Screaming 6 Times

 

          Having seen the first two films a few years back, I watched all Scream films and then went to see the new Scream 6 that just came out. Yes, these are slasher films with varying degrees of gore. But it’s also the most meta horror franchise that rose to incredible success with the original’s classic surprise twist at the end. The films both follow horror movie “rules” as well as try to put their own spin and keep things fresh to keep their fans guessing. These are my picks on how I’m ranking them all going down worst to best.

 

#6: Scream 3

Score: 5/10

          Two films in the series have a consensus on where they land in their rankings, and I fall in line with those—the first being that Scream 3 is the worst in the series. And I do agree with this assessment; however, considering I had already heard it was the worst, I feel like my score reflects that it’s not terrible, more like it’s simply mediocre. After the OG and a very competent sequel, the studio knew they had to switch up the formula more than before. This meant that our classic Ghostface killer(s) is now targeting the cast of Stab 3, the in-universe movie franchise based on the events from the first films. And where the first two films I’d describe as horror films first with comedy mixed in, I’d flip it here to say the comedy was more of a focus. This is front and center during one of the death scenes that takes place in a studio office and our soon-to-be victim keeps trying to defend herself, but every weapon she grabs is a prop weapon. And to be fair, this really made me laugh and was my favorite scene from the film.

          Scream 3 does a decent enough job of moving the characters’ lives forward, but as far as the main additions destined for their own deaths, character decisions feel more idiotic than before. The jump scares also don’t land. This film clearly has the highest budget of the trilogy, and it’s a prime example of bigger not equating to better. The film leans completely into its Hollywood nature and even includes a couple of cameos that mostly fall flat (the Carrie Fisher one isn’t bad). There’s a big scene that ends in a giant explosion, and it’s just way over-the-top and feels a little removed from the slight sensibility that this franchise stays in the realm of realism.

          They also really stretch the red herrings. The reveal at the end is easily the worst in the franchise, but there is a popular fan theory that would bring this movie from a 5 to a 6, but that doesn’t seem to hold too much weight. Outside of Patrick Dempsey, this is possibly the weakest cast. I’m sorry, but I also have to mention that Courtney Cox’s hair is truly criminal here. And most unfortunately, there’s plenty of jokes about actors being sleazy with producers to get roles… and Harvey Weinstein is a producer. This still isn’t a terrible movie, but it clearly remains the worst.

 

#5: Scream 4

Score: 7/10

          Again, the jump in score here is quite intentional. And I want to mention that the margin between Scream 4 and the next two picks is minimal and I wouldn’t blame people for disagreeing with my order here. After over a decade’s absence, Scream 4 came along as a soft reboot with Neve Campbell’s Sidney Prescott still front and center. Where the first 3 films actually followed Courtney Cox and David Arquette’s relationship surprisingly close to real life including their marriage for 3, the same applies with this film taking place right around when they split.

          The idea of the in-universe Stab movies still hold a strong place, and they keep up with the times by having characters obsessed with the ability to live stream events and how this could possibly connect with Ghostface’s motive. The series returns to the city of Woodsboro where Sidney Prescott is now marketing her book based on the events from the original movie. Couple that with her cousin played by Emma Roberts, and you have a ripe setting for a new series of killings. The great Alison Brie plays Sidney’s manager, David Arquette’s Dewey is now sheriff and has a by-the-books deputy, and Hayden Panettiere rounds out this fun cast. Oh, and Anna Paquin and Kristen Bell play our women at the beginning that receive an unannounced call from Ghostface.

          The reveal at the end is arguably the best outside the original, the film suitably has a more serious tone akin to the first two films while keeping its self-aware nature, and it’s overall a fun return to form. The kills are overall unspectacular, but for the last Scream film to be directed by Wes Craven, it’s too bad in a way that this film wasn’t too successful and once again put things on ice.

