Saturday Screen Time #47: Superheroes and miracle workers

 

Happy Saturday, everyone! I'm back with the first screen time update for 2022 and it's packed with movies and shows. Last year I started watching horror movies with a friend who lives in Canada so I'm watching those pretty consistently these days. I've FINALLY made it to a theater to see two movies in the past few months, and that was an adventure. Let's get into it!

RECENTLY IN (NEW TO ME) MOVIES

THE BEST

The Batman - If you had told me ten years ago that I would be utterly obsessed with Robert Pattinson as Batman, I would not have believed you, but here we are. I expected to enjoy this movie, but I haven't been able to stop thinking about it! I loved that it wasn't another origin story (the prequel novella is worth checking out for that) and the Riddler was such a disturbingly plausible villain. I will absolutely be buying this in 4k on day one and rewatching it again and again. (5/5 stars)

Spider-Man: No Way Home - To absolutely no one's surprise, I adored this movie! It was the first one to bring me back to the theater since Covid started and, although I regretted it for the next two weeks when I was worried I was going get sick, I'm so glad I got to see it on the big screen. Seeing The Toby Maguire back as Spidey alongside the others was just perfect and I'm so excited to see where this new phase of Marvel is going to take Peter Parker and Doctor Strange! (5/5 stars)

Pig - I fully expected to love this just based on Nicolas Cage being the lead, but it was so much more than a Nic-Cage-doing-his-thing movie. This was not John Wick but with a pig, like I've seen so many others say. It was its own story that went so much deeper than anticipated. I don't want to say much, but this movie is definitely worth your time. (4.5/5 stars)

THE WORST

Better Watch Out - This one is a huge nope from me in almost every way. I felt uncomfortable from the beginning and that only compounded as the movie went on. I know that's a reaction that's generally desired from horror, but this was not in a good way for me. There is a SA plot line that absolutely did not need to exist in this movie at all and was purely there for shock value. Disappointing because this was nothing like the "if Home Alone was a horror movie" that was advertised. (1/5 stars)

The Bunker Game - What I did not expect when I turned on this Shudder exclusive was people LARPing as Nazis, but that's definitely what I got. This movie has no idea what it wants to be. There are a few good ideas that were executed horribly and genuinely do not fit together at all. I knew going in that this would probably be awful, but I was not prepared for how bad it was! I will say I never got bored, so that's something, I guess. (1/5 stars)

Aftermath - Iceman and Alice Cullen in marital turmoil. This is a full 90 minutes of a woman being gaslit by everyone around her and continuing to stay in a marriage with a man who says he's forgiven her for her infidelity but clearly has not. Everything about it was painful. (1/5 stars)

RECENTLY IN REWATCHES

RECENTLY IN TV

THE BEST

Euphoria Season 2 - Man, this show is just brutal. There's nothing I can say about it that hasn't already been said, but Zendaya continues to impress the hell out of me with every episode. It's absolutely wild how this show can make me sympathize with even the scummiest of characters one second, and hope they die the next. Anyone who says Euphoria romanticizes drug use really needs to give this season a watch. (5/5 stars)

Miracle Workers Season 1 - My husband and I fully started watching this for Daniel Radcliffe and Steve Buscemi. It's weird and irreverent and hilarious and I'm so hyped to start season two! Daniel Radcliffe is absolutely brilliant and Steve Buscemi is the most hilarious God I've ever seen. (4/5 stars)

Before the 90 Days Season 5 - This show is an absolute train wreck and I love every single second of it. From the 52-year-old pastor dating a 22-year-old Peruvian catfish, to the "24-year-old" single mom who's absolutely using a 34-year-old slob for his money, this show is a gold mine of second-hand embarrassment. (Unratable)

WATCHLIST & CURRENT WATCHES

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Have you been to a theater lately?
Are you a sucker for trash TV?

Let me know in the comments!

Saturday Screen Time #46: Spooky & controversial

 

Happy Saturday, everyone! I'm back today with another movie and TV update. Since it was spooky season, I watched a ton of horror movies, but also some sci-fi and fantasy. I have some controversial ratings for you today and I can't wait to hear what you all thought! 

