Movies the giraffe watched in 2022: February

First viewing - Feb. 21st

Netflix
This is totally my jam. Every so often I'd think to myself how much I was loving what was unfolding in front of my eyes. The cast, the story, the music, the visuals, just everything here is firing on all cylinders & I'm here for it. No doubt a lifetime of watching Westerns with few to zero Black actors fed into how deep my appreciation was for this film, but it truly felt fresh & revelatory. This is one of those films where I instantly want more like it, while also trying to stay content & not lament that it's the rare thing that it is. Only thing missing was that perfect 10 feeling. Here's hoping I can get a physical copy of it so I don't have to rely on Netflix to be able to watch it.

First viewing - Feb. 12th

This should be mandatory viewing across all the high schools in America, especially as the current wave against teaching a better & more honest account of history is washing over us. It's an emotional experience, told sincerely & with empathy, & Mr. Robinson is wonderful to listen to & learn from. I was left reeling at the end of it, & I'm glad I took my daughter with me so we could discuss it after. There are images I hadn't seen before & which will never leave me, & they're ones I needed to see. Highly recommended, see it however you can.

First viewing - Feb. 22nd

You've heard correctly, this film is pretty excellent. Some of the dialogue & scenes really resonated with me & will lurk in my head for years to come. It's maybe a little longer than necessary & yet I can't think of a scene that's not needed. Yet I felt a couple times like it took too long to reach its endpoint. Perhaps that'll go away the next time I watch it, & I look forward to finding out.

First viewing - Feb. 2nd

Netflix
Passing is one of those special gems that works on the surface while accumulating a wealth of substance & meaning that runs deeper than you initially realize. Which is fitting, given its subject. I found the story fascinating enough, full of rich characters led by top tier performances from Ruth Negga & Tessa Thompson. Then it ended & I kept thinking about it & unpacking what I'd seen, & the more I considered it the more I appreciated everything it's doing. And if that's not the sign of a great film, then I don't know what is. Looking forward to revisiting it periodically to see what it does with more familiarity over time.

First viewing - Feb. 13th

HBO Max
I generally enjoy Soderbergh's films, especially when they're focused on the crime world, so naturally I loved this. The story kept me guessing, the cast is top notch, & I was hooked from start to finish. I just wish I could've seen it in a theatre, but I'm glad HBO Max had it.

First viewing - Feb. 1st

Netflix
I picked up Netflix for February, as there are several things that were added after I was last on there that I want to see. This was among them, and since I was with my daughter on this night we watched it first as we're both fans of Gaffigan's. And if you like his other stand-up specials then you'll probably enjoy this one too. Seems like he may have lost some followers in the past few years due to voicing his political views, but that's only reinforced my support of him. My daughter and I both laughed pretty often throughout the special, and we'd gladly watch it again.

First viewing - Feb. 3rd

Netflix
At this point I'm team Tjahjanto for life, but I've still got some catching up to do on his filmography. Thankfully this one lives on Netflix (though curiously its sequel lives on Shudder). It feels like he & Joko Anwar mine similar territory when it comes to horror. Supernatural elements? Check. Well-staged creep-outs & jump scares? Check. A family full of drama but trying to hold it together? Check. Lots of blood & gore? Big fat check. I'm here for all of it.

Granted I've more or less seen it all before, & this one could use a bit more character development as I barely cared about any of them. But there are some wonderfully bloody moments that made it worthwhile. And now I can watch the sequel.

Re-watch - Feb. 5th

I was talking to my daughter recently, and she asked me when she can start watching R-rated horror movies. We talked about it, and came to an agreement that she could start watching some of them. Obviously there are plenty that at age 11 she is NOT ready for yet, but I'm well-versed enough in the genre to know which is which. Thus I let Alien be her first, and she definitely enjoyed it. She found it more creepy than scary, and agreed with Ripley that they should have stuck to their quarantine protocols. Of the ending, she said she was disappointed the alien didn't win, but since Jones the cat survived she wasn't TOO disappointed and she was content enough with it.

Re-watch - Feb. 5th

After Alien I figured it was finally time to let her watch Spaceballs as by this point she's seen most of the things it references (to be fair at this point most of humanity would be lost on the Max Headroom reference). We had a good time, though it didn't hold her attention nearly as well as Alien did.

First viewing - Feb. 9th

Netflix
Couldn't resist the allure of Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Woody Harrelson, & Jun Kunimura, no matter how mixed the reviews are. Winstead shines in the lead role, & between this & Birds of Prey I'm hoping she does more action roles in the years ahead. Especially if she can find her way into films like this one, where they actually know how to shoot an action sequence that makes visual sense. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of those scenes all around. Sure, the plot is nothing new, and there's no doubt of where it'll end up, but I had a better time with it than I'd anticipated. I probably don't need to watch it twice, but I also wouldn't mind watching it again.

