{"id":2366,"date":"2025-05-03T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-05-03T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/?p=2366"},"modified":"2025-05-03T04:13:44","modified_gmt":"2025-05-03T04:13:44","slug":"movies-with-the-doomsayer-december-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/index.php\/2025\/05\/03\/movies-with-the-doomsayer-december-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"Movies with the Doomsayer – December 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Here are the movies I saw in December 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Bonhoeffer: Pastor.\u00a0 Spy.\u00a0 Assassin<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

MY LOYAL FOLLOWERS!!!\u00a0 LEND ME YOUR EARS!!!\u00a0 For I, the Video Game Doomsayer, have a simple policy.\u00a0 I recognize that I have the luxury to watch and play whatever medium I fancy.\u00a0 Since most of my day consist of standing atop my soapbox screaming at the sky, I am free to spend the rest of my time as I see fit.\u00a0 So when a fellow vagabond asks me to accompany them to a film, I often let them pick the movie.\u00a0 This time, the old nomad had been diving into World War II history and the film Bonhoeffer: Pastor.\u00a0 Spy.\u00a0 Assassin <\/em>caught his attention.\u00a0 If only I knew what I was signing up for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the time that Angel Studio logo flashed onto the big screen, I knew it was too late.\u00a0 For those who haven\u2019t heard of the studio, Angel Studio, is a Mormon-based media company, focus on flooding theaters with films leaning toward traditional Christian themes.\u00a0 They are the studio responsible for The Sound of Freedom,<\/em> the film about the Homeland Security Investigator who rescues kids for child trafficking gangs.\u00a0 While the film is competently made and had some characters I enjoyed following, it conveniently leaves out all the sexual misconduct allegations that have been levied against the agent.\u00a0 Impartial, they are not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So is Bonhoeffer: Pastor.\u00a0 Spy.\u00a0 Assassin <\/em>a film worthy of your time?\u00a0 The only word that can come to mind is fine; which is reviewer speak, for nothing is wrong, but I don\u2019t wish to watch it again.\u00a0 The film follows Dietrich Bonhoeffer as he becomes a pastor during the rise of Nazi-Germany.\u00a0 The words spy and assassin in the film\u2019s title are doing some serious heavy lifting.\u00a0 Bonhoeffer\u2019s spy work consisted of lobbying the USA and England to stop Germany.\u00a0 The so-called assassination attempt included assisting in failed plans to assassinate Hitler; he wasn’t even the one with the bomb on his chest.\u00a0 While Bonhoeffer: Pastor.\u00a0 Spy.\u00a0 Assassin<\/em> is not the worst film I have seen, it is so dry you will find it challenging to not open your phone and scroll TikTok or Instagram during the film.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, what truly stings about this film, is its message that people of faith need to stand up against tyranny will certainly be lost among both its creators and its target audience.\u00a0 Some people are completely incapable of learning lessons that history can teach.\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n

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It\u2019s quite ironic.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Get Away<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fan of the Edgar Wright\u2019s Cornett Trilogy, I will forever be loyal to Wright, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost.\u00a0 If any of those three, even breathe on the set of a film, I will be first in line for that film.\u00a0 So when I catch wind of Nick Frost writing, directing and starring in a horror film, you know I had a ticket before the word got out.\u00a0 That said film was Get Away<\/em>, a film about a British family vacationing to a remote Swedish island with a history of cannibalism.\u00a0 Naturally, when the locals learn a British family is vacationing on their island, they become enraged as their history of cannibalism came to be because the British Empire quarantined their island due to a plague.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As you can imagine, the film is gearing up for Frost\u2019s family to be eaten.\u00a0 However, the film pulls a second act twist, that I won\u2019t spoil, but left me without a side to really root for.\u00a0 One could make the argument that the film is trying to be an allegory for colonialism and the damage it does to both parties.\u00a0 I certainly won\u2019t dispute that.\u00a0 However, people don\u2019t go to the movies for just moral lessons, we watch movies for the characters we choose to root for.\u00a0 By all means, you can subtly weave in deeper themes and messages into your film, but it will not matter if I am left wishing neither side had survived the conflict.\u00a0 By the end of Get Away, <\/em>when some survivors were able to walk away, all I could do was shrug in discontent.\u00a0 I am sorry, Nick Frost, I did not enjoy your film.\u00a0 Still love your performance in Hot Fuzz<\/em>, though.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Flow<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