RECENTLY IN (NEW TO ME) MOVIES

THE BEST

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings - My husband and I made a trip to the local drive in (I can't believe we have one of those) to see Shang-Chi and knew nothing going in. We were both so pleasantly surprised with this movie! I loved the new characters and mythology, the cameos, and the visuals. I am so excited to see how this ties into the new generation of Marvel movies! This is one I'll definitely be buying a physical copy of. (5/5 stars)

Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin - The new Paranormal Activity movie is nothing if not polarizing. I happen to fall into the camp that really enjoyed it! No, it doesn't seem to have a single tie to the OG Paranormal Activity franchise, but I loved the claustrophobic atmosphere and creepy cult vibes. The demon in sufficiently spooky and I liked that the ending left room for a sequel. If only the characters didn't consistently make idiotic choices. (4/5 stars)

THE WORST

Dune - Controversial opinion time! I was honestly hesitant about giving two and a half hours to this film, but my husband really wanted to see it and I caved. I feel like there must be an incredible story here (and maybe we'll get that in part two), but this movie just dragged. It was gorgeous to look at, but the characters are as dry as sandpaper and I found that I didn't care about any of them. I didn't necessarily need more action because I love a ton of really slow movies! I just needed more to care about. I'm glad so many other people loved this one, but it was not for me. (2/5 stars)

Found Footage 3D - This was a buddy watch and I honestly don't know if I would have finished it on my own. There were great ideas, but the execution was questionable. A lot of Found Footage 3D was repetitive and the characters didn't make realistic decisions. I did like the last several minutes, but I feel that this would have been better as a short film. (2/5 stars)

RECENTLY IN REWATCHES

RECENTLY IN TV

Bachelor in Paradise Season 7 - I think I might finally have outgrown this franchise. I haven't watched a main season since Colton's started and I found myself watching this just out of fear of missing something. I didn't really care about any of the participants and the drama was over the top. Goodbye for now, Bachelor Nation. (1/5 stars)

You Season 3 - I thought I knew where this season was going to go, but I was so wrong! They definitely took Joe and Love's story completely over the top, but I didn't hate it. I know people were split over the ending, but I loved it and I can't wait to see what happens next! (4/5 stars)

Big Brother Season 23 - After skipping most of last season, I decided to give this one a chance. While I did enjoy it way more than Cory's popularity tour, I hate that most new seasons are complete steamrolls and this one fell into that category. The winner was fine, but the journey to get there just wasn't as fun as in older BB seasons. (3/5 stars)

WATCHLIST & CURRENT WATCHES

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Have you seen Squid Game yet?
What controversial movie opinion do you have?

Let me know in the comments!

Saturday Screen Time #45: Eight months later

 

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)

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 WORST

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)

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)

WATCHLIST

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What have you been watching lately?
Any Halloween recs?

Let me know in the comments!

Saturday Screen Time #44: Nothing too bad, actually

 

Happy Saturday, everyone! If you've seen a few of these posts on my blog you may have noticed my movie moods change a lot. I'm either in a horror mood, a really weird movie mood, or a rip your heart out romance mood. I'll let you decide which one I was in this month. XD  

RECENTLY IN MOVIES

THE BEST

Before Sunset - I will be honest and say that Before Sunrise bored me almost to tears. I read reviews saying that if you were over 30 and married you would enjoy Before Sunset more, but I was skeptical. Alas, the reviews were correct because I identified so much with the characters in Before Sunset! I think everyone can relate to wondering what if you'd made one different decision or what if you'd given someone a chance when you chose not to. I haven't watched Before Midnight yet, but I'm really hoping it doesn't rip my heart out (but it probably will and that's fine). (4/5 stars)

Freaky - My husband and I went to see this at the drive in (so much fun!) and really had no idea what it was about. We were both so excited when we realized it was a retelling of Freaky Friday but with a teenager and a serial killer! It was about as fun as you'd expect. There was a surprising amount of gore, but it definitely falls into the horror/comedy genre and I loved it! There's a good chance I'll buy this when it comes out. (4.5/5 stars)

Free Fall - Speaking of movies that rip your heart out, this one will definitely do it. Free Fall is a German film about two men who meet in police academy. One has a girlfriend with a child on the way and the other is openly gay. Unexpected romance sparks and they have to deal with the fallout and it's heartbreaking and I loved it. Apparently there has been a sequel in the works for years, but many people have lost hope even though it was crowdfunded. (4/5 stars)

