Thighs Wide Shut

Being a father has given me so much. Although for the first few years of this incredible duty and journey, it robbed me of my once great passion of seeing movies. Alas, I pushed movie-going on my daughter about as early as I could, and now she’s beyond game to go, although we’re not quite ready for a repertory screening of A Clockwork Orange quite yet. I was able to see over ten new movies in 2024, which means I can finally create a list of the “best” that I saw. Enjoy!

10. Harold and The Purple Crayon

This movie made a major mistake by not being a fully animated one, and thus robbing us of the wonder of Harold drawing his way in and out of trouble. Still, Zachary Levi brings a winning goofiness as the boy leaping off the page, who ultimately has to deal with a deliciously devious Jemaine Clement.

9. Alien: Romulus

Rare movie seen without my kid, and not sure how this was the one I choose, but I enjoyed it for what it was, essentially a typical Alien movie where humans never stood a chance. What I particularly liked about this one was seeing Ian Holm’s face again, and the wild facial expressions being expressly expressed by actor David Jonsson.

8. Moana 2

It was basically Moana 1 all over again, although somehow Moana quadrupled the amount of facial expressions she made in the first movie, and somehow tried to outdo Alien: Romulus’ David Jonsson’s manic facial expressions. The highlight of this movie were the songs, and I’m always happy to ask Alexa to play the Rock’s killer track, “Can I Get A Chee Hoo?” A Moana 3 is a no-brainer to happen, but how can they come up with something new when it will probably just be another sea journey to fight some gigantic sea monster? It’s like Harry Potter all over again.

7. Inside Out 2

The writers of the Inside Out movies are so fcuking clever. They really are. All the mind games and brainy puns to use, coupled with excellent voice work of Amy Poehler as Joy trying to tame the insanity of Maya Hawke’s Anxiety. This movie actually ended up being a little too stressful to watch for the whole family, and I’m not sure I believe that Riley would EVER break into her coach’s office. Again, a third installment is a no-brainer, but I’m starting to grow a little tired of the mainly darkened insides of Riley’s mind. Perhaps Joy can spread her wings by escaping into the outside world? Btw — my kid told me I had to go as Embarrassment for Halloween, joining her as Joy, and the Mrs as Disgust.

6. Flow

Might I interest you in a Latvian-animated film with no words? There are almost no words to describe this epic journey of a movie that finds a cat awash in problems, and banding together with other animals to stay afloat. The animation is a bit different than were accustomed to, but the story’s strength of camaraderie for survival has real heart to it. I guess there WERE words to describe it.

5. Mufasa

I think they already made a “live-action” Lion King movie already, and if they did I didn’t see it. I did see Mufasa, and after doing so, it’s easy to say that this is how you make an excellent prequel to a beloved movie. If only George Lucas could have found such depth, adventure, and fun when creating his “Star Wars” prequels. Mufasa is a visual splendor, with the animals’ faces capturing both animal-like motions, and human-like talking and emotions. I just wonder, is anything I saw on screen actually real, or essentially a cartoon made by a computer made to look real. 🤷‍♂️

4. My Penguin Friend

Although he had played assassins in the last, Jean Reno always give them a sympathetic heart that turned into the pulse of the movie. In this movie, he has a broken heart and it’s mended by a lost penguin that takes refuge in his and his wife’s rustic beachy home. The penguin eventually migrates each year, but comes back to visit Reno’s again and again. This movie hit the sweet spot, and is made even better by the fact that it’s based on a too good to be true story!

3. Robot Dreams

It’s the 80s, and a lonely dog finds companionship with a mail-order robot. While some hilarity ensues between the two, a lot of touching melancholy fills the rest of this cartoon’s space in just a super wonderful movie to behold. Like Flow, this one skimps on dialogue, but more than makes up for it by speaking to the viewer emotionally.

2. Wicked

I had never seen the musical “Wicked,” so had zero attachment to it before settling in for 2 hours 45 minutes. Even after laughing at the dumbness of the school being called Shiz University, I was completely captivated by this expanded world of Oz from start to finish. Cynthia Ervo brings real pathos (I hate that word, but alas) to her outcast Elphaba character, but the real star of this is Ariana Grande’s Glinda. The screen loves her, as she gives it her all in every scene, as she acts and sings her guts out, while running and dancing around each magical set. Can’t wait for Wicked 2!