MY LOYAL FOLLOWERS!\u00a0 I PRESENT THE ACADEMY AWARD\u2019S BEST ANIMATED FILM OF 2024: FLOW.\u00a0 <\/em>For those blissfully unaware of this film, until it was Award season, Flow<\/em> is an animated film about a black cat who has to seek refuge on a boat as the world begins to flood.\u00a0 Many will lament this film for the artistry on display when it comes to the beautiful scenery, but I believe the film\u2019s true beauty lies in its wordless narrative and character design.\u00a0 Each animal, aboard the boat, has a personality that shines through their actions.\u00a0 From the solitary and skittish cat protagonist to the overly-warm Golden Retriever who just wants to be everyone\u2019s friends to the dependable capybara who is always puts the needs of the group before himself.\u00a0 This film has put more effort into their characters than most big budget movies, AND THERE IS NOT ONE LINE OF DIALOGUE.\u00a0 If this isn\u2019t art, then I truly question if any of us know what art is.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n

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Die Hard (1988)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

HEAR YE!!!\u00a0 HEAR YE!!!\u00a0 I, the Video Game Doomsayer, must declare I have come to end the argument over whether Die Hard<\/em> deserves to be considered a Christmas film.\u00a0 I stand before you, to proclaim a Christmas film is not one that solely celebrates the holiday.\u00a0 A Christmas film is one that you and your family gather together to watch together to enjoy each other\u2019s company.\u00a0 Some might watch Elf<\/em>, like my family.\u00a0 Others might watch Die Hard<\/em>, Batman Returns<\/em> or Eyes Wide Shut.<\/em>\u00a0 As long as you are with friends and family, with cheer in your heart, any movie can be a Christmas movie.\u00a0 Die Hard<\/em> can be a Christmas movie if you want it to be.\u00a0 Ho\u2026 Ho\u2026 Ho.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Nosferatu<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

ROBERT EGGERS!!!\u00a0 PLEASE TAKE PITY ON THIS MORTAL SOUL!!!\u00a0 FOR I MUST CONFESS \u2026 I found Nosferatu<\/em> to be just fine.\u00a0 I do not long to rewatch it, in the same way I contemplate rewatching The Lighthouse<\/em> or even The Witch<\/em>.\u00a0 I dare not claim that the film is poorly written, acted, or directed; however, nothing really excited me.\u00a0 I walked into the theater expecting a moody vampire piece and got exactly that.\u00a0 There was nothing that haunts me in the same way Thomas Wake\u2019s curse does in The Lighthouse<\/em>.\u00a0 To be frank, I believe this to be due to the fact that this is merely a retelling of Nosferatu<\/em> and not in any way a new spin on a vampire tale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My loyal followers, I believe my disappointment stems from the fact, I have already seen Eggers remix witch and Lovecraft mythology into his own original films.\u00a0 To merely watch him retell the Nosferatu<\/em> tale, with a higher production value, just does not excite me.\u00a0 In an age where studios have become more obsessed with intellectual properties, directors, like Eggers, have enough weight behind their names to be able to create whatever they want.\u00a0 They are not shackled to superhero brands; surely he can find a studio willing to bankroll his original ideas.\u00a0 The same goes for Nolan too; when Wishbone has already done a perfect retelling of The Odyssey<\/em>, then it is too late to put your stamp on this ancient story.\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n

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Nosferatu is fine as a film, I just expect more from Eggers.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n