THE WORST

Portrait of a Lady On Fire - I know this is a movie that most people love, but it just didn't work for me. I was hoping for a movie that would be heartbreaking (as was my mood this month), but I ended up just being bored out of my mind. This film follows two girls who meet and fall in love over the course of a few days before having to part ways, but it is two hours long and nothing happens. I enjoy slow burn movies a lot, but this one was painfully slow and I wish the romance had been built up to be more believable. It was really pretty though. (2/5 stars)

Madame Bovary - I didn't hate Madame Bovary by any means, but I really wish there'd been more. More explanation about her motivations, more believability in her various relationships, and more Ezra Miller. I still enjoyed parts of it and I loved that I could feel Madame Bovary's desperation even if I didn't exactly understand where it came from. Reviews make me think I should give the book a try. (3/5 stars)

RECENTLY IN TV

Supernatural Season 15 - This season took me basically forever to get through. While I was ultimately satisfied with the ending, the season was all over the place. There was a lot of fan service and, while I loved most of it, some was unnecessary. I hate how Covid changed the last few episodes, but I'm so glad that we got them and didn't have to wait. I'll definitely miss this show a lot after watching for 11 years! (4/5 stars)

It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia - I started watching this after seeing it on a million lists and being met with shock every time I said I hadn't seen it. It's definitely a fun show to turn on when there's nothing else to watch, but I have to say it isn't one of my favorites. At 5 seasons in, I'd place Parks & Recreation and Schitt's Creek above it. That being said, I'm enjoying the show and will definitely continue watching. (3/5 stars)

Little Fires Everywhere - I finally started this and I can't believe I waited so long! The characters are basically all horrible, but I think not having a clear good or bad guy was what made it so compelling. I did wish there was more wrap up at the end of the series, but I was satisfied with how it ended for the most part. (4/5 stars)

RECENT DNF LIST

WATCHLIST

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Do your movie moods change?
Any great heartbreaking movie recs?

Let me know in the comments!

Saturday Screen Time #43: Spooky season part one

 

Happy Saturday, everyone! It's almost Halloween! Since I haven't done one of these in a couple months, it seemed a good time to come back and update on my recent watches, both spooky and otherwise.  

RECENTLY IN MOVIES

THE BEST

Butterfly Kisses - This one was a blind watch. I spotted it on a found footage list on Reddit and decided to give it a shot. It's definitely a low budget film, but sometimes those are the best kinds of found footage. This one follows two students working on a film project with the intention of getting a local legend on camera. It's definitely effective at building dread, even if it isn't a perfect movie. I'll probably give this one another watch next Spooky Season! (3.5/5 stars)

The 5000 Fingers of Dr T - I spent TWO full days trying to figure out the title of this movie. All I could remember was that I watched it in the 90s and it was like Dr. Seuss on acid. I searched everywhere (and it wasn't on the Wikipedia page for Dr. Seuss.) I finally stumbled across a website called 366 Weird Movies and, after combing through it, finally found the name! I ordered a copy and made my husband watch it with me. It's definitely just as weird as I remember. I'm so sad that this movie didn't have a better reception, but I truly believe it was ahead of its time. This movie is probably the strangest I've ever seen, but I'm so glad I found it again! (4/5 stars)

Enola Holmes - Of course I had to watch Enola Holmes! I guess everyone else watched it for Henry Cavill, but it just looked like a good movie to me, and I'm happy to report that I did enjoy it. The story was cute and I really enjoyed meeting a new character in Sherlock's world. The themes were a bit too on the nose at times and the editing took awhile to get used to, but it was a lot of fun! (4/5 stars)

Spiral - Another spooky movie! Spiral is about a gay couple who moves into a small community and one of them starts to notice the neighbors being weird. This movie had me wondering if things were really as off as they seemed or if it was all in the MC's head. It was definitely creepy and had me on the edge of my seat! I also loved seeing Jay from Unreal in something else! (4/5 stars)

Love and Monsters - I had absolutely no idea what this movie was about, but it was playing at our local drive-in. It was a NEW movie playing at a THEATER! Of course, we had to go pay the $6 to see it while safely distanced in our car. As the first new movie I've seen on a big screen since February, I have to say it didn't disappoint. The story was strangely uplifting and the monster design was amazing! I've already preordered a copy to commemorate this occasion and I really hope this turns into a franchise. (4/5 stars)

THE WORST

The Houses October Built - Well, they can't all be winners. This was another on Reddit's found footage list and unfortunately it was a miss. While the concept was interesting, I was bored out of my mind. I didn't hate it, but I won't be watching it again. (1.5/5 stars)