 

#4: Scream 6

Score: 7/10

          When it was announced that Neve Campbell wouldn’t return over a pay dispute, that didn’t seem like the best sign when your franchise star is finally out. The only returner here is now Courtney Cox (as well as Roger Jackson continuing to be the voice of Ghostface on the phone). But all successful franchises need to evolve, and it actually goes into a concept I think a lot about. Cox delivers just a few lines of how Sydney and her family have taken shelter, but she also says a very important line about how everyone deserves their happy ending. If we’re truly rooting for our main character to come out on top, at some point you don’t want anymore sequels if it means endangering our hero again. This also provided an opportunity to let Cox shine a bit more as well as turn the spotlight on our returning characters from the fifth installment.

          This might feel like an odd comparison, but some of the best Mission Impossible films have been the most recent that have seen Tom Cruise continue to team up with both characters in the past as well as keeping with writer/director Christopher McQuarrie. Since many of those introductions are already in place, now you get to hone more on the story as well as character arcs. Such is the case here when co-directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett took over with Scream 5 since Wes Craven had passed away due to cancer. We continue to follow the high schooler survivors from the previous film as they now cautiously attend college in New York. This helps expand our characters’ lives as well as the sense of scope.

The directors previously made the highly underrated Ready or Not, and they brought the star of that film Samara Weaving to be the girl that receives a call from Ghostface at the beginning of the film. Weaving absolutely kills it, pun slightly intended, and is the case with the previous film, right from the start we’re honoring traditions of the franchise as well as taking things in new directions, and it’s a very strong start. In fact, I enjoyed this opening so much, I’d even say it’s my favorite of the franchise.

          I believe this film has the most deaths, and there’s a suitable amount of gore to fit, but as a very slight spoiler, the vast majority of deaths are from bit roles. The death scenes also don’t quite live up to the amazing kills in 5, but there is a really tense scene that takes place on a New York subway on Halloween. Which makes me wonder why this film received a mid-March release which doesn’t feel like peak horror season, but the box office returns have basically been the strongest in the series, and I’m happy to see it.

          This film features the most frightening Ghostface with the biggest deviation to his look too with a worn looking mask instead of the pristine white look. Ghostface wields a shotgun for one scene, and where you can tell in previous films that Ghostface is able to be kicked and smacked around a bit and let some of the characters escape (at least until the climax), you feel that Ghostface moves with more agility here and truly feels like the biggest threat the characters have ever faced.

          This movie by no means will bring you to tears, but since Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega have taken over as the new stars of the franchise, this movie is actually the most thematic of the bunch. Also, near the end they basically rip off Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and I’m not upset by that. Honestly, despite the most kills here, again minor spoiler, but there’s a lot of stabbing that happens, but not enough true deaths. Including Hayden Panattiere in this next statement, there should’ve been at least one more returning character to receive a fatal blow (not gonna say here who lives and who doesn’t). I enjoyed this movie a lot and how it honored the series while keeping fans on their toes as to who’s behind the mask. This film is not #4 because it’s bad, but because the films ranked above are truly good horror movies that slightly edges this one out.

 

#3: Scream 2

Score: 7/10

          This might sound a little familiar, but we follow our surviving characters from the original as they navigate life in college. I love that Liev Schreiber returns from his blink and you miss it role as Cotton, where Sydney accused him in the first film of murdering her mom, and now he plays a prominent role here trying to do everything he can publicly to show that he’s an innocent man—but there’s still a sense of uneasiness surrounding him. Sydney, Dewey, and Cox’s Gale Weathers all return, along with Randy too. And this is one of the best casts of the franchise with Jada Pinkett (not yet adding Smith to her last name here) and Omar Epps as our opening scene victims which takes place at a screening of Stab showcasing the fictionalized version of the opening scene from the first film. Gale has a new cameraman, Sydney has a new boyfriend, and Sarah Michelle Gellar and Timothy Olyphant add their names to the cast as possible victims or suspects.