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Wicked<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another confession for you, my loyal followers, I had no doubt that the production values and the music for Wicked would be top-notch.\u00a0 What ultimately surprised me was how rich and in depth the story was.\u00a0 Initially, I was not shock to see Glinda, the Good Witch, was the obnoxious preppy rich girl that we have seen a thousand times.\u00a0 It was when she started to see Elphaba for her struggles and begin sympathizing with her that I was struck with the realization that I was watching an actual movie with character growth.\u00a0 A realization that became all too true when Glinda betrays Elphaba for selfish and cowardly reasons.\u00a0 I am sure the theater kids in the back will point out that this story has been fine-tuned to a mirror shine on Broadway.\u00a0 For me, I care not, where the inspiration for a good movie comes from, just that what I see on the screen makes me feel something.\u00a0 Bonhoeffer, Get Away <\/em>and Nosferatu <\/em>all failed to do so, yet Wicked <\/em>has me cracking a smile whenever I think about it.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Also, I appreciate that the film does not feel the need to end on a desperate cliffhanger to guarantee we come back for the sequel.\u00a0 Cough, cough, Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse,<\/em> cough.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Edward Scissorhands (1990)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I struggle to find words to describe Edward Scissorhands.<\/em>\u00a0 Not because I think it is a bad film; on the contrary, I had a good time with this Tim Burton classic.\u00a0 Yet that is the issue.\u00a0 I feel as though if you have seen any Tim Burton movie, then you will be quite familiar with this film.\u00a0 Eccentric characters, macabre aesthetic clashing against normality, questions of identity, and many more Burton tropes are on full display.\u00a0 Your Tim Burton bingo cards will be filled out by the first act alone.\u00a0 Again, this doesn\u2019t make Edward Scissorhands<\/em> a bad film.\u00a0 I sympathized with Edward in this strange suburban world.\u00a0 I cheered for Peg, when she sudo-adopts Edward, partly because she feels she\u2019s an outcast in her own suburbia clich\u00e9.\u00a0 Edward Scissorhands<\/em> does exactly what is says on the tin, and frankly, it doesn\u2019t need to be more than that.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n

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Destroy All Neighbors<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

GATHER ROUND, FANS OF COMEDY HORROR!!!\u00a0 FOR, I HAVE A TREAT FOR YOU!!!\u00a0 I present Destroy All Neighbors<\/em>, a movie best described as Poe\u2019s The Tell-Tale Heart<\/em> meets I Love You Man.<\/em>\u00a0 The film revolves around William, a prog-rock musician, struggling to complete his magnum opus prog-rock album, when an obnoxious neighbor, Vlad, moves in next door.\u00a0 In an attempt to make peace with Vlad, Will goes to his apartment, accidentally kills him, and begins to be haunted by Vlad\u2019s disembodied head.\u00a0 The film leans into the wacky and bloody nature that comedy horrors are known for, but also has that quirkiness that prog-rock fans have culminated over the years.\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n

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Whether you love comedy horrors or are obsessed with the obscurest of prog rock, I think you will find Destroy All Neighbors<\/em> to be a prefect blend of freaky and funny.<\/p>\n\n\n

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You\u2019ll Never Find Me<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

MY LOYAL FOLLOWERS!!!\u00a0 Do you know why I love Silent Hill<\/em>, specifically Silent Hill 2<\/em>?\u00a0 Art should always be holding a mirror to remind us of the monster looking back at us.\u00a0 Works like Silent Hill 2<\/em> and more recently, Mouthwashing, <\/em>remind us all that we have the capability to become the most vile, selfish versions of ourselves.\u00a0 You\u2019ll Never Find Me<\/em> subscribes to this philosophy as well.\u00a0 The film is about Patrick, just a guy living in his humble mobile home.\u00a0 On the eve of a violent thunderstorm, a woman knocks on his door.\u00a0 He graciously lets her into his dark cramped home despite the tension between the two.\u00a0 Be warned, You\u2019ll Never Find Me <\/em>could be considered by many to be a slow burner; it\u2019s careful to not give too much of itself away until the explosive final minutes.\u00a0 Much like Mouthwashing<\/em>, I urge you to go into You\u2019ll Never Find Me<\/em> as blind as you can.\u00a0 I promise it is worth the expense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Here are the movies I saw in December 2024.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2367,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2366","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-opinion","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2366","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2366"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2366\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2382,"href":"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2366\/revisions\/2382"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2367"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2366"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2366"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2366"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}