Mulan (2020) - Ugh. I never would have watched this so soon if my husband wasn't dying to see a new movie. Trust me, it was not worth the rental price. For whatever reason, they made Mulan into a Chosen One with superpowers and chose an actress who has no emotion whatsoever. Bring back Mushu! (1/5 stars)

The Devil All the Time - Okay, okay. I know this is supposed to be "artsy" and "deep," but I just could not. I am HERE for weird, slow movies, but this one was just not great. I can appreciate the incredible acting, which is why I'm giving it such a high rating, but it was honestly a mess of a film. It was dark and cruel for no real reason and the scenes seemed spliced together with no real coherent story. It was also about an hour too long. This just was not the movie for me. (2.5/5 stars)

Alone - Oof. Again, I was victim to my husband's need to rent new movies when there aren't many good options. This was a zombie movie in which the main character is trapped in an apartment during the outbreak. Once he spots a girl in an apartment across the courtyard, he proceeds to make the dumbest possible decisions over and over and I cannot. (1.5/5 stars)

RECENTLY IN TV

The Challenge: Invasion of the Champions - I forgot how much I love this show! This season was hard to watch at times as the champions invaded and dominated the rookies. I actually loved almost ever minute of it, but I'm taking a full star off for the really unfortunate final challenge. (4/5 stars)

The Vow - I watched an episode of a different show about NXIVM earlier this year, but I'm really glad it got a full series. This one follows a few individuals who left the cult and their journey as they attempted to bring it down. It's definitely fascinating, but I do wish there was a bit more focus on the inside workings of the cult. I believe there's another documentary series coming out on Starz that I'll probably watch soon! (4/5 stars)

Love Island - Infinitely better than this season of Big Brother, but still over the top and ridiculous, I did enjoy this season of Love Island. Some of the drama was too much, but the winners were amazing and perfect and it was a much-needed distraction from the garbage that is 2020. (4/5 stars)

RECENT DNF LIST

WATCHLIST

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What childhood movie do you still like?
Have you seen any new releases lately?

Let me know in the comments!

Saturday Screen Time #42: Too many to mention

Happy Saturday, everyone! It has been A WHILE since I've done one of these. Before you judge me, keep in mind this is a roundup of everything I've watched since March and we've been in quarantine. So I don't want to hear it. Since there are SO many, I'm only going to talk about the best and worst of the bunch. 

RECENTLY IN MOVIES

THE BEST

Underwater - I really had to think about this one for awhile after I watched it to decide how much I liked it. There's a lot to love here - the characters are trapped underwater, which is my NIGHTMARE. There's also some incredible Lovecraftian aspects, which I wasn't expecting since I went in blind. Overall, this is a movie I've decided I really, really liked and I'll be adding it to my collection! (4/5 stars)

Time Trap - Another blind watch, I had no idea what I was going into with this one. It's about a group of people who get lost in a cave system while searching for their professor and I absolutely adored where it went! The acting was rough at times, but the story kept me on the edge of my seat. (4/5 stars)

The Hunt - I picked this one up for date night and my husband and I both ended up loving it! The Hunt is a brilliant horror movie that's almost hilarious in its political satire. Although it definitely has a lot to say about the two party system, it's also a brilliant movie even if you don't catch onto that somehow. The ending was brilliant and I'll definitely be watching this more than once. (4.5/5 stars)

Sweetheart - At some point in the last few months I decided I needed to go through the Blumhouse catalog and I settled on this one next. Sweetheart is about a girl who finds herself stranded on an island after her boat goes down, but she isn't alone. This is another amazing monster movie and, although it isn't perfect, it hooked me right away. (4/5 stars)

Delirium - My expectations weren't high going into Delirium and I know the ratings aren't great, but I loved it! I truly had no idea whether the things going on around the main character were truly happening or were just in his head and the final twist really took me by surprise. I love a great mystery thriller that has twists I don't see coming! I'm genuinely sad more people don't love this one. (4.5/5 stars)

Spring - I'd already seen Resolution and The Endless by these directors and Spring was on my list for years before I finally got around to it. It wasn't quite in the same ballpark as the other two, but I still ended up enjoying it a lot. This is, bizarrely, a horror romance and I'm not sure I've ever seen anything else like it. I can't wait to see what these guys makes next. (4/5 stars)

