Here is part three of my Movie Mayrathon series. If you want to read the previous week, click here. If you want to go to the full playlist to read my thoughts on every movie I've seen during this marathon, click here. Week three, let's do this!
DAY FIFTEEN: Gone Girl
DIRECTOR: David Fincher
STARRING: Ben Affleck & Rosamund Pike
RELASE DATE: October 3, 2014
"We're so cute. I wanna punch us in the face."
This movie was suggested by brother's girlfriend and I have to say, what a trip this film was. This is a mystery thriller that felt so unpredictable from beginning to end. Even though I generally new the twist going into the movie (trust me, I didn't try to seek any spoilers out), I was still surprised and genuinely entertained at where the story was going. The way this film shows this mystery and the relationship within is very smartly told. The characters were all entertaining, the performances were all great and the directing was fantastic. This movie looks incredible. The cinematography uses very warm blues and greens, adding to the atmosphere of the film. And the music is awesome. The synths add an extra layer of suspense that no orchestral score would ever be able to replicate. This is a beautiful, smart, well acted and well told mystery that had me hooked from start to finish. The only real complaint I have about this movie is the dialogue. Not all of the dialogue is bad, but a good chunk of it sounded really corny. For about the first twenty minutes or so, what the characters were saying completely turned me off. Those moments of dialogue didn't sound natural whatsoever. But then again, that's probably just me. I haven't read the book and I'm assuming the screenplay is very similar to the original source, considering the same person wrote both. I can't help but feel like some of the dialogue sounded way too poetic for any human to speak in everyday conversation. But to this movie's credit, once the mystery started to get fully underway, the dialogue started to feel more natural with the story being created. So overall, I really liked this film. It's intense, it's smart and it's beautiful to look at. If you haven't seen Gone Girl yet, you totally should. Especially if you know nothing about the story.
FINAL SCORE: 8/10
DAY SIXTEEN: Monty Python's Life of Brian
DIRECTOR: Terry Jones
STARRING: Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Michael Palin, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle & Terry Jones
RELEASE DATE: August 17, 1979
"He's not the Messiah. He's a very naughty boy! Now, piss off!"
Monty Python and the Holy Grail very well might be my favorite comedy movie of all time. I remember seeing it when it was re-released in theaters in 2015. To this day, that was the hardest I had ever laughed while watching a movie, making it one of my favorite theater experiences ever. Man, I miss movie theaters. Anyways, Life of Brian, while not quite as good, is a very funny and charming look at religion. The progression of Brian being a scared and wimpy man to accidentally becoming the Messiah and getting crucified is quite entertaining to watch. The sense of humor is very similar to that of Holy Grail, in that it's quite dry and witty, serving as the driving force of the movie. Comedy first, story second. And the comedy is quite funny. Not all of the jokes landed for me, but there were moments where I was laughing hard. The scenes I'm thinking of in particular are the stoning scene and the first scene with Caesar. There are instances when jokes go on for too long and there are some jokes that were not very clever, but a lot of it had me giggling hard. And similarly to the Holy Grail, Life of Brian uses its low budget to its advantage, making great costumes, sets and props. The cinematography is pretty muddy, but there are some genuinely great shots here and there. The audio mixing is very outdated, as the actors are too quiet and the music is WAY too loud. But I did see this on Netflix, so maybe there was an issue with transitioning it to streaming? I don't know. Maybe it's just outdated. Overall, I really enjoyed Life of Brian. It's a hilarious British comedy. That's all there is to it. If you like dry wit, then this movie is perfect for you. If British comedy is not your thing, then this movie is not perfect for you. Comedy is subjective. Fight me.
FINAL SCORE: 7/10
DAY SEVENTEEN: Pulp Fiction
DIRECTOR: Quentin Tarantino
STARRING: everyone on the poster
RELEASE DATE: October 14, 1994
"If my answers frighten you then you should cease asking scary questions."
