10 movies I’ve seen in the last 12 (ish) months that I’d like to tell you about.
(Links to IMDB sites and italics is the IMDB blurb.)
1. Boyhood – “The life of Mason, from early childhood to his arrival at college.”
If you haven’t heard of this movie, it is filmed over 12 years and uses all the same cast members, filming them in “real time” at different points in the character’s lives. It’s amazing. I love a good “coming of age” movie and this probably tops my list because the characters are literally growing up before your eyes. It was in no way fast-paced, and it didn’t follow the typical flow of a movie in that there was no real build up, climax and resolution, but it kept me interested the whole time, and it was just a real, honest movie. 5 stars.
2. Mud – “Two young boys encounter a fugitive and form a pact to help him evade the vigilantes that are on his trail and to reunite him with his true love.”
I can’t really tell you why I liked this movie so much, and that blurb makes it sound like a bit of a soppy movie which it is not. I really like the subtlety of it. So often these days, movies are very over the top and go from one extreme emotion to the next and it’s exhausting. This was an unusual story that reminded me a bit of Stand By Me actually. 4 stars.
3. Interstellar – “A team of explorers travel through a wormhole in space in an attempt to ensure humanity’s survival.”
Wow. Talk about an epic movie to feed the old existentialism. This movie was full-on and I found myself thinking about it for quite some time afterwards. I think I would like to watch it again to really nut it out in my head. 4 stars.
4. Birdman – “Illustrated upon the progress of his latest Broadway play, a former popular actor’s struggle to cope with his current life as a wasted actor is shown.”
Another incredible movie. The soundtrack is definitely worth mentioning – it’s pretty much all percussion and just sets the pace of the movie beautifully. Again, a bit existential (see a pattern forming here??) and very quirky, and it just worked. 4.5 stars.
5. Star Wars: The Force Awakens – “Three decades after the defeat of the Galactic Empire, a new threat arises. The First Order attempts to rule the galaxy and only a ragtag group of heroes can stop them, along with the help of the Resistance.”
I love it when there’s a whole lot of hype around a movie, and I know nothing much about it (specifically, not generally) and I see it and love it. One word to describe this movie: FUN. It was light, had some lovely cheesey moments, a few surprises, and a strong lady hero. All good things. 4 stars.
6. Guardians of the Galaxy – “A group of intergalactic criminals are forced to work together to stop a fanatical warrior from taking control of the universe.”
Speaking of FUN. Hubs and I re-watched this recently and it was even better the second time around. Looking forward to #2?? 4 stars.
7. Mad Max: Fury Road – “A woman rebels against a tyrannical ruler in postapocalyptic Australia in search for her home-land with the help of a group of female prisoners, a psychotic worshipper, and a drifter named Max.”
I was not excited about seeing this movie, but I did my wifely duty and kept an open mind and watched it with Hubs about 6 months ago. I didn’t really love it or hate it, but I found some of the visual effects a little hard to watch (I’m a complete wuss) so when Hubs wanted to re-watch it in HD a few weeks ago, I was less than enthused. Until one night, he really needed pepping up, so I suggested it. He gave me a wry smile and jumped on the couch like a little kid. And I gotta say, I actually really enjoyed it the second time around. I think I took more notice of the story this time, and was less affected by the visuals. So yeah, I surprised even myself. 4 stars.
8. Soylent Green – “With the world ravaged by the greenhouse effect and overpopulation, an NYPD detective investigates the murder of a CEO with ties to the world’s main food supply.”
One of those movies that I can now say we’ve seen. Not particularly fussed either way. 2.5 stars.
9. The Book of Life – “Manolo, a young man who is torn between fulfilling the expectations of his family and following his heart, embarks on an adventure that spans three fantastic worlds where he must face his greatest fears.”
This was our Friday night movie 2 weeks ago for the family, and even though I only got to see about half of it in the first screening, the kids watched it again the next day so I got to fill in most of the blanks. I often get a bit nervous about the kids watching movies that I find a bit visually scary/creepy but I know they are not as wussy as me (see #7) and they really loved this story, as did I. It had some lovely “take home” thoughts and feelings, and I would like to watch it uninterrupted at some stage (ha ha ha ha) so we’ll see how we go. 4 stars.
10. Zootopia – “In a city of anthropomorphic animals, a rookie bunny cop and a cynical con artist fox must work together to uncover a conspiracy.”
This is a pretty good kids movie. The sloth scene actually almost killed me! Ha! I am not a patient person, clearly. Hubs enjoyed watching me squirm, I’m sure. A solid performer. 3.5 stars.