          Despite the fact that there were script changes, I believe even who the killers would end up being, because of script leaks on the internet, I thought Scream 2 did a great job of not just rehashing the original and throwing in some good red herrings. This one felt more like a true horror film rather than the comedic elements, but it of course contains meta dialogue about being a sequel. It doesn’t surpass the original, but there’s a few standout sequences including the suspenseful car crash and a knocked out Ghostface inside the cop car. Honestly, I might be adding some extra points here, but following up on the success of the original was a really tall task, and I’m impressed on how they pulled it off.

 

#2: Scream 5 (technically just Scream 2022)

Score: 8/10

          This was easily the biggest shock for me, but after Scream 4 didn’t perform amazing, there was a TV show that maybe lasted a couple seasons, and Wes Craven passed away, it didn’t seem like there was too much of a point in continuing the franchise. But not only did they bring back the three legacy characters, but they bring in fresh new faces (like Jenna Ortega) in what is self-proclaimed as a requel—a reboot sequel. It’s one of the most meta of the franchise, but I actually found it quite funny how they talked about the rules of a requel and kept the film itself fresh—the easiest comparison to make would be the sequel franchise of Star Wars.

          I’ll hold my claim that Scream 6 has the best opening, but after the original, I’d put this opening as the best. I'll go ahead and say it, I jumped multiple times during the opening scene. But points have to be taken off because it involves Jenna Ortega and she calls The Babadook her favorite horror movie which I simply can’t support.

          Having the connections to Sydney wearing thin, the true new star here is Melissa Barrera who plays Sam—the daughter of the original killer. And they bring back the original killer using to me what appears to be deep fake technology; it actually looks pretty good, but it is still a deep fake. Instead of Sam being a clone of Sydney, her deep fake father (a description I’d like to see used more, I think it sounds funny) speaks to her periodically in her subconscious to have her embrace the serial killer blood inside her. Questioning her own motives, she returns to Woodsboro to protect her sister played by Ortega, and this brings our legacy characters back as well. Jack Quaid of The Boys fame plays Sam’s boyfriend, Dylan Minnete plays the son of Deputy Hicks from the previous film, and there’s plenty more characters (like the niece and nephew of Randy) to add suspicion and body counts.

          Having come out only a year ago, maybe it’s the fact that I just watched all the movies recently, but this being a modern movie just looks really good. The kills are well done scenes, the acting is on par, and this is genuinely just a good movie.

          Cox clearly now also has botox going, and yikes. Not Scream 3 haircut yikes, but it’s still quite noticeable. There’s one too many meta references, and the ending twist isn’t as strong as Scream 4; however, the motivation felt better this time around keeping up with the times in how it has to approach its characters and kills—like characters using find my phone or using their phone flashlights to explore dark rooms.

 

#1: Scream

Score: 8/10

          This isn’t a twist ending selection, and that’s okay! The original is highly regarded for a reason. Directed by Wes Craven, the horror scenes are all really well shot, and this film is elevated above the fatigued slasher genre with its meta references and terrific twist ending. Along with the aforementioned legacy characters, Drew Barrymore is the original opening scene kill and has instantly quotable lines on the phone with Ghostface. Freaking Henry Winkler is here, and it’s hard to live up to Matthew Lillard’s Stu.

          As fond as I am of this movie, an 8/10 is an appropriate score. It’s not a perfect film that lulls a little in the middle. But not only does its dialogue contain references to horror franchises of past—including those directed by Craven—there’s also plenty of visual Easter eggs as well, like the school janitor wearing clothes resembling Freddy from A Nightmare on Elm Street (or the fact that there’s a literal Elm Street in Woodsboro). Our Ghostface is targeting Sydney Prescott, and she’s trying to understand why while also still processing the death of her mother from a year ago.