1. Piece by Piece

Lego movies are easy home runs because they contain Legos, and their storytelling possibilities are endless. Telling the story of multi-hyphenate Pharrell Williams’ life in the form of Lego bricks, with help from director Morgan Neville, was not only a stroke of genius, but the greatest movie going experience I engaged in for all of 2024. My kid loved it so much, particularly the McDonald’s sequence, that we saw it twice in theaters. My favorite part — a Lego recreation of the music video for Wreckx-n-Effect’s “Rump Shaker.” Never in my life’s wildest imagination would I ever believe the bikini-clad woman playing a sax on the beach would have ever been Lego-sized. Bless you “Piece by Piece.” Also, the soundtrack is A++++++

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Other thoughts — although it was nice to see the band back together, a second “Beetlejuice” proved unnecessary. Why did they have to suck the life out of Winona’s Lydia Deetz’ character? She was the pulse of the original, and they flatlined her. My daughter prefers the Steve Carell version of “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” from “Despicable Me 4” over the Tears For Fears original. I may actually prefer Jack Black’s “Hit Me Baby (One More Time)” from “Kung Fu Panda 4” over Britney’s original. I give Joe Krysydyzelskkki credit for letting the ideas run rampant in his imaginary friend “IF” flick, but how family friendly is a movie if one parent is dead and the other on their way to being dead? Nice try Jim.

And the worst movie I saw in theaters in 2024 is “Gracie & Pedro: Pets to the Rescue!” While the dog mildly resembled house favorite Skye from Paw Patrol, this movie was a fcuking eyesore. It made the animation in the Dire Straits video for “Money For Nothing” look like Vincent Van Gogh if he ran Pixar. The abso worst!

One final note — blessed to call NY home for so many reasons, and one I’ve always loved is the amount of movie theaters showing repertory screenings. Where else could my daughter see such old delights on the big screen like Sleeping Beauty, Bambi, Aladdin, The Rescuers Down Under, and An American Tail: Fievel Goes West

32nd Annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
Barclays Center
April 7th

There have been 32 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremonies, and I’ve sadly only attended three of them.  For a long time, they weren’t open to the public, and were held in either Cleveland or the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel only for industry people  

As soon as they did open them to the public, and in my neck of the woods – starting with the 2014 show – I HAD to be there.  Somehow the demand wasn’t as high with the 2016 show (guess Cheap Trick as a headliner didn’t do the trick), and I somehow snagged a pair of tickets for a paltry $26.06!!!

For the 2017 show, I knew that that would not be the case, with Pearl Jam and Journey getting in, who both have strong fan bases that would just have to be there.  I had to be there too, no matter what.  I’d go even if the inductees were the now eligible Spin Doctors, EMF, Letters To Cleo, Color Me Badd, and Right Said Fred!!  (come to think of it – I’d actually love to see a concert of all those bands together!!!)

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E.L.O.

Last year’s show led off with a David Bowie tribute, and so of course an obvious Chuck Berry one was due this year, and of course, the obvious choice to kick things off was E.L.O. and their outer-spaced out version of his ‘Roll Over Beethoven’, and of course, that is what happened, and of course it rocked.  I know it would, having been lucky enough to see Mr Jeff Lynne and his orchestra do that song + ‘Evil Woman’ and ‘Mr Blue Sky’ this past September, like he totally rocked them again this night  

E.L.O. is a well deserved entry into the Hall, although I strongly feel that Lynne’s other project – The Traveling Wilburys – deserve a place there too.  Mainly cause I want him to reunite with Dylan and Petty (and maybe get George Harrison’s son Dhani, who inducted E.L.O., plus someone else to stand in for Roy Orbison) and play the songs they NEVER toured, EVER

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Joan Baez

I know Joan Baez, but if you asked me to name her 5 most famous songs, I’d probably not even get to 2.  Yikes, but I know she’s important, and while not the most rockiniest choice for the Hall, a vital one nonetheless.  And with today’s politically charged climate (although seriously, what day and age’s climate is NOT politically charged), Joan brought a taste of injustice and protest from times past to the present, playing ‘Swing Low, Sweet Chariot’ + brought out Mary Chapin Carpenter and The Indigo Girls to strum ‘Deportee (Plane Wreck at Los Gatos)’ and ‘The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down’.  I’m all for her making a statement, but I would have preferred a little more rockin – like her cover of ‘House of The Rising Sun’ (if you can call that ‘rockin’)

