The blog of Logan Tyler Smith

 I haven’t seen as many movies as I have in the past few years but I have a long list to get through. Until then, here are my current five favorites of 2024. 5. Dune Part 2: Dune Part Two manages to continue the story from the first movie in all the right ways. It also doubles down on the mix of different special effects types and driven themes that make the new(ish*) series worthwhile. 4. Furiosa: a Mad Max Saga: it very nearly matched the energy of Mad Max Fury Road…nearly. But that energy is absolutely worthwhile and shines in every seen. Director George Miller has done it again. 3. Challengers: it has by far the best new film score I’ve listened to in a while. Composers Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross absolutely kill it. The score and performances elevate what may be a pretty slight movie otherwise. Love it! 2. Maxxine: it may not appeal to traditionalists, but it doesn’t need to. X (2022) was also really good and sadly? I still need to see Pearl (2022). Maybe I’ll give you a ranking

  In Gray’s Anatomy, a man named Spalding Gray monologues about his medical mishaps for a really long time. As he describes his journey, he showcases his neuroses and fears along the way. Gray’s Anatomy is not a typical film: a man monologues to the camera for a few hours while some visual choices are made around him to add to the story. This may not appeal to everyone, but it’s anchored by the fact that the main character is a truly impressive speaker.  Gray speaks coherently and engagingly for the whole movie, which is hard to come to terms with considering it’s pretty much all him talking. He tells the story with enthusiasm and wit, rarely ever relenting to make sure we are entertained.  The visual choices made around him (some through editing, some through lighting) truly add to this storytelling and makes it more engaging. However, there is an argument to be made that this could be distracting to some people who just want to hear him talk.  It is not a typical film by any stretch

 In Sex Drive, a young virgin steals his brothers car to meet a girl he met online who may give him sex. However, he learns so much about himself along the way it may not inevitably be worth it.  Some standout performances aside, the film is not especially interesting. Even compared to some other teen comedies around the same time and since the 90s, the teen movie sub genre had apparently reached a breaking point long before Sex Drive.  While it’s hard to know the exact cutoff, Sex Drive’s lacking originality and sub-par humor (barring some funny moments here and there) do not do it any favors. The film feels like it’s trying way to hard to be funny, and it can be at worst insufferable.  There are some standout performances that come out of no where though (Seth Green as a sarcastic Amish man comes to mind). Ironically, they seem completely out of place in a movie of this mediocre caliber.  If you like teen comedies regardless of originality or humor, chances are you may actually enjoy

 In Fast Times at Ridgemont High, a series of interconnected stories among high schoolers stand out. All of them have a goal that may prove trivial in their larger life stories.  Fast Times is about as funny as one can expect from the teen comedy sub genre. All the performances are on the same wavelength: from Sean Penn as the stoner to Jennifer Jason Leigh as the young high schooler navigating her sexuality.  While some aspects are dated, it’s no doubt the character-centric humor anchors the whole thing. Even the most ridiculous ideas (like the scene in the baseball dugout or the pool fantasy) are grounded in the sense that you know these characters well enough to know that’s how they think and act.  That being said, your mileage may vary on how much you’re willing to put up with sexually or in terms of crudeness. While it is not AS crude as some of its later imitators (American Pie comes to mind) it still isn’t for everyone.  Basically, if you like John Hughes teen movies, you may lo

 In the food, a group of prison guards and prisoners are at the center of a gigantic flood. As they try to navigate that, a horde of monstrous alligators comes after all of them.  The gore and camp are among the best parts of this horror movie. Unfortunately, nothing else about the film works any wonders on me or its intended audience audience.  The CGI alligators look ugly as opposed to scary, and I doubt I’d ever understand the choice to have the alligators lean into the uncanny valley of bayou animals, This isn’t helped by a cast of characters that is undercooked and reductive at best.  None of the performances (even the most sympathetic one; Starship Troopers veteran [pun partially intended] Casper Van Dien) are on an effective wavelength; clearly it had to be a paycheck job if anything at all. This also isn’t helped by a script that does none of these ragtag characters (not even the Sheriff, who should be the center of the movie) any justice.  This movie wasn’t very effective for

 In The Hunt, political dissidents are hunted by powerful elites. One of the dissidents stands out and tries to unravel this dangerous conspiracy.  I’ll be honest, this is one of the most politically confused movies I have ever seen. It seems to side with conservative dissidents (who are, in some ways the heroes of the movie) as opposed to the incompetent and over-priveleged (in the movie’s mind, liberal) elites. However, considering the movies framing of violence as necessary in this already frightful divide, and if you do ANY level of research outside of the movie, it will fall flat on anyone with a sense of reason.  It’s easy to think conservatives and morons will enjoy this movie (I know some regrettable people who might) but for anyone with half a brain? You’re better off watching The Hunger Games than this. I much prefer movies that know they’re dumb and are dumb then movies that think they’re smart and are dumb.  Ultimately this is a matter of political opinion. If you like this