          Essentially, all these films contain Ghostface killers trying to seek revenge on Sydney for some reason or another, and plenty of characters get the knife by association around her. Then, there’s a highly ill-conceived party during these killings, and that’s where our climax always takes place, and there’s a dramatic reveal of the Ghostface killer(s) as they proceed to monologue their motivation(s). This might feel like a spoiler, but this film came out over 20 year ago, so I feel okay saying that one huge factor that this franchise has over others is that there’s almost always 2 killers. This instantly provides rewatchability as you try to decipher who is the Ghostface at what point during the film. I feel like slashers are oft regarded as some of the lowest form of horror movies, and there’s absolute validity in that statement. Promiscuous and mostly dumb characters party it up and get hacked by a masked killer, there’s lots of blood, and usually no reasoning for it outside of entertainment value. I’m not here to say that the Scream franchise is the crème de la crème of horror movies, but it’s easily the best slasher franchise ever, and I’d even argue that all of the films outside of Scream 3 are good movies regardless of genre. This doesn’t mean this franchise is for everybody, but with 6 films now under its belt, it can be a bloody good time for those looking for some frights and a bit of humor thrown in.

Elvis, Bad Boys, and The French Dispatch

 

Elvis

Gillipedia Official Rating: Kentucky Fried Tom Hanks

Score: 5/10

          We’ll start this off by saying Austin Powers fully deserves his Oscar nomination for Best Actor. Half of his screen presence is simply smirking toward the camera, but he nails the look, the moves, and most of the singing is his own. Unfortunately, surrounding his performance is a bloated movie edited to death without much to say and suffering a fate of mediocrity. The movie chronicles the entire life of Elvis, but a huge component of the film is an aspect I wasn’t aware of at all which is the wishbone relationship with Elvis’ business manager. Manager Colonel Tom Parker is played by Tom Hanks, and it pains me to say this is where the film’s cracks loom largest.

          We’re introduced to the Colonel on his death bed recounting his time and egotistically defending his actions by propelling Elvis to stardom. And Hanks uses a ridiculous Southern accent. I briefly listened to an interview with the real Colonel, and sure there’s a definite accent, but the way Hanks’ voice is higher-pitched and the accent over-the-top is so grating to listen to. And his supporting role is quite prevalent not only during his scenes, but he also serves as the film’s narrator.

          As the Colonel narrates about success, we’re thrust into a big Elvis performance which feels like it could’ve been shot for a music video. There’s lots of energy, many cuts, closeups of Elvis and his -ahem- sweaty thrusting, and so many shots of screaming young women. So many shots of them… It all works enough to whet the appetite of what’s to come from the greatest selling single artist. We then get a taste of Elvis’ humble beginnings and ties to family and how living around a black community influenced his musical taste. We also are treated to some singing by Gary Clark, Jr. There’s shoutouts to Baton Rouge and Shreveport in Louisiana and the famous Louisiana Hayride show which helped Elvis get discovered. And for over 2 and a half hours, we go through all the typical musical biopic scenes of success, romance, financials, drug use, and thankfully, great songs.

          The Great Gatsby director Baz Luhrmann wrote and directed this film. You may also remember he did the modern adaption of Romeo and Juliet with DiCaprio. And he brings that not-so-subtle directing to this film. It’s incredibly heavy-handed and leaves zero interpretation up to the audience. There’s also not much to sink your teeth into anyways. There’s some intrigue on Elvis’ close relationship to his mother and how the Colonel takes advantage of the gap created once his mother passes away, but that’s one small piece to a very large puzzle that doesn’t fit together all that well.

