Update on the Field (4/9/20)
We've finished the second cycle, which means we've watched a movie each of the last twenty days now. It's pretty crazy. I think I liked every one that we watched this time! Here's our brief thoughts on the movies we watched this past cycle:
3/30/20: Animal Kingdom (2010)
Tom: I had no idea what this was going into it, but it was great. Australian family crime drama-thriller - Jacki Weaver and Ben Mendelsohn stole the show. Would definitely recommend.
Erin: This was a really interesting movie! I liked the cast and the slow burn of the story.
3/31/20: Beginners (2011)
Tom: The concept could have been super poorly executed - a 74 year-old man comes out as gay to his son after his wife dies - but it had enough charm from the leads (Ewan McGregor and Christopher Plummer) to carry it through. Plus, there was a dog who spoke with subtitles. It was a good one.
Erin: Christopher Plummer was so great in this. Also, a dog plays a major role, so...love. A little too “adorbs” for me but still a really good watch.
4/1/20: Skyfall (2012)
Tom: This was my second time seeing it, and I think it's ascended to "Will Watch Whenever I See It On" status. It's everything a Bond film should be: cool, stylish, beautifully shot. Having a compelling villain and a main storyline revolving around Judi Dench were just bonuses.
Erin: This was my first Bond movie! For being long, it was really fun! I just love that Bond films are so distinctive. I haven’t ever seen one and I kept being like, “This is so Bond.”
4/2/20: Her (2013)
Tom: I was skeptical going into this because the concept always made me roll my eyes. That being said, I really enjoyed it! I had to adjust to the weirder scenes, but overall I thought Joaquin and Johansson were super likable and, of course, Amy Adams had a good part too.
Erin: Strange but good. Too much Rated R stuff that to me was not needed. But really great acting and an interesting concept.
4/3/20: Big Eyes (2014)
Tom: The Amy-thon continued with this Tim Burton movie, and again, I liked it more than I expected to. Christoph Waltz played his role to perfection, and while it had elements of Burton movies that I don't typically enjoy, he didn't hammer the viewer over the head with them, so it didn't put me off.
Erin: I really liked the world building in this. It felt very 1960’s San Francisco. I would like Tim Burton movies a lot more if they were more down-to-earth like this one.
4/4/20: The Gift (2015)
Tom: Go watch this if you haven't! I put it on my Instagram story, but it was a psychological thriller that twisted a whole bunch of thriller/horror tropes on their heads. Crazy that this was Joel Edgerton's first directing job, because he did awesome. Also I don't like Serious Jason Bateman (sorry Ozark fans), but he was cast perfectly here.
Erin: LOVED this! I like movies that are tightly written and tell a full story. It was so engaging and twisty--love.
4/5/20: The Lobster (2016)
Tom: Yorgos Lanthimos has a reputation for making some off-the-wall movies, and this is only the second one I've seen after The Favourite. I was a little skeptical about it at first, but as it went along, I thought Colin Farrell played a great part, and Rachel Weisz helped fill out the heart of the movie. The writing was great too.
Erin: This was a weird one. Colin Farrell and Rachel Weisz are such stars. I liked the vibe here--not the dead animals though.
4/6/20: Roman J. Israel, Esq. (2017)
Tom: I could've sworn this was a biopic, but it wasn't! I thought it was an interesting look at activist lawyering and the trade-offs that come with helping the public (there's no money in it) and the temptation of straying from your morals. Overall, it was only a pretty good movie, but if you love Denzel like I do, you'll enjoy it.
Erin: Denzel Washington is just so good. I didn’t like that the first half of the move was flat out sad. But I thought it told a good story and was worth the watch.
4/7/20: Cold War (2018)
Tom: The first fully foreign-language film we've watched for this challenge. It was highly acclaimed, but overshadowed by Roma when it came out. Overall, it was a fun watch to see a tumultuous relationship between two actors that I'd never seen before and didn't know what to expect from. I don't think it connected with me as forcefully it did with many others, but I enjoyed it.
Erin: This was so old school and European. It was an interesting take on a “relationship” movie. I enjoyed it a lot. Oh and it was really beautifully shot as well!
4/8/20: Dolemite is My Name (2019)
Tom: Eddie Murphy rules. The cast was great. It was punchy, funny, and from what I can tell, true to Rudy Ray Moore himself. It wasn't too long, didn't dwell too much on sad parts, and kept rolling the entire time. It's always great to see what inspires a legend.
Erin: Pure fun. When a movie is a comedy, I like it when it stays a comedy. No melodramatic parts please. This one stayed upbeat and was so entertaining to watch!