Update on the Field (8/3/20)
We're plowing through these movies and we got through another bunch. We only have three Best Picture nominees to watch for the decade. Considering the precursor to this challenge was watching all of the nominees every year, that's pretty cool to us. This time, we watched a MCU sequel, a Spielberg "epic," a young adult romantic dramedy, and a film noir set in the peak of late 1960s counterculture, among others. Here are our thoughts:
7/23/20: Kick-Ass (2010)
Tom: I watched a bootleg of Kick-Ass sophomore year of college on a small laptop in my friend's room and couldn't hear a thing so I didn't think I liked it. Turns out I was completely wrong. This movie is insane and violent and funny and I love Nic Cage and Christopher Mintz-Plasse more than anything in the world. Kicking myself for missing it this long. Kick-Ass walked so Deadpool could run.
Erin: I saw this movie when it came out originally, and I remember there was SO much controversy about it. Ten years on, it’s kind of funny that this movie led to boycotts and outrage, especially with movies like Deadpool making huge splashes at the box office. This one is still a total blast to watch. It’s a little cringy and dated, but Chloe Grace Moretz is a revelation as pint sized vigilante Hit-Girl, and it’s such a fun take on the superhero genre.
7/24/20: Oops, we were busy and didn't watch a movie!
7/25/20: War Horse (2011)
Tom: I'm a fan of movies and TV with horses in them (BoJack Horseman, Tangled), but a movie where the main character is a horse that doesn't speak is just destined to lose me. Especially when it's 2 ½ hours long. It's pretty standard Spielberg fare and was well filmed but was too bloated and boring for my liking.
Erin: I watched some of this movie while subbing in a social studies class years back, and I have been lamenting that it is not even close to as good as the play or the book. It’s not, but it wasn’t as boring as I remembered. The best I can say about this movie is that it’s a traditional war epic with an interesting twist. Unfortunately, I think that the movie may turn viewers off from reading the book or seeking out the play, both of which are truly excellent.
7/26/20: Life of Pi (2012)
Tom: I've never read the book but my idea of this movie made it hard for me to believe that it would be a good candidate for the movie treatment. Like, in the same way that I would imagine it would be hard to adapt The Alchemist. Anyway, Life of Pi was just brilliant. It resonated with me and I almost teared up on two separate occasions, which means normally emotive people would have sobbed for hours. I bought the book a few years ago for like $2 at the Princeton Public Library so it's time to reap that reward.
Erin: I had read this book in 8th grade, and believe it or not, thirteen year old me wasn’t really into the deep philosophical questions that were posed in the novel. I’m so glad that I watched this movie finally! It was really beautifully shot, at points action packed, and meditative at others. It deserved all of the awards it won at the Oscars!
7/27/20: Frances Ha (2013)
Tom: This one was good. I don't really have all that much to say about it. It's a monochromatic indie film that was released widely and was co-written by director Noah Baumbach and star Greta Gerwig. It's an interesting movie because it depicts much of what it seems living as a white woman in Brooklyn is still like nowadays but with worse clothing. It's a nice little quarter-life-crisis/millennial coming-of-age movie.
Erin: This is another movie that I had previously watched, but it was super cool to see it now after watching Greta Gerwig’s career take off. This is a black and white indie dramedy where Frances (Gerwig) tries to figure life out, with friendships and relationships, as well as her career. There is a clear connection between Frances and Gerwig, and it is really heartwarming that both have carved out their place in their chosen field.
7/28/20: Inherent Vice (2014)
Tom: This is a book I had read and I really disliked but I love Paul Thomas Anderson and can always respect a good Joaquin Phoenix performance so I was excited for the movie. It was too long (just under 2 ½ hours) but I did enjoy it. It's like if The Big Lebowski was more convoluted and the viewer was on LSD instead of smoking pot. And the cast, including Phoenix, Josh Brolin, Owen Wilson, Reese Witherspoon, and more, was stacked.
Erin: This one was WAY TOO LONG. Hard pass on the length there. It was also totally incoherent. But I honestly didn’t mind the ride. I was picking up what PTA was putting down. It’s basically stoner Joaquin Phoenix trying to solve a crime in the 70’s. We don’t have to follow the plot--it’s just the vibe, man. I won’t watch it again but I’m glad I saw it...seriously just cut a half an hour though.
