After stuffing my face with turkey (quarantined at my house), I made sure I left tons of time over the holiday weekend to watch as many movies as I could manage! Here they are, neatly reviewed for you.
Slow West – This western was definitely not slow, and very entertaining! A young man teams up with a stranger as he goes to find his lost love. Only thing is that he doesn’t know that her and her father are both wanted criminals! Loved seeing the bond between these two guys and I especially loved seeing Ben Mendelsohn dawn a drawl.
The Wolf of Snow Hollow – I was definitely duped into thinking this was going to be scarier than it was, but I was also surprised at how funny it was! A snowy, small town’s police department gets their world rocked when women start getting savagely murdered. What is obvious to everyone except for the interim chief of police is that it’s a wolf…or is it? I enjoyed each time he went into a bout of hysteria about everything that was going on. Definitely worth the watch!
Jungleland – With a cast that includes Jack O’Connell and Charlie Hunnam, I had slightly higher expectations for this drama film than it actually delivered. The two play brothers, Stanley and Lion, who are homeless and scraping by with a job at a sewing factory by day and bareknuckle fights by night. Lion is not nearly as good as he used to be, but that doesn’t stop Stanley from trying to clean up debts with potential wins. After a loss and a hefty sum that still needs paid, the two get roped into taking a girl cross-country to be delivered to some seriously skeezy old guy and then make their way to Jungleland, to participate in a large bareknuckle fight worth one hundred thousand.
Office Space – My dad has been begging me to watch this classic for years, and my run with Workaholics finally convinced me to give it a shot. While not overly hilarious, I agree with them when they say “no one likes their job.” Also, now all of those memes make a whole lot more sense!
The Bronze – It’s been five years since this raunchy comedy was released and it’s been just as long since I’ve seen it. The jokes definitely hold up, and it’s fun to see Melissa Rauch and Sebastian Stan play against type. This is about former bronze-medalist, Hope Ann Gregory who has ridden through life on the coattails of that win so many years prior. Suddenly, there is a new prodigy in town threatening to take their love away from her. At first Hope is vindictive, but then a real bond starts to form. Regardless of character development, almost everyone is pretty despicable, but in the most hilarious way. Look out for a very interesting intimate scene in a hotel room…that’s all I’ll say about that!
Dream House – This movie had the potential to be a really good thriller. Once I had an idea of what was going on I was hooked, but then everything sort of started getting a bit muddled. It follows a family who just moved to a new fixer-upper house out in the country. Will quits his job at the start of the film to spend more time with his family and to write a novel. Strange things start happening in the house before Will learns a family was murdered there. That piece of information is the first domino that goes down in Will’s life. If I hadn’t been paying attention, the plot could have completely gone over my head. Definitely could have been better but still very intriguing.
Buddy Games – Woof. This was like Tag, only worse and with less well-known actors. A group of friends play ridiculous games in order to write their name on a bucket and have bragging rights for the next year. It’s always been fun until it goes too far one year. The group get back together five years later in order to lift their friend out of suicidal depression. Don’t even bother putting this on your watch list.
Friendsgiving – Another very skippable film about a friendsgiving that very soon turns into a full-fledged party. I mean…there’s really not much else to say about this one.
The Christmas House – You know what? This was a Hallmark Christmas movie and I did not want to gouge my eyes out! I feel like that’s a feat in an of itself. Regardless, this film follows a family who transform their home into the “Christmas House” for the first time in over a decade. Mike thinks there is something strange about it but is also distracted by his gig at a hit procedural show being cancelled and his former crush being in town. Brandon is less concerned about why Christmas House is happening and more concerned with whether him and his husband’s adoption will go through. Then there are the parents, Bill and Phylis, who are adapting to retired life very differently. Charms galore in this film, but really solid plot points if you ask me. Also, I’ve determined it’s the music that makes these films more insufferable then they need to be!
Knives Out – It’s been a year since this excellent murder mystery hit theaters and I can’t believe I’m only now revisiting it! Just as thrilling and comical as the first time around. Who killed Harlan? You find out pretty early, but there are plenty of loops for private detective Benoit Blanc to work through. Thoroughly entertaining and if you haven’t watched this yet – what are you waiting for?!
Ready or Not – Not too much time has passed since I last watched this thriller, but it was on HBO this weekend and I couldn’t resist! It an almost perfect horror-thriller, with the occasional splash of humor that just speaks to me. Also, Grace is a very relatable protagonist. Again, if you haven’t watched this yet, get on it!