In an attempt to stick to our movie-related New Years resolutions, Jess and I plan to keep a weekly record of our progress towards our goal. See if we hit our goal this week and what movies we watched. You can also check out our initial resolutions post here.
My big goal this year is to watch three types of movies a week:
- 1 New Movie (anything that has come out in the last 3-4 months)
- 1 Movie From My Netflix Queue (it has to be from the list I cemented in stone at the beginning of 2014 to count)
- 1 Movie I’ve Been Meaning to Rewatch
Lets take a look at what was watched this past week.
New Movies:
- Ted 2 – Mostly funny, but lacking the spark that made Ted one of my favorite recent comedies. There are plenty of Family Guy-style cutaway and pop culture jokes that mostly play well. Mostly I just wish they gave Mark Whalberg more to do.
- Magic Mike XXL – Just read my review!
Re-watched:
- Scream & Scream 2 – Was just planning to re-watch the first but then Netflix automatically started the sequel. I hadn’t seen either in full for a really long time though, so it was a great revisit (and I plan to continue with Scream 3 & 4 when I get the chance). Scream is such a fantastic movie, probably one of my favorites. Matthew Lillard steals the show for me. Scream 2 isn’t quite as good to me, but still a really enjoyable watch.
Off the Queue:
- Take this Waltz – This was a deeply uncomfortable watch but with nice direction from Sarah Polley and good performances. Watching someone skirt the line of conducting an affair (it was an affair) juxtaposed with cute scenes just crossed all my wires and made me feel very weird. I’m pretty sure that was the intent though, and the takeaway of the film is really poignant. Would never watch again.
New Movies:
- Inside Out – This was an enjoyable Pixar joint that surprised me throughout. Initially I was wary that the movie was a little too high concept for children (and it kind of is) but it does such a beautiful job breaking down emotions in the simplest terms. It’s very smart and touching but I watched this with my younger niece & nephew who I’m not sure completely picked up all of the finer points of the film. Thankfully, being a Pixar movie this has the advantage of mandatory rewatch among the youngsters.
Re-watched:
- Fear – Guilty pleasure 90s thrillers at their finest. I’m admittedly quite fond of these types of features two steps above Lifetime Movie Channel fare. Performances are serviceable, Alyssa Milano is quite good in her thankless role as the promiscuous best friend. Also, seeing William Petersen made me want to watch Manhunter again.
- Scary Movie – This was a bizarre rewatch. The movie feels so indicative of another time in my life that watching it now just feels…strange. It’s not a well made film and the humor is seriously bottom of the barrel type laughs but something about it feels right for the moment. It has since spawned a lot of stupid parody movie sequels but I can’t be that mad at it. It’s too dumb to hate.
Off the Queue:
- Meet the Feebles – I watched this for an upcoming guest spot on the Mad, Bad and Downright Strange podacst. It’s a one trick pony that relies on shock value. Interesting enough for fans of Peter Jackson’s early work but it’s a pass for the majority of cinema fans.
- In Dreams – For a hot second, I was very confused how this ended up in my instant queue. Apparently, I put it on a while back when I was looking for 90s thrillers to watch but it went away from instant for a while and then came back. It’s very middle of the road and will only sit well on a rainy afternoon full of laundry folding.