          The movie wants to tell so much of Elvis’ life, and it also wants to have plenty of musical moments. The issue is that virtually all of it is shot like a music video which becomes exhausting way too quickly. One video I watched recently talked about how lots of editing doesn’t equal good editing. And I think that statement fits Elvis in spades. Outside of the Louisiana Hayride performance that had a buildup of this unknown artist that has an unexpected effect on the young female crowd, there’s really only 1 speed throughout the rest of the performances. There’s so many back and forth shots to Elvis and fans and critics in the crowd, and it’s all just repeated information. When the emotional expression of a character hasn’t changed, the only reason to cut back to them would be intentional repetition. And that is a valid argument to make up to an extent. But when your film balloons to the length that it is, there has to be purpose in your scenes. We go through the motions of Elvis’ life in story beats, but we aren’t presented with overarching goals with the exception of knowing the Colonel is shady but we don’t know how exactly that will come into play.

          I think Elvis has an amazing voice and has some true classics, and to the film’s credit, it does showcase a strong catalogue of songs. There will inevitably be comparisons to Bohemian Rhapsody, and this film honestly didn’t emotionally connect as much as Bohemian Rhapsody. And that is in part due to the Colonel. He is never presented to be a likable character, but I never got over Hanks’ voice. Arguably more sinful than Hanks in this film is the fact that, to my knowledge, there wasn’t a single peanut butter and banana sandwich consumed. One small detail I remember hearing about as well was how Elvis had a mini fridge inside his car, and yes that’s such a tiny thing, but I was really hoping to see that too. Nevertheless, Powers carries the film, and despite the exhausting quick editing, another saving grace is the fact that Elvis does in fact have really good songs. But would I say this movie is worthy of being called a Best Picture Nominee? Mmmm, I don’t think so.

 

Bad Boys

Gillipedia Official Rating: Whatcha gonna do when they come for you? Possibly stop watching before you reach the credits.

Score: 4/10

 

          This turned out to be Michael Bay’s feature film directorial debut, and it really set the tone of what to expect from future films of his (explosions, scantily clad women, and sweeping camera shots) mostly for the worse. I wish there was a baked in word to describe how I feel about Bad Boys, but the only thing I can think of right now is that it’s not good. In fact, it’s very not good.

          There have been plenty of buddy cop films played to more dramatic and comedic effects with varying degrees of success. First example of it done well that comes to mind is Jake Gylenhaal and Michael Pena bantering back and forth but taking a more dramatic turn in End of Watch. And it pains me to say this, but Martin Lawrence and Will Smith annoyed me more than anything—it was just them constantly yelling at each other about the same stupid stuff.

          And this tone is set from the first scene. Our protagonists are driving in Will Smith’s expensive car and give us some exposition about Lawrence having a family and Smith being more of the womanizer and being able to afford the car because of his wealthy family. And it’s not like my ribs are hurting, but I’m not so stiff to say there isn’t at least a joke or two that will make you laugh. They pull over and get distracted by a hooker walking in front of them. While they’re distracted, some drug dealer henchmen hold them at gunpoint. And while I understand this is supposed to be a comedic movie, the action frustrated me. Because there’s legitimate situations where it feels like wow, this seems to be like quite the pickle; I wonder what clever way our characters will think of to get out of the situation… Not only are the situations not clever, the script never knew how to fully get the characters out either, so oftentimes it’s just our guys -ahem- our boys pulling their guns, start shooting, maybe get a guy, and then hiding for cover as bad guys aim at explodable objects to cause utter chaos.

          While Smith and Lawrence yell at each other, both of them get yelled at by their boss played by the always yelling Joe Pantoliano (Memento and The Matrix) who is always being threatened of being demoted by his supervisor. To be fair, Pantoliano’s best acting trait is his ability to yell. Anyways, a call girl that Smith knew invites her friend played by Tea Leoni to a job at a guy’s house, but the guy gets killed by the big not good drug dealers with Leoni narrowly escaping. And that propels our plot where our heroes try to keep Leoni alive as they try to figure out this mystery of both who killed her friend, but also a possible inside job where their bust of large amounts of cocaine are stolen from the police department.

