Movies the giraffe watched in 2019: June

First viewing - June 9th

A Taxi Driver was the only Korean film on Hulu I hadn't already watched, so I thought I'd give it a chance. And I'm so glad I did. It's a powerful, moving film that I kept thinking about for days after it ended. The performances are stellar across the board, and at one point it kinda broke me. But I'd gladly revisit it down the road, and will happily recommend it to anyone who hasn't seen it.

First viewing - June 8th

All you need to know is if you haven't seen Border go watch Border.

First viewing - June 18th

I've seen much acclaim for Always Be My Maybe and I'm here to tell you it's justified. I adored the characters and the story, and I'd gladly watch it again.

Just a thought: If nothing else the fact that the film gave us the final song that plays during the credits justifies its need to exist.

First viewing - June 1st

Look, I've been waiting for this film since the end of Kong: Skull Island. No amount of negative reviews was going to keep me away from it, though I did lower my expectations which worked out well. I personally didn't have many issues with it. The humans in this film are far more worthwhile than in the 2014 Godzilla, and each of the main monsters gets a chance to shine on their own before they ever do battle. It's not great, but it's a solid summer blockbuster that the kiddo & I would gladly revisit, maybe even before it's gone from theatres (if time allows, that is...this month is heavy on new releases we want to see). And the audience we caught it with applauded the film at its end, which makes it all the more baffling why I keep seeing people didn't like it. Probably it's because the film requires a little patience to hang with it, or maybe most people aren't fully on board with these films. It's a shame.

Would I have liked it better if there had been a fight sequence that didn't divert away to the humans for a least a few minutes? Sure. But what we get here isn't bad either.

First viewing - June 6th

Live look at me watching Dark Phoenix
Yet another reminder that they should've ended the X-Men films after Days of Future Past, and let Logan be the last of these films under Fox. Dark Phoenix isn't as painful as, say, Apocalypse or Wolverine Origins, but it also fails to end the series on a high note or do anything to justify its existence. Most of the cast seems to be sleepwalking through the film, the CG is often horribly rendered, and it's centered on a character that the current run of these films has failed to properly establish which is a problem this story can't overcome. It moves along well enough that I wasn't bored with it, but my engagement was completely passive. I think I laughed twice, and there's not a single scene that's going to stick with me in the years ahead in the way the "Time in a Bottle" sequence will.

At this point I just hope that Marvel/Disney gives us a break of at least 5-10 years before trying another X-Men series. Because we all deserve far better than this, and there's no rush to get there.

First viewing - June 7th

As a casual Elton John fan I thought this was pretty good. Solidly entertaining with an excellent performance from Taron Egerton, and of course the music is the best part of all of it. This is one of the few times where I don't find the musical numbers grating, and in fact even wound up appreciating some of them. It's nothing life-changing, but it's a decent film & I wouldn't mind sitting through it again some time.

First viewing - June 7th

I don't know...I kinda wanted this to be more trashy/off-the-rails than it manages. In that respect it reminded me a little of Greta, and also with regard to a villainous performance that makes the film worth watching courtesy of Octavia Spencer. If it wanted to keep things grounded, then the teens should be better written & fleshed out. Bonus points for making the antagonist sympathetic. Overall it was fine, but I wouldn't go out of my way to watch it again.

First viewing - June 15th

Given all the critical hate for this film I expected a trainwreck of epic proportions. Turns out that's not the case. To be fair I didn't care about seeing this film in the first place, but the kiddo was excited for it so I took her. She had fun with it, though I suspect she didn't enjoy it as much as the original. I thought it was entertaining enough if rushed and kinda empty. At times it feels like they're pushing us through the setpieces like they're crossing scenes off a to-do list, which left me wishing they'd added a half hour of time to slow it all down, allow us to appreciate things, and better develop the characters. Reading up on it afterward I learned the original script was modified dramatically, which I suppose explains things. There's no depth here, it's just fluff, but if you want something mindless to watch and forget you could do worse.