THE WORST

The Lodge - This movie was so bad that I had to watch the trailer to remember what it was even about. A woman takes her step children to a cabin for the weekend and things go ridiculously wrong. I can't say much without giving away the ending, but I was not here for it. (1.5/5 stars)

The Platform - I adore weird movies that make me think, but this was just too much. I honestly don't understand who liked this movie or why, but it was a mess. I was bored out of my mind with the repetition and the I hated the ending. That said, it wasn't the worst movie I watched this time around and it still made me think about it long after I turned it off. (2/5 stars)

Knock Knock - Keanu, what were you thinking? Someone described this movie to me and I really thought it would be great, especially since I adore Keanu Reeves (who doesn't?). Alas, it was a whole mess and I hated it. It took me multiple days to watch this and there are no words for how dumb the plot is (1.5/5 stars)

Vivarium - I wanted to love Vivarium SO much! It's exactly the kind of weird I adore and it definitely had the potential to be great. Unfortunately, I think it suffered from being way, way too long. This would have been an incredible episode of Black Mirror, but what began as an enthralling, horrifying film had me almost falling asleep halfway through. (2/5 stars)

The Room (2019) - After watching Vivarium, I saw a lot of people say that The Room was Vivarium, but better. But no. Honestly, the concepts aren't even similar. The Room is about a couple who moves into a house and finds that one room grants wishes. Again, it's an interesting concept, but the execution was poor. I hated the characters and they made a host of idiotic decisions. Still, weird house gains a star from me. (2/5 stars)

First Reformed - Big oof. I saw this in a discussion board as a terrifying horror movie and just... what? First Reformed is about a minister who meets an environmental activist who sends him into a bit of a spiral and it was terrible. Easily the worst thing I've watched this year. I know people who would say I'm just not smart enough to get it, but there was literally a scene of a woman laying face down on a man and flying over ridiculously green screened mountains and galaxies. The ending was a non-ending, and I hate it. (1/5 stars)

RECENTLY IN TV

AHS 1984 - After some mild disappointment in Apocalypse, 1984 was so good! While I'd love to get another Murder House or Hotel, this was a fun slasher season with great characters and a super spooky story. I loved the time jumps and the integration of true crime. I'm so excited to see what's next! (4/5 stars)

Euphoria - I wasn't sure this would be the kind of show I enjoyed, but I ended up binging it over a few days. Euphoria definitely isn't the kind of show that makes you feel good, but the characters were wonderful and Zendaya's acting was on another level. By the end I was devastated the season was over and of course the next one is now delayed for obvious reasons. This definitely has all the trigger warnings, so make sure to look those up before watching! (4/5 stars)

The Great - Amazing. The Great was such a bizarre combination of historical drama and comedy and I absolutely loved it! I both loved and hated Peter and was truly not sure how the story would wrap up. (No, I don't know much about Russian history.) I am dying for season two of this show and I went right out and purchased The Favorite by the same writer. (4.5/5 stars)

Space Force - I wasn't really sure about this show at first, but by the end I was invested. The humor is weird but it grew on me and I'm definitely hoping for another season! (3.5/5 stars)

Solar Opposites - This show was... weird. Honestly, I wouldn't have continued watching if my husband hadn't been watching with me. We spent half the season staring awkwardly at each other and asking if we should watch another episode. Solar Opposites is one of the weirdest shows I've ever seen, but I'd watch more of it, honestly. (3/5 stars)

RECENT DNF LIST

WATCHLIST

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What have you watched during quarantine?
Do you like weird humor?

Let me know in the comments!

Saturday Screen Time #41: Oops, I watched too much

Happy Saturday, everyone! So I'm actually embarrassed at how much I watched this month but I have an excuse! I was out of commission for a solid week after my wisdom teeth removal and really didn't have anything else to do. Of course that meant watching movies. Then my dog got sick TWICE and I spent quite a lot of time just sitting with him and making sure he was okay. So that's that. Don't judge me.