          There’s lots of stuff that doesn’t make sense in this film, but possibly the biggest question mark here is the whole setup of Leoni, Lawrence, and Smith. Lawrence goes to try to find Leoni on his own, and why is he by himself? Pretty sure when he tells Smith about his plans, Smith says something like, “Nah, I’m good.” Like it’s some really dumb reason to separate the two, but it is critical for one of the biggest gags of the whole film. Leoni only will trust Smith’s character because her friend trusted him, but she never met him, so when Lawrence comes knocking, he quickly pretends to be Smith to gain her trust. So from this point forth, we have Lawrence sometimes doing a really bad Smith impression and the gags that come with the character crossover of living each other’s lives. And again, some of the jokes that come with this are in fact funny, but the setup of everything is just so silly. There’s even a scene where Smith and Lawrence go investigate at a club. First, I don’t remember the logic of why they knew to check it out to begin with. But anyways, they keep Leoni at Smith’s apartment for her protection. And then inexplicably, she gets tired of being in this witness protection, so she just leaves the apartment and then gets caught up in the action at the club. It’s baffling as to the character motivations because it’s all just to serve the purpose of oh we need characters to go here and I think it would be funny or cool if this happened. It’s like there’s lots of dots the film wanted to hit and didn’t care how it connected them.

          Michael Bay has had some really cool action moments throughout his career. Early on, The Rock was a cool hit, I was thoroughly impressed by 13 Hours, and even 6 Underground and Ambulance have their moments. But before he got there, he first did Bad Boys. I like that there’s some practical stuff, but it’s impossible to follow closely to what’s happening—there’s simply too main shaky cam shots and extreme closeups of characters yelling stuff like, “Shoot! Shoot!”

          Ultimately, the jokes are too crass, the characters are non-sensical in what they say and do, and the action doesn’t hold up decades later. It’s one of those films that you may feel cool for being able to say you’ve seen if you’re in like middle school, but it won’t impress many others. I haven’t seen the third film, but for what it’s worth, the sequel is marginally better.

 

The French Dispatch

Gillipedia Official Rating: Quirkier than your middle toe. Don’t ask, I don’t know what I mean by that either, but I stand behind it.

Score: 9/10

 

          The Royal Tenenbaums and The Grand Budapest Hotel may reign supreme for Wes Anderson films, but The French Dispatch makes it case for excellency. This unfortunately was a film released in 2021 when people still weren’t really back in theaters, and there was so little marketing that hardly anyone watched this movie. Which is such a shame because it’s an absolute master class. The directing is top-notch, this is one of Anderson’s best written films, and there is his signature, symmetrical, and monochromatic color schemes in spades.

          The French Dispatch is a newspaper reporting on French news but is run and edited in the States by Bill Murray. Upon his character’s death, the rest of the staff releases one final issue, and the film is split into four parts for the different sections of the paper. These are self-contained stories with the only overlap being that the journalists of the titular paper are reporting on the events happening. And each story is absolutely star-studded too. Again, this movie did not make its money back, but boy is it beautiful to look at and stuffed with name after name of Anderson usuals and big names alike.

 

The Cycling Reporter

          This is the shortest segment featuring Owen Wilson really setting the stage for what ride you’re in for for the rest of the film. He rides around a small town, sometimes narrating, sometimes talking directly to the camera. We’re shown how the town looked in the past versus changes to it now, and it’s some of the first instances of The French Dispatch’s quirks of storytelling as well as the mesmerizing way Anderson shoots every shot. Where the first film in this review is shot to death, and in Bad Boys there’s sometimes little thought to the composition of a shot, it feels like there’s purpose in every frame, every set decoration, costume, and where each character—whether main or extra—is placed. We’re also treated to a fantastic score by Alexandre Desplat.

 

The Concrete Masterpiece

          This might be my favorite segment. It’s also where the movie earns its R rating. Lea Seydoux poses nude for art in multiple scenes. Not only is it never shot in a sexual or exploitative nature, it fits perfectly in Anderson’s quirky world where it mocks abstract artwork that is sold for exuberant prices because a few elites tell people it’s worth that much.

