Movies the giraffe watched in 2015: July

Re-watch - July 5th

Last month Drafthouse did a free kids screening of Superman on a day I was working, so I wasn't able to take the kiddo. They kept running ads for it before their films though, and each time she saw it she got excited. So I figured I'd rent it so we could watch it together at home.

Turns out it was a good choice because she loved it. She repeated several times throughout the film that she wished she could fly like, be as fast as, and be as strong as Superman. She geeked out over some of the lines of dialogue & just had a blast from start to finish. Guess I'll have to rent the 2nd one again in the near future. For my part it had been so long that I'd forgotten all but the big highlights of the film, and renting the extended Donner cut proved to bump it up big time from my previous rating of 6/10 (a rating mostly based on what I did recall). The ending is still super ridiculous to me, but overall this is a fun film & a worthy entry into the superhero movie canon.

First viewing - July 9th

Well, this was interesting enough. I'd never even heard of it but my co-worker friend thought I'd dig it & sent it my way. And it's definitely entertaining, but kinda falls apart in the end. The cast does a solid job across the board, and there are some very memorable moments. But the world that's created left me wondering whether the film even takes place in the real world, as it's mostly unpopulated with people and the few people we do meet it seems like they wouldn't all be in the same town together at the same time (who are the police policing?). Then the ending starts to go overboard with explaining what's been going on yet somehow manages to stay kinda vague as well. All of which adds up to a film that's kinda worth watching but could well be improved upon especially in the story department.

First viewing - July 18th

So on this particular night it was late when I pulled up Netflix & I wanted something short. I noticed this new film starring Mark Duplass & decided to give it a shot. Well, by the end of it I was so amped I stayed up well beyond the end of it. I don't want to say too much about it, but if more found footage films were this good I'd be a bigger fan of them. It's so well put together, and I can't think of a single thing to complain about. Only thing missing was that magical 10/10 feeling for me. But don't listen to me. Instead just keep your expectations low, pull up Netflix, read the synopsis they have & dive right in. After that you can come back and thank me.

Currently streaming on Netflix

First viewing - July 19th

After Creep I wanted something else to watch to chill me out. Since much ado has been made lately about Amy Schumer & this has her performing I figured I'd give it a look since I'm unfamiliar with her. My impression was that she's funny, but not so much that I'm anxious to keep seeking out more of her work. That said, I may check out something else to see if she does a better job, but initially I'm not especially impressed.

But hey, at least she made me laugh, which can't be said for Rachel Feinstein. After about 10 minutes of waiting for her to say something I actually found funny I decided to give up & skip to the next one, which was Nikki Glaser. She was funny, and I laughed a little more at her bit than I did at Ms. Schumer's. Still not riotously funny, but worth watching.

Finally the whole thing closed with Marina Franklin, who was funny & actually had interesting things she talked about. There was a bit of social commentary, but only a little bit. So yeah, 3 out of 4 isn't bad & for the most part I was entertained. Nothing great, but worth checking out once.

Currently streaming on Netflix

First viewing - July 26th

After Tai-Chi Master ended I wasn't quite tired yet so I went in search of a short-ish stand-up comedy special. This was exactly 1 hour, so I figured I'd give it a shot & if I wasn't digging it I'd just go on to bed. Ah, and at this point I should probably admit that prior to this I was familiar with Louis C.K. by name only.

It started off OK, and I found his act to be hit & miss. Some parts were meh, some parts induced chuckles rather than big laughs, but the part where he's talking about being a dad & dealing with a five-year-old daughter were too easy to relate to & had me laughing until tears rolled down my cheeks. So I think I'll look into more of his work in the near future.

Currently streaming on Netflix

First viewing - July 28th

The kiddo actually wanted to go see Minions on this day, but after all my moving-related expenses I decided we should wait a little longer. So instead we watched this together at home.

I thought it was all right...entertaining enough to keep my interest, but nothing exceptional. It's got some funny moments, but few of them made me really laugh heartily which means this just isn't my style of humor overall I suppose. I can't argue that the animation isn't excellent, so I won't try to, and I dug the obvious influences from The Great Escape. The kiddo enjoyed it more than I did, which also helped me stick with it, and her favorite part was the rooster falling into all the pies.

Anyway, not a film I'd go out of my way to watch again but I won't mind if she insists that we revisit it.

Currently streaming on Netflix

First viewing - July 29th/30th

After watching Lost Soul I decided to check out one of Richard Stanley's completed films to see if it'd be as worthwhile as suggested. Dust Devil is certainly an original film, unpredictable, intriguing, and entertaining. It never crossed the line of greatness for me though & wound up being one of those films that I only need to watch once. But it's definitely worth checking out & I'd encourage others to do so as well.

