Movie Recap

I apologize for my lack of writing recently.  Things have been crazy at work!  I have been (over the course of quite a long time) accumulating a list of movies that I have watched but not written about.  So now that I have a hot minute to write some things, here's a rundown of what I've seen.  They're in alphabetical order; the ones I liked best get photos of the cover or poster, so you can review at a quick glance.

50/50 stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt, whom I love.  It also stars Seth Rogen; I don't feel the same way about him, but he's tolerably not annoying in this based-on-a-true-story tale of a 20-something who receives a cancer diagnosis that he is, of course, not expecting.







Always Be My Maybe was a Netflix find that was cuter than I expected.  Let's not kid ourselves, it's still a dumb rom-com.  But it's about people in the food world, so I was predisposed to enjoy it.

André the Giant: Even Bigger Than You Imagined would have gotten top marks, except that half of the movie was Hulk Hogan.  It makes sense why, since he and André fought several times over the course of their careers, and Hulk has some very nice things to say about André, including the story that caps off the movie.  But everything about André himself was great, and worth watching.

Bad Day for the Cut is a family drama full of dark secrets.  And it's a revenge thriller that's wonderfully worth watching, if you're into movies where lots of people die and you only figure out why once you're already in deep.  And it's hard not to root for a middle-aged Irish farmer who goes all vigilante when his mother is killed.






Bad Times at the El Royale was a recommendation of my law partner.  He is normally into classic films, so I'm always intrigued when something new comes along that he likes.  I liked this one too.  It was confusing and interesting and weird.  And more than anything else, it was visually and artistically impressive -- not in that weird, artsy-fartsy way, but just interesting to look at.  It's noir-style, and set in 1969, so there are so many interesting things going on that are worth seeing.




Deliverance is one that I had seen the opening scene of several times (because who doesn't love killer banjo music - pun intended).  I had never gotten beyond that scene until a couple of months ago.  Now that I have, I  wish I hadn't. 

Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead is a classic from my pre-teen years.  K and I used to watch it and recite all the lines; "I'm right on top of that, Rose!" still pops out every now and then when we're together.  It's not a "good" movie, in the traditional sense, but it's great to me!  Plus, those late-1980s fashions, bright colors and all, hold such wonderful memories.






Doubt is a great movie if self-flagellation is your thing.  That's about all I've got.

Duck Butter is hardly even worth writing about, except that I don't want anyone else to waste their time watching it.

First Man is one that S picked out.  Anything having to do with NASA, the space race, or interplanetary science is bound to pique both our interest.  What was a little disappointing about it was that it wasn't about the space race as much as we'd hoped.  What was surprising about it was that it seemed to portray a much more real, human side of the lives of the astronauts than is typically shown.  On balance, it was good but not great.

Half the Road focuses on the disparate treatment received by female cyclists in the world of professional riding.  It's not surprising, but still worth watching.

Handsome Devil was another cute Netflix find.  It tells the tale of some school-age boys who don't quite fit in, and how they find their way in the less-than-accommodating environment of a high-end boarding school where rugby is a way of life.

I, Daniel Blake is another of the British films I've watched lately.  It's the story of a late-middle-aged widower who is found unfit to work by his doctor after a serious heart attack.  He is denied a support allowance by the government.  The commentary on the struggling middle class is impossible to miss, but what I found more heartwarming was the friendship that develops between Daniel and the single mom he meets who is going through similar struggles.

I Am Mother was a difficult one for me.  I want to like everything that has Hilary Swank in it, because she seems like such an awesome person in real life.  But I just really didn't like it very much once it was over.  I wasn't mad at it while I was watching it, but I feel like it could have been so much better at the end, and it just wasn't.

The Lives of Others is one that I saw quite a long time ago.  I don't know how it escaped my blog for so long, but it did.  It's dark and sad and creepy.  It simultaneously makes me extremely glad I didn't live in Germany 30 years ago, and also heightens my concerns about living in this country, today.  And if that parallel doesn't concern you, you clearly haven't been reading the news in the tech world.

Moonlight was supposed to be great.  It was fine, but I don't really see what all the fuss was about.  I'm certain I'll be accused of being small minded.

Murder Mystery was a little bit funny.  Funnier than a lot of Adam Sandler movies, for what that's worth.

Stripes is a 1981 Bill Murray movie, in the classic tradition of Bill Murray comedy films.  It's stupid, but goofy and enjoyable and I'm glad we stumbled across it.

Suicide Squad was something we picked out when we were looking for an action movie in the Marvel or DC Comics vein.  I didn't realize it at the time, but Suicide Squad actually is a DC Comics film, so it fit the bill perfectly.  Don't expect a lot of plot or character development; just look for a lot of things to be blowing up.

The Upside is a remake of a French film called The Intouchables, which has been on my list for a while but I have been unable to find.  The plot is neither complicated nor surprising, but the characters are so well acted that I didn't even care.  I liked it anyway.







Whisky Galore! is another remake, this time of a 1949 film of the same name.  Set in 1943, a ship carrying whisky to the United States wrecks off the coast of a Scottish island, much to the delight of the islanders, who have been desperate for their favorite drink due to the wartime rations.  Comedy, but not hilarity, ensues.