2- Wicked: Part One

Before she was the Wicked Witch of the West, she was Elphaba Throp. Before the story of the original Wizard of Oz takes place, Elphaba was friends with Galinda at Shiz University. Wicked:Part One is the first part of the prequel to The Wizard of Oz.

What started as a rivalry between the two, soon turned into a loving friendship. When a new student by the name of Fiyero shakes things up at Shiz University, the student body learns to become more spontaneous. But strange things are happening throughout the land of Oz. In Oz there was a time when animals lived alongside humans and were able to talk and work together. But now animals are being forced out of work and silenced. Elphaba can’t allow this to happen; she studies to become a great sorceress, and to be invited to the Emerald City by the Wizard. If she is able to get an audience with the Wizard, she can bring up the mistreatment of animals in the Land of Oz and have him put an end to it. 

If you are interested in more details about this film, take a look at my earlier review in the Schenectady Phoenix page.

“this story is both a large spectacle, yet personal enough to pull at your heart strings”

This movie has my vote for best film at the Oscars this year. It definitely deserved more nominations than it got. Jon Chu was able to bring to life a new version of the land of Oz. A world that takes inspiration from both the original Wizard of Oz film and the stage production of Wicked, while still being original. The way he goes about telling this story is both a large spectacle, yet personal enough to pull at your heart strings. This movie is beautiful in every way: from the singing, to the acting, to the relationship between Elphaba and Galinda. 

The themes of friendship, girlhood, freedom, truth, and corruption are as current now as they were in 2003 when the show opened on Broadway and in 1900 when The Wizard of Oz book was first published. Storytellers throughout history have written stories set in a fantasy world to comment on our world. Wicked does this well, subverting audience expectations by changing the original story of the Wizard of Oz that people are familiar with. This version of the Wicked Witch’s origin story humanizes a character who people had always seen as an irredeemable villain, and actually attributes the depiction of her as evil to propaganda and corruption to make her more wicked than she is.

 It’s hard to find something to complain about with this movie aside from the long wait between part one and the second part, Wicked: For Good, set to hit theaters at the end of November 2025. If you don’t like musicals or musical theater then this is probably not the movie for you. For this movie I give it 4/5 stars. 

1- Saturday Night

With only 90 minutes before they go live, producer Lorne Michaels must work to save the first ever broadcast of Saturday Night Live. With what seems like everything against him, he must fix every problem that arises whilst he questions himself about what kind of show he is trying to make. From actors fighting, the set not being done, studio executives that don’t believe in him, an actor refusing to sign his contract, and competitive late night hosts, Lorne must overcome it all to make television history. 

No doubt, this is the best movie I’ve seen this year. Not only was it the best casting I’ve seen in a film in a while, but it is one of the more inventive and creative biographical movies I’ve ever seen. It follows along with Michaels and the original cast of SNL minute by minute as time is ticking towards the live sketch Comedy show’s debut.

“LaBelle shows a side of Michaels that doesn’t want to give up on an idea of a lifetime”

I think every member of the cast did an amazing job, especially Gabriel LaBelle as Lorne Michaels. He made the audience need this night to be a success because of his passion and belief that SNL could be great. LaBelle shows a side of Michaels that doesn’t want to give up on an idea of a lifetime, even if he isn’t sure what that idea truly entails.

Throughout the course of the film the question “What kind of show is it, Lorne? Do you even know what the show is?” is posited to him. He responds saying “Did anyone ask Edison what a lightbulb was before he harnessed electricity?” This really helps the audience understand the situation Lorne Michaels found himself in in 1975. Nothing like this had ever been done before, so it really was like inventing the lightbulb. He knew it would be an important moment in television history, but he didn’t know how the show would be received. This movie is both funny and stressful as the show starts falling apart around them, and Gabriel LaBalle does a great job of bringing the audience along with him.

“Lamorne Morris as Garrett Morris was captivatingly funny in every single scene he was in.”

Supporting talents like Dylan O’Brien as Dan Aykroyd deserved much more screen time and Lamorne Morris as Garrett Morris was captivatingly funny in every single scene he was in. 

This film does not capture in full what actually occurred that first night before SNL first aired, but instead is a dramatized retelling based on interviews and accounts of some of the cast and crew who were there that night. Saturday Night is an R rated movie, so be aware that there are some inappropriate moments throughout the film and bad language is used.

I really enjoyed watching this movie, and I think anyone who has seen SNL or has been interested in what it takes to make a TV show will too. I think, unlike some bio-pics, this movie has been able to find a good balance between comedy and drama as well as feeling very balanced in its theme, characters, and plot. I rate this movie 4/5 stars. 

A lot of good movies came out this year, some nominated for academy awards, and others were slept on, but here is the end of my personal top 10 films of 2024. Enjoy this year’s Oscars ceremony!