Not having got enough of some of the Avengers, I re-watched Edgar Wright’s Scott Pilgrim vs. the World to see Brie Larson and Chris Evans before they were Captains Marvel and America and also because I fell asleep when I watched this in 2010.* While I still did drift off in a few places, I loved the visual styling of this movie and I think what Edgar Wright does well is cast leads whose quirks let them really lean in to their performances.** The quick cuts and fast pace are great, and it’s fun to see so many actors who have gone on to other great roles.
Cost: Netflix monthly fee ($8.99)
Where watched: at home
*It was the movie that taught me that I can no longer watch movies that start at 10 p.m.
**This movie capitalizes on all the Michael Cera things, and Wright later does the same with Ansel Elgort in Baby Driver.
I think the one-two punch of David F. Sandberg’s Shazam! is Asher Angel’s depiction of an abandoned kid searching for his mother plus Zachary Levi’s grown-man youthful exuberance. Add in Jack Dylan Grazer as the guy who’s super excited to suddenly be friends with a superhero and you have a sweet-natured comedy with more than the usual amount of feels.* While some plot points fall apart upon reflection, it’s an enjoyable and does not feel overly long 132 minutes.
Cost: $8.00
Where watched: St. Johns Twin Cinema with Matt (who rarely watches films from the DCEU, but who also enjoyed it.)
*Which is not to say that some Red Shirts (a.k.a. minor characters) don’t die in some ways that might be overly gruesome and/or scary to the under 13 set.
Jennifer Kaytin Robinson has crafted a nice duel portrait of (1)female friendship and (2)the end of a relationship, and there are things to like about Someone Great.* But it doesn’t really have a lot going for it, and it pretty easily slid into that category of movie I recommend for people to watch when they have the flu. There were way too many flashback—all more or less framed in the same way—and I think the forgettable title name** sets the stage for the forgettable nature of the movie.***
Skip. Unless perhaps you have the flu?
Cost: Netflix monthly charge ($8.99)
Where watched: at home
*The easy friendship between Gina Rodriguez, DeWanda Wise, and Brittany Snow, the montage of getting ready to go out, the zany last day scenario.
**True story: I made all the visuals for this post using the name Someone Like You, which is a 2001 Ashley Judd comedy that I found forgettable, but which is based on a book called Animal Husbandry which is a MUCH better title and which I quite liked.
**It’s another one of those movies called “romantic comedies” but which is not actually a romantic comedy, but a comedic female friendship movie. Ibiza (also a Netflix film) was similar, except it did have some romance. This was all breakup, no romance. I’m all for comedic female friendship movies. But don’t call them romantic comedies.
I’d not seen Blake Edwards’s The Great Race since I was a child; it was interesting to see the scenes I remembered in context* and I was happy that this managed to have aged almost 55 years and yet is nearly totally free of cringe-worthy moments.** It’s also hilarious (Jack Lemmon is the main carrier of this torch) and though its nearly three-hour run time means it does eventually drag, it has an overture and intermission included in those 160 minutes.*** Overall, it’s a fun intergenerational film, especially if your generations tilt toward the advanced ages, though kids would probably like parts of it too.
Cost: free via White Elephant Gift Exchange
Where watched: at home with the mothers and aunts
*Tony Curtis’ teeth and eyes sparkling in a “dream boat” way and the best pie fight in the history of cinema were the most prominent, but some of the landscapes felt very familiar, too.
**It’s not overtly racist (though that Indian-chase scene is a bit iffy), Natalie Wood playing a suffragette means that it doesn’t come off as terribly sexist (though I’m sure some of the suffragette stuff was “funnier” in the original) and though there’s a drunken crown price who veers dangerously close to a “light in the loafers” stereotype, most of his behavior can be chalked up to alcohol consumption and not same-sex proclivities.
***Unlike, say, a certain seminal superhero movie released in April, 2019.
A few years ago, I re-watched She’s All That and found that a movie that I had enjoyed on first viewing was not very good.* The Perfect Date is about at the level of She’s All That, but minus an awesome mid-movie dance scene and an enjoyable first time viewing experience. Noah Centineo isn’t very good at his craft right now,** and there wasn’t much else to recommend.
Skip, unless you have a thing for this guy. In which case you should also watch To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before and Sierra Burgess is a Big Fat Loser.
Cost: Netflix Monthly Fee ($8.99)
Where watched: at home
*Acting: not very good. Funny parts: not as many as I remembered. Character development: uneven
**For some reason he was fine in To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, and bugged the crap out of me in this movie.
As a person in a long-term relationship who does not want to be married, I was interested in Sasha Gordon’s It Had to Be You, a romantic comedy about a woman who freaks out when her boyfriend proposes. Cristin Miloti is laugh-out-loud funny in parts of this film and there’s a lot of sadness, what with all the trying to figure out what to do with a relationship where two people want different things. I could feel the movie hitting its beats* and I still found that watching it was a good way to spend my Sunday evening time.
Cost: free via Kanopy, the Multnomah County Library‘s streaming service
Where watched: at home
*Which isn’t great, but is much better than the movie not hitting its beats and me wondering when this endless film will be over.
Unicorn Store is Brie Larson’s directorial debut, and much like Chris Evans’ directorial debut, it’s fine way to pass the time. Larson walks the line between steely and fantastical and Samuel L. Jackson looks like he is having a lot of fun. It’s also required viewing for people who are fans of whimsical costuming as it is packed full of candy-colored couture.
Cost: Netflix monthly rental fee ($8.99)
Where watched: at home
*Note that I can only vouch for the film I’ve watched. Report back to me if you have something to stay about the others.
**That would make a fun bar trivia question. Which of the Avengers have directed movies? Of course, you would have to define who the Avengers are.
I’d missed out on Lee Unkrich’s Toy Story 3, and Filmspotting motivation helped catch me up.* I was happy to find a really fun prison-break narrative undertaken by the gang of toys, plus some fun twists. And as I had heard, the end was full-o-tears.
Verdict: Good
Cost: Free from Multnomah County Library
Where watched: at home
Consider also watching: The Italian Job (1969)
*Although, now that I think about it, the motivation was to watch Toy Story 2 for the 9 from 99 series. But Toy Story 2 went back to the library before I could watch it. Must re-reserve.
I’m the first to admit that in Fighting with My Family, director Stephen Merchant has created an incredibly predictable film with one too many of many things (training montages, dog reaction shots, pep talks, brother looking sad). However, I’m a fan of sports movies, and especially ones with women doing the sports.* So I found this to be a fine film, wrestling its way (perhaps undeservedly) into the Good category.
Verdict: Good
Cost: $7.00
Where watched: McMenamins St. Johns with S.North
Consider also watching:
*Training montages are the best! When it’s women doing the training, so much the better. Plus, as much as I am of a fan of movies where not much happens and/or there’s a lot of talking, I also adore films where bodies move through space. The movement through space in this film is amazing to watch. Plus: Florence Pugh!