As much as I hate to be completely predictable, yes, this film is as good as everyone says it is. I don't even need to tell you why because you already know exactly why this film is an all time classic. The writing is sharp, making conversations about burgers and foot massages absolutely riveting. The directing is amazing, showcasing how much talent behind the camera Tarantino has, even at such a young age. The performances are all amazing, and the characters each actor portrays were gripping, keeping me invested throughout the film for as dark and as ill-moraled as the are. The use of a soundtrack is perfect, giving the film such a sleek style. The movie perfectly balances comedy, fascinating conversations and great tension, and the nonlinear storytelling is rewarding from start to finish. You all know how good every single aspect of Pulp Fiction is. This is, in all respects, a work of art. Sure, there might be a few areas in the execution of this movie that are a bit outdated, but for the service of the film and the time that it was released, those moments work so well. I loved this movie from the very first shot to the very last shot. There is not a single aspect about Pulp Fiction that I disliked or didn't respect. I now understand why this movie is considered to be one of the greatest movies ever made. If you haven't seen this movie yet, what the hell are you doing? Watch it. It's funny, intense, fun, thought provoking, dark, well written, well directed, well performed, well edited, well realized, well conceptualized... it's Pulp Fiction. What more do you need?
FINAL SCORE: 10/10
DAY EIGHTEEN: The Last Thing He Wanted
DIRECTOR: Dee Rees
STARRING: Anne Hathaway, Ben Affleck, Rosie Perez & Willem DaFoe
RELEASE DATE: February 21, 2020
"In a perfect world we make perfect choices. In the real world we make real choices."
I felt like seeing a newer movie this day. I had heard about this one a while back and I got interested because of the cast. Anne Hathaway, Willem DaFoe and Ben Affleck in a crime drama? That sounds awesome! Well, as it turns out... no. This movie is really bad. I have never seen such an incomprehensible mess of a plot in my life. The dialogue, the pacing, the character motivations and the forced twists make The Last Thing He Wanted practically impossible to follow. While I love it when a movie doesn't give me everything, allowing me to figure out the story and the meaning myself, the storytelling is so incredibly messy that I had no idea what was going on. It's a shame because the plot actually seems pretty interesting. And by plot, I mean I found out what the book this movie adapted is about by reading the synopsis on Wikipedia. When the only way you know what is going on is by reading a Wikipedia article about the book your movie is based on, that is not a good sign. The actors do fine with what they're given, but none of them are doing their best work here. Everyone is either over the top or way too understated for any real person. The directing is nothing special, the editing is choppy and the musical score is garbage. There are a couple scenes that have nice moments of dramatic prowess, but then dramatic strings and pianos come in, completely killing any possibility of emotional weight. But the worst thing about this movie is that it's so boring. This movie did not get me invested in the characters or the story, so I spent the entire movie just waiting for it to end. The Last Thing He Wanted is dull, lifeless, confusing and downright terrible. It thinks it's way smarter than it actually is and the movie suffers harshly as a result. This movie is not enjoyable, not even in a "so bad, it's good" sense. It's just garbage. More like the last thing I wanted, am I right?
FINAL SCORE: 1/10
DAY NINETEEN: Fight Club
DIRECTOR: David Fincher
STARRING: Brad Pitt & Edward Norton
RELEASE DATE: October 15, 1999
"The first rule of Fight Club is: you do not talk about Fight Club."
This was a trip. Fight Club is one of the most unique movies I've ever seen. It's story structure, it's writing and it's twists and turns make this film stand out from any other film in its genre. I have to give it points for sheer originality and ballsiness alone. This is a dark and brutal film, yet it's full of dry wit that had me chuckling to myself quite a bit. This is also a really fascinating look at insomnia, depression and schizophrenia. All the performers were great and all the characters were entertaining to watch. The directing is amazing and the editing is some of the best I've ever seen. There is definitely an element that hasn't aged all that well, in that Fight Club is very clearly stuck in the 90s, but I found myself gripped from start to finish. Also, this is one of the best endings to any movie ever. The last twenty minutes or so are awesome. I don't have a whole lot more to say about this one at the moment. I feel like I need to see it again to fully get a handle on everything that happened. But to finish things off, this was a captivating movie that I found myself really enjoying. I'm not sure if I love it quite as much as everyone else, but I absolutely see the appeal. And who knows, maybe it'll grow on me after a second viewing. But for now, Fight Club is a great movie, offering one of the most unique stories in film told in an original way. If you haven't seen it yet, you absolutely should.