7/29/20: Took a day off, done with 2015!
7/30/20: Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
Tom: Captain America, like many white bread characters, is more compelling when he's faced with strong, compelling villains. That's what puts The Winter Soldier ahead of The First Avenger and Civil War in Cap's movie hierarchy. Using Robert Redford's cunningly evil Alexander Pierce and Sebastian Stan's eponymous Winter Soldier as foils, Chris Evans was able to bring out substantially more personality in the Captain America character than in the first movie. It's also clear that Marvel had found its stride by this point and wasn't on wobbly footing like it was in The First Avenger. Cool movie. Will rewatch.
Erin: This was really good for the first hour, but then my sister came over and I like, yelled at her for the rest of the movie so...I’m just going to smile and say “It was good!”
7/31/20: Split (2017)
Tom: I'm sure Erin is going to write something similar, but I thought this movie looked horrendous from the trailer and never planned on watching it. But James McAvoy made a classic Shyamalan-ian concept believable and was frankly really impressive in shifting between personalities. It was a hokey but fun thriller.
Erin: I saw the trailer for this movie while at a theater (remember those times?) and I thought it was going to be the worst movie in the world. It actually was SO FUN. I feel like it was not the most sensitive movie in the world, but it was a thrill ride, James McAvoy was fantastic, and it has such a great little twist ending.
8/1/20: Love, Simon (2018)
Tom: This one was slightly too clean and traditional of a coming-of-age movie for me, but it's extremely culturally important that this movie exists. Outside of Simon, the main characters seemed there only to push the plot in certain directions but I'm not going to be too critical because it was funny and sweet and has a great message.
Erin: Okay, Love, Simon is bae. I read the book, I had already seen the movie, and I would watch it every day of my life. I just really really appreciate how much this movie needs to be out in the world. When Jennifer Garner talks to Simon about loving him for who he is, while looking directly at the camera so whoever is watching can hear what she’s saying? *chef’s kiss* It’s unapologetically YA and just so heartwarming. Backstory: LGBTQ+ literature (especially written for younger readers) have a history of having tragic endings, or endings where the main character magically “decides” to “change their ways.” This novel and movie is one of the first mainstream successes that is a sweet romance and realistic high school story that doesn’t end badly. It’s so important and so lovely.
8/1/20: Hereditary (2018)
Tom: Surprise, double feature! I watched this movie by myself on Saturday night after we watched Love, Simon and I don't know why. I'd read the synopsis twice before because I didn't think I'd ever watch it. I also had Where's the Jump open the whole time because I was terrified of the jump scares. Anyway, the movie ruled, and Ari Aster is incredible at what he does. Special shoutouts to the incredible Toni Collette and cinematographer Pawel Pogorzelski for turning a much-travelled horror premise into an extraordinary and deeply affecting allegory for the effects that history and lineage have on us every single day.
Erin: I didn’t watch it! Midsommar literally triggered months of panic attacks for me. That is truly baller when it comes to the effectiveness of a horror movie...but yeah. Not watching Hereditary. I watched Lilo & Stitch again and went on a Hawaiian Roller Coaster Riiiiiiiiideeeeee.
8/2/20: Waves (2019)
Tom: I was really excited for this ever since I'd seen the trailer and thought it looked like another Moonlight. It mostly lived up to my expectations. It's an extremely ambitious movie about a family who undergoes a traumatic event (about halfway through the movie, so no spoilers) and has to come together to move on. It's half traditional movie, half visual arts project. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross compiled an ethereal soundtrack featuring Frank Ocean, Alabama Shakes, A$AP Rocky, and more, to evoke feelings in the viewer through music coupled with certain camera shots and filters. (Maybe the use of Alabama Shakes' "Sound and Color" was a bit on the nose.) It's a challenging watch at times and feels unrelenting but this allows for the quieter, cathartic second half to feel like the characters really earned their growth. Sterling K. Brown should have been nominated for Best Supporting Actor. He is the man.
Erin: 2019 continues to impress. This was a really worthwhile watch. I don’t think it was entirely successful, but I truly appreciate movies that take risks and are ambitious. It is a film about a family coping with trauma, and it teeters between melodrama and hyper-realism. It was very stylized and focused on music, and was just a truly interesting film. I can’t say I loved it, but I really appreciated the ambition.