From this most recent February 20 to today, I’ve amassed four different protocols in determining overall guaranteed Catch-22 Hundred spots, with them being the following: 50 movies competing for spots 2,023 through 2,047, 25 movies competing for spots 2,048 through 2,070, 10 movies competing for spots 2,071 through 2,075, and two movies competing for spots 2,076 and 2,077. And of course, through it all, I’ve had fairly new/brand new (2019 through 2023) movies compete in all of those protocols, which have all led to various results, whether it was The Little Mermaid ’23 exceeding expectations in the second of those protocols or Black Panther: Wakanda Forever failing in the first of those protocols. But more on those two particular protocols in later entries, as this entry focuses on the fourth of those protocols. Let’s continue.
Alright, so I had 16 movies compete College Basketball Invitational style (Tron was the winner) for the right to be put on stand-by, in the event that Asteroid City (assessed as a spot 2,076 competitor on July 6, 2023) didn’t crush its assessment. And as to how that went, well the latter of those two movies was my third (Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre and Air were the other two) disappointing theatrical experience in 2023, thus the advanced stand-by of Tron being a smart move in hindsight. Plus, the Jeff Bridges-led movie gets one half of that fourth protocol, which begs the question, “How will the other half of it play out?”.
Well originally, I was going to have Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One compete for spot 2,077, as I thought that that movie was going to be next on my 2023 theatrical tour. But after constantly hearing good things about No Hard Feelings and the fact that the latter of those two movies is nearing the end of its theatrical run, I decided to have that movie compete for spot 2,077 instead. Especially since the former of those two movies will have a plentiful amount of showtimes for me to choose from.
But unlike the seventh Ethan Hunt movie, there will be a contingency plan already in place for No Hard Feelings since it stars Jennifer Lawrence, whose only Catch-22 Hundred saving grace is the movie Winter’s Bone. Otherwise, her hype train has been in constant derailment via the eight other movies of hers that failed miserably in making the Project, so expectations are very modest right now.
Tune in on Monday to find out which 2023 and beyond movies will become a part of the selection process for spots 2,078 through 2,100.