Alex's Weekly Blog – 24th October

As you may have gathered, I rather like sitting in a dark room watching films on the big screen. In an increasingly noisy world, full of malign energy and horrible news,

It's my little two-hour window of escapism (although I love a good 90-minute film, as so many are longer than necessary nowadays).Although I’m pretty sure audience numbers haven’t got back to pre-Covid levels, there have been some pretty decent blockbusters so far this year at the box office. Animation has been an important ingredient, as a new list of 2024’s biggest films so far shows. How many of these have you watched? My score is 90 per cent!

1. Inside Out 2 – a coming-of-age sequel produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures, its voice stars include Amy Poehler, Phyllis Smith, Kyle MacLachlan, Maya Hawke and Kensington Tallman. There are some new emotions to join the party, and it delves in a really clever way into the complexity of the human mind. I particularly rated the depiction of anxiety and panic attacks. On the basis of this sequel’s success, I wouldn’t bet against there being a third movie.

2. Deadpool & Wolverine – my nephew really wants to watch this, but is unfortunately a little young for its 15 certificate (which it definitely earns from the opening scene). According to the British Board of Film Classification, it contains “strong crude humour and bloodbath fight scenes, but with a relentlessly comic tone that seldom darkens”. I can’t argue with that assessment! We watched it in 3D, which I hadn’t realised was still a thing, as IMAX and 4DX seem to have taken over. The glasses are pretty stylish, and now live in my kitchen drawer in case needed. I liked the self-aware digs at superhero movies, and the running time for this zipped by. Very watchable.

3. Despicable Me 4 – another sequel, and while this doesn’t break any moulds, I especially liked the minion that took up residence inside a vending machine. If you’ve seen any of the others, you’ll know what to expect, but it’s still great fun.

4. Dune, Part Two – the only one on the list I haven’t seen. Full confession – I fell asleep watching the first one. I remember it contained a lot of sand, and went on for quite a long time. Critics seemed to love this sequel, so maybe I need to go back and watch the first one again with a large coffee.

5. Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice – the penultimate sequel in our Top Ten, and this was a long time coming, around three and a half decades after the last one. I’d have liked a few more zingers from Michael Keaton, but it was a great nostalgia ride.

6. It Ends With Us – critics were lukewarm, but I liked this. I haven’t read the book which has taken the world by storm, but Blake Lively is excellent as florist Lily Bloom. The domestic violence storyline is handled sensitively, and I can imagine the book being a good read.

7. Wonka – I’ve watched this one twice on the big screen, and thought it was magical. Far better than the Johnny Depp effort, and as enjoyable as a red Bounty used to be before they were axed.

8. Kung Fu Panda 4 – I don’t think I’ve seen any of the other films, but this raised a few smiles. It was fairly forgettable though, a bit like a microwaved bao bun.

9. Migration – Until I watched The Wild Robot this week, I’d have said this was one of the most beautiful animations I’ve seen in a while. It does still look stunning, but the storyline is somewhat wafer thin. Fine for the little ones if you’re looking for a decent streaming option this half term.

10. Bob Marley: One Love. I really didn’t rate this. Sorry. It felt like a really interesting story told in a dull way, and just didn’t grip me in the way I thought it would.

Interestingly, none of these films make my Top 10 of the year so far, but I’ll be keeping that back until the festive season. I have high hopes for Red One, the festive caper starring The Rock and Chris Evans coming out on November 6. I’m a sucker for an early Christmas film. Let me know your favourite so far in 2024.