
Half-Life 2: 20th Anniversary Documentary (2024): Following up on last year’s HL1 documentary, Valve go around the table once more to tell the making of its sequel. In many ways, HL2 is the perfect sequel, by taking Gordon Freeman and placing him in a universe that’s more grand, more complex and more (dystopian-y) relatable. But as this documentary points out, nothing was a given, the creation of the game world was unpredictable and took a while to shape up to what we know it as now. I think this is generally a better documentary than last year’s, as it frames the technical discussions and constraints in the wider context of game development. It is helped by some of the behind-the-scenes drama that took place, like the lawsuit with Valve’s distributor Vivendi, or the hack and leak of the unfinished game. What I would really like to see is a proper documentary on the rise of Steam, ideally done by a third party. 7
Jimmy O. Yang: Good Deal (2020): I had seen bits of this on various social platforms and thought the material was very amusing. That’s an uncommon occurrence if you’ve followed my other recent reviews on stand-ups. Watching the whole show was just as satisfying, with Jimmy providing the kind of presence and humor that doesn’t try to be grand. Instead, it hones itself on classic Asian tropes and embraces them in a combative and self-deprecating way. It’s what makes Good Deal a pretty good time. 7
Sweethearts (2024): Using the familiar romcom template and tropes, Sweethearts tells of two bffs who decide they need to break up with their partners after going to college. The first part of the movie is surprisingly witty and entertaining, but once our leads return to their homes in Ohio, we embark on a “we just missed them” trip which isn’t as fun. There’s also a coming out story involved, which I thought was wholesome enough to distract from how much it was needed to fill the second half of the movie. The movie ultimately poses an age old question, can men and women be best friends without becoming lovers? I don’t think I agree with its conclusion, which ultimately tips an almost-cute-enough flick to just-about-not-cute-enough. 5
tributary stu 