Saturday Screen Time #36: Mind-benders, Nostalgia, and Dramatic Poldarks

Happy Saturday, everyone! This month's Saturday Screen Time and those going forward will have a bit of a different format. Since this is going to be a monthly feature from here on out, there will be a few more movies and shows featured than in the past. I'm splitting these into movies, TV, DNFd, and watchlist. On with the show!

THIS MONTH IN MOVIES

Dark Water - I've had Dark Water on my watchlist for years and was just waiting for it to become available to stream. I even almost gave in and bought the Arrow release, but decided to make sure I liked it first. I did not. This movie was not a horror movie in any way, despite being categorized as one. It's a story about a mother and daughter who move into a building where a girl went missing years before. There are a couple creepy moments, but it's really more of a family drama than anything else, and a boring one at that. (1/5 stars)

Coherence - Coherence was one I'd seen before, although I couldn't remember the details. I was surprised again to see Xander from Buffy as one of the main characters! This is a movie that plays with multiple dimensions in a way that I absolutely love. I was never super sure what was going on until near the end and there was always a sense of unease, although this is definitely not horror. I'd recommend this if you enjoyed The Endless or Triangle or other mind-bending sci-fi movies! (4/5 stars)

The Innkeepers - This is another movie that has been on my watchlist for awhile. I went in not knowing a lot about The Innkeepers and I wasn't too sure once it got started. This is about two paranormal researchers working the front desk at a haunted hotel before it closes for good. Like Dark Water, this movie doesn't have many scares, although I did enjoy the atmosphere a bit more. I wasn't honestly sure what The Innkeepers was trying to be. It was pretty campy and at times downright funny. It wasn't what I was looking for, but I didn't hate it. (2.5/5 stars)

Dogtooth - So Dogtooth is one of those movies. The kind you know going in is going to be extremely weird and unsettling. I made sure I was in the right headspace before I watched this and I've decided this director just really isn't for me. This is the second movie by Yorgos Lanthimos I've seen and I just can't get on board. I did enjoy this a bit more than The Killing of a Sacred Deer. I at least found the characters more likable. I wish there was more information about the world and the parents' motivations. There were a lot of super uncomfortable scenes in this movie involving the siblings and I definitely wouldn't watch it again. (1.5/5 stars)

Timecrimes - This has been recommended to me multiple times since I love Coherence, The Endless, and Triangle. Unfortunately, Timecrimes just was not on the same level. I do appreciate the way time travel was approached in this movie, but that's really all I liked. The main character was a moron and his actions never made any sense at all. The characters did things because the plot told them to. None of the characters were remotely likable and it became extremely repetitive quickly. I can't recommend this at all. (1/5 stars)

Rocko's Modern Life: Static Cling - I didn't even realize this was a thing until I stumbled upon it while browsing Just Watch! I was a huge Rocko's Modern Life fan as a child of the 90s and was so excited to find a short film set 20 years from the end of the show! Static Cling was super nostalgic without being annoying about it, while also moving Rocko's life into the 21st century in a hilarious way. The jokes were on point and I loved the seamless inclusion of an original character being trans. If you're a fan of the original Rocko, you'll probably love this too! (4.5/5 stars)

THIS MONTH IN TV

The Handmaid's Tale Season 3 - Finally, an amazing season! I have watched The Handmaid's Tale since the very first episode and, while I've enjoyed it, I've become increasingly annoyed with June. Season four June is fed up and is an absolute badass! Like past seasons, this one was extremely uncomfortable to watch and is definitely not something I can binge. The ending was so bittersweet, but I can't wait to see the next season! (4.5/5 stars)

Poldark Season 4 - This is another show I've been watching since the beginning, although I have to watch it on the PBS schedule so I'm a bit behind. The season started off slow and I took a break in the middle. With Ross going to London and the various subplots with random characters cheating on each other, it was a bit overdramatic, and Ross is as frustrating as always. Thankfully it picked up about 3/4 of the way through and I binged it from there on out. Now I'm dying to see what happens next, especially with Drake and Morwenna! (4/5 stars)

Big Brother Season 16 - Big Brother has been recommended to me time and again since I'm a huge Survivor fan! I finally got my CBS free trial and decided to give it a go. I had no idea where to start, but the first HD season seemed like a good a place as any. From what I've seen, this season was pretty controversial and boring compared to others. It was fairly predictable and the bro alliance was irritating, but it was compulsively watchable. I didn't love it, but I'm willing to give it one more season. (3.5/5 stars)

THIS MONTH'S DNF LIST

Chernobyl - I am fascinated with Chernobyl and it's on my bucket list to visit it one day! The first two episodes of the HBO series had me glued to my seat and I was absolutely riveted. Episode three was interesting, but by episode four I was struggling to stay interested. It actually took me two days to get through the fourth episode and then I just kind of gave up and canceled HBO before the next billing cycle. I know that this is an extremely popular show, but I felt it was a bit too drawn out and think I would have enjoyed it more as a movie.

The Haunting of Hill House Season 1 - This was actually my second attempt at watching The Haunting of Hill House. The first time I watched one episode and found it to be too slow and the picture too dark to see much. I decided to give it a second chance and determined to watch at least a few episodes. I made it to the end of episode five before I gave up. I know a lot of people enjoy this show, but it's just painfully slow and I just can't make myself care enough to watch another five episodes of it.

WATCHLIST