Happy Saturday, everyone! It has been a LONG time since I've done one of these. Actually, it has been over eight months! Honestly though, I really wasn't watching a whole lot during that time. I went quite a few months only watching reality TV because my brain couldn't handle much more than that. Thankfully, I've been feeling a bit back to my old self recently so it's time for another one! I'll be back soon with my Halloween watches, I'm sure!
RECENTLY IN (NEW TO ME) MOVIES
THE BEST
West of Memphis - I have been obsessed with this case for years and I've been wanting to watch this documentary for awhile. Peter Jackson's West of Memphis is such a fantastic, comprehensive account of The West Memphis Three and I knew that he would do a great job making it an engaging viewing experience. It isn't available for free anywhere, but it's only $2.99 to rent and I highly recommend it whether you're new to the case or not. (5/5 stars)
Raya and the Last Dragon - I have no issue saying that I was skeptical of this film. My husband is so bored since Covid started that he'll watch pretty much anything that's new, so we paid $30 to watch this as soon as it came out. I was pleasantly surprised with this story! I love that the newer Disney movies don't all center on a princess and how she ends up falling in love and getting married. Raya was a fantastic protagonist and I loved the mythology of the dragons and the world they inhabited! You should definitely check this out, especially since it's free on Disney+ now! (4/5 stars)
Willy's Wonderland - I literally preordered a blu ray of this and also spent $20 to rent it as soon as it dropped. This movie is silent Nicolas Cage meets Five Nights at Freddy's and it was just as off the rails as you'd expect it to be. I definitely won't call it a quality film, but if you want to watch Nicolas Cage do his thing on a bunch of evil animatronics for an hour and a half, you won't be disappointed. (3.5/5 stars)
Willy's Wonderland - I literally preordered a blu ray of this and also spent $20 to rent it as soon as it dropped. This movie is silent Nicolas Cage meets Five Nights at Freddy's and it was just as off the rails as you'd expect it to be. I definitely won't call it a quality film, but if you want to watch Nicolas Cage do his thing on a bunch of evil animatronics for an hour and a half, you won't be disappointed. (3.5/5 stars)
Jungle Cruise - Oh look, another movie my husband spent $30 to watch and I was roped into watching. I'll watch just about anything with The Rock, but I wasn't eager to see this. While it wasn't amazing, it was a lot of fun and I will definitely watch the sequel. I enjoyed the nods to the ride as well as all the new world building. I need to go read the backstory for The Jungle Cruise ride and see if they stuck to that at all. (3.5/5 stars)
The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It - If I had to pick my most disappointing movie of the year, this one would be it. I loved The Conjuring and the second movie is one of my all-time favorites, so I was super excited to watch this as soon as it came out. Imagine my surprise when I realized it was a movie that took the Satanic Panic seriously and made it into a horror movie. This installment was infinitely less scary than the first two and I really didn't understand the choice of villain. It's not surprising that this one is the lowest rated in the trilogy by a full star on IMDB. (2.5/5 stars)
Primer - If The Conjuring was my most disappointing of the year, Primer is the most disappointing of the past five. I have been dying to see this movie ever since I got into timey wimey movies a few years ago. After waiting forever for it to be free to stream, I finally spent money to rent it and... meh. I was honestly bored out of my mind wit this one. I cannot believe the hype this gets online. If you're looking for a quality time bending thriller, definitely check out Triangle or Coherence. (1.5/5 stars)
Black Mountain Side - My husband let me pick the movie the other night. Big mistake. Huge! We actually gave up on this one 15 minutes from the end because it became so ridiculous. When I tell you there's a taxidermy deer monster god creature with a bad imitation Vin Diesel voice... This movie is not it. RIP the $2.99 I spent on this. (1/5 stars)
WandaVision - I finally got around to watching WandaVision and I am SO GLAD I finally did it. The first couple episodes really didn't do it for me, but once things started getting weird, I was hooked. I loved it so much! I can't really say anything without spoiling it for the five people who still haven't watched, but you want to watch this if you haven't already! (4/5 stars)
THE WORST
Primer - If The Conjuring was my most disappointing of the year, Primer is the most disappointing of the past five. I have been dying to see this movie ever since I got into timey wimey movies a few years ago. After waiting forever for it to be free to stream, I finally spent money to rent it and... meh. I was honestly bored out of my mind wit this one. I cannot believe the hype this gets online. If you're looking for a quality time bending thriller, definitely check out Triangle or Coherence. (1.5/5 stars)
Black Mountain Side - My husband let me pick the movie the other night. Big mistake. Huge! We actually gave up on this one 15 minutes from the end because it became so ridiculous. When I tell you there's a taxidermy deer monster god creature with a bad imitation Vin Diesel voice... This movie is not it. RIP the $2.99 I spent on this. (1/5 stars)
RECENTLY IN REWATCHES
RECENTLY IN TV
FAVORITES
WandaVision - I finally got around to watching WandaVision and I am SO GLAD I finally did it. The first couple episodes really didn't do it for me, but once things started getting weird, I was hooked. I loved it so much! I can't really say anything without spoiling it for the five people who still haven't watched, but you want to watch this if you haven't already! (4/5 stars)
Bridgerton - I've actually seen this twice. The first time I watched by myself when it first came out, then I watched it with my mom when she visited over the summer. It isn't often that a show can capture my attention enough for me to sit through it more than once, but this one did! Honestly, I'm a little bitter that the Duke won't be back in season two, but I'm still here for Anthony's season. (4/5 stars)
Shadow and Bone - Of course I absolutely binged Shadow and Bone the second it hit my Netflix account! I was extremely skeptical of how they would be able to combine Six of Crows with the original trilogy and, although I didn't love the way the Crows fit in, I enjoyed the show so much anyway. I absolutely adored the Darkling and Alina! I'm aggravated that the people who only watch the show will never understand why so many people hate Mal, but at least he isn't a complete piece of soggy bread anymore. (4/5 stars)
Shadow and Bone - Of course I absolutely binged Shadow and Bone the second it hit my Netflix account! I was extremely skeptical of how they would be able to combine Six of Crows with the original trilogy and, although I didn't love the way the Crows fit in, I enjoyed the show so much anyway. I absolutely adored the Darkling and Alina! I'm aggravated that the people who only watch the show will never understand why so many people hate Mal, but at least he isn't a complete piece of soggy bread anymore. (4/5 stars)
WATCHLIST
What have you been watching lately?
Any Halloween recs?
Any Halloween recs?
Let me know in the comments!
