Added by the giraffe on 1 Mar 2022 04:24

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Movies the giraffe watched in 2022: March

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Noteworthy: The best films I watched this month

The breakdown: 28 films watched
24 first views, 4 re-watches
24 via streaming, 1 via DVD, and 3 in the theatre
Decades touched: 1940s, 70s-2020s

It was nice to make some progress on my HBO Max & Shudder queues even if I didn't get very far with either. I'll keep digging away at them next month too, as I'll be out of town for a week and thus don't see much sense in springing for another service. Perhaps I'll pick something up in May. My main observation is that I struggle to keep motivated to watch what I've got waiting for me on Max lately. Either I pick something newly added or I opt for a Shudder option instead, because a lot of what's in my list there are films I'm curious to see but either don't feel like I'm in the mood for, or they're longer than I usually have time for, or I decide I'd rather watch 2 films that run an hour & 1/2 instead of one that runs over 2 hours. Or when I really can't decide on something I opt for something I've seen before. Thankfully them removing content can spur me to make some of my options a priority. Shudder on the other hand is an embarrassment of riches lately, though I need to do better about keeping an eye on what's leaving their service. A couple times this month I decided I wanted to watch something from my queue there only to find it left already. So it goes I guess. On the upside I managed to watch 4 films from the '00s this month to make up for ignoring the decade the past couple months.

Anyway, Everything Everywhere All at Once opens wide April 8th. Go see it on the biggest screen you can as soon as you can.

373

7.4

7.8

Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)

First viewing - March 30th

This was all that I'd hoped for & then some. Intelligent, hilarious, heartfelt, & original, with a cast that shines across the board, my only issue with it was that when it ended I couldn't watch it again. I'd caught an early screening in IMAX prior to its official wide release, & only found out said screening was happening a few hours ahead of time. Rest assured I'll be seeing it again as soon as I can & plenty more times in the years ahead.

the giraffe's rating:

226

5.1

Turning Red

First viewing - March 11th

Disney+
Turning Red is just delightful & fun & a great time from start to finish. Easily earns a spot among Pixar's best films, & the only thing missing for me was that perfect 10 feeling. Just a shame it didn't get a proper theatrical release, as it's meant to be seen on a big screen with an audience. Looking forward to revisiting it.

the giraffe's rating:

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Home viewings

131

6.9

7.2

Defending Your Life (1991)

First viewing - March 2nd

HBO Max
Seems like I can't go more than a month or 2 without seeing someone mentioning love for this movie, so I figured I'd finally give it a look. Albert Brooks plays the same guy he seems to play in everything I've seen him in, which is fine. I liked the idea that we keep cycling through life on Earth as an experiment until we're able to overcome our fears & live a fuller life, & the chemistry between Brooks & Meryl Streep is fantastic. The comedy works well enough when it needs to, & I can understand why some would find it endearing. I don't know that I'll go out of my way to recommend it to people, but I also wouldn't discourage anyone from seeing it.

the giraffe's rating:

540

6.7

Inside (2007)

First viewing - March 3rd

Shudder
You know this is a bona fide Xmas movie because it's loaded with gifts & there's plenty of red. It's bleak, brutal & twisted, & had me giggling & cheering for some of the carnage on display. Plus there are some truly epic images along the way. It's quite a feast & I'm so glad Shudder added it so I could finally see what all the fuss is about.

the giraffe's rating:

121

6.7

6.3

Freaky

Re-watch - March 5th

HBO Max
After we got home from watching The Batman I felt like watching another movie & Freaky was the first film my daughter & I could agree on watching. I don't have anything new to add on my part, but she really enjoyed it overall.

the giraffe's rating:

574

7.7

Happy Together (1997)

First viewing - March 6th

HBO Max
Unsure whether it was my mood or my taste, but I struggled to fully connect with this film. The cast can't be faulted, as there were no issues there. The story starts out well enough, but around the midpoint I was growing bored with the whole thing. Then a Zappa song came on & it roped my attention back in through the ending. Still, overall it felt more like a thing I watched than one I truly enjoyed. Perhaps I need to dig through more of Wong Kar Wai's filmography & circle back to this later, or perhaps, again, this one just wasn't for me.

