March 2020

March 2020

43 movies, finished 1 book and began another

Now, you might think that because we were quarantined in the middle of the month that I would revert to my old ways and start watching loads of movies...and you would be correct! Kristen and I got a stack of books from the library so I'm still focused on reading but I just can't resist the stacks of video games and movies I have in the immediate vicinity.

First movie of the month 

The Spy Who Dumped Me - There are so many action comedies out there and they usually skimp on the action, this does not. Kate McKinnon and Mila Kunis are hilarious as a pair of best friends who get roped into a globetrotting spy adventure. The fish out of water action story isn’t anything new but the movie is funny and the action is very impressive. There are plenty of laughs and several exciting action sequences that make this one of my favorite action comedies. 

New on streaming 

Spenser Confidential - I would have watched this in theaters. I enjoy less serious Mark Wahlberg movies and teaming him with Winston Duke and Alan Arkin to go up against corrupt cops made for a fun Netflix watch. Him and Peter Berg have made 5 movies together that vary in quality and critical appreciation and this is the lightest one so far, the rest have mostly been docu-dramas which I don't usually go for. 

Rewatched

Raw Deal - Arnold proves he's not an ideal undercover cop in this Chicago mob action movie

The Rock - Cage and Connery take on bad guys on Alcatraz in this classic

The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then the Bigfoot - thoughtful character study with Sam Elliot as the U.S. governments greatest and most secretive hunter

Act of Valor - Real life Navy SEALs do not make great actors but the action is exciting

Three Kings - Great cast in a great heist/anti war movie

The Kingdom - Jamie Foxx headlines an exciting Middle Eastern thriller

The Mask of Zorro - A fantastic adventure film with peak Banderas having a blast

Blood Father - over the hill Gibson as a guy no one likes caught in a drug war

Falcon Rising - Michael Jai White knows how to fight and proves it, repeatedly

EuroTrip - I will never not laugh at this 

Hunt for the Wilderpeople - an instant classic adventure from Taika Waititi

St. Patrick's Day Viewing:

 The Boondock Saints - offensive, ridiculous, violent and something I'll always enjoy

The Boondock Saints II: All Saint’s Day - more of the bad stuff, less of the good stuff

Last Man Standing - Irish mob v Italian mob v Bruce Willis

The Muppets - it ain't easy being green, but it sure is fun (might be a stretch as a St. Pats movie)

State of Grace - Irish mob movie that ends in a shoot out at a bar during St. Patrick's Day Parade

Series I watched 

Universal Soldier - decent movie influenced by Robocop and Terminator

Universal Soldier: The Return - silly influenced by Robocop and Terminator

Universal Soldier: Regeneration - violent influenced by Robocop and Terminator

Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning - amazing movie influenced by Robocop and Terminator

The Expendables - Dumb movie with famous action stars

The Expendables 2 - Fun movie with famous action stars

The Expendables 3 - Dumb fun movie with famous action stars

First time watching

Bedazzled - Peak Elizabeth Hurley and Brendan Fraser in a very funny and very 2000's comedy

The Reunion - John Cena leads a mediocre dysfunctional family action dramedy

Line of Duty - Remember Aaron Eckhart? He makes direct to video action movies now

Sister Act - funny, touching, music fueled movie with a lot of heart

Hunter Killer - a competently made throwback Gerard Butler action flick

Villains - clever indie home invasion thriller with a good cast

Blindspotting - awesome drama about gentrification with bursts of humor and music

The Brave - a mindless Netflix action movie made for people who like mindless action

Transcendence - dumb and boring movie with a big cast and big budget

Jay and Silent Bob Reboot - not the best of it's kind but still kind of fun

Traveller - lesser known but cool Mark Wahlberg and Bill Paxton grifter movie

Bad Samaritan - David Tennant is a fun bad guy in this bad movie

Double Tap - Remember Heather Locklear? She made a a bad action movie 23 years ago

Movies I own but haven't watched until now:

Outbreak - Watched this before things got real bad, it ends well! Hopefully this will too

The Big Chill - 30 years ago famous people did not practice social distancing

Hidden Assassin - Dolph Lundgren in a very dumb 90's European thriller

The Bad Pack - D list action stars in their own D list Expendables 

Blast - one of the worst Die Hard knockoffs ever

It took me a while to finish but once I did, I thought it was great. It was quite the heady material for me to read while I was in the midst of a very stressful few weeks at work and on top of that there were growing fears of the Coronavirus. The book features an unreliable narrator who, through the organization known as Southern Reach, goes on a research expedition to investigate the mysterious Area X. She can’t trust the people or environment around her so I connected to the character with my own personal thoughts of ‘what the hell am I doing and what the hell is going on?!’ 

I began to read this before the quarantine was put into effect so I read a good amount of it on train rides into the city. Now, while at home, I can’t read more than a few pages before dozing off. I will finish it in a few days but it will be a restful few days. It picks up right after the events of Annihilation and we learn a bit about the mysterious Area X. The lead character is the new acting director of Southern Reach and is investigating the lead character from Annihilation. The mysteries deepen and the world gets more dangerous and confusing.