Movies I watched in December 2019

Date: 12/2/2019
Viewed: Netflix
First Viewing

Note: I have been looking forward to watching this movie for a while now because I love animated movies from France like The Triplets of Belleville and Persepolis. After watching this movie on Netflix, I thought it was a great movie from start to finish. The animation was fantastic and I love how the story was told. I also really like the characters in this movie and how believable that they felt. Not to mention, the music in this movie is fantastic as well.

The best thing about this movie is the themes of the losses in life that many of us go through, and how we keep on finding the way on why we continue to live. I can relate this movie because I'm someone who deals with being lonely and have lost many people that I cared about in my life.

Overall, I Lost My Body is a great experimental animated film that is worth checking out.

Date: 12/4/2019
Viewed: Netflix
First Viewing

Note: I decided to check out this movie on Netflix because I have a soft spot for both Iko Uwais and Michael Jai White. I had a hard time caring about the story and characters because the story was pretty dull. All the characters are rather flat and the dialogue is not very good. However, the fight choreography was awesome. The fight scenes make this movie watchable. Not to mention, the movie has some cool violent moments that made me smile.

I do give this movie credit because you can tell that they were trying to make a good movie. Overall, Triple Threat is a decent action movie. It is worth a rental for anyone that enjoys action movies.

Date: 12/4/2019
Viewed: DVD
First Viewing

Note: I thought this movie was going to suck, but I end up liking it. It was a very interesting movie that can be rather surreal at times. I know very little history behind Giulio Andreotti, but this movie did me want to learn more about his history. I also dig the grotesque undertones that this movie has. Not to mention, the acting in this movie was fantastic as well.

I also like the cinematography and music in this movie as well. I admit that this movie did have a slow start for me. It took me a while to get into the story, but that's about it. I don't have anything else bad to say about this movie.

Overall, Il Divo is a pretty good movie that is worth checking out.

Date: 12/5/2019
Viewed: Tubi TV
First Viewing

Note: I remember hearing about this movie around a year ago because it got banned on Amazon Prime. After watching it, I did enjoy it for what it was. I thought the premise was pretty good, but the execution could have been a bit better. I do dig the satire approach on found footage movies and how this movie is a big "F" you to that genre of movies.

For a movie that is barely 90 minutes, the movie does have a slow start. I still like Ramsey Moore's role in this movie because he was pretty disturbing at times. Everyone else did a pretty good job on making a believable documentary. No one this movie felt like that they did a bad job on acting in my opinion.

I still don't get why this movie was banned on Amazon Prime because this movie is hardly graphic. You can find way worse movies on Amazon Prime's streaming service than this movie. Overall, Flesh Blanket is a decent movie that is worth watching at least once.

Date: 12/7/2019
Viewed: Shudder
First Viewing

Note: I wanted to check out this movie for the last few years now after hearing about it back in 2016. Three years later, I finally got the chance to watch this movie and I really like it. I love how the dark and twisted the story was. Every moment in this movie had me on the edge of my seat from start to finish.

I also love the dark and gritty atmosphere that this movie has. The cinematography is wonderful to look at and it really helps captures the atmosphere of this movie. Not to mention, the acting in this movie is fantastic. Everyone did a great job on their roles in the movie. The special effects in this movie are great too. You get a lot of practical blood and gore in this movie. They did a great job on making all the blood and gore look so gross.

The only thing that I didn't like about the movie is the run time. This movie is 2 hours and 36 minutes and I feel like they could have easily cut down the movie for a shorter runtime. The movie really starts to drag during the last act of the movie.

Overall, The Wailing is a great movie and I highly recommend watching this movie. I would give this movie a higher rating if it was shorter.

Date: 12/8/2019
Viewed: Netflix
Rewatch

Note: It was a lazy Sunday and I didn't feel like watching that would require using my brain. I haven't seen this movie since 2008 on DVD, and I was like "I haven't seen this movie in years. I need a good laugh today". Step Brothers is not a perfect movie by all means, but the movie still makes me laugh hard. Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly feel like the perfect step sibling duo.

There's not much else that I can say about this movie really. Check it out if you haven't seen it already.

Date: 12/9/2019
Viewed: Amazon Prime (Rental)
First viewing

Note: I went into this movie blindly and I love every bit of it. I'm so glad that surreal trippy art house horror movies have made a comeback lately with movies like Mandy, Bliss, Climax, etc. I love the story and the characters that this movie has. All the characters are likable and you really feel for the struggle that the main character is going through.

