Update on the Field (5/19/20)

Sixty days up, sixty movies down. It's been two straight months of this challenge and honestly, it's still pretty fun. This cycle was another really good one – we had a couple of family dramas, another Korean movie, two big box office hits, and some indie films. Here are our thoughts:

5/9/20: The Kids Are All Right (2010)
Tom: I found this movie thoughtful and different because while it featured a lesbian couple (Annette Bening and Julianne Moore, both of whom were amazing), it didn't make it about their orientation. There was nothing really out of the ordinary about their relationship and could have been told (very slightly differently) with a straight couple, but I appreciated that it wasn't. Overall, it was a nice family drama about growth and growing up no matter what age you are.
Erin: The performances in this movie were top notch. One of the awesome things about doing this movie challenge is discovering Annette Bening. She is a marvel--just so wonderful. Julianne Moore and my bae Mark Ruffalo also put in excellent performances. I really liked watching this family comedy-drama and I’m glad I finally was able to see it.

5/10/20: Warrior (2011)
Tom: This was my second time seeing this and it still ruled. While it's almost the polar opposite of The Kids Are All Right, Warrior is an equally compelling family drama and raises questions about the parent-child dynamic and how it can affect us long into adulthood. It just has a lot more testosterone and unrealistic MMA fighting. But it's such a great movie.
Erin: I didn’t think I would like this movie, but I loved it. It calls back to classic fighting films like Rocky and I am a sucker for movies that end with a competition. The trio of lead performances were rock solid, and I think that the subplots on subjects like alcoholism, grief, and family took this movie past a typical sports film. I would highly recommend this to everyone, not just fans of “dad movies.”

5/11/20: Magic Mike (2012)
Tom: I did not expect this movie to be what it was. Since it and its sequel were marketed as raunchy comedies, I was expecting to roll my eyes at most of the scenes, but it was a surprisingly grounded film with solid performances. I really like Channing Tatum in serious roles. And McConaughey played a smarmy, charismatic club owner as only he can do. And, I'll admit, it was fun at times too.
Erin: I saw Magic Mike when it was released, and have spent the past eight years trying to convince everyone I know that it’s “actually a really good movie!” I really like this one. I have never been to strip clubs in Tampa, but I feel like this movie definitely captured strip clubs in Tampa effectively. I’m glad that I re-watched it.

5/12/20: Philomena (2013)
Tom: This movie is based on the true story of an Irish woman whose son is taken from her by nuns and sent to America as an orphan, and fifty years later she tries to track him down with the help of a journalist. While it got a lot of flak from the Catholic Church (and deservedly so), I thought it was really effective in showing shades of gray between organized religion, personal faith, and atheism.
Erin: Okay, this movie was so good. It was funny and heartbreaking and infuriating and so Irish. Philomena does something rare: takes an unbelievable true story and turns it into a funny and nuanced film. Watching Judi Dench and Steve Coogan travel around Ireland and Washington D.C. trying to find her son was an absolute pleasure.

5/13/20: A Most Violent Year (2014)
Tom: Morality in pseudo-organized crime. We've seen it before, but this movie was a patient slow burn and a fascinating character study into Abel Morales, played by Oscar Isaac. He's a Michael Corleone-esque character, but without the killer instinct. His wife Anna, played by Jessica Chastain, has what he lacks, and she lets him know. It's a cool dynamic. The movie was slow but I really liked it.
Erin: This one was the only movie from this batch that was “meh” to me, and it still had a lot of aspects that I liked. My problem is that I literally can not wrap my brain around movies that talk about corruption and business and stuff like that. I had to ask Tom about what was actually happening multiple times. Whatever. It was a little slow, but Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain were fantastic, and I liked the old-school vibe of the movie.

5/14/20: Tangerine (2015)
Tom: This movie exploded with personality the entire time. It's basically a bunch of transgender hookers in Los Angeles who get into some problems. It was equal parts drama, comedy, and chaos, and the performances made the movie feel extremely authentic. Plus, it's only 88 minutes. It was super fun.
Erin: This was a surprising delight. I LOVED The Florida Project, so I thought that I would like director Sean Baker’s previous film, but I didn’t know how funny it would be. Covering transgender sex workers in LA filming on three iPhone 5s is quite the challenge, but this movie was a resounding success. It reminded me a little of Clerks, just because it was a low-budget character study and comedy with a lot more under the surface. I really loved watching this one.

5/15/20: Captain Fantastic (2016)
Tom: This is another movie that wasn't really what I thought it would be, but I liked it anyway. Viggo Mortensen leads about a half dozen of his kids in a lifestyle in the woods where he teaches them about anarchy, different languages, and Noam Chomsky because he and his wife became disillusioned with society. When his wife passes away, the children lead him on an "adventure" to her funeral and everyone learns a lot about life. It was heartwarming and I recommend it.
Erin: This was another film that was surprising to me. Based on the promotional poster, I thought Captain Fantastic would be like, Wes Anderson-y. But it wasn’t at all! Viggo Mortensen is the father of a family that has been living off-the-grid for years, and now attempts to re-integrate into society. Mortensen is such an underrated actor. He was fearless in this role, and led an impressive batch of performances from the young actors in his “family.” I think a lot of people missed this one, but it has some broad appeal.

5/16/20: The Big Sick (2017)
Tom: Speaking of learning a lot about life, The Big Sick was modeled after Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon's real lives, and I loved it. It lived up to the hype. While it had many elements of a traditional rom-com (and that's fine!), it was also just a really sweet movie and I enjoyed seeing a Pakistani male romantic lead. It was cool. Also, Holly Hunter and Ray Romano were so good.
Erin: I feel so silly for not having seen this movie until now! It takes all of the good things about Judd Apatow-produced movies (funny, great performances from comedic actors, surprising depth) without the bad parts (please cut half an hour). The script was witty and heart-filled, Kumail Nanjiani is a star, and we got Ray Romano and Holly Hunter. What else could you want?

5/17/20: Burning (2018)
Tom: Another slow burn (ha) thriller. This one was in Korean and the mysterious villain is Steven Yeun from The Walking Dead, Okja, and others. You know him. It was a little long, but I was impressed by how the director was able to maintain a simmering tension for almost two and a half hours. It pays off at the end and was an insightful perspective into class privilege and class warfare in Korea.
Erin: This was such a unique film! It was the first Korean film to make the short list for the foreign film Oscar, and it deserved recognition for sure. This movie is all about the mood. Unease and suspicion abound as the main character tries to figure out the location of his friend/love interest-ish. There is a surprising turn at the end, but it’s not about that, or the mystery of what happened to Hai-me. Instead, the focus of the audience is on relationships, class dynamics, and the place of women in society.

5/18/20: Hustlers (2019)
Tom: I thought this movie was going to be a gritty, street-style look into strippers, but instead it was basically Magic Mike mixed with Goodfellas or The Wolf of Wall Street. Jennifer Lopez was awesome. Keke Palmer has come a long way since Akeelah and the Bee, and I truly think Cardi B can be a comedic star one day. It deserved all the praise it got. This movie was super entertaining.
Erin: This is a flat out good movie. Yes, we can connect it to Scorsese movies and movies about the recession, but this is something almost revolutionary: a movie where you don’t have to strain to make it pass the Bechdel test. This won’t matter to a lot of people, but I absolutely crave female-centric movies, and only recently have I seen more than a sprinkling every year. The music in this movie was a time capsule raining glitter and dollar bills, and Jennifer Lopez was incredible.