THIS MONTH IN MOVIES

I Am Dragon - I finally got around to watching I Am Dragon after seeing multiple authors talk about how amazing it was for months. I have to say, they were right! I immediately tried to force everyone I know to watch it. This is a Beauty and the Beast style story about a girl who is stolen away by a dragon and finds out there's more to him than meets the eye. I was so in love with this one that I bought the blu ray! (5/5 stars)

Beast - Beast had been on my Shudder watchlist since I first got it and after I Am Dragon seemed like a great time to watch it! This is really nothing like Beauty and the Beast. A woman does learn there's more to the man she falls in love with that meets the eye, but it's much more sinister than Belle and her Beast. This is the kind of movie I love - it gave me a lot of conflicting feelings! I need more like this! (4/5 stars)

In the Tall Grass - I read the short story this was based on not that long ago. In fact, that short story collection only came out last year so this movie got made very quickly! Unfortunately it was fleshed out way too much and it lost some of the creepiness in my opinion. I've very rarely come across a full length movie based on a short story that was better than the source material. (2/5 stars)

The Danish Girl - I guess I'm behind on this one but I love Eddie Redmayne and have been meaning to get around to watching The Danish Girl. While I did enjoy this, I felt that it meandered a bit too much. Lili was also extremely hard to connect with. I loved seeing her learn to accept herself, but she was not very easy to like. (3/5 stars)

Ready or Not - I had seen SO many great things about this movie that I knew I needed to get a copy ASAP. While recovering from surgery I decided to go ahead and pick this one up and it was fantastic! Horror Comedy is a genre I've been enjoying more as the years go by and this was no exception. The combination of terror and laughs was wonderful and I have a feeling I'll be watching this over and over. (5/5 stars)

Parasite - Parasite has been everywhere lately and I honestly wasn't interested in it. I'd heard a lot of mixed things about whether or not it was horror and I was just planning to wait for it to come to Netflix. Then my fried bought it and made me watch it and I'm so glad I did! The story of this family is a car accident you can't look away from. I would not classify this as horror in any way, but it definitely had some tense moments. This is another one I picked up on blu ray after watching! (5/5 stars)

Knives Out - The same friend who made me watch Parasite also told me to watch Knives Out. Once again, she was right because this was absolutely my kind of movie! I love a good whodunnit and I adored every single actor in their role, although Chris Evans was especially good. I had some idea about the culprit although I never fully figured it out. I'll definitely be watching this again to look for clues! (5/5 stars)

Mandy - This is another movie I've had on my Shudder list forever and just now got around to watching. Unfortunately, it just was not the movie for me. I love indie and arthouse films, but this was just too much. The story was interesting and I enjoy Crazy Nic Cage anytime, but the art of this movie was over my head. I've heard it's great if you're on high! Alas, I was not. (2.5/5 stars)

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark - I picked this up on sale since I'd been wanting to watch it for awhile. I have not read the stories it's based on, but I love del Toro and knew I needed to see Scary Stories. I liked the way the movie brought all the stories together and there were some genuinely creepy moments. The monster design was incredible! I wish it had been a bit less teen drama, but overall I definitely enjoyed it! (3.5/5 stars)

Rosemary's Baby - I read Rosemary's Baby a couple years ago for a Halloween read-a-thon but I know that the movie is a classic and wanted to give it a try too! I don't watch a ton of older movies, but I felt this one held up. I think not showing the supernatural elements definitely helped it to feel a bit more timeless. I didn't love the original story and this one seemed to follow that extremely closely. I wouldn't watch it again, but I'm glad I saw it once. (3/5 stars)

47 Meters Down: Uncaged - Shark movies are my guilty pleasure. I watched 47 Meters Down when it came out and liked it well enough so I decided to give the sequel a try. Sadly, this just wasn't it. The teen girls were painfully dumb and the science behind the sharks gave me a headache. I recommend The Shallows if you're looking for a recent shark movie that doesn't suck. (1.5/5 stars)

Color Out of Space - My second Crazy Nic Cage movie of the month! I adore how Nicolas Cage has fully committed to doing the wildest indie projects he can find. Thankfully, this one was a whole lot better than Mandy! While there were still a lot of out there moments, the story was much more coherent and easy to follow. This story is based on the short story of the same name by Lovecraft so it's about what you would expect. I read that the author will be making a trilogy set in the same universe and I am here for it! (4.5/5 stars)

Girl on the Third Floor - I kept seeing Girl on the Third Floor recommended around Twitter and Reddit and decided to give it a watch when it showed up on Netflix. Meh. I appreciated what they were trying to do, but nothing about this movie worked for me. The characters were awful, the horror didn't make sense, and things were generally not explained well. (1/5 stars)

