Movies Watched in 2017

Where: At Home, Netflix Instant

Thoughts:
I watched this directly after The Summit, and the juxtaposition of such wildly different lifestyles was an interesting feeling. I don't know if watching people jetset around the world and eat at restaurants more expensive than my entire apartment complex is for everyone, but they did a good job showing that the people into the foodie hobby aren't all bizarrely rich egomaniacs. Maybe only one or two. ;) Also it was nice seeing people be passionate about a hobby that wasn't going to kill them tragically, like climbing the worlds biggest mountains, so that might have made me enjoy it even more.

I was really inspired by the young woman from Hong Kong who lived with her parents and spent every penny from her 9 to 5 job to travel the world and try these foods- it made me feel it would be nice to get a little more serious about my own hobbies, and that's a good feeling to take away from a documentary.

It also inspired me to get off my butt and cook some of the blue apron meals I have waiting in my fridge. :P

Where: At Home, Netflix Instant

Thoughts:
Watching The Summit was a rollercoaster of emotions. It is full of tragedy, wonder and awe, joy, sorrow, hubris, frustration, amazement- maybe even confusion. It gave me exactly what I want from most documentaries- a look into the lives and world of people I'd have otherwise never seen or known about.
The subject is fascinating and I definitely recommend it, though a content warning for brief, non-graphic images of dead bodies.

My favorite moment was when they showed that brief video of being on top of the mountain- even that shaky video on a tv screen it looks like the edge of the world, and it took my breath away. I can't even imagine what it would be to actually be there.

Where: At Home, Netflix Instant

Thoughts:
In an effort to get some movie watching time in during hours working from home, I started putting on some documentaries in the background. So far the ones I've found have been good enough to pay pretty close attention to, RIP my daily work schedule haha.

This one was a lot of fun, I really enjoyed watching these people who are so dedicated to their passion for trail racing, take on an almost impossible challenge- it made me tired just watching. The subject of racing, the setting, and the people involved where interesting and enjoyable on screen. I would watch video of this race every year, that would be some great reality TV.

Where: At Home, Netflix Instant

Thoughts:
At first it seemed a little generic. I thought it was a bit of a slog getting through the beginning, but the last45 minutes really picked up the pace, and turned into a three way cat and mouse chase that was very enjoyable to witness. No masterpiece, I would have liked it more if it had given us way less info at the beginning and leaned more heavily on revealing information very slowly through the entire movie. It hinted at that style a little, playing with expectations of the main characters and controling what we the viewers see, giving us a few events out of order, and I wish it had leaned harder on that style. But by the last half it got where it needed to go, and spiraled into a very The-Third-Man-esque final sequence that I thought was really fun. I think it's worth watching for that, at least.

Where: At Home, Netflix Instant

Thoughts:
This movie was not terrible, and it wasn't embarrassingly bad as a lot of bad horror movies. It's common for movies, especially horror movies, to deal with mental illness and trauma in kind of a shitty way, and I don't thing The Disappointments Room did that- but maybe because it didn't do much of anything. It didn't explore anything interesting with its concepts and characters, there were no truly eerie moments, even the supernatural elements where underwhelming. There were some good, small moments that seemed fine, but it felt a little like winding a top up and letting it go, and instead of spinning it just falls to the floor.

I feel conflicted on ratings because there was nothing horrible about it, so there is less to talk about- is that better or worse than if it had really bad writing, plot holes, and wonky character motivation? I can't justify a lower rating because it wasn't bad, just a little boring. I could see this specific story making an interesting TV show, giving it the hours to explore both the character drama and slowly build up the spooky events- but sadly as a movie it fell a little flat for me.

Worth watching? I don't think it's a total waste of time. Don't expect a masterpiece, but maybe going in with lower expectations will make it more enjoyable. If you're always looking for more horror movies to watch, it's not gonna hurt you to sit down with it for a bit.

Where: At Home, Netflix Instant


Thoughts:
Just fine! Nothing especially mind blowing, but lots of elements I liked- colorful, period setting, about art, a woman lead, a "villain" who was very easy to dislike. Overall it was good to watch, a good way to spend some time and hopefully learn a little art history, if the movie is accurate to reality. Watching Christoph Waltz's character slowly spiral was very satisfying, he played the role well. Amy Adams did a fine job and was very sympathetic, and I liked seeing Jason Schwartzman's small but mildly humorous parts. It was very upfront and surface value and honestly it was nice to watch something that didn't try to be anything complex, confusing, or pretentious.