First viewing - Feb. 10th

Netflix
I admire & respect the craft & talent poured into this film, & overall I can understand why so many people sing its praises. It recalled There Will Be Blood at times, as Phil feels like a descendant of Daniel Plainview. It looks great & they've done an excellent job of capturing the time period. And yet I never fully connected with it. Maybe that means I should watch it again down the road, but for now I think it's just fine.

Re-watch - Feb. 11th

I wound up keeping my daughter for most of this weekend because her mom & stepdad were having people over for a poker night, & she didn't want to be around that. So after we had dinner Friday night we came home and I decided to treat her to a more modern R-rated horror movie so she'd better know what to expect from them going forward. I think it's safe to say she loved it almost as much as I do.

First viewing - Feb. 12th

Netflix
I'm not really the target audience for this one given I'm not that into musicals, & biopics generally adhere to a formula that can be tedious. Merging the two formats is the approach here, & it works out okay. The cast can't be faulted & Miranda clearly knows how to put musicals together. The story is interesting enough, the music has its moments, & you can tell those involved have passion for the whole thing. I spent the first half being barely entertained, but it picked up as it went so my the end I thought it was fine. Those who love musicals will likely get more out of it than I did, & I'm happy for them to have it.

First viewing - Feb. 13th

HBO Max
Smart, tense, & engaging at every turn, Kimi gets better & better as it moves forward. Kravitz does an impressive job of bringing her character to life, though I thought she could've been a little more fleshed out. I also appreciated the fact the film is set within our present pandemic reality without that being a primary concern. There's a lot to chew on here as far as the many aspects touched upon with our daily relationship to technology, & the script digs into that as much as is needed to keep the plot moving without being too heavy handed. Most importantly it's a solid thriller with wonderful camera work, & a soundtrack that whips. I wouldn't say it's quite great, but I'd gladly watch it again.

First viewing - Feb. 14th

Netflix
Given the heights of his career, I'll always give anything Jeunet makes a look if I can. And while I was excited for something new from him, this film is such a mixed bag that midway through I was questioning why I'd let myself get excited at all. The fact it was dropped on Netflix in February should've been warning enough.

It does have its charms, I guess. The cast does their best, & there are some inventive creations such as the robots in the house. Visually it kept my engagement, even as it occasionally repulsed me. And there are some amusing moments, though for a film clearly trying to be comedic I don't recall laughing. I think most of the trouble is that there's little reason offered up to like our band of sex-crazed misfits. Where Jeunet's best films possess characters that I'm drawn into & wind up loving, flaws & all, this one fails to find that magic place. On top of that the film seems to have nothing new to say about our reliance on technology, nor the humans dealing with it.

It brings me no joy to say that I have zero interest in ever watching this one again. And I shouldn't have to take comfort in the fact I've sat through worse films, but here we are.

First viewing - Feb. 16th

Netflix
I dig the visuals & animation of this anthology, it's a different style & that alone makes it worth a look. The stories are well told, each revolving around the titular house though the house is changed for each tale along with the characters. There were a few predictable moments, & a couple spots where I would've liked a little more details, but overall I enjoyed it for what it is.

First viewing - Feb. 19th

Netflix
There are some people who will try to tell you this is a good movie. Some of them will even go a step farther & call it great. These people are sadly misguided. Now, granted, I didn't see it when it was released, so perhaps at that time it seemed better than it is & in that case it may be nostalgia that's to blame. I went into it with low expectations, & found it to be laughably terrible.

The characters aren't developed much, plus they're mostly stupid, which gave me little reason to care about any of them. The CGI is consistently cheap-looking & fails to be believable, a fact not helped by the baffling choice to have the snake make pterodactyl shrieks. And then you've got Jon Voight, whose character is supposed to be from Paraguay despite clearly being white (though thankfully they didn't try to make his skin look darker than it is). And most amusingly awful is he can't seem to pick an accent & stick with it. Sometimes he sounds like a racist's idea of what Mexicans sound like, but a lot of the time he sounds like an Italian mob boss, to the point I started anticipating hearing him make somebody an offer they can't refuse. His performance pushes the film toward the so bad it's good territory, but it never fully got there. I couldn't help but feel that had they let Danny Trejo play that character instead the entire film could've been better.

I should've just continued to ignore this one.

First viewing - Feb. 16th

Netflix
I dig the visuals & animation of this anthology, it's a different style & that alone makes it worth a look. The stories are well told, each revolving around the titular house though the house is changed for each tale along with the characters. There were a few predictable moments, & a couple spots where I would've liked a little more details, but overall I enjoyed it for what it is.

EDIT: For some reason there's a glitch that won't let me get rid of the duplicate entry for this film, so I just copied the notes into both spots. *grumble*

Re-watch - Feb. 19th

The kiddo & I needed something to wash the foul taste of Anaconda away after it ended, so I put this on for us to watch. This film rises above mostly by setting clear stakes and obstacles while investing us in our protagonist's journey. The CGI gators look real enough, and overall it's still solidly entertaining the second time around. The kiddo was grossed out by some of the gore, but otherwise enjoyed it. It's nothing deep and there are some minor issues I noticed this time around, but it does what I want it to do and I respect that.