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Yes

One of THE best things about the Rock Hall inductions is the once in a lifetime reunions AND collaborations, and the band Yes, gave both of those an emphatic YES!!!  The band has had many many many formations in its history, and currently tour the world in two different factions, but on this night, they didn’t come from a place of ‘no’, and all came together to say ‘yes’ to Yes!!!  And superfan Geddy Lee (and Rush bandmater Alex Lifeson) as the inductor, not only had high praise for the group, but filled in admirably for the departed Chris Squire on ‘Roundabout’.  The long song only allowed for a second tune, the 80s staple ‘Owner of a Lonely Heart’

https://www.instagram.com/p/BSnF4W0jQfi/

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Tupac

You’d think that a posthumous induction would not be all that great, but you’d be DEAD wrong.  Poor wording, but totally true.  The Kurt-less Nirvava performance was one of the most bestest things I have ever witnessed, musically.  When Linda Ronstadt (who is not dead) missed her induction 3 years ago, the performance put on in her honor was udderly fantastic.  Same was true for Tupac’s big night.  I missed the Snoop Dog speech while taking an extended wizz, and didn’t really know all the songs in the medley, but what a medley it was…

Ambitionz az a Ridah / I Get Around / I Ain’t Mad at Cha / Dear Mama / Changes (see below) / 2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted / Gangsta Party / Hail Mary / Keep Ya Head Up

all with the help of Alicia Keys, YG, TI, Treach from Naughty By Nature, and of course the Snoop man himself!

No hologram needed – as 2Pac’s music brought him back to life!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BSnJNQIjcOY/

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Journey

The night’s most memorable moment was the one that didn’t happen.  Steve Perry joined his former bandmates on stage for a heartfelt reunion that didn’t continue into the post-speech performances, leaving everyone VERY happy to see him, but VERY sad that we didn’t really get to hear him (sing)

Steve Perry can do whatever Steve Perry wants to do.  If he wants to accept an award and not play with Journey ever again, that’s his choice, but in choosing to not perform (perhaps for the last time and chance ever to do so… but never say ever), he denied the audience, the fans, and humanity the opportunity to witness perhaps THE music moment of the decade  

It may be time to stop believing in a Steve Perry reunion, but with current frontman Arnel Pineda perfectly imitating his chops, there’s plenty to lick and believe in here.  Pineda & co rocked the arena and our world with ‘Separate Ways (Worlds Apart), ‘Lights’ and ‘Don’t Stop Believin’

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Pharrell Williams then inducted Nile Rodgers with the Award For Musical Excellence, but sadly Daft Punk did not show up to make us all ‘Get Lucky’

this was followed to a nice, but not anything super special Lenny Kravitz tribute to Prince, featuring ‘When Doves Cry’ and ‘The Cross’.  Prince should never not be memorialized and honored, but I feel a little Prince-tributed out.  Maybe they could have done a nice Leonard Cohen tribute, and have all the 1284384288424842 people who have covered ‘Hallelujah’ play it all together as one

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Pearl Jam

Save the best for last, and Pearl Jam did, bringing up the rear for this show.  While Neil Young called in sick, David Letterman came out of hiding and brought well needed non-musician humor and heart (and beard) to the proceedings 

Another lovely moment was the appearance and reunion with their original drummer Dave Krusen, who sit in with the band for ‘Alive’, for the first time since he departed the group in 1991(!!!!!)!  Personally, I would have let the group play Ten in its entirety, but they chose to sprinkle in other works, like ‘Given to Fly’ and ‘Better Man’  

The only other moment that would have been super epic, was the show’s all-star jam closing number ‘Rockin’ in the Free World’.  The jam WAS super epic, but without Neil Young, it was a little less super-y epic-er than it could have been.  But who cares!!!  When George Harrison’s son is jamming with Geddy Lee, Eddie Vedder, Jonathan Cain and Neal Schon of Journey, and Trevor Rabin of Yes, you’ll take that over not taking that.  TAKE THAT!!  I will, thanks!  

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Keep these shows a coming and a rocking Rock Hall, and especially to Brooklyn! and with more capes!!!!