#09: Pinocchio (1940)

Every few years or so, it seems that we get a metric ton of movies based on one particular fairy tale or classic story. We got a bunch of Robin Hood movies a few times, a bunch of Snow White movies, Cinderella is another example. I guess given that the material is often timeless and in the public domain you get these weird years of just a bunch of movies based on one story. And boy, was 2022 the case for Pinocchio for some reason. From that weird direct to video one with Pauly Shore as the voice in the English dub, to Guillermo Del Toro's take, to Disney pulling another of its classic films out to dance for money. 2022 was the weird Pinocchio year. I'll likely get to some of those, but for now it's time to continue my run through the Disney animated films. Started this blog with Snow White, so stands to reason we continue with Disney's second animated masterpiece. How does the original Pinocchio hold up?

#08: The Princess Bride (1987)

 

I've said before that the main reason for this blog was to finally give me the motivation to watch the movies I've wanted to watch but didn't put in the energy to actually watch. I don't think any one movie so far fits that description better than The Princess Bride. A movie that has always been within my radar, but for one reason or the other, I've never put in the effort to actually sit down and watch. I think it boils down to just being my ADHD and focus more on video games and other media. Because I knew that it would be a movie I'd love when I finally watched it. And, lo and behold, after finally watching it, I hate it.

...I hate it that I waited so long to finally watch it because yep, that may be one of my favorite movies ever. 

#07: Max Headroom: 20 Minutes Into the Future (1985)

 

We're in this current timeline where, seemingly now more than ever, there's been a focus on artificial intelligence. Mostly through art, which of course is mostly theft, which I've been trying not to support. It seems like we're in this weird push for and against AI as a replacement for human effort. So, of course with a lot of this happening just as I'm about to start a blog, of course I could use this to my advantage. And my choice was to go with probably one of the best examples of the "AI" future, involving one of the more bizarre creations from the 1980s. Let's talk about Max Headroom: 20 Minutes Into the Future.

#06: The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland (1999)

Last time on the blog, I covered Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird. From 1985, it was Sesame Street's first attempt at a big theatrical film. And while it was well received, it underwhelmed at the box office. Yet despite that, it still holds up as an excellent piece of Sesame Street history and as a good film in its own right. I call it a pivotal piece of Sesame Street's best era. Is that fair to say though? What about the 90s? Was that a good era for Sesame Street? Yes, and kind of no? Because by the end of the decade, the show went from the show with Big Bird to the Elmo show. Elmo, the furry red monster who started as an extra Muppet before becoming a staple character, gained increased popularity throughout the 90s. And in 1996, one could say that led to the most defining era of Elmo and the harbinger of things to come. Three words that bring forth the trauma of parents who survived the Black Fridays of the 90s. 

Tickle. Me. Elmo. 

#05: Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird (1985)

So this one is kind of a cheat in that it's not a movie I just finished watching, as are the cases for most of the movies I cover here. I actually watched this a month ago on a whim. Mostly because it kind of fascinates me. Granted, being 38 and watching a Sesame Street movie seems weird, but I think given the era of this movie, especially with me not even being a whole year old when it came out, I think it's more than fair to cover this movie. And my real consensus is: I really love this movie. A movie based around Sesame Street. A movie based on Big Bird. In what could be considered the best era for Sesame Street. 

#04: Toys (1992)

God I miss Robin Williams.

I think when it comes to talking about 1992's Toys, the first thing that needs to be expressed is that I can't believe we're almost a decade without Robin Williams. When you look back at the man's line of work, you come to realization that, regardless of the quality of the film, Williams could manage to elevate it as best he can. And that when Robin was passionate about a film and hoping for its success, you can definitely see that as well. So when you consider everything that happened around the time of the film's release and in particular his issues with Disney who betrayed his trust when it came to promoting Aladdin, yeah, I can see how he'd be upset. But, in fairness, when the best advertisement that you can make for a movie is Robin Williams screaming in a field, then maybe it always had an uphill climb. Because I think Toys is a mess of a movie. Not the worst mess ever, but one that definitely feels like it lost its plot midway through.

#03: Beavis and Butt-Head do the Universe (2022)

 

A lot of articles or talking points nowadays love to bring up the concept of how something "couldn't be made today." That modern sensibilities would outright reject the product for its dated mentality. So that's what makes Beavis and Butt-Head perhaps one of the most interesting franchises ever in that it's the anomaly. It's a franchise that, despite two decades-long hiatuses, continues to be the one franchise that surprisingly still holds up well. The 2011 series was a solid return to Mike Judge's seminal series, but was shor-lived on account of MTV and not so much the show itself. And since that cancellation, Judge has constantly tried to bring Beavis and Butt-Head back. It took until deep into the streaming age and the formation of Paramount+ to get there, but Beavis and Butt-Head are back. Both as a new series and a new movie that started that very comeback, 2022's Beavis and Butt-Head do the Universe.

Going into this blog, I guess I should start by saying that Beavis and Butt-Head is one of my favorite shows ever. Mainly on account of just how brilliantly dumb it is. Two moronic teenagers who constantly want to score but are so inept that they don't know what scoring actually is. Both their inability to score, not to mention the destruction in their wake due to just how dumb they are, makes for some brilliant comedy. Being, in its own way, a commentary on the youth of the 90s. The generation billed as the leaders of tomorrow, but ultimately are just a bunch of dumb teenagers. The original movie, 1996's Beavis and Butt-Head do America, proved that the characters' crude humor can work in a feature length film without music videos to critique. Because the duo are characters who can be placed in almost any scenario and their stupidity, libido and love of sexual jokes can carry the film. And that's very much the case with the 2022 sequel.