Currently streaming on Netflix

Re-watch - July 1st

I decided to kick off July by revisiting the best summer blockbuster of 2015 on the big screen one more time, and I'm so so glad I did. For one thing, the print and sound were both better this time around, so the colors didn't bug me at all & I was able to catch almost all of the dialogue unlike last time around. All of which added up to reinforcing my previous rating & solidifying it for the future. So now I have zero complaints, though it still doesn't quite earn a perfect 10 from me. I'll gladly revisit it again though over the years, especially any time Drafthouse brings it back to the big screen.

Oh, and if you haven't caught this on the big screen yet I recommend doing so instead of waiting to watch it at home. It's so glorious, and you'll have a lovely day.

First viewing - July 14th

I'd wanted to see this on its initial theatrical release, but I think it played here for about 2 weeks before it disappeared. Fortunately a local discount theatre showed it as part of their summer kids movie series, so I took my daughter to see it for $1 apiece. And it was well worth the wait.

Why more people haven't sung this film's praises, I have no idea. The Dia de los Muertos backdrop makes it unique, the film is consistently stunning visually, and the story is solidly entertaining & heartfelt. Granted the overall plot has been done before, but this spin on it makes it feel fresh and thus welcome. The kiddo & I equally enjoyed it, talked about it the rest of the day, and agreed we'll have to add it to our collection to watch again. If you missed this one you should really remedy that.

First viewing - July 15th

Note: I kinda forgot I'd watched this this month, so it got added late.

So on the 15th I had plans to hang out with a friend who was coming into town so we could go to a concert together. She showed up early-ish & wanted to catch a movie before, and Jurassic World was the only option with the timing she was looking for. I agreed to tag along, though I really had no urge to see this film.

And as it turns out I could have skipped it. I honestly don't get why people have turned out in droves worldwide to watch a film that's just a rehash of every other film in the series. Sure there's a decent cast here, but it's predictable to a fault & there's nothing that got me emotionally invested. To wit: people go to the island to see dinosaurs, something goes wrong & dinos break loose, a couple of kids get lost in the park & have to be rescued, dinos eat people, someone has a secret nefarious plan that backfires, and the T-Rex shows up for the grand finale. Either the people who have seen the other Jurassic Park films had selective amnesia when they fell in love with this one or people are really fucking stupid. It's a waste of time & energy, not just to watch but for the "creative" forces behind it. Oh sure it all moves along well enough to serve as a constant distraction, but that's not saying much. It wasn't so bad I ever wanted to walk out on it, but I totally could have skipped it in favor of re-watching Jurassic Park & had a better experience overall.

Re-watch - July 1st

I'm moving later this month, so I figured I should go ahead & get the Bond films out of the way over the holiday weekend rather than trying to watch them later in the month or having them get pushed aside due to all the move-related things that are coming up.

Anyway, this is still a solid entry in the series and even better than the past few I've sat through. The action sequences are strong and mostly memorable, the cast rocks their respective roles, and the story rolls along mostly well from start to finish. It never crosses the line of greatness thanks to the fact it's still stuck in the series formula, but overall it's well worth watching & I'd gladly watch it again down the line.

Just a few thoughts: Been storing these up for a while now, but here goes... First off, for a super SPY, Bond sure does go around using his real name a lot. Shouldn't he be using fake identities? At this point any villain worth a damn will know who he is by reputation.

Just once I'd like to see a woman turn Bond down for sex & not give in later either.

I have to cheer every time the movie title pops up in the dialogue. I blame MST3K.

If you're going to kill Bond, you need to stick around to make sure he's actually dead. Then for good measure you should shoot him in the face. Twice.

The biggest problem with watching the older films now is that there's no real element of danger to Bond because you know another sequel is coming right up. The dozens of henchmen chasing him will always wind up dead or wipe out along the way, the villains will always assume they've got him down instead of making sure they've taken him out, and that vehicle he's in that's lost control will be eventually be escaped. All of this makes it especially hard for each film in the series to cross the line of greatness.

Re-watch - July 3rd

Nice to see Roger Moore went out on such a high note. This is easily the most fun I've had watching a Bond film in a while, thanks largely to Christopher Walken making an engaging villain & the frequently high octane action scenes. Everything fires on all cylinders and I enjoyed every moment. Only downside is now I feel like I have to check the backseat of my car daily to make sure Grace Jones isn't hiding in wait to kill me.