First viewing - Feb. 21st

Netflix
The fact this is directed by Halle Berry drew me to it, even though I have zero interest in MMA. And it's clearly following the template laid down by Rocky, but that works in its favor. Berry impresses in her role as the protagonist Jackie Justice, & her supporting cast is pretty strong. Only issue I had with any casting was the choice of allowing a Russian to portray an Argentinian fighter (representation matters). There are a few places where the film drags along, but the final stretch mostly won me over with its heart. I wouldn't need to watch it again, but it's definitely worth a look.

First viewing - Feb. 21st

Netflix
Been hearing great things about this one, & clearly that's largely due to its stellar cast. Olivia Coleman & Jessie Buckley share the task of bringing a complex character to life as present day & past Leda respectively. I found our protagonist frustrating at times to endure, which is intentional. And while it's clear she sees herself reflected in Dakota Johnson's I wanted a little more out of their relationship. By the end I felt like it was maybe a little too understated, but I still got the gist well enough so maybe it's just not entirely to my taste. Totally worth a look though.

First viewing - Feb. 24th

Netflix
Like I'm not going to watch a Sam Rockwell movie, especially one that allows me to see him work with Taraji P. Henson. It's based on true events, & I found it pretty fascinating. The rest of the cast is pretty good, even if it gets a bit overstuffed until some characters get lost in the shuffle. But clearly the main focus is the relationship between the two main characters, so it didn't bother me too much. I can appreciate its main thesis, even if the road it follows to get there isn't perfect. But it felt like they treated the real people portrayed with respect, & I thought it was fine for what it is. I doubt I'd watch it twice, but I wouldn't discourage anyone from watching it.

First viewing - Feb. 26th

Netflix
Took my time getting around to watching Warrior, but at least it was worth the wait. Funny how I can enjoy movies centered around fighting, but have zero interest in watching MMA or boxing. Tom Hardy is as great as I've come to expect, Nick Nolte also brings his A game, & Joel Edgerton surprised me with his in-ring performances. There's heart behind the film too, & I felt for the characters more than I'd expected to. Sure the story winds up being mostly predictable, but it works well enough in spite of this. I could probably watch it again, but doubt I will.

First viewing - Feb. 26th

Shudder
I kept going back & forth on how I felt about Hellbender until its finale won me over. The use of sounds & music throughout kept impressing me, & the overall approach to the storytelling is an animal I felt like I hadn't encountered yet. I'm sure plenty of people will decide not to hang with this one, & if so that's their loss. If you've got the patience to stick it out, it'll reward your efforts.

First viewing - Feb. 27th

Netflix
Apart from Jake's performance, this is pretty average & I'll likely forget I watched it. I'll concede that some of the twists in the plot are well handled, as is the way they slowly reveal what's really going on with our protagonist. At times it made me think of Pontypool, though it's not as clever as that film. Overall it was entertaining enough, but nothing I'd need to watch twice.

First viewing - Feb. 28th

HBO Max
Been wanting to watch one of Sidney Poitier's films since he left us, and fortunately A Patch of Blue is currently on HBO Max. It's a fairly grounded & honest story about two people who are able to look past each other's surface & see them as they truly are. Selina's family is loathsome, and credit goes to Winters & Ford for making them believable. I appreciated the avoidance of stereotypes & the way Selina's blindness is treated respectfully. There's a scene in a grocery store that's just pure joy too. I don't know that I'd say this is a great film, but I totally enjoyed it & could watch it again.

First viewing - Feb. 26th

Cyrano de Bergerac is one of my favorite stories, so naturally I'm willing to watch any adaptation of it. Throw in Peter Dinklage in the titular role & I'm entirely on board. So it's no surprise that I really enjoyed this adaptation, even if they did turn it into a musical. And hey, the music works. And Kelvin Harrison Jr. makes an excellent Christian. Haley Bennett (AKA Not Jennifer Lawrence in my head) shines as Roxanne. I did regret not seeing a bit more of Bashir Salahuddin's Le Bret after his wonderful introduction, but he's not a major character & I can't think of a reason to throw him into more scenes beyond my desire to see him again. Overall it fell just shy of greatness for me, but I'm sure I'll watch it again.

First viewing - Feb. 27th

HBO Max
Finally crossed off this cinematic blind spot, thanks to it leaving HBO Max at the end of this month, & I'm so glad I did. I haven't read the book it's based on, so I can't compare the two, but I thought it was very well made even if Spielberg isn't an obvious choice to direct it. Whoopi & Oprah shine brightest among the stars in this film, & the story tackles some uncomfortable subjects while truly developing its characters. It's a tough watch, but a worthwhile one that held some surprises for me along the way. The ending really moved me especially. Guess I'll have to read the book now & then return to compare them.