I would not have guessed in a million years that Tim Burton directed. Maybe he needed a breath of fresh air too. It was not a bad movie.

Where: At Home, Youtube

Thoughts:
A short film I enjoyed watching with my SO. It was interesting and I enjoyed the overal style and aesthetic a lot. It looked really beautiful, and the interesting "monster" designs and city scenery are truly the highlight of the short. The story was alright- I spend too much time online and I have seen enough Japanese horror-style hide and seek games, so it was no surprise where it was going. It was nice though, I'm not complaining. A neat concept and well executed. I'd watch more like this without hesitation.

Where: At Home, Netflix Instant

Thoughts: I was on board with this weird and wild film for a while. The ending just felt... I don't know. A little much. Spoilers: I thought it was disrespectful how it used the crossdressing scenes. It seemed like they were using it as yet another way to show how messed up McAvoy's character was. It's a pattern in movies that I think is handled really poorly, and this one did not do any better. End spoilers.

This movie was interesting and sometimes funny, a weird look at the obvious, inevitable self destructive implosion of an amazingly awful person in a terrible downward spiral, and it was really well made. It did the "drug addict wavering at the edge of finally hitting rock bottom" really well, had great energy and never a dull moment. Bouncing back and forth between his drug induced mania and his avoidant, trauma induced depression was done pretty believably. I just didn't have enough sympathy for the guy by the end, and, well, what I said in the paragraph above. Just not one for me personally.

Where: At Home, Netflix Instant

Thoughts:
This was alright. Kind of a fun, not very serious thriller. I thought a lot of the story was flimsy, though I guess that wasn't the point- the action and thrills were not enough to hold it up, however. Nothing stood out as being really well done.

Also, this had the same issue as Ghost Writer did for me- I couldn't accept that the main character, given what we are shown in the movie, would make the decision to walk INTO a potential danger scenario instead of away from it.

But hey it was fine, a fun movie to have on while I was working. Certainly not the worst I've seen.

Where: At Home, Netflix Instant

Thoughts:
I started this movie while multitasking and it took me a while to sit and actually watch, so I admit I probably lost some of the subtleties of the first 20 or 30 minutes. Even so I think this was a good movie.

Essentially a home invasion movie, I think it's above average for the genre. The plot was lowkey and subtle, but more interesting than a lot of similar films. I mean, I've seen enough movies where the aggressors are doing things "just because" and it is a little dull, if not outright lazy writing at this point. Mercy tries to play with expectations a little bit, and I liked that. I like when home invasion films move a little beyond "realistic", just because I can get uncomfortable watching a film with only terrible things that basically happen the exact same way IRL. This one was just odd enough to give me those fun spooky tingles in a few moments; the sense someone else has been in the house, your assessment of the situation being constantly challenged or proven wrong, doors being open or closed when we last saw them and now they aren't, an overwhelming amount of silence that provides the characters no logical next move. I'd compare it a bit to The Strangers in that sense, though this film had much less graphic violence.

There were a few moments that felt like the movie might as well be saying "exposition exposition exposition" but they were incredibly brief and didn't interrupt the pacing at all. There are some pleasant camera shots and the acting is fine. I also liked a moment where there are some newspaper clippings, and I could actually pause and read some of them, AND the little bit I got from reading those made me enjoy the ending a bit more. An interesting detail.

Overall Mercy wasn't especially exciting or gripping, but it had some good moments, interesting enough without overstaying its welcome, and worked with a format I liked a lot. I enjoyed my time with it. Worth watching if you're into the genre!

Where: At Home, Netflix Instant

Thoughts:
I was a tiny bit disappointed in this movie by the end... I think partially, we are supposed to be disappointed, and I appreciate the movie's winding path through its main characters emotions and trials. The disappointment is a big factor in the plot, maybe even the point of the film in a way, and it tells this story of... I don't know, grasping at lost time? That we can't change the past or other people? Looking back at our decisions and how we chose to react to things? So many good points to think about while watching this. Anyway, the movie tells this story in a way that I liked a lot; not picture perfect endings, but acknowledging that the end of the movie isn't the end of the story for anyone involved. I don't want to say "hope" but maybe a form of it, or at least, trying to remind us all we have some kind of agency over our lives and we should take responsibility for that.

Some spoilers in this paragraph:
I was also disappointed that, while Patrick Stewart and Carla Gugino's characters had some really great in-depth discussion and development, the character who seemed to have the most problems wasn't show to us the viewers as having processed the events and feelings of the movie, and tried to grow from it. Matthew Lillard's character was essentially the catalyst for the events of the movie, but I was bummed out we didn't see him have to face and process more of his own glaring flaws in the same depth as the other two. Maybe it was my distraction at him being what I'd think is the most troublesome of the three of them, and he seemed to tantrum his way to whatever he wanted.

