If I thought January was bad, I did even worse for February! Still, I managed to see some good films this month, even though there were far fewer of them than I would have liked. Here’s how the month rounded out.
The Monkey – Well this was so fun! It’s crazy to think about how quickly this Osgood Perkins film came out after Longlegs. I do wonder if this was wasn’t going to come out quite so early if Longlegs hadn’t done so well with critics and at the box office. Either way, I’m glad we got it now – spoil me! Tonally, this is worlds away from Longlegs, so that just proves that Perkins has depth as a director and a writer. This film, while extremely bloody and gory, was also hilarious a lot of the time. The story focuses on twins, Hal and Bill, who have been plagued by death at the hands of a “toy” monkey who doesn’t take requests or demands. The kills are constant and creative and I had a great time watching this one.
The Power of the Dog – Per my work’s movie club, this was the pick for Oscars’ month, and I was personally very happy to revisit this one. While it comes off as a solid drama, the second time around I was really taken by the tense psychological aspect of it. No, it wasn’t a thriller, but a lot of the scenes left me feeling a bit uncomfortable, which was definitely the point. George and Phil Burbank have been running their parent’s ranch together for so long that it must be hard for Phil to imagine anything changing. Then George meets and marries Rose, who comes with an oddball son. Phil is brash, bitter, and downright mean. The grief he causes Rose inspires her son to do something about it, but the journey there is a very, very interesting one. The ending is top tier, and I’m still both surprised and a little sad that this lost out to CODA at the Oscars.
Captain America: Brave New World – Honestly, I can’t even remember if Marvel put out a movie last year. That’s how unforgettable they have become. And even this one snuck up on me. I might have just heard about it at the tail end of December surprised at how soon it was hitting theaters. Also, the details of most of the last ten or so films have totally escaped me, along with Falcon and the Winter Soldier. But, I do remember that Falcon is now Captain America, and he’s doing it without the super juice. I know he’s got a super powered suit, but I find it hard to believe he doesn’t get more seriously injured with all of the elaborate and intense brawls he endures throughout the film. Tim Blake Nelson plays the unsettling villain, and Harrison Ford’s character surprised me despite them pretty much giving it away in all of the trailers. Still. My biggest takeaway is that baby Falcon, played by Danny Ramirez, is far too handsome to be in a film like this. I want more of his pretty face on screen in dramas, stat!