First viewing - June 16th

The kiddo really wanted to see this one, so I took her on Father's Day and went to a different theatre just so I could eat at my favorite local Mexican restaurant on our way back. There are some amusing moments scattered throughout the film, but I was done with it by the halfway mark. The film tries to juggle three separate subplots and then tie them together, but really it all feels like it should've been turned into a TV series. It's quite tedious, but the kiddo enjoyed it so I tried to enjoy her enjoying it. At least I had an excellent lunch after it ended.

First viewing - June 22nd

I really wanted to like Anna, and there's one scene (above) which reaches dizzying heights and is among the most fun things I've watched all year. Unfortunately the film jumps back and forth through time so often to the point of frustration. Now, this isn't a time-travel movie nor is time central to the plot. In fact there are anachronisms late in the film which left me completely baffled as to when any of it actually takes place. The sole reason for the time jumps is to reveal a twist to the events you've just seen, which can be effective if used minimally but when it's at least four times in a two-hour movie it's maddening. I felt like it was just a lazy way of dressing up a weak script. But hey, at least it wasn't the worst film I watched on this date.

First viewing - June 22nd

I hated this movie. Despite being a horror-comedy it fails at being scary in any sense and mostly falls flat with the comedic aspects. The characters are dull, with the exception of Tilda Swinton's who is over-the-top and feels dropped in from another film altogether. I spent the first half-hour wondering where it was going and the rest of the time wishing it was over already. I've never been so disappointed in a Jarmusch picture or this cast.

Don't waste your time with this.

First viewing - June 22nd

So you may have noticed I'm not a big fan of the Child's Play franchise. And yet I decided to give the remake a shot, mainly because Audrey Plaza and Mark Hamill are involved. And surprisingly I had a good time with it. I much prefer the story and characters this time around, and the film is clearly content with being a B movie because it fully embraces that fact. I anticipate watching it again in a few years during one of my Horrorfests and finding it fits in perfectly for that time, so if any of you are holding off you might consider watching it in October some time. It's nothing great of course, but it's a fun horror movie and my personal favorite of all the Child's Play films I've seen.

First viewing - June 29th

For all my excitement about the concept of Yesterday, this wound up being just fine. It's entertaining enough, and when it's focused on Jack's struggles with using The Beatles to launch his own music career it works best. When it shoehorns in the romantic elements is where it falls apart, however. There's no chemistry between Patel and James, and no real reason to want them to end up together. Mostly though I walked away from it wondering why it needs to exist when Across the Universe already does (a film which delivers a far better Beatles-centric story and experience).

First viewing - June 29th

Look, I had no interest in another Toy Story. The third film ends things on a perfect note, so when I found out they were attempting a fourth entry I was skeptical. Turns out they had a decent story to tell, though I'm still not sure it's necessary. Thankfully it's a good time overall, and it gives us Ducky and Bunny who almost steal the whole film. I liked Woody's arc here, though I'm not sure it's fully earned. I'll probably watch this again, but not as much as the three films that preceded it.

Re-watch - June 2nd

The kiddo and I had a lazy day on Sunday (well, mostly she did as there were chores I needed to do, plus I cooked dinner for us), and I put this on for us because it'd been a while since either of us last watched it. I still highly enjoy everything about it, and will forever believe we would've been better off had they not franchised it.

After Shrek ended I put on Independence Day for us, but had to walk away after they got to Area 51 so I'm not putting it on the list. She said she enjoyed it though, as I figured she would.

Just a thought: It was a proud parent moment when my daughter asked me to turn the sound off during the opening scenes so we didn't have to listen to Smash Mouth.

First viewing - June 3rd

This reminded me a little of The Vanishing, though of course it's nowhere near as good. The cast mostly does a really good job though, and the final sequence had me on the edge of my seat. Kurt Russell is of course the main draw here, and while it's far from his best role he carries the film well. So overall I enjoyed it, though it's nothing exceptional enough to warrant a second viewing.

First viewing - June 5th

This film had me at Uma Thurman, and she does a solid job of playing a blind woman. I was reminded a couple times of Wait Until Dark, though the film is nowhere near as good. It's a decent watch I thought, a little overlong but I really dug the ending aside from the final minute or so which falls flat in comparison to everything before it. The rest of the cast does a solid job, and I was entertained and engaged. I don't know that I'd need to watch it again, but it's worth seeing.