It's also refreshing to see a horror movie that deals with mental health issues. Not to mention, I haven't seen any movies in a while that deals with schizophrenia. The atmosphere is top-notch and the movie is very colorful to look at. You also got special effects that feel reminiscent to movies from Screaming Mad George in my opinion.

Overall, Daniel Isn't Real is a great movie and I highly recommend this movie. We need more movies like this!

Date: 12/10/2019
Viewed: In theaters
First viewing

Note: I finally got the chance to see this movie on the big screen after hearing good things about it. I did enjoy it, but I don't think it is the best animated movie of the year. The animation and the fight scenes are amazing. Seeing the action sequences on the big screen was a nice treat to experience.

I did like the story, but I do wish some characters had a bigger role in the movie. Not to mention, they try to fit some much in a movie that is nearly 2 hours long because I felt like the movie almost over stay its welcome during the third act of the movie.

Overall, Promare is a fun animated movie that it is worth checking out. If you enjoy over the top and flashy animation, this movie is for you

Date: 12/12/2019
Viewed: Amazon Prime
First Viewing

Note: I don't remember if I ever saw this movie or not growing up, but I decided to check it out on Amazon Prime. This is a pretty solid movie in my opinion. I love the atmosphere and narrative that this movie has. This movie almost feels like a documentary during the first half of the movie. The cinematography is awesome as well. This movie even feels like a trippy art house movie at times.

I also really like how suspenseful this movie was because the movie did have some scenes that caught me by surprise. Even the death scenes of the animal being killed do have that creepy factor to them. The only thing that I didn't like about this movie was the acting and the last act felt really rush. The acting felt really mediocre, but at least they did a good job on making the characters fell interesting.

Overall, Phase IV is a solid movie that is worth checking out. I would give it a higher rating if they stick with the original ending.

Date: 12/16/2019
Viewed: Shudder
First Viewing

Note: I finally got the chance to watch this movie after hearing great things about it and I really enjoy it. The cinematography is amazing and the atmosphere is fantastic. I love the lighting in this movie because it is so colorful and surreal. This movie almost looks and feels like both a Dario Argento movie and a French New Wave movie at the same time. The music in this movie is also very good as well because it almost reminds me of music from Goblin.

I also really like the main characters in this movie and the acting was fantastic. Everyone did an amazing job on their role and not a single one felt bad to me. The only thing that I didn't like about this movie was the pacing. The movie felt a bit slow at times and starts to over stay its welcome during certain scenes of the movie.

Overall, Knife+Heart is a great movie that is worth checking out if you enjoy LGBTQ films and Grindhouse style movies.

Date: 12/17/2019
Viewed: DVD (Red Box Rental)
First viewing

Note: I decided to watch this movie to see if this movie was bad as people make it out to be. It has a cool premise, but the bad writing and acting really ruined it for me. This movie is barely 90s minutes and it feels like it is 3 hours. I almost wanted to turn this movie off for how boring it was.

You are stuck with characters that you don't give a shit about and dialogue that felt like it was written by a bad film student. I will admit that this movie does have some decent production values and I like the social commentary on fake news. Everything else about this movie was terrible.

Overall, I highly recommend avoiding this movie.

Date: 12/20/2019
Viewed: Amazon Prime
First viewing

Note: I decided to watch this movie on Amazon Prime out of morbid curiosity because I wanted to see how bad this movie was. It's not a good movie, but it was not as bad as I thought it was going to be.

The story is nothing original, but I still find the movie to be entertaining to watch. I do admit that this movie did have some surprises that I didn't see coming. John Travolta did a pretty good job on this movie and I almost felt sorry for the character that he was playing as. The other actors did an okay job on acting too.

I do wish they handle the other characters better because most of the characters in this movie are cliché. However, I will give this movie some credit for making the female friend in this movie not a love interest or ends up falling in love with him.

Overall, The Fanatic was mediocre at best. I don't think it is the worst movie of 2019 because I feel like that they did put effort into this movie, and they were trying to make a good movie. I only recommend this movie if you have nothing to watch on a rainy day.