FINAL SCORE: 8/10
DAY TWENTY: The Naked Gun
DIRECTOR: David Zucker
STARRING: Leslie Nielson
RELEASE DATE: December 2, 1988
"Wilma, I promise you; whatever scum did this, not one man on this force will rest one minute until he's behind bars. Now, let's grab a bite to eat."
I was in a silly mood this day, so I felt like watching something dumb. So I decided to watch The Naked Gun and considering how much I love Airplane!, I figured I would like this one. And... yeah, I loved this one. Maybe even more than Airplane! The Naked Gun is a spoof of cop shows, but while spoofs like the Scary Movie franchise focus way too much on pop culture references, making them incredibly cringy as a result, this film uses pure silliness to its advantage. The slapstick, the wordplay, the over the top facial expressions all culminate into something absolutely hysterical. I was belly laughing a lot during this movie. A lot. This movie has great setups of jokes and executes them in hilarious ways. Scenes like the press conference scene and the fish tank scene, as well as recurring jokes like anytime Frank tries to park a car, all made me laugh hard. As I'm typing this, my face still hurts from all the smiling and laughing I did while watching. And the beauty of this movie is it never feels tired or cynical. All of the comedy is very silly and goofy in the best ways possible, making the movie very endearing. The performances are all amazing, particularly Leslie Nielson. He has a way of treating every single ridiculous thing so intensely seriously, making the scenes all the more hilarious. I could go on talking about the story, the directing, the cinematography, yada yada yada. Who cares? All that matters is if the comedy works. For me, the comedy worked very well and all those other elements did a great job enhancing the comedy. So, yeah, this is now one of my favorite comedies. I haven't laughed like this during a movie in a long time. If you want to see a comedy for your next movie night, make it this one. I loved my time with The Naked Gun and I cannot wait to watch it again.
FINAL SCORE: 9/10
DAY TWENTY ONE: The Witch
DIRECTOR: Robert Eggers
STARRING: Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Ineson, Kate Dickie & Harvey Scrimshaw
RELEASE DATE: February 19, 2016 (US)
January 27, 2015 (Sundance)
"Wouldst thou like to live deliciously?"
The Lighthouse is one of my favorite movies of all time, so I decided to check out Eggers's previous film, The Witch. There are definite similarities between the two, as both contain period accurate dialogue and sets, with the atmosphere acting as the primary sense of horror. However, The Witch is much more dramatic. Within this film is a story about loss and grief, conveyed very effectively through the phenomenal performances and the authentic dialogue. The directing is immaculate, offering beautiful landscape shots and very unsettling camera angles and lighting pairs. And the horror elements, while not necessary scary, are very creepy. There were a few instances that genuinely got under my skin. The score does a great job enhancing the chilling atmosphere the cinematography captures that atmosphere wonderfully. As for nitpicks, yes, this movie is very slow. There isn't a whole lot of pulse in this film until the final twenty minutes or so, which is the best part of the movie. While every bit of slowness felt deliberate and intentional, each element building on itself until the finale, I found myself zoning out a few times. And with the dialect, it was easy to get lost in the slowness. I don't think the slow pace is necessarily a bad thing, at least it didn't ruin the film for me. I was able to stay invested for the most part. There were just a few moments where I could feel the pacing. Despite that, I was thoroughly impressed by The Witch. This was Eggers's directorial debut and a great one at that. I completely understand that this is a love it or hate it kind of movie. If you hate this film, I don't blame you. Me, however, I am definitely a part of the love group. While I think The Lighthouse is still a better movie, I can easily see myself watching this one again and having it grow on me even further. But for now, I'll just say that it was really damn good.
FINAL SCORE: 8/10
WEEK RECAP
Best: Pulp Fiction
Worst: The Last Thing He Wanted
Guilty Pleasure: Monty Python's Life of Brian
Biggest Surprise: The Naked Gun
Biggest Disappointment: The Last Thing He Wanted
MAYRATHON RECAP
Best: Pulp Fiction/It's Such a Beautiful Day
Worst: The Last Thing He Wanted
Guilty Pleasure: The VelociPastor
Biggest Surprise: The Naked Gun
Biggest Disappointment: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
Stay tuned for Week 4: The 10 Day Week!
Comments