It was a busy weekend, but I managed to squeeze in some hits!
Don’t Make Me Go – This movie was even more sad than I was anticipating! I think anyone who even just reads a brief blurb about this movie knows that John Cho’s character, Max, learns that he has a tumor in his brain. What’s probably not revealed is that if he doesn’t get a surgery to remove it that will likely kill him, he has a year left to live. With that, he pointedly avoids most of the movie revealing this to his daughter. Instead, he makes her tag along on a road-trip down south to his college reunion (didn’t know those were a thing). Of course, there is some reluctant, but heart-warming bonding along the way. This is all in an effort for his daughter to meet her mom so she can at least know her before he dies. Friends, the turn this movie took at the end was heartbreaking. Still a good watch, so just have your tissues ready and give it a chance.
I Love My Dad – This was definitely cringe comedy at its peak. Franklin is just out of a program after a suicide attempt and decides to cut out his mainly absent father, Chuck, from his life. This sends Chuck into a panic because he’s only ever really known his son through Facebook – yikes. We also learn throughout the movie that not only is Chuck a bad father, but also kind of a bad person. He’s always looking to cheat at life. In this instance, he creates a fake profile based on a real waitress and catfishes his son. I’m sure you can see where the seriously awkward turns in this movie come now. The big reveal is maybe even more cringe-inducing than I anticipated, but the ending is quite satisfying. Not for everyone, but very unique.
Bodies Bodies Bodies – Wow, wow, wow! What a fun murder mystery! I saw in an interview where the director wanted to liken this gen-Z satirical horror film to Clue, and it’s definitely paying homage to it in many ways. A bunch of, honestly horrible, rich kids (in their early twenties) get together at a remote mansion for a hurricane party. It’s clear right from the start that there are lots of different tensions running through this party. In an effort to make the evening more fun they decide to play Bodies Bodies Bodies (think Mafia or Werewolf), but then the power goes out and there’s a dead body, so obviously chaos ensues in the time it takes the sun to rise. I highly recommend going to see this! I know I plan on catching it again.
Thirteen Lives – Honestly, I really only watched this film because I love the cast. Obviously, Ron Howard makes some excellent movies, but this kind of subject matter isn’t always something that appeals to me onscreen. Back in 2018, a boys soccer team and their coach get trapped deep in a cave after monsoon rains flood it. It takes over two weeks before they are able to be successfully rescued, but the mechanics of this feat are quite incredible. I also have to mention how brave and mentally tough those boys and their coach were. I believe they went ten days without food before they were even discovered by British cave divers. All of it was insane and heart-pounding, but something I will only ever watch once. The praise on this movie has been kind of quiet despite its stars and director status, but I’d keep your eyes peeled for this when awards season rolls around.
Watcher – Another Sundance film making its way back to me! This movie actually premiered in theaters a few months ago, but my sister surprised me in wanting to watch this over the weekend. Julia has just moved to Romania with her husband for a promotion he got at work. The apartment and the people seem nice, but her isolation is palpable given that she knows no one and can’t speak the language. It also doesn’t help that on the first night, and every night afterwards, she notices a man across the street staring in at her from his window. To make matters worse, there’s a local serial killer on the loose who’s been targeting women in apartments. Julia seems paranoid to the rest of the world, her husband included, and I almost start to think so too, but you just can’t ignore the creepiness in the main suspect. This is a wonderful film highlighting the frustrations women face about just not simply being believed.