Well, it was a very interesting film, and I had a good time telling my partner about it and discussing each character's motivations and actions, and hypothesizing about what we'd do if we were in any of their shoes. A nice little movie.

Where: At Home, Netflix Instant
Overall: Unimpressive

Thoughts:

Pictured above, my expression watching The Rite.
I guess as a disclaimer, I am not really a religious person. Usually that goes to my advantage watching faith-based horror flicks, it feels very much like watching another world and not my own. But The Rite really got under my skin, and not in a fun spooky way.

I get we are supposed to have a suspension of disbelief, "just a movie" blah blah etc etc. But it was very troubling to me to watch this entire movie where people where saying to ignore rational expectations and listen to bizarre church leaders. It felt irresponsible, to set up the entire story basically saying horrible things like incest and rape are indeed the manifestations of a literal demon, and the only solution is NOT hospitalization or psychiatric help, but an exorcist. It might have worked on some level if it hadn't spent a huge portion of the movie with a young teen girl who was presumed to be raped & impregnated by her father... if they wanted to do the whole "the church is right, doctors are clueless!" thing they should have done something that audiences could more easily shrug off. This is not something that bothers everyone so I'm sure there are people who would enjoy The Rite more than me. It really made it impossible for me personally to immerse myself in the story.

Other things that worked against it were... probably Anthony Hopkins honestly! His dire seriousness seemed melodramatic. Someone more lighthearted might have been more fun to see transform from troubled, quirky priest to priest on the edge of possession. But we have seen Hopkins be evil too often, it was not so entertaining this time.

Also, on a personal note, I am pretty tired of tropes like the appearance of animals symbolizing Satan, evil, curses, etc. It is really silly. Maybe because I have had unconventional pets like snakes and spiders for a big part of my life, but gosh if they aren't the most oblivious little creatures. It is the opposite of spooky, much like if you've ever had a dog in your life you can tell the dog in Cujo was not really rabid or angry, just a big dog they covered in red paint. Another immersion breaker.

I did like the scene with hoofprints in the snow, and the confusing switching of possible dream state to reality that the main character experienced later in the film. That was probably the only neat part.

Totally skippable.

Where: At Home, Netflix Instant

Thoughts:
I was stuck in bed sick all day so it was easy to make a double feature. I thought Compulsion would be an interesting film to watch since, A) I just watched a film with Orson Welles made 10 years prior, and B) I've seen the movie Rope, another interpretation of this infamous true crime duo, at least ten times, so it would be cool to compare them.

The first part of this movie was really great and I liked it for a lot of the same reasons I liked The Third Man, which I'd watched right before turning this on. Interesting camera work (I really like how filmmakers use light and shadow in black and white flicks) and an interesting look at the weird lives of two noteworthy young men. However this movie falls apart a bit for me after the scene with Ruth in the park. Some spoilers here, so I don't have to be too vague: I wasn't entirely surprised at the weird sympathetic tone it took, it being shot in 1959 and the subjects being two handsome wealthy white men, but it still is hard to swallow. I disliked the willingness of Ruth to jump to the aid of her would-be rapist, how she never stopped defending a literal murderer. In The Third Man, the character Anna has a similar role, sympathizing and even helping a man who would see her hurt and is absolutely no good for her. But the movie never really frames Anna's reactions as the right thing to do... she had her own flaws, history, and reasoning, just like every other character, and The Third Man did a great job of showing us that. However Ruth's character, and the lawyer Jonathon Wilk, they seemed to go up on a soapbox and try to convince us that we should have more sympathy than anything else for these two murderers. I respected the film wanting to talk about the death penalty, that's interesting, but the eagerness to overlook any seriously disturbing wrongdoing in the light of a sad background (not even that sad!) was really weird. It felt like the movie was preaching to me a bit, with all this "give the rich man the same rights as a poor man" nonsense.

End spoilers I guess!
I know I'm also biased against most crime movies now, having seen so much crime TV dramas like CSI and Law & Order. Unless a crime film does something really special it can just feel like a really long tv episode, which is just the sign of the times I live in now. The movie started out kind of interesting and I liked how it showed the two boys simply living their lives, did not even show us the crimes they committed. I loved how it showed us how easily "evil" can live with us totally unseen and unnoticed. But it lost me at the court stuff and I was just kind of waiting for it to end after that.

