Mindless Action and Thoughtful Satire

I haven't been to the movies in a full week and it actually feels weird. I think I've been to see something at least once a week since the new year. These experiences have been from the week before last. I saw them relatively close together.

I saw Kong: Skull Island first. The boyfriend and I went together. I was excited about this one because it's the establishing film for the upcoming Kong vs Godzilla movie. Just saying that gives me goosebumps. This is just a fun movie. The acting wasn't anything special, except Samuel L. Jackson. He was hilarious as a twisted soldier determined to get revenge. After seeing him as the good guy in Legend of Tarzan, it was fun to see him play a villain. He does it so well. The death scenes in this movie were awesome, as drab as that sounds. Kong was kicking all kinds of ass and taking all the names. The last scene was surprisingly heart warming and was a great way to end the nonstop action and fight scenes. We didn't stay to see if there was an end credits scene so I hope we didn't miss anything.

Next up was Idiocracy. The local historic theater was showing this in their revival series. My boyfriend has been recommending this film to me since we've been dating so we had to go see it. We went to the premiere at night. The theater wasn't very full but full enough that we couldn't sit dead center. We were still in the middle, the best seating area. The film started and it was so funny and sad. Funny because everyone in the film were acting like idiots. And sad because our present looks a bit too familiar to the film's future being portrayed. I can see why this is a cult classic but it's not my favorite revival film. I'm glad I was able to experience it with an audience that obviously loved the movie. And there is a funny, stupid end credits scene. So if you watch this on DVD, see it through until the end.

Logan Squared

I have been killing it with seeing films on their opening weekend. I'm introducing a new movie buddy to the blog. It's my aunt, Muffin. That's not her real name but it's what the family calls her. She has been eagerly waiting to go see Logan just as much as I have to we made plans to go together. She's a matinee movie goer like myself so we went to see a morning showing.

There were a lot of people there since it was a Sunday. We got really good seats, almost dead center and close to the middle. We were both delighted (she was surprised) to see the Deadpool teaser trailer before the movie started. It was so funny and just the edge I needed taken off before the emotional roller-coaster I was about to ride. There are no words for how awesome this film is. It's by far the best solo Wolverine movie and one of the best X-Men movies int he franchise. I cried...hard. By the last scene, I was sobbing for anyone to hear. My aunt has tougher skin than me so she was able to hold it together.

The first thing I did after the movie was text my boyfriend that we had to see this sooner rather than later. We went to see it later that week during the day. The theater was mostly empty so that helped us feel like we were all alone, watching this masterpiece. I cried again...even harder. It was worse knowing how it ended. I couldn't control myself. He even welled up with some tears, though they didn't fall. We went back home to talk about how amazing it was and how it was the perfect send off for Hugh Jackman. It makes me sad though. He truly was Wolverine, through and through.

Double Feature

Lately, I've been getting into the habit of two things:

1- Seeing two movies in one day.
2- Seeing the same film with different people on separate outings.

It's crazy how much a film can change when you factor in how you see it with. Friends, family, significant others. These are people who can take a cinematic experience and make you question whether or not you're actually seeing the same film as before. I saw Get Out with Kelly for a matinee movie date. After we saw Split. I also saw Get Out a week later with my boyfriend after work.

Outing with Kellz

We are the queens of movie matinee. "The earlier, the better", is what we say. That's mostly because of the cheap prices ($5) and for an empty theater. I'm not a fan of packed movie seats so morning showings are my favorites. We saw Get Out first, opening day. It was kinda hilarious. I'm glad it played more like a thriller than a true horror film because I'm a wuss who hates being frightened, even when I'm seeking to be scared. Jordan Peele had a great debut film and I'm happy to see anything that he directs in the future. After the movie, we were eager for more. That's to say, we were bored and had nothing better to do. So I treated us to afternoon tickets for Split. Afternoon tickets can be a mixed bag, not quite as cheap as matinee but not full price. I didn't see M. Night Shymalan's last film so I had no high hopes for this one. Thankfully, I really liked it. James McAvoy completely carries the film on his back. The other actors were fine but he's the blatant talent that makes the film interesting. The unique tie-in with another of his earlier films was a delicious Easter egg. If Shymalan expanded on that idea, I'd be on board for it. All movied out, we emerged into the light of day, hissing at the sun. I rushed home to decompress and the retreat into the shaded living room of my apartment.

Date Night with BF

We had always planned to see Get Out together. Just because I had already seen it was not stopping me from following through with our plans. We decided to go after work, for a 7 o'clock showing. The theater was fucking packed. Luckily, we got there early enough to grab two end seats together, high up enough so our necks weren't at a 90 degree angle the entire time. We bought actual food, buffalo wings and chicken tenders, and sat back for the movie to start. I had hyped it up a bit for him so he had very high expectations. He was not disappointed. We laughed, cringed, and cheered right along with the crowd. This was one of the rare occasions where standard seating and a sold out theater worked at our advantage. Since I had already seen it before, I could zone out and listen to other people's reactions. That made the film even better. We all clapped at the end and we left the theater in a tizzy. All we could talk about was the movie. It was definitely a good night for us.

Vacation Part 3

Finally, I'm finished. This is the last film I saw while I was on vacation. Technically it's a bunch of films but I'm counting them as one since I watched them all in one sitting. These were the Oscar nominated live action films. And this time, I dragged some unlucky bastard along, my boyfriend. Poor guy was staying with me during our time off and on the last day I invited him to yet another movie outing with me. Honestly, I was going with or without him so it's not like I forced him. He came along voluntarily (for the most part).



We went to the Charles theater and sat in the same area that I did when I went to go see the animated films. First up was Sing (English title). It's about a choir in a school that's covering up a big secret. This is the film that ended up winning but I don't think it was the best one. It's definitely a feel good, stick it to the man kind of film. The child actors were great and I really believed the story. Next was Silent Nights. It follows a couple dealing with immigration, racism, and a bunch of other issues. My boyfriend and I both thought this movie was overly sappy and melodramatic. It hits you over the head with the message of the film- We're all the same; forgiveness will set you free; blah blah blah. I was happy when it was over since it felt like it was dragging. After this snooze fest, Timecode played. This was my favorite one by far. It's about two security guards who share a secret passion. i don't wanna give away what the passion is but it's very unexpected and beautifully portrayed. This should be the only one you try and see. It's definitely worth it. Second to last is Enemies Within (English title). This film is the one that made me cry. It's a relevant issue for anyone who watches it, even though it's filmed in France. It's an interview that a man goes on to finalize his citizenship that turns into an interrogation. It made me feel upset and frustrated to see this man painted into a corner. I was beyond relieved to see that the last film was a lighthearted one. The Railroad Lady (English title) was such a great film. It was my boyfriend's favorite to win the Oscar. The woman waves a flag every time the train goes by her house and she starts a correspondence with one of the travelers on the train. It ends on a high note and just put a huge smile on my face. It's also based on a true story which makes it even cuter.



And that's that. My cinema adventures for my birthday vacation. I have seen some films since then so I'll be sure to write about those soon.

poster of my favorite live action short film