Update on the Field (7/23/20)

We’re back with nine more brief reviews for you! That's right, I said nine. We finished all the movies from our list in the year 2015! We're getting close to finishing out another couple of years too, but we aren't quite there yet. This time around, we went through a Marvel blockbuster, a Hanks, a weird indie sci-fi film, and a space dud, among others. Here are our thoughts:

7/13/20: Biutiful (2010)
Tom: Inarritu took Javier Bardem and threw him through the ringer to see how much pain a character could go through. And it wasn't melodramatic at all. It was a really hard watch and was as bleak as bleak could get, but I think that there was a positive message hidden in at the end which made the movie worth it. There was definitely about 20 minutes that could have been cut though. Regardless, Bardem was unreal as he always is.
Erin: This was an interesting film. I found it a little slow-moving and too bleak for my taste, but Javier Bardem is so good and always so game in any role. I think I just don’t love movies that are super sad the entire time. Worth a watch though!

7/14/20: Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
Tom: Among any friends who I discuss the MCU with, I'm known as a Captain America hater. This movie was fine though. I was interested in the fact that he was literally killing people in this considering how Disney-fied the MCU is. It was a solid origin story which was necessary for the pre-Avengers world. Chris Evans is good.
Erin: I already saw this so I just, like, took a nap. It’s cool. It’s the epitome of Marvel vibes. We really just had this on the list because we didn’t see Winter Soldier and it’s supposed to be really good. I remember really enjoying it when I saw it in theaters, but at this point, I’m pretty Marvel-ed out.

7/15/20: Bernie (2012)
Tom: This movie caught me by complete surprise, although it shouldn't have, considering Richard Linklater and Jack Black already linked up for one of the greatest films ever created, School of Rock. It's a comedic mockumentary about a true story (does this make it a documentary in some way? I don't know. I'm confused now) of a murder in east Texas committed by a genial and beloved mortician. Linklater rules. Jack Black rules. McConaughey rules. Shirley MacLaine rules. Watch this movie, it's short and fun!
Erin: I have loved this movie for years!!! It’s so good. As usual when it comes to my love of true crime, I struggle with turning a real murder into an entertaining movie. I think one thing that was especially interesting about this one, though, is that Richard Linklater used ACTUAL residents of the hometown to give talking heads explaining their thoughts about this case. Amazing performances by all involved.

7/16/20: Captain Phillips (2013)
Tom: I watched a terrible bootleg version of this back in the day and shockingly I don't think I got the full effect of it that time. This time, although I'm not a huge fan of formulaic Tom Hanks savior movies, I really enjoyed this because of the twist on that formula. Again, I probably would have cut a few minutes of runtime because it got a bit repetitive about two-thirds through, but the movie did a great job of tension building and was bolstered by an awesome performance by Barkhad Abdi.
Erin: I liked this one a lot more than I thought I would! It is a dad movie for sure, but extremely well done. The acting in particular, was a standout. The only thing I’m like “ugh” about is the camera work. This director is famous for this, since he did the Bourne movies, but there are WAY too many close ups and shaky handheld camera vibes. It was groundbreaking way back when, but it honestly just gives me a headache.

7/17/20: Under the Skin (2014)
Tom: This was a late addition to the list in which Scarlett Johansson plays an…alien? Creature? I don't know. But she essentially seeks out lonely men in Scotland and preys on them. The movie progresses as she self-actualizes and considers what it means to be human. It's a slow, tense sci-fi film and it's hardcore existential and arguably a commentary on feminism, racism, and immigration all at once. Johansson was incredible but this movie is definitely not for some people. I'm honestly still not sure what my opinion of it was.
Erin: I wanted to like this! But I didn’t! It’s a little-seen sci-fi movie where alien Scarlett Johansson steals men. I will say that ScarJo was awesome, and I am liking her more and more as I watch more of her movies. But this movie was slow, strange, and doesn’t give the audience enough answers (in my opinion!) A lot of people loved it though, so what do I know?

7/18/20: No movie! 2015 is done! Or, as Erin said in our Google Doc, "FREE SPACE. I just did a little dance party in this free box. Woop woop. Woop woop."

7/19/20: The Edge of Seventeen (2016)
Tom: I'd never seen this before and it was a really sweet one. It reminded me a lot of Easy A, which is one of my favorite movies. I'm beginning to really love Hailee Steinfeld. She brings so much heart and character to her roles. This movie is a proto-Eighth Grade in which you feel like the character is as imperfect and rough around the edges as teenagers often are at that point in their lives. I really enjoyed it.
Erin: I loved this movie when I watched it a few years ago, and loved it just as much this time. I am just really digging the Hollywood realization that people really want to see young women characters that aren’t just peppy, likable, pretty girls. Hailee Steinfeld’s Nadine is not happy, is not agreeable, and is more realistic than 99% of teenage movie characters. I so appreciate that, and other movies that are like that (ahem: Lady Bird and Easy A). Does my connection with these movies mean I’m difficult? Am I difficult?!!!?!

7/20/20: I, Tonya (2017)
Tom: The whole Tonya Harding craze surrounding this movie made me uncomfortable when it came out, so I didn't watch it. And while I thought the movie did a good job of calling her out for her hypocrisy and did not portray her sympathetically despite her abusive upbringing, I still thought the ending let her off the hook a bit. That being said, Margot Robbie and Allison Janney were incredible. Janney was terrifying.
Erin: I liked this one a lot when I saw it a few years back too! Great performances, an awesome soundtrack, and a stranger-than-fiction plot that has fascinated me forever. It’s a great watch when you want a movie that doesn’t take itself too seriously, but is well made!

7/21/20: A Quiet Place (2018)
Tom: Why didn't you guys make me watch this sooner? I blame you. I also blame you for not making me watch it in theaters. This movie was really cool and was not really a horror movie at all. In a quiet movie that literally relied on people not making noises, I'm glad that John Krasinski held back on cheap jump scares in favor of a more family-oriented drama to get you invested in the characters. I also enjoyed that he chose not to reveal anything substantial about the post-apocalyptic world and just dropped the viewer in head-first. It was a very cool movie.
Erin: I can’t believe I missed this huge hit when it was a smash in theaters back in 2018. After watching it, I so wish I was able to see it in the theaters. A tight 90 minutes of an original story, masterfully made. This is a movie that doesn’t NEED to include a backstory. It doesn’t need to have flashbacks. It holds up to all of the hype, and solidifies my love for Emily Blunt.

7/22/20: Ad Astra (2019)
Tom: *don't say Bad Astra, don't say Bad Astra…* This movie was uh…Ad Trash-stra? Ugh, that doesn't work either. I don't know. This movie thought it was really smart because everyone talked slow and it was a metaphor involving space and the relationship between a son and an absent father. The screenplay was hacky nonsense though. It has SO MANY super corny Tumblr-style melodramatic lines. And there was a random monkey in space which could have been cool but seemed wildly out of place. I don't know. I have no idea what the tone even was. And I love Brad Pitt and Tommy Lee Jones. But this one was unfortunately a stinker.
Erin: Oh my gosh this movie was so boring and the dialogue was so bad. I like Brad Pitt, okay? A lot! He’s awesome! This movie--not awesome! When he slowly says, “Did this break him? Or was he always broken?” I couldn’t contain my eyeballs from rolling to the back of my brain. It was painful. It looked cool. That’s literally it. Probably a bottom five, definitely a bottom ten of the movies we have watched--sorry!!