A cool film, worth watching, just not as great as I was hoping. Rope is still my favorite of the two.

OH, I just remembered that it had a weird scene with the KKK setting a cross on fire because Orson Welle's character... is an atheist, I think? Okay, it's 1959, I get it, white people are all about using symbols of actual oppression to imply symbolic oppression is happening to privileged people, while ignoring the actual terrible things that are happening... but tell me more how the rich guys deserve the same rights as the poor, Orson...

Where: At Home, Netflix Instant

Thoughts:

Wow! I loved this movie. I didn't remember just from the title that this was considered a classic, though I figured if Orson Welles was involved there might be a worthwhile movie to spend time on while I was stuck in bed sick all day. I am glad I did because this movie was fantastic. I was so impressed at the cinematography, beautiful high contrast shots and framing and silhouettes, it really reminded me of those days in college when I'd watch 2-3 films per day and finally see one that stuck and kindled my love of film despite how deeply saturated I was in the medium. These days I don't oversaturate in films anymore, but I distract myself with other things, blogs and podcasts and youtube videos about D&D. The Third Man shone through all my distractions like a beacon and reminded me that watching movies is sometimes watching art.
No it's not a perfect film (the music was so out of place it had me cringing a few times), but I'd love to watch it again, and again, and show it to others and watch it with them and talk about all the scenes and characters and their motivations. And I think it was really well done. I was intrigued at watching the story of this one man causing so many lives tangle around him, the reactions of various characters to learning more and more of the truth was not only interesting but sincere. We saw characters who all had their own motivations and perspectives and reasoning and nobody was really right or wrong, just trying to figure out what the hell is going on. They very rarely agreed on anything, they didn't mesh together, you could clearly see these people where individuals living their own lives in a difficult world. In that it felt more original than anything I've seen in a long time.

Maybe I'm just so glad to have watched a seriously great movie- I will definitely revisit this review after a week or so and see if I still feel the same. At the very least, The Third Man has given me a lot of motivation to keep watching movies this year.

Where: At Home, DVD

Thoughts:
Hm, I might have to watch this again sometime on my own, because my movie experience watching this was on a pretty small screen and with a pretty small dog named Bear who would bark with impecable timing whenever Sher Kahn or Baloo was on screen. I had a fun time watching it though! A very beautiful movie. I was so impressed with the CGI, all of the animals where beautiful. Neel Sethi did a great job, as my partner said, "he definitely acted like a kid" and he reminded us a lot of similarly aged kids in our life. Overall the movie was cute, fun, and a little exciting in parts, and I enjoyed it.

It is very easy to pinpoint the things I didn't like about this movie: Bill Murray and Christopher Walkin where unignorable and, inexplicably, the people who sang the only two songs in the movie. Terrible, cringeworthy, awkward. It would have been better with no music. Walkin especially just felt like a joke. Maybe they thought the King Louie scene would have been too scary without his surreal voice. It really brought me out of the movie. All of the other characters felt so authentic, too.

Where: At Home, DVD

Thoughts:
I'd seen this film in theaters twice in September, watched it again at home with my partner. I still love it! No, it's no groundbreaking, earth shocking masterpiece, but it was lots of fun. I would watch it again right now even.
What did I love? Great ensemble movie, a fun western without the burden of gendered violance and racism that is in so many westerns, the diversity of the cast was AMAZING, characters I could really enjoy, a good balance of action and humor and some drama without any parts of it feeling too serious or too silly. I loved seeing so many actors who I enjoy in this exciting western setting, especially: Ethan Hawke, Byung-Hun Lee, Denzel Washington.

What didn't I love? I am tired of Chris Pratt. He has become a very boring actor, and I think he had too much screentime in this movie- I get it though, he's an actor who sells tickets right now, muscle-y white guy, kinda sarcastic asshole who the young ladies like. His character in this movie was actually less annoying than in most other things I've seen him in recently, especially at the end.
That is definitely the only complaint I have of this movie. I really love it.

All in all I could watch this movie over and over, and I probably will. It's easy to watch, fun, nothing boring or heartbreaking to keep me away. Everyone has their big Hollywood action flicks they just love even if it's nothing new or game changing, this is definitely one of mine.