The Blackcoat's Daughter - This movie has been compared to The VVitch and maybe that's why I just didn't care for it. The acting was actually great and the story could have worked, but some of the choices made by the filmmakers were not great. (1.5/5 stars)

Backcountry - In addition to shark movies, I love creature horror and survival stories, so it's not surprising that this found its way onto my screen. Backcountry is about a couple who go on a camping trip, get lost, and struggle to survive after coming face to face with a bear. The tension was great and there were some genuinely horrifying moments, but I honestly expected more bears in this bear movie. (3/5 stars)

THIS MONTH IN TV

Beyond the Walls - I wanted to watch this on Shudder but it disappeared so my lovely husband bought it for me on iTunes since that was the only place it was available. This miniseries was absolutely gorgeous and haunting. Beyond the Walls is about a girl who finds herself lost within the walls of the house she inherits. It had a very dreamlike quality and reminded me a bit of Pan's Labyrinth. I definitely recommend this if you're looking for something different and a little spooky! (4/5 stars)

Shameless Season 10 - I really wasn't sure how this show was going to work without Fiona, but I'm happy to report it was fine! The first few episodes were a bit of a drag, but it picked up halfway through and now I can't wait to see what happens in the final season! It was a bit weird that there was hardly any mention of Fiona but it was amazing to have Ian and Mickey back together! (4/5 stars)

Love is Blind - Yes, I was also caught up in this show. It's absolute trash but it's the most entertaining kind! I honestly like this more than The Bachelor, which I've entirely given up on at this point. I am now waiting impatiently for the reunion show! (4.5/5 stars)

THIS MONTH'S DNF LIST

Nothing!

WATCHLIST

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Do you ever binge watch movies?
What's on your movie watchlist?

Let me know in the comments!

Saturday Screen Time #40: January horror and reality TV

Happy Saturday, everyone! Welcome back to Saturday Screen Time! This month I watched a few movies and shows, mostly horror and sci-fi/fantasy (who's shocked?). I am currently watching the last season of Schitt's Creek week by week and it's torture to wait! Sometimes I forget how awful it is not to be able to binge something! 

THIS MONTH IN MOVIES

Ghostland - Ghostland has popped up on multiple "must watch" lists and Shudder emails in the last few months so I finally decided to give it a shot. I went in not knowing anything about this movie and it was totally not what I expected! The movie begins with a brutal home invasion and quickly jumps ahead to the teenage daughters as adults. They end up back in the house and the nightmare continues. This movie is tough to watch at times and I wasn't expecting how uncomfortable it made me. The twist was pretty good, but I don't think I'd watch this again. (3/5 stars)

Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum - I was Gonjiam recommended as one of the best found footage movies of the decade and I immediately hunted it down! The movie is about a group of people who want to livestream from a haunted asylum, which has never been done before. At first all the scares are setups but then things begin to spiral. As far as found footage goes, this one was pretty good! There were some decent scares, one that caught me totally by surprise. If you're a found footage horror fan and enjoy foreign films, give this one a try. (3.55/5 stars)

Joker - I took my sweet time getting around to watching this movie. Obviously there's some controversy around it and I can totally understand why. At the same time, it does have a lot to say about our mental healthcare system and it did make me think. This was a Joker origin story unlike any other and, while it was hard to watch at times, I did love that it really made me think on multiple occasions. I'm still not really sure how I feel about Joker, so I'm giving it a tentative 3.5 stars. Joaquin Phoenix's performance was incredible though, love or hate the movie. (3.5/5 stars)

I Am Mother - Again, this kept popping up. Most recently I saw it on Reddit as someone's favorite horror movie of the year. Well, it really isn't horror, but I guess it was decent. I Am Mother is about a robot programmed to raise humans in a facility after an extinction event. The girl it raises begins to question things after another human shows up outside. This definitely started really slow and took awhile to get interesting. There were some good twists, but overall I was a bit underwhelmed. (2.5/5 stars)

THIS MONTH IN TV

The Circle - I held off for a couple weeks before I gave in and started watching The Circle. I hated the first episode, but then I couldn't stop watching! The houseguests really pulled me in and had me rooting for them. I adored Sammie and Joey and would love to see them on my screen again! The one thing I really disliked about this was the latecomers who I never really had a chance to get to know. I'm so sad that it looks like this won't be getting a second season, but this one was great! (4/5 stars)