          Adrien Brody is so enamored by Benicio Del Toro’s artistic ability that he commissions him to work on a new series. So influential, Del Toro’s work is discussed in like a seminar hosted by Tilda Swinton—an actress born for director Anderson’s quirky style. There’s narration in place in every story by the journalists, and Swinton is that narrator here. We soon become aware that not only is Seydoux acting as Del Toro’s muse, but she is also his prison guard. When Brody first arrives to discuss his plans with Del Toro, there are quick exchanges among the characters; however, the majority of the narrative and humor is driven by the eyes. It’s incredible how much story and humor is told here and throughout the movie simply with body movement. What Anderson does incredibly well with his intricately designed sets is know where to place movement. There’s always plenty of symmetry in how he frames a shot, so he directs the audience’s attention by only having a small section of the frame moving at a time. In the case of this particular scene, it’s mostly just Brody, Seydoux, and Del Toro, so there’s lots of closeup shots with the story told through the eyes—the way Del Toro looks over to Seydoux and she subtly nods or blinks her approval for him to move forward with any deal.

          From there, Anderson satirizes the way some art is given value over others, and the big opening once the pieces are done is a highlight scene.

 

Revisions of a Manifesto

 

          Frances McDormand is our journalist for this section as she details her influence over disputes between young rebellions and government. She repeatedly and humorously talks about her journalist integrity by staying neutral, and then she proceeds to offer her advise to Timothee Chalamet, the leader of one side. Instead of gory action scene or large rebellions like the one from Les Miserables, it’s more of a battle of wits here, sprinklings of chess playing and manifesto reading. I found it absolutely hilarious the way sides would try skimming sections being referenced in the manifesto by literally mumbling through their readings.

          There’s lots of cameos from great actors here, but I’d argue the combination of McDormand and Chalamet fits Anderson’s style the best in how they interact with each other. The dialogue is quick, the messaging is interesting, and it’s one of the funnier sections of the film. At first I found myself wondering what the real point of this movie was, but as you dive into the meatier sections of the film, you worry less about overall structure and find yourself simply enjoying the mostly self-contained narratives for what they are. There aren’t any clear high or lowlights, and that works to The French Dispatch’s advantage of consistently keeping the audience engaged through this pretty brisk film.

 

The Private Dining Room of the Police Commissioner

 

          Our final segment is by the self-critical Jeffrey Wright—a consistently underrated actor. Placing this section last makes the most sense as it’s the one that also references the relationship among the editor and journalists the most; Wright has a sense of obligation and even pride for Murray giving him a chance to write. And Wright does write which is the right thing to do—dare I say a rite of passage.

          The pacing is also quickest here. There’s a peculiar chef, the commissioner, and a dinner that is interrupted by kidnappers taking the commissioner’s son. This leads to a car chase that turns to an almost cartoon-style 2D animation that still feels completely aligned with Anderson’s vision—he did direct Isle of Dogs and Fantastic Mr. Fox after all. Not to be outdone by the other sections, there’s actors galore here including Saiorse Ronan in a deviously small role. In fact, if you’re using this review to determine how many big actors have roles here, you’re wasting your breath because I probably haven’t even named half of the actors that I recognized in this film.

          This last section I’d argue is the most artistic of them all with the most development in terms of Wright reflecting back on this piece and its influences on himself. I’m someone that enjoys being able to recognize familiar faces in films, and this film has that in spades, in clubs, and more. But if you don’t have an interesting surrounding story, that shine only goes so far. Not only is this a quick film separated into sections each with their own intrigue, but it continues Anderson’s incredible eye for framing and one of the best scores in his films ever. The fact that this film wasn’t nominated for anything like director, production design, editing, or score is absolutely criminal. The French Dispatch was one of the best films of 2021, and it’s a shame I waited this long to watch it and that it was overlooked by so many when it came out.