Where: At Home, Netflix Instant

Thoughts:
I didn't know anything about this movie except it was about male strippers, so my expectations where mostly that it was going to be very indulgent and lean heavily on the eye candy actors. I had no idea that it was directed by Steven Soderbergh until about two minutes ago. :P So I was surprised and a little impressed at the depth it went into exploring the main characters' motivations and desires. It was a sexy film in that most of the main characters where ripped, but it was also a kind of strange, understated, melancholy look into the personal lives of these people who floated into a niche job that constantly sucks them into a fantasy that is very at odds with reality.

Alex Pettyfer's character in particular reminded me of people I've known in my own life, nice enough and never intentionally harming anyone, but in general apathetic and ambitionless while pretending otherwise, and employing very bad decision making over and over again, despite their past experiences and despite dragging people they are close to down with them. I wish the movie had focused more on how this was affecting his sister's life, because living with someone like that is a complex, even dangerous ordeal that would have been very worth exploring. I was also pleased at how Channing Tatum's character was explored even though his story was not super original, but nice to see the main character going through changes and having to make some not so easy decisions about where he wants his life to go.

Downsides: the presence of Matthew McConaughey, though at least his character was one I was supposed to dislike so that made it easier. Also, the movie felt a little afraid to really step out on a ledge. I get it's a risky subject for mainstream audiences, and we do see some nudity and the effects of drug use, but overall it felt like it was still trying to be a little too safe and not "scare off" any potential viewers, and it never got as real as I wanted it to.

I don't think this is a film for everyone but if you've heard of it and are wondering if it's a "real" film or something like a risque, mature Step Up movie, it's definitely closer to the former and is worth giving a chance.

Where: At Home, DVD

Thoughts: Maybe not for everyone. A different stew made of some parts documentary style distance from the main characters, historical drama and lovely period settings and costume design, and kung fu action. It is an understated film, very quiet through much of it, with some artsy camera shots (I did think of In the Mood for Love while watching, totally forgetting they have the same director). But it is beautiful, and pulls you in slowly, and by the end I was very glad I watched it.

Ziyi Zhang as Gong Er really stole the show. Before her character is introduced, the film was interesting if a little dry. I think she added a lot of passion and motivation that the film would have completely lacked otherwise, and her conflicts where more heartfelt. My partner and I were always alert and attentive during her parts of the story, and we felt like we were rooting for her. We liked Ip Man but felt like his story lacked emotion, just didn't draw us in. Dare I say that the film should have just been about her and had Ip Man fade in and out as was historically accurate, especially since he has had several films about him already. That would probably have made it 5 stars for me.

But overall, this movie is definitely worth watching. Beautiful choreography (especially good whenever Gong Er is fighting!), beautiful cinematography, a lovely film.

We watched the subtitled version and I definitely recommend that.

Where: At Home, Netflix Instant

Thoughts: I was looking for some escapism movies after feeling down about current events/politics, tried this on Netflix Instant without reading the description, probably not the best choice for a distraction but I ended up getting kind of into it.

My biggest issue, was that I didn't understand the main character's motivation to continually engage in what was obviously a life threatening mystery. Most people would be able to sense danger, either bodily or to their reputation, and remove themselves, but Ewan McGregor's character just kept getting further involved.

That aside it was easy to watch. I love just turning my brain off and watching some mystery/espionage. Maybe I just really, really wanted to forget about the world for a while, but I did succeed in watching without feeling too strongly about any of the characters, be it a fault of the films or my own disinterest at the time. Maybe the story was just generic enough to not really worry about it: the blandness of the protestors for example, implied to me film writers who maybe didn't have any personal things they cared about strongly enough to write convincing protestors, they were devoid of real passion, and it felt very much like I was watching a film and not seeing reality- maybe I am missing some cultural things from my perspective as a very young American? That just made it easy for me to escape into the story. And the mystery itself was fun to follow, that feeling of never having quite enough of the truth at any given time was fun, and it kept me waiting for each new hint and clue.

I found the ending a little disappointing... it felt very abrupt and maybe a little melodramatic? But still, I don't regret watching it. Nothing mind blowing, but enjoyable, a good rainy weekend film.

When: March
Where: At Home
Rating: 3.5/5

MCU TOUR #3: Thor

HEALTHY ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIPS RATING: ... actually kind of decent.
OVERALL FUN LEVELS: Good!

I saw Captain America in theaters when it came out and was so incredibly bored with it I just figured they were all going to be a waste of time. Thor really surprised me. Plot-wise, it might be up there with Iron Man for my favorite MCU movie so far. The character's motivations and development in Thor were surprisingly great. Loki works as a villain extremely well, I thought all of his actions made a weird sense for the situation he was in. It is really weird to me that characters in this movie and The Avengers call him crazy repeatedly, because his actions seem really believable. His facial expressions where a hoot and this is the first film I truly enjoyed Hiddleston, he was a great pick for this character.

