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:
- While We’re Young – While I enjoyed Frances Ha‘s hipster charm, this one did not quite land for me. It explored some interesting ideas, but ultimately was just flat and didn’t lead anywhere exciting or notable.
- The Man from U.N.C.L.E. – Read my review. I was a big fan!
I have fallen off the wagon of not movie watching – well, that’s not entirely true. I have watched movies, but not any rewatches or off my queue that would count towards my goals. These are the times when specific goals create limitations, but I do want to keep up and accomplish them by the end of this year, so it’s time to buckle down I suppose.
New Movies:
- Welcome to Me – A strong performance from Kristen Wig couldn’t save this uneven, cringe-worthy story. It’s a little hard to stomach the plot from the get go and there isn’t nearly enough dark humor that lands.
- The Giver – As a fan of the source material (when I was a “young adult” at least) this wasn’t necessarily the train wreck I was anticipating. Overall I think it’s a much better iteration of the dystopian future story than say something like the Divergent series but the movie still isn’t terribly memorable.
- Before I Go To Sleep – Not a bad thriller for an afternoon watch. Great cast and solid mini twist had me guessing a bit even though I had a sneaking suspicion about the movie’s final outcome.
Re-watched:
- Whiplash – Same rules apply for this second go around: phenomenal performances and tight direction. Short and solid. I like that the story in Whiplash is so singular and uncomplicated. It made for a refreshing second watch.
- The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies – Rewatched front to back (unfortunately) I’m not quite sure what happened with this last installment of the series. I saw the other films in theaters and enjoyed both equally I think mainly because it always feel good to hang out in Middle Earth. But everything about this last movie felt off. It looked rushed and unpolished and overall felt uninspired.
Off the Queue:
- The House I Live In – This should be required viewing for anyone interested in the U.S. criminal justice system. Sure to rile you up and give you new perspective. Knock off another great doc from the queue.