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2023 Movie Diary, Part 25 (and final)

73. A CHRISTMAS CAROL (1984)

This is the definitive version. You heard it here. Take it to the bank. See for yourself: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fd31WpkEi_8
Verdict: Inductee, Laurie’s Cinematic Hall of Fame.

74. SANTA CLAUS (1959)

This Mystery Science Theatre 3000 masterpiece has become a holiday staple at my house. Because there’s nothing like Santa vs. Satan on the rooftops of Mexico City to really bring the cheer!
Verdict: A holiday MUST.

75. STALKER (1979)

The pacing is glacial, the meaning unclear, but here’s something about Stalker that really gets under your skin. By the end, the immersion into this world, vivid yet vague, placid yet menacing, beautiful yet ugly…is complete, and you no longer wish to question why things are happening or what they mean. It’s enough that they do.
Verdict: Perhaps not as good as Solaris, but quite haunting, unsettling, and maybe a little…hopeful? Maybe? I don’t know.

76. GODZILLA KING OF MONSTERS (1956)

This is how I ended my year of viewing. I ask you, how could I have possibly done better? It’s Godzilla vs. Tokyo, in a foot-stomping, fire-breathing smackdown of monstrous proportions. Featuring Raymond Burr looking confused because he clearly didn’t know exactly what movie he was in. This just makes everything better.
Verdict: A great entry into the series, but others are better, and will receive the coveted Hall of Fame designation.

An Asian eatery trifecta…

Bullgogi Korean BBQ in Garden Grove…great food great value!

The immortal Seafood Cove in Garden Grove, always delicious, chaotic, and somewhat grubby.

Meet Fresh in Westminster…overpriced and impersonal, but with some nonetheless tempting desserts.

2023 Movie Diary, Part 24

70. INTERSTELLAR (2014)

Saw this once before and was kind of “meh” on it. Saw it again and liked it. Quite a lot. Yeah, the dialogue kind of bad, but its spirit is so earnest and ultimately positive, its actors so committed, the visuals so dazzling and imaginative that I can pretend some of those speeches about love and stuff never happened. Good stuff. Real go
Verdict: It overcomes.

71. MYSTERIOUS ISLAND (1961)

I remember watching this movie on TV when I was in the hospital having my tonsils out. Thank you to the makers, and especially you, Ray Harryhausen, for distracting and comforting me at what was a very scary time for a 5 year-old. Re-watching it, yeah, it’s a great kiddie flick. Lots of fun.
Verdict: Deserves to be far more loved than it is.

72. HENRY V (1989)

A wonderfully vital, entertaining, and powerful version of the Shakespeare play. Branagh was something of a wunderkind at the time and, at least as far as I’ve seen, it’s still his best work. That’s no knock on his subsequent career, which has been pretty stellar. But this film set a standard that anyone would be hard-pressed to top. His reading of the St. Crispin’s day speech (above) is thrilling.
Verdict: If you cut out the cringe-y “wooing the princess” scene at the end, this is a masterpiece. Unfortunately, that scene is there. It was not needed. At all.