I loved that the romance between Jane and Thor didn't feel unhealthy and weird. Definitely rushed at the end, but Jane was portrayed really well, as this character who has her own very strong goals and ambitions, something rare for love interests in the MCU.

I also loved Thor actually having to come back from being a jerkass warhungry doofus. I love that he had to humble himself and resign to living on earth. I love that he had to interact with humans and learn values from them. I wish the film had pushed on that a little harder, I wish it had time to show us Thor developing the capacity to care about consequences and responsibility because humans do. One of the things I disliked in the movie was at the end when Loki said some line about Thor changing because of Jane, which seemed shoehorned in. He changed because of the entire experience!

Besides that nitpick, and the part where getting called a gendered slur is what makes Thor angry in the beginning (so unnecessary, and that happened in The Incredible Hulk Too), and the action being a bit bland, I really liked this movie. It's nice when the writing makes sense at face value. You know, I think one of my favorite conflicts in these movies is the Man vs Self conflict. I loved it in the first Iron Man, I loved Tony having to face how much of an ass he was, and I appreciated it in Thor as well, even though it was more understated.

When: March
Where: At Home
Rating: 3.5/5

MCU TOUR #3: Iron Man 2

HEALTHY ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIPS RATING: Meh
OVERALL FUN LEVELS: Great!

I remember disliking IM2 when I saw it in theaters, but it was much nicer this time around. I got a real kick out of Sam Rockwell's character, and while I didn't love the main conflict as much as I did the first Iron Man, the main bad guy had some decent one liners, and the action scenes were fun and colorful and exciting.

I think I "get" Tony's character more this time around, so I don't hate him for all his terrible horrible no good ver bad decisions. Still disappointed that Pepper settles for such poor romance standards. But I can see Tony's actions as logical to his general accumulation of trauma and being extremely bad at expressing literally any emotion.

When: March
Where: At Home
Rating: 1.5/5

MCU TOUR #2: The Incredible Hulk

HEALTHY ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIPS RATING: Extreeemely bad
OVERALL FUN LEVELS: Not good either

So, like... to have made this a good movie, from the footage they decided to shoot, this would basically need to be framed as a horror film, about a drug addict running from responsibility, and taking along his clueless girlfriend who has maybe read too many books like Twilight and thinks true love means sacrificing your own career, life, happiness, and safety for a guy who does nothing in return and regularly destroys things. And by things I mean human lives, he destroys human lives, multiple times. It was actually disturbing to see any scene framed as cute or romantic between Liv Tyler and Edward Norton because it felt so much like this awful druggie romance... like they took a "cute" pic in front of a truck they stole. He apologizes for almost killing her in the past. Bad bad bad bad! And yet the military father guy is the "bad guy." If he hadn't said some throwaway line about "he belongs to the government" he'd be 100% in the clear, because he was right the entire time, Bruce Banner is a danger to people and society, he has proven it over and over again as he destroys a shitton of buildings and a good handful of people. They totally and completely failed at making Bruce Banner a sympathetic character. I wanted him locked up after the very first encounter.

This movie had a bizarre cast, comparing it to other MCU movies. Kinda just showed they didn't know what they were doing yet. Liv Tyler was the most believable, others like Norton and Roth were too intense, not animated enough, definitely felt way too dark and angsty.

In a vacuum this movie could have been something weird and interesting and cool, framed as some kind of horrific life-ruining relationship, best from Liv Tyler's perspective in my opinion. But as an MCU movie, compared to the other superhero movies it was produced with, it is dull, colorless, only one or two good action shots, and the writing was extremely poor.

When: March
Where: At Home

MCU TOUR #1: IRON MAN

Overall Fun & Entertainment:
Healthy Romantic Relationships:


I almost forgot! A friend and I decided to watch every Marvel Cinematic Universe film in order of release together. I am not especially in love with superhero films, and the first Avengers movie has been the only one I'd really loved before we started this tour, but he is a huge comic book nerd and we end up talking about superheroes allll the time, so we finally just bit the bullet. We are trying to watch one film a week, so it will be way easier to reach my monthly goal.

Iron Man was a good movie. It is still a high point of the superhero genre in my opinion. There is a little silliness at the end that's like, eh. But overall it is actually a fun, punchy, exciting film.

I'll write up a little more on it later when I've decided just how much of me and my friend's discussions I want to type out here. :P