Confession time: I am a movie person. I watch and have watched far too many movies in my lifetime. Recently, I’ve caught myself reacting to actors in shows and films as though I am some kind of movie encyclopedia, informing Lance exactly where we saw the person who has thus far had only 2.3455 seconds of screen time.
I come by it honestly though. My brother, Justin, will name obscure actors in conversation, expecting me to know who they are, which will lead to me saying, “Wait, who?” apologetically, as though I should know actor’s name of Gangster #2 or Knight #1 from a movie I have seen dozens of times.
A lot of people who aren’t the kind of people who watch multiple movies in one week have turned to movies during this time of staying at home. Despite the grand number of movies under my viewing belt which span the entirety of my life, there is one thing which has changed in my older age. I have started to get personally offended when a movie feels like a waste of time. When a movie hyped up to be brilliant turns out to be so so. In contrast, when I watch a movie which shakes me to my core with its excellence, I feel like I need to tell everyone*.
*First, usually, my brother, Justin.
Today I thought I would share a few movies I watched recently and loved, and a few I wouldn’t recommend along with a little description of why.
I like to start with good news. So, let’s take a peek at:
Four Movies I Recently Enjoyed:
1. Dark Waters
Inspired by the true story of Robert Bilott’s case against chemical manufacturing corporation, DuPont, Dark Waters brings to life a 20-year legal battle prompted by multiple deaths in the town of Parkersburg, West Virginia. Mark Ruffalo masterfully portrays Bilott and the story itself is gripping.
2. Jojo Rabbit
An unusual WWII story, Jojo is a Hilter Youth member who has created an imaginary friend, the Furher, Adolf Hitler, himself. Jojo discovers his mother is hiding a Jewish girl in their attic. Part comedy, part war film, Jojo Rabbit does an excellent job at showing, through a child’s eyes, the moral conflict created by this war and one child’s internal struggle with it.
3. Contagion
Not as recent as the other movies listed here, Contagion is like a carbon copy of what we are going through right now. This 2011 film has become widely viewed recently due to these similarities. With a surprisingly popular cast of characters, I’m not sure how I missed seeing this movie until now. But perhaps, I wouldn’t have related as well had I seen it earlier in time. Hold out until the end on this one, because the final minutes were my favorite part.
4. Little Women
I was uncertain how I would feel about a new Little Women. I grew up with the 1994 version which, to me, is still irreplaceable. The 2019 version, however, presented the story in a different format, bouncing back and forth between past and present. While at times this might have been confusing to someone who did not know the story, I enjoyed the different approach and found the acting to be, quite possibly, equal to that of the 1994 version.
Four Movies I Recently Disliked:
1. Emma
This might be more related to the drag which Jane Austen stories tend to have on me, rather than the film itself. They all seem to be the same: Girl has one plan in mind. Girl falls unintentionally for man already in her life. If you love other Jane Austen films, you’ll like this one. For me, it went on far too long.
2. Men in Black: International
If you grew up with the original MIB, like me, you’ll understand when I say this: Let’s just leave well enough alone.
3. 1917
This movie was raved about so much, I watched it with such an expectancy to be emotionally moved. I was emotionally moved alright, but in a wave of annoyance over having wasted time watching a movie which was just another war movie, with a story which feels like it had been told dozens of times already, yet lacking any additional depth to the scene of WWI. I understand the film was meant to appear as two continuous shots and that this was supposedly a groundbreaking cinematographic method. To me, it just lengthened the film and gave us scenes which could have easily been cut.
4. The Irishman
Thankfully, Justin, does not read this blog on a normal basis or I might get a phone call over this opinion. The story of The Irishman is interesting. We meet an Irish American truck driver who gets pulled into the world of organized crime and eventually begins to work for Jimmy Hoffa. But, dear God, why did Scorsese feel the need to drag it out for 3 hours and 30 minutes? There were so many unnecessary scenes to this film, especially the last 20 minutes or so. It felt like a final goodbye to the era of DeNiro, Pesci, and Pacino, but one I could have done without. Shorten it by an hour, and maybe, just maybe it would have been worth the time.
How about you? What are some good and bad movies you have watched while staying at home?
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