the giraffe's rating:

6.4

The Frisco Kid (1979)

First viewing - March 7th

HBO Max
The Frisco Kid has a rocky start, but my love for Gene Wilder helped me stick with it. By the end, I was glad I had. This is supposed to be a comedy, but it's more of a Western with a sense of humor. It's not non-stop gags really, & the laughs weren't frequent. But our protagonist's journey, & especially his friendship with Harrison Ford's character, make it worth sitting through. I also appreciated the scenes with the Native Americans that went against the usual stereotypes. I doubt I'll need to watch it again, but I'm glad I got the chance to check it out.

the giraffe's rating:

5.4

6.5

The Medium (Rang zong) (2021)

First viewing - March 9th

Shudder
If you can hang with this through the first half, it pays off fairly well in the second. I spent most of this movie knowing what was going on, which made the characters' slowness to figure it out somewhat tedious & made the 1st half drag at times. The cast is excellent though, especially the actress who plays Mink. Really loved a shot around the midpoint that subtly uses an effect with a reflection, & the movie really hits its stride when it begins a countdown. Sure, the found footage use occasionally gets ridiculous, but at least it's not heavy on shaky cam. Doubtful I'd need to watch it again, but I'll keep an eye on future projects from those involved.

the giraffe's rating:

1473

5.9

6.4

The Perfect Storm (2000)

First viewing - March 10th

HBO Max
I ignored this when it came out because I'm generally not a fan of Mark Wahlberg, but I know some people like the film & he's thankfully not the only cast member, so here we are. It's got moments (the arc for Murphy & Sully being my favorite among them), but the biggest problem is the film keeps sidelining the main characters in favor of supporting ones that just don't matter. This film could've been great if it remained centered on Clooney & his crew, fleshing out their characters more fully (I couldn't have told you the name of the only nonwhite character until they repeated it twice at the end, which is especially problematic), & really engaging us in their lives & struggles. And sure, you can occasionally cut to the other people from their hometown worrying about them. At least there's a connection. Instead at least 1/4 of the film (maybe even 1/3?) is wasted on 3 unrelated people on a boat & the Coast Guard team that goes out to rescue them. Every time it cut to them I was like, great, back to the people I don't care about. And when it turns out their story has no impact whatsoever on the events the Andrea Gail goes through? That means this side plot is completely unnecessary. You could cut it all & the film would not suffer for it. And I guess it's included because it really happened, but it feels like some exec decided the film needed two stories to balance out one another to gain a larger audience. Regardless, if it doesn't work then it's just a bad idea.

the giraffe's rating:

524

Brief Encounter (1945)

First viewing - March 12th

HBO Max
I enjoyed the way this film is constructed, its structure, the narration, & some of the shots are impressive. The cast is excellent all around, & it's a refreshingly honest meditation on falling in love with someone at the wrong time. I was hooked from the start & I'm glad I finally watched it.

the giraffe's rating:

6.3

6.2

The Empty Man

First viewing - March 12th

HBO Max
Loved the opening stretch of the film, but then we time jump & it never fully rises to meet the excellence of the first part. At least it doesn't crash & burn, however. I was engaged enough to want to see it through to the end, & it delivers some solid horror moments along the way. Kinda reminded me of Verbinski's The Ring at times. Overall it's just fine & that's OK. Wouldn't need to watch it again, but it did the trick.

the giraffe's rating:

109

7.4

7.6

Drive My Car

First viewing - March 13th

HBO Max
While the 3 hour runtime was initially intimidating, the good news is that Drive My Car is never a slog. I was hooked from the start & it mostly kept up its momentum up the entire time. The characters are very well realized, & I'd gladly hang out with them again. If there's a weak point it's with the final scene, but that may just be me. Perhaps next time around I'll appreciate its more. Totally worth a look regardless.

the giraffe's rating:

312

6.2

Frontier(s) (2008)