First viewing - July 2nd

So I know what's above directly mentions Netflix being the center of my monthly focus, but as I was browsing films at the local rental store I realized I still hadn't seen this & decided it would lead me off this month. I'm a big, now long-time fan of Chan-wook Park's films ever since the one-two punch of Oldboy and "Cut" from Three Extremes, so I've meant to pick this up for a while now. And holy hell was it a great choice.

Park's direction is perfect, the cast is stellar, the story is gripping and emotional, and the soundtrack supports the film wonderfully. I dug how much it had to convey regarding North and South Korean relations, and the structure recalled Pulp Fiction in a good way. I'm not sure that it earned a perfect score in my book, but it came damn close & I couldn't stop thinking about it after it ended.

Highly recommended.

First viewing - July 6th

Netflix is quietly adding Stephen Chow's older films to Instant, which is great since I've wanted to check them out for a while now. King of Comedy (not to be confused with Scorsese's film) is a solid effort all around. The fun poked at John Woo's films at the beginning was hilarious, and the film is populated with characters that are memorable. The story is a little unevenly paced, and I couldn't help feeling like it lost some depth in favor of keeping to the hour-and-a-half run-time. Fortunately I had enough fun that this is a minor complaint, and I do think the film is worth watching. I don't know that I'd buy a copy, but I would watch it again.

Just a thought: There's a cameo here by a far more famous Chinese actor that's absolutely brilliant.

Currently streaming on Netflix

First viewing - July 12th

More Stephen Chow? Yes, please. Unlike King of Comedy this one had more in common with Shaolin Soccer & Kung Fu Hustle stylistically, which made for a far more enjoyable film all around. There's just something about the ways he manipulates the camera and puts scenes together that works really well for me, and all of the characters here are strong and memorable. There honestly wasn't a single moment that felt like a misstep, but I'd put it about a half step below Shaolin Soccer. It's really borderline between an 8 & 9, but I'll gladly watch it again to confirm which of those ratings it more justly earns.

Currently streaming on Netflix

First viewing - July 13th-14th

This was pretty damn good. Lots of "holy shit!" moments, beautifully shot ultraviolence, and the music is really impressive. I loved all the various percussion throughout almost as much as the story. The ending didn't come together as well as I'd hoped for though, which kept it from crossing the line into greatness for me. That's disappointing given how excellent everything is leading up to that point, but it's not so bad I wouldn't watch this again down the road. I'm glad I finally watched this, and now I'll have to explore the 12,000 other Zatiochi films they've made...or at least one or two of them, anyway.

Currently streaming on Netflix

First viewing - July 20th

Despite the fact this one leaves Netflix soon, I'm placing it here since it was part of my plans for my monthly focus anyway. I can't even recall anymore when or why I decided to check it out, or if maybe I picked it up from my ex's queue thinking it'd be interesting. Whatever the case I'm glad I finally gave it a shot.

The entire cast is excellent & amazing. I loved the subtlety of the message as delivered by the story, as well as riding through the highs & lows with our protagonist. I figured since the story revolves around funerals it'd be horribly depressing, so I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't at all. It didn't quite cross the line of greatness for me, but it came damn close & regardless I'd still highly recommend it.

Just a thought: The scene where the main character & his co-workers devour a bunch of fried chicken left me craving some, which isn't good when it's late at night & all places that'd serve it to me are closed.

Left Netflix Instant on Aug. 1st

First viewing - July 21st

I like old-school Jackie Chan way better than anything post-Hollywood breakthrough. This was solidly entertaining from start to finish with some crazy kung-fu action, silliness, and thankfully no romantic subplot to mar its progress. It's not great, but it's fun & I'd watch it again some time.

Currently streaming on Netflix

First viewing - July 25th

It should be well established around these parts that I dig the hell out of Yuen Woo-Ping, so finding this film he directed with Jet Li & Michelle Yeoh was a no-brainer to watch. The action is excellent of course, whereas the story is good but could've been better fleshed out. The tale is a little too rushed at times, which results in a couple of character motivations being less believable and/or having less impact than they should. This also prevents the film from crossing the line into greatness, which is disappointing because it could've been great with another half hour or so of time invested in the characters.

The story still works well enough to maintain its entertainment value, fortunately, which is helped by some insane moments like this...

Who can resist Michelle Yeoh kicking ass on stilts? Not I. Ah, but the film's best moments come from a brief period where Jet Li's character goes mad. He had me howling with laughter, and it's a wonder I didn't wake the kiddo.

One other note on the down side for this film...the wires are very visible for most of the grand finale, which just seems sloppy. I don't recall them being so easily spotted in Yuen Woo-ping's other films, and it wound up being a little distracting. Still, I enjoyed the whole thing well enough I'd gladly revisit it.

Currently streaming on Netflix

First viewing - July 26th

One of my best friends regularly names this among her top 3 films of all time, and I thought at some point we'd watched it but obviously not since none of it was familiar to me. That said, I'm glad I finally did watch it because it freaking rocks. The story is well-told, Jet Li kicks a ton of ass (especially in the first scene), and everything fires on all cylinders. It's definitely among Li's best films, though it didn't quite earn full marks from me. I'll be watching this one again.

Just a thought: A few scenes recalled moments from Kung Pow!, which had me laughing when there was no other reason to.

Currently streaming on Netflix

First viewing - July 28th/29th

This film is so damn Amazing, and I can't believe I've never heard of it before. Rich characters, insane fight scenes, an ass-kicking leading lady, and a solid story to boot all added up to a damn good time. It's a reminder I need to work my way through more films from the Shaw Brothers, and even if only some of them are this much fun it'll be worth the time & effort. I'm totally watching this one again.

Currently streaming on Netflix

First viewing - July 29th

Uh oh, looks like one of Bjork's robots escaped
So I'm browsing through my queue & notice that this is leaving Instant soon, and then I notice it's Korean. So naturally I had to catch it now instead of waiting until next month.

For the unfamiliar this is an anthology film with three tales that tie together thematically to some degree but otherwise have nothing in common. The first story was awesome until it wound up going somewhere I'd hoped it wouldn't. The second story was definitely thought-provoking. Then the third one came along and was highly amusing all around. And so thanks goes to fellow Listalite Mackenzi who put this on my radar a couple years back via the Netflix Project. I just wish I'd watched it sooner, as I'd gladly revisit it at some point. It's not great, but worthwhile.

Currently streaming on Netflix; leaves Aug. 9th

First viewing - July 8th

Recommended by moviewatcher122

The main thing that makes Juice worth checking out is its central characters who are wonderfully portrayed in a believable way. They're fun to watch interact with each other, which helps really drive the film home. Also worth noting is the soundtrack, which is full of excellent 90s hip-hop. Course it'd be a letdown if it wasn't good, given that Epps' character is an aspiring DJ. The film never crosses the line of greatness though, as there's nothing especially original about the story. Fortunately it's so engaging all around that that hardly matters, but I was left wanting a little more. So yeah, I'm happy to encourage others to check this one out too.

Just a thought: Curious to know where Epps' character wound up after the ending.

First viewing - July 29th

Recommended by VierasTalo

So as this started I was thinking about how I remember seeing an awful film in the '90s, and wondered if this was related. Sure enough it is. The '90s film adaptation of Dr. Moreau originated with Richard Stanley, then a filmmaker with only a couple of movies under his belt yet still relatively unknown. He sought out a studio to get behind the film because he lacked the money to make it on his own, and from there the documentary becomes a cautionary tale of getting what you wish for & the perils of Hollywood. It's fascinating at every step, though it felt mildly overlong at times. Still, I'd highly recommend this for anyone who's truly interested in filmmaking and all that that can entail. And now I need to watch Stanley's other films to determine whether they live up to the potential hinted at here.

Re-watch - July 7th

Still one of the best films I've ever seen. I had to catch it one more time before Netflix removed it since I haven't had a chance yet to pick up my own copy. One of these days I intend to remedy that. It's so different and heartfelt and just a masterpiece of animation. If for whatever reason you haven't watched this, please correct that ASAP.

First viewing - July 20th

This was definitely an original movie. Dark, semi-depressing, and rarely predictable, I was enthralled by the story and characters. The acting is superb & I can't think of anything that could have been handled better. It didn't quite cross my line of greatness, but I can see how it would for others. It's definitely worth checking out, and I'm glad I did so before it left Netflix. I'm not sure I'd sit through it again just because it's the kind of film I only need to experience once, but then again if someone asked me about it & I had access to it I'd watch it once more with them.

Re-watch - July 30th

It's been at least 15 years since I last watched this in its entirety, so I figured I'd catch it before it left my queue. I didn't mean to end the month with it, but that's how things worked out & so be it.

Face/Off is still entertaining after all these years, thanks largely to the stellar performances from Travolta & Cage. They really throw themselves into their roles here & are equally joyous to watch. The story is completely ridiculous of course, which isn't helped by John Woo needing to leave his trademarks on a film that doesn't really need them. The ending is especially too drawn out, and then tries to do an obvious sentimental thing that doesn't really deliver in my book. But hey, the film never tries to be anything but a wacky action film, so most of this is forgivable. I just can't help feeling the whole thing could have been even better in the hands of another director.