Channel Zero: The Dream Door - Finally, I got to watch season four of Channel Zero! This season was about a woman who discovers a door in her basement that holds things from her past that were forgotten. There were some genuinely creepy moments this season! The second episode was particularly wild. In the second half things got less scary and honestly more endearing. I did enjoy this season but I was definitely hoping for a bit more horror. (3.5/5 stars)

Supernatural Season 14 - I'm catching up! I don't know why this season took me so long to watch but it was definitely a lot. I can't believe how much Jack grew on me and Rowena became one of my favorite characters. Nick and Michael were both incredible villains and that LAST villain of the season was totally unexpected! The finale really left me reeling and it definitely felt like it was leading up to the end. I can't wait to see how the show wraps up! (4.5/5 stars)

THIS MONTH'S DNF LIST

Nothing!

WATCHLIST

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What show are you way behind on?
Do you like foreign films?

Let me know in the comments!

Saturday Screen Time #39: Angels, gators, and sorcery

Happy Saturday, everyone! It has been awhile since I've done one of these! I actually watched more than this over the past month or so but I'm leaving out all my Christmas movie rewatches. Just know that I definitely did watch Krampus and Home Alone!  

THIS MONTH IN MOVIES

Charlie's Angels (2019) - I surprised even myself when I wanted to see this movie, but here we are. I honestly don't care at all for Kristen Stewart and I was impartial to the last Charlie's Angel franchise, but something about this one made me want to go! The new Charlie's Angels definitely had some flaws but it was a ton of fun to watch! I am here for the unrepentant girl power movies that are coming out recently and this is one I'll probably end up buying to watch again. (3.5/5 stars)

Frozen II - Of COURSE I bought tickets to Frozen II as soon as they went on sale! And yes, of course I saw it twice. I loved this movie so much! I didn't know it was possible to enjoy a Disney sequel even more than the first, but this one was amazing. I loved how much all the characters grew from the first film and Kristoff is the Disney Prince we've all been waiting for. I am still swooning at, "I'm here, what do you need?" (5/5 stars)

Happy Death Day 2U - Happy Death Day was an unexpectedly awesome horror comedy and when I saw that part two had such good reviews I was really excited to see it! It did feel a little bit repetitive at times, but there were still lots of twists and turns to keep it interesting. It wasn't scary, but it did get a couple jumps out of me and I had a blast watching it! (3.5/5 stars)

Crawl - This movie was very obviously made for people who don't live in Florida. I usually love disaster movies but this one just was not it. I can totally suspend disbelief for a good disaster film, but there was just SO much wrong with Crawl. It was so ridiculous on so many levels, not least of which was the portrayal of a supposed category 5 hurricane. I was honestly embarrassed that I recommended my husband and I watch this. (1.5/5 stars)

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker - Even though this is not the lowest rating on this month's list, it is the rating I'm most disappointed by. I didn't love either of the other sequel films, but I had such high hopes for Rise of Skywalker. I wanted redemption stories, romances (plural), and so much more. There was a bit of redemption but in such a disappointing way I almost wish it didn't happen. I've heard there's a 4 hour cut of this floating around somewhere and I'd love to see that one! This was just a rushed, strangely edited mess. (3/5 stars)

THIS MONTH IN TV

Survivor Season 39 - This was such a strange season. I enjoyed the Island of the Idols and Rob and Sandra were great, but there was a bad taste in my mouth almost from the beginning with Dan, the older man who was way too touchy with the women. Halfway into the season there was really no one left that I wanted to win and from there it was just okay. The next season's teaser has me super hyped though! (2.5/5 stars)

You Season 2 - Joe is such a psycho, but I was so excited to have him back on my TV screen! This show is an absolute trip and I loved every second of it. It did seem a bit predictable at first but the twists started coming in the second half and it was just so great! The ending was wild and I can't wait to see what happens with season 3! (4.5/5 stars)

The Witcher - And here is the most disappointing TV show I watched this month. I've been excited about The Witcher since the first teaser and couldn't wait to dive into it! Alas, it was bad. The timelines were awful and the show was obviously written with book readers in mind. The world and character building were extremely rushed and the CGI was hit or miss. I wanted so much from this show, but yikes. I don't know if I'll give the second season a chance, but it has to be better than this. (1.5/5 stars)

THIS MONTH'S DNF LIST

Nothing!

WATCHLIST

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What movie/show have you been disappointed by lately?
What's your favorite show to binge watch?

Let me know in the comments!