First viewing - March 13th

Shudder
I started to turn this off when the opening sequence was overdoing it with the shaky-cam, & probably I should have. Apart from the gore effects there's not much to recommend with this one. A bunch of unlikable characters get thrown into a bad situation with worse characters, which plays out more or less as you'd expect...especially if you've seen Texas Chain Saw Massacre &/or House of 1000 Corpses. I can occasionally get behind unlikable characters if they're developed well, but that doesn't happen here & further harms what the film is doing. When the best I can say for it is that I've sat through worse, that's hardly an endorsement.

the giraffe's rating:

6.8

6.3

Psycho Goreman (2020)

Re-watch - March 18th

Shudder
I told my daughter to pick something from our streaming options, and she went straight to Shudder first and landed on this one in my list. As I'd anticipated when I watched it a few months ago, she loved every minute of it. Safe to say it's a new favorite for both of us now.

the giraffe's rating:

283

6.6

6.9

Arthur (1981)

First viewing - March 21st

HBO Max
It says something for the film that during the opening stretch I liked Arthur about as much as everyone around him seems to, but by the end I'd warmed up to him quite a bit. The arc between him & Hobson is the best reason to watch this, followed by the chemistry between Arthur & Linda. Linda's dad had some amusing moments too. The ending could've been better though & knocked it down a bit for me. Overall it was fine, worth a look but nothing I'd need to watch twice.

the giraffe's rating:

1481

7.1

Never Let Me Go (2010)

First viewing - March 23rd

HBO Max
This was fine. Cast is solid, background music kept making me think of Nick Cave & Warren Ellis's film work at times (sadly not them though), & it held my attention. Felt like it could've dove deeper than it does & thus would've impacted me more than it did. Instead it just pushed along to its ending without fully pulling me into its wake. I'll be surprised if it sticks with me at all over time.

the giraffe's rating:

551

6.5

6.9

Triangle

First viewing - March 24th

Shudder
Once I picked up on what this film was doing, I was all in. And from there on it didn't disappoint. Go in as blindly as possible & you'll be rewarded. Triangle is totally my jam.

the giraffe's rating:

6.4

Extra Ordinary (2019)

First viewing - March 25th

Shudder
I like the idea behind this story a lot more than the execution. It's never scary, so the supernatural aspects are just dressing, & it's so rarely funny that it barely counts as a comedy either. It's different though, I'll give it that. Maybe the comedy just wasn't to my taste or maybe it's just that I generally dislike Will Forte or perhaps even both, but it's nothing that fully won me over. I'm glad I gave it a chance, but I doubt I'll sit through it again.

the giraffe's rating:

7.3

6.3

Eyes of Fire

First viewing - March 27th

Shudder
Was not prepared for how gloriously bonkers the visuals in this would be. Everything going on with the visuals/effects/costumes/make-up elevates the film while boosting the average plot & cast & I am here for it. I could whine about the couple of moments where stuff happens that our narrators couldn't possibly know, but I had such a good time with this I barely minded. Definitely an underseen folk horror film & I hope more people give it a chance while it's on Shudder.

the giraffe's rating:

5.9

5.8

Pyewacket (2017)

First viewing - March 27th

Shudder
Look, we've all had at least one moment in our teen years where one or more parents pissed us off to the point of wishing them dead. It's just that most (all?) of us don't invoke a demon to carry it out. I liked the characters & was caught up enough by it that as the end played out I was getting upset about our protagonist's actions. Laurie Holden did an excellent job as the mom & the rest of the cast was solid. I doubt I'll sit through it again, but if someone asked me to I'd be fine with it.

the giraffe's rating:

637

7.9

7.7

Down by Law (1986)

First viewing - March 27th

HBO Max
It's impressive that such a minimal plot could captivate me as much as this did. Normally long stretches of nothing much happening in a film gets on my nerves, but that's never the case here. It looks great, & there's just something about these characters that kept me wanting to know what would happen to them. In the end I was satisfied with what I got. Not sure I'd go so far as to say it's great, but it's really good & I'm glad I watched it.

the giraffe's rating:

6.7

5.9

Turkey Shoot

First viewing - March 28th

Shudder
I generally enjoy Brian Trenchard Smith's Ozploitation films, so of course I was going to get around to seeing this one. It's solidly entertaining, & if it didn't directly influence Battle Royale & The Hunger Games you can at least see echoes of it in those films. The violence here is more on par with the former example, & the practical effects are deliciously gnarly when they need to be. Plus you get a pro wrestler playing a cannibalistic freak & showing off his moves. It's nothing great, but it's dumb fun & I mostly had a good time with it.

the giraffe's rating:

563

5.6

5.7

Hudson Hawk

Re-watch - March 31st

With the news of Bruce Willis's illness and retirement being announced this week, I wanted to watch something of his that I love and opted for the underappreciated Hudson Hawk. I get why it flopped at the box office. At the time he was riding a high wave of action hits, & the marketing for this film leaned on those aspects within which set the wrong expectations. Sure there's action here, but it's mostly a comedy and more of a live-action cartoon at that. The villains are over the top, the plot is silly, and it's always just worked for me. Bruce charms his way through the film (which he came up with the story for) with a smirk, and his chemistry with Danny Aiello is a constant source of joy for me. If you're looking for Serious Cinema, this is not your film. But if you're able to just ride its waves and have fun along with it, Hudson Hawk is a damn good time. I'm forever thankful Bruce made it, among so many other great films he'll leave behind.

the giraffe's rating:

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Max Exodus

Films that left HBO Max this month

1768

6.1

6.7

Police Academy (1984)

Re-watch - March 1st

HBO Max
My original plan for this month was to run the full Police Academy series, but apparently I missed that HBO Max already dropped all the sequels prior to March 1st. That'll teach me to make sure I'm checking the Leaving Soon tab on the mobile app, as it shows more options than the one I access through my Fire Stick (as an example of this, only the mobile app shows that the other 2 films in this section were leaving 3/31).

Hadn't seen Police Academy since it was in heavy rotation on HBO back in the late 80s/early 90s. Overall it's mostly a fun time. The jokes & gags land more often than not, & the ensemble cast is delightful. The homophobia & sexist bits are irritating, though you could argue that cops back then (& even now) would've been that way. Racist too, though at least the racist moments are met with Black characters standing up against them. But for a mindless comedy, it's good enough & I get why it spawned a franchise.

the giraffe's rating:

6.1

Shaft's Big Score! (1972)

First viewing - March 26th

HBO Max
Was really enjoying this one up until the finale. The final stretch drags on far longer than necessary with a big action setpiece that lacks tension & eventually had my imagination invoking Monty Python: "Get on with it!" Apart from that it's not bad.

the giraffe's rating:

5.6

5.9

Shaft in Africa (1973)

First viewing - March 26th

HBO Max
This one takes far too long to reach its conclusion, & suffers from a repetition of ideas that makes it predictable. But it's refreshing to see Shaft trekking across different countries & engaging with other cultures for a change. And I kinda loved the ending. Looks like most people prefer Shaft's Big Score, but I think I slightly prefer this one despite rating them the same.

the giraffe's rating:

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Big screen attractions

Films caught in a theatre

464

7.1

7.8

The Batman

First viewing - March 5th

A fantastic cast, heavy helpings of iconic images, & a stellar car chase make this one worth sitting through. Plus Batman actually gets to play detective & sticks to the long-established rules of the character, which I deeply appreciated. Too bad it never fully comes together to deliver a meaningful, cathartic experience as a whole. Individual scenes work well, but there's a lack of connective tissue, especially thematically, that could've made this truly great.

the giraffe's rating:

187

6.1

6.5

X (2022)

First viewing - March 26th

After having to wait an entire week while frequently encountering high praise for X online I finally got the chance to see it. And now I get all the hype. It's a love letter to filmmaking & a solid slasher to boot. There were a lot of little touches that made me very happy, which will also ensure I circle back to it occasionally in the years ahead. I don't know that I'd go so far as to call it great, as the ending left me a little unsatisfied, but overall I did mostly enjoy it.

the giraffe's rating: