Saturday, February 29, 2020

Saturday Screen Time #41: Oops, I watched too much


Happy Saturday, everyone! So I'm actually embarrassed at how much I watched this month but I have an excuse! I was out of commission for a solid week after my wisdom teeth removal and really didn't have anything else to do. Of course that meant watching movies. Then my dog got sick TWICE and I spent quite a lot of time just sitting with him and making sure he was okay. So that's that. Don't judge me.


THIS MONTH IN MOVIES


I Am Dragon - I finally got around to watching I Am Dragon after seeing multiple authors talk about how amazing it was for months. I have to say, they were right! I immediately tried to force everyone I know to watch it. This is a Beauty and the Beast style story about a girl who is stolen away by a dragon and finds out there's more to him than meets the eye. I was so in love with this one that I bought the blu ray! (5/5 stars)

Beast - Beast had been on my Shudder watchlist since I first got it and after I Am Dragon seemed like a great time to watch it! This is really nothing like Beauty and the Beast. A woman does learn there's more to the man she falls in love with that meets the eye, but it's much more sinister than Belle and her Beast. This is the kind of movie I love - it gave me a lot of conflicting feelings! I need more like this! (4/5 stars)

In the Tall Grass - I read the short story this was based on not that long ago. In fact, that short story collection only came out last year so this movie got made very quickly! Unfortunately it was fleshed out way too much and it lost some of the creepiness in my opinion. I've very rarely come across a full length movie based on a short story that was better than the source material. (2/5 stars)

The Danish Girl - I guess I'm behind on this one but I love Eddie Redmayne and have been meaning to get around to watching The Danish Girl. While I did enjoy this, I felt that it meandered a bit too much. Lili was also extremely hard to connect with. I loved seeing her learn to accept herself, but she was not very easy to like. (3/5 stars)



Ready or Not - I had seen SO many great things about this movie that I knew I needed to get a copy ASAP. While recovering from surgery I decided to go ahead and pick this one up and it was fantastic! Horror Comedy is a genre I've been enjoying more as the years go by and this was no exception. The combination of terror and laughs was wonderful and I have a feeling I'll be watching this over and over. (5/5 stars)

Parasite - Parasite has been everywhere lately and I honestly wasn't interested in it. I'd heard a lot of mixed things about whether or not it was horror and I was just planning to wait for it to come to Netflix. Then my fried bought it and made me watch it and I'm so glad I did! The story of this family is a car accident you can't look away from. I would not classify this as horror in any way, but it definitely had some tense moments. This is another one I picked up on blu ray after watching! (5/5 stars)

Knives Out - The same friend who made me watch Parasite also told me to watch Knives Out. Once again, she was right because this was absolutely my kind of movie! I love a good whodunnit and I adored every single actor in their role, although Chris Evans was especially good. I had some idea about the culprit although I never fully figured it out. I'll definitely be watching this again to look for clues! (5/5 stars)

Mandy - This is another movie I've had on my Shudder list forever and just now got around to watching. Unfortunately, it just was not the movie for me. I love indie and arthouse films, but this was just too much. The story was interesting and I enjoy Crazy Nic Cage anytime, but the art of this movie was over my head. I've heard it's great if you're on high! Alas, I was not. (2.5/5 stars)




Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark - I picked this up on sale since I'd been wanting to watch it for awhile. I have not read the stories it's based on, but I love del Toro and knew I needed to see Scary Stories. I liked the way the movie brought all the stories together and there were some genuinely creepy moments. The monster design was incredible! I wish it had been a bit less teen drama, but overall I definitely enjoyed it! (3.5/5 stars)

Rosemary's Baby - I read Rosemary's Baby a couple years ago for a Halloween read-a-thon but I know that the movie is a classic and wanted to give it a try too! I don't watch a ton of older movies, but I felt this one held up. I think not showing the supernatural elements definitely helped it to feel a bit more timeless. I didn't love the original story and this one seemed to follow that extremely closely. I wouldn't watch it again, but I'm glad I saw it once. (3/5 stars)

47 Meters Down: Uncaged - Shark movies are my guilty pleasure. I watched 47 Meters Down when it came out and liked it well enough so I decided to give the sequel a try. Sadly, this just wasn't it. The teen girls were painfully dumb and the science behind the sharks gave me a headache. I recommend The Shallows if you're looking for a recent shark movie that doesn't suck. (1.5/5 stars)

Color Out of Space - My second Crazy Nic Cage movie of the month! I adore how Nicolas Cage has fully committed to doing the wildest indie projects he can find. Thankfully, this one was a whole lot better than Mandy! While there were still a lot of out there moments, the story was much more coherent and easy to follow. This story is based on the short story of the same name by Lovecraft so it's about what you would expect. I read that the author will be making a trilogy set in the same universe and I am here for it! (4.5/5 stars)





Girl on the Third Floor - I kept seeing Girl on the Third Floor recommended around Twitter and Reddit and decided to give it a watch when it showed up on Netflix. Meh. I appreciated what they were trying to do, but nothing about this movie worked for me. The characters were awful, the horror didn't make sense, and things were generally not explained well. (1/5 stars)

The Blackcoat's Daughter - This movie has been compared to The VVitch and maybe that's why I just didn't care for it. The acting was actually great and the story could have worked, but some of the choices made by the filmmakers were not great. (1.5/5 stars)

Backcountry - In addition to shark movies, I love creature horror and survival stories, so it's not surprising that this found its way onto my screen. Backcountry is about a couple who go on a camping trip, get lost, and struggle to survive after coming face to face with a bear. The tension was great and there were some genuinely horrifying moments, but I honestly expected more bears in this bear movie. (3/5 stars)


THIS MONTH IN TV


Beyond the Walls - I wanted to watch this on Shudder but it disappeared so my lovely husband bought it for me on iTunes since that was the only place it was available. This miniseries was absolutely gorgeous and haunting. Beyond the Walls is about a girl who finds herself lost within the walls of the house she inherits. It had a very dreamlike quality and reminded me a bit of Pan's Labyrinth. I definitely recommend this if you're looking for something different and a little spooky! (4/5 stars)

Shameless Season 10 - I really wasn't sure how this show was going to work without Fiona, but I'm happy to report it was fine! The first few episodes were a bit of a drag, but it picked up halfway through and now I can't wait to see what happens in the final season! It was a bit weird that there was hardly any mention of Fiona but it was amazing to have Ian and Mickey back together! (4/5 stars)

Love is Blind - Yes, I was also caught up in this show. It's absolute trash but it's the most entertaining kind! I honestly like this more than The Bachelor, which I've entirely given up on at this point. I am now waiting impatiently for the reunion show! (4.5/5 stars)



THIS MONTH'S DNF LIST

Nothing!


WATCHLIST




Do you ever binge watch movies?
What's on your movie watchlist?
Let me know in the comments!