CREDIT: NEON

Heading into the Christmas break, it seemed like I had a lot more new movies to catch up on than usual. Or maybe it was actually a normal amount, and I was just cataloging my filmgoing plans a little more closely than I typically do. Either way, it took me about a month, but I’ve finally checked off everything that was on my to-watch list. So let’s run down some quick thoughts on all of them!

Ferrari

Starring: Adam Driver, Penélope Cruz, Shailene Woodley, Sarah Gadon, Gabriel Leone, Jack O’Connell, Patrick Dempsey, Giuseppe Festinese

Director: Michael Mann

Running Time: 124 Minutes

Rating: R

Release Date: December 25, 2023 (Theaters)

CREDIT: Laurie Sparham/© 2023 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc. All Rights Reserved.

The Boys in the Boat

Starring: Callum Turner, Joel Edgerton, Hadley Robinson, James Wolk, Jack Mulhern, Sam Strike, Alec Newman, Peter Guinness, Luke Slattery, Thomas Elms, Tom Varey, Bruce Herbelin-Earle, Will Coban, Courtney Henggeler, Chris Diamantopoulos

Director: George Clooney

Running Time: 124 Minutes

Rating: PG-13

Release Date: December 25, 2023 (Theaters)

CREDIT: Walt Disney Animation Studios/Screenshot

Wish

Starring: Ariana DeBose, Chris Pine, Alan Tudyk, Angelique Cabral, Victor Garber, Natasha Rothwell, Jennifer Kumiyama, Harvey Guillén, Niko Vargas, Evan Peters, Ramy Youssef, Jon Rudnitsky, Della Saba

Directors: Chris Buck and Fawn Veerasunthorn

Running Time: 95 Minutes

Rating: PG

Release Date: November 22, 2023 (Theaters)

CREDIT: Brian Roedel/A24

The Iron Claw

Starring: Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White, Holt McCallany, Lily James, Harris Dickinson, Maura Tierney, Stanley Simons

Director: Sean Durkin

Running Time: 132 Minutes

Rating: R

Release Date: December 22, 2023 (Theaters)

CREDIT: Warner Bros. Pictures/Screenshot

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom

Starring: Jason Momoa, Patrick Wilson, Amber Heard, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Randall Park, Nicole Kidman, Dolph Lundgren, Temuera Morrison, Martin Short

Director: James Wan

Running Time: 124 Minutes

Rating: PG-13

Release Date: December 22, 2023 (Theaters)

CREDIT: SearchlightPictures/Screenshot

All of Us Strangers

Starring: Andrew Scott, Paul Mescal, Jamie Bell, Claire Foy

Director: Andrew Haigh

Running Time: 106 Minutes

Rating: R

Release Date: December 22, 2023 (Theaters)

CREDIT: Warner Bros. Pictures/Screenshot

Wonka

Starring: Timothée Chalamet, Calah Lane, Keegan-Michael Key, Paterson Joseph, Matt Lucas, Mathew Baynton, Olivia Colman, Sally Hawins, Rowan Atkinson, Jim Carter, Natasha Rothwell, Hugh Grant, Rich Fulcher, Rakhee Thakrar, Tom Davis, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, Simon Farnaby, Charlotte Ritchie, Ellie White, Freya Parker, Sophie Winkleman, Murray McArthur, Tracy Ifeachor, Isy Suttie, Phil Wang, Tim FitzHigham

Director: Paul King

Running Time: 116 Minutes

Rating: PG

Release Date: December 15, 2023 (Theaters)

First off, I managed to fit in Ferrari on New Year’s Day. One thing that was at the top of my mind while watching was why it could only muster a B Cinemascore when it seemed like a pretty straightforward biopic (at least by Michael Mann standards). Then that accident scene at the end happened, and I was like, “Oh. I don’t think the audience was prepared for that.” I certainly wasn’t. Viscerally unforgettable!

Then I managed to catch The Boys in the Boat, and guess what? They were most definitely in that boat! I’m now looking forward to the next Olympic rowing competition with a whole new degree of appreciation.

Wish had been getting some strikingly negative reviews by Disney Animation standards, but those harsh takes actually made me more excited to go see it. Ultimately, though, I didn’t find it to be quite as outrageous as the anti-hype made it out to be. It still held my attention, though.

As for The Iron Claw, the warnings were telling me that this one would be terribly sad. And it certainly was filled with plenty of tragedy, but I wasn’t prepared for how uplifting it felt by the end as it managed to move on from all that devastation.

My time with Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is most notable for how it was my first time seeing a movie in 4DX, in which the seats shake and vibrate, and vents spritz us with air and water. I think it would have been more enjoyable as a summer movie outing, but even on one of the coldest nights of the year, it was quite invigorating and massaging.

All of Us Strangers wasn’t initially on my year-end must-see list, but it soon became clear that I needed to add it. And thank God I did. When Adam (Andrew Scott) encountered his long-dead parents as somehow inexplicably alive, I started blubbering pretty much immediately. I’m a sucker for any movie that features messages from loved ones from beyond the grave, and All of Us Strangers might just be the pinnacle of this category.

And finally, I dove into the sugary abyss for some fun with Wonka. It was a surprisingly stressful viewing experience, as the chocolate cartel did not hold back in their anti-competitive tactics. Despite those terrifying turns, we could all use a heaping helping of Wonka in our lives.

Grades:
Ferrari: Vroom Vroom Good
The Boys in the Boat: A Pocketful of Gold
Wish: More of a Want Than a Wish
The Iron Claw: Hold On, Don’t Claw, to the People You Love
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom: A Little Too Fishy
All of Us Strangers: 4 Loved Ones out of 4 Strangers
Wonka: 11 Sugar Rushes out of 16 Cease and Desists