Date: 12/21/2019
Viewed: Blu-Ray
Rewatch

Note: After 35 years later, this movie is still very enjoyable. I still find all the characters to be enjoyable and the humor is top-notch. The story is very enjoyable with the idea of two people's life styles being swapped. However, there are some jokes that would not work in today's world though. Overall, Trading Places is still a great movie and it is worth watching if you never seen it before.

Date: 12/23/2019
Viewed: Blu-Ray
Rewatch

Note: I still love this movie even though I can admit the movie is not perfect. I feel like the story and characters hold up very well. The story still feels timeless expect for the technology in this movie is obvious dated. The humor is still funny and the special effects in this movie still look awesome. Not to mention, the music from Jerry Goldsmith is very good as well.

The only thing that I didn't like about this movie was some plot holes in the story, but that's about it. Overall, Gremlins is still a great movie for both kids and adults.

Date: 12/24/2019
Viewed: Amazon Prime
Rewatch

Note: This movie is still enjoyable for all the wrong reasons. The acting is over the top and the story is super silly. Not to mention, the dialogue is very bad too. However, I still can't help to be entertained by this movie for being so bad. This movie makes me laughs and smile from start to finish. I do recommend watching this movie if you are into bad movies.

Date: 12/24/2019
Viewed: Netflix
First viewing

Note: I end up watching this movie with my family out of morbid curiosity. This movie was pretty bad for the most part. It had good animation and Benedict Cumberbatch was pretty decent as The Grinch. Everything else about this movie sucked because it was filled with bad jokes and unnecessary padding. For a movie that is not even 90 minutes long, this movie felt like it took forever to end in my opinion.

None of the humor was funny even for a kids movie. I probably laugh at least once in this movie and that was it. The live action Grinch movie from 2000 may not been good, but at least that movie try to be different. This movie offers nothing new and the music in this movie makes this movie even worse.

Overall, The Grinch is a poor adaption of the source material and is a waste of time. You're better off letting your kids watch the original 60s Grinch animated TV special instead.

Date: 12/25/2019
Viewed: Blu-Ray
Rewatch

Note: I decided to watch this movie on Christmas day because it does take place on Christmas ;). It's not as good as the first movie, but still a solid sequel in my opinion. It's nice to see Bruce Campbell back and the movie is a fun thrill ride from start to finish. The movie also has some nice fun violent moments as well. I do give the movie credit for not trying to do a repeat of the first movie unlike most sequels. If you enjoy the first movie, check out the sequel. Rating: 7.5/10

Date: 12/26/2019
Viewed: First viewing
In theaters

Note: This movie was fantastic from start to finish. I haven’t been on the edge of my seat through a majority of a movie since Nightcrawler (2014). This movie is over 2 hours and not a single moment was boring. The acting was great and the characters are very well done. I also love the cinematography because it almost has a film stock feel to it. Not to mention, the music in this movie is also awesome.

Overall, Uncut Gems is a great movie and I highly recommend seeing it.

Date: 12/29/2019
Viewed: First viewing
Netflix

Note: I love Sion Sono's work, and I was so hyped up for this movie when I first heard about it. I got the chance to watch the movie on Netflix and loved every bit of it. This movie has a 2+ hour runtime and it doesn't drag at all. I love the characters, story and the cinematography that this movie has. All the characters felt relatable and you really care about the characters in this movie. I also love the themes of this movie which deals with people being doing crazy stuff for love, manipulating, domestic violence.

This movie will have you on the edge on your seat with the dark twisted story. The movie is filled with surprises that you won't see coming. This is a movie that I recommend that you don't read any spoilers and go into blindly.

Overall, Forest of Love is a fantastic movie and it's a shame that not many people talked about this movie (Or at least from what I've seen). Check it out on Netflix.

Date: 12/30/2019
Viewed: First viewing
Netflix

Note: I decided to check out this movie because I thought it looked pretty cool. After watching this movie on Netflix, I did enjoy this movie quite a bit. The story is not perfect, but I still thought it was super entertaining. I like the characters and I did care on what happen to them. The best thing about the movie was the animation. I love how different the animation in this movie was because it did remind me of Tekkonkinkreet (2006).

The only thing that I didn't like about this movie was the love interest felt pointless. Her character barely added anything to the movie at all. I also did like some music in this movie as well.

Overall, MFKZ is a fun animated movie and it is nice to see more experimental animated movies for adults. Check it out if you haven't seen it yet.