First viewing - June 8th

There's something kind of spellbinding about The Square that kept my attention through to the end. It's also rather tedious, as there's not as much to it as the opening stretch of the film suggests. The plot is thin, and stretched out far longer than necessary. And yet it's got some interesting moments. It's also got moments that feel random, pointless, and unnecessary. In the end it's just something I watched and wouldn't bother with again.

First viewing - June 8th

I wanted something more straightforward after the pair of highly artistic films I'd watched in the afternoon, so I figured I'd finally give this a look. The trailer had caught my attention, and I thought maybe the kiddo would want to see it but she wasn't interested. Anyway, it's probably best she wasn't because I don't think she's ready for it yet. Overall it's fine, a decent story idea but one that doesn't come together in any deeply satisfying way. It's entertaining enough, kind of dark which I appreciated, but I don't see myself revisiting it.

Re-watch - June 9th

It's been so long since I last watched F/X that this almost felt like a first viewing. But there were elements I'd recalled which reinforced the fact that it wasn't. I really dig the story here, and enjoyed spending time with these characters. It's not great but it's good and I'd watch it again some time (maybe less than 20-ish years even, hehe).

First viewing - June 11th

Sigh. This movie. I mean, it's fine I guess but I couldn't get too excited about it. Kinda odd having Antonio Banderas playing an Arab, but hey at least it's not a White dude. I was entertained, but only passively, and I can't think of much worth discussing about it.

Re-watch - June 15th

I picked this for the kiddo and I to watch, and wound up appreciating it a little more the second time around. She really enjoyed it, and got excited when I let her know it's a book series. I dig the mythology of the film, the world-building, and most of the characters. It's not great but it's not as bad as I'd thought previously.

First viewing - June 21st

I really dig the concepts in this film, and I thought the robots were well realized. Clara Rugaard delivers an excellent performance throughout, and will be an actress to watch going forward. There's not much new to the plot, but it's a fresh enough spin that I wasn't too upset about that. Worth watching once.

First viewing - June 23rd

First Man feels like a 12 hour movie, which may explain why I slept through part of it. I did go back to see what I'd missed and felt like I'd missed nothing of consequence. The space sequences are well done I guess, but I didn't care at all about the characters and thus didn't care much for the movie as a whole.

First viewing - June 23rd

Plus One is a rom-com that initially struggles to find its footing, but eventually pulls it together well enough to be worthwhile. Maya Erskine and Jack Quaid give solid performances and have good chemistry. It's no Always Be My Maybe, but it's worth seeing & I might even watch it again once more.

First viewing - June 26th

Once again I'm watching a movie in support of Tessa Thompson, and once again this month I'm underwhelmed. The story is different, and her performance is not to blame at all. Probably this just isn't my cup of tea, and thus it's safe to say I won't be revisiting it.

Re-watch - June 28th

The kiddo wanted to watch Shazam! again, and I wasn't going to argue. Still a fun film that I'll return to again and again.

Re-watch - June 29th

The kiddo also wanted to revisit The Kid Who Would Be King, and again I wasn't going to argue. All my comments from last time remain the same.

First viewing - June 29th

I remember seeing the trailers for this and being unimpressed by them. But a co-worker suggested I watch it with my daughter at some point, and since she kept asking to watch movies this entire weekend I figured we'd give it a look. She adored it, especially the guinea pig. I thought it was entertaining but not much more than that. There are some amusing moments, and it's far from the worst film of Sandler's I've sat through, and sure it's decent family entertainment. She's more likely to want to revisit it than I am, however.

Re-watch - June 30th

This was the kiddo's pick to kick off a mini movie marathon on this Sunday. No new comments from me.

Re-watch - June 30th

It's been a long time since I last watched this one, and I don't love it as much as I used to. It's still entertaining to me, and the soundtrack mostly slays, but some aspects could be better. The kiddo enjoyed it well enough, so perhaps she'll ask me to watch it again down the line.

After this she wanted to watch My Neighbor Totoro, which would be included below had I not abandoned it partway through to cook dinner. Which means she watched 8 movies over the weekend...no question whether she's related to me.