Manda's MovieWatch

Pleasantly surprised at this one. A solid sci-fi thriller for sure with a little heart thrown in. An easy watch, I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. Yes there’s some very bizarre things, but it’s Sci-Fi, expect weird. I liked the mix of action and both main characters are pretty awesome to watch. Probably would be better on a big screen (but I think it’s an Apple TV movie so not even sure if that’s an option), 2 watch checks for me and Ryan did stay awake!

I’m so bummed that I couldn’t get to all the Best Picture nominated films this year. The only one I did not see was I’m Still Here and I’ve heard it’s amazing, probably a front runner for international feature Oscar. I’ve gone back-and-forth between Conclave, A Complete Unknown, and Anora for which one I think will win. I have to pick a lane and we’re down to the wire…so I’m going with Conclave. I thought that movie was gonna be boring and I found myself kind of fascinated by it so I’m impressed that it kept my attention so well, so that’s my pick. Side-note: I think my favorite one to watch of all of them was A Complete Unknown. I just enjoyed it and was entertained. Ryan’s pick is Anora- (no surprise there, of course he’s rooting for the porno).

This movie was based on real events (from a book) and it was such a sad mark on our history but I was not a big fan of how they chose to tell it. The switching of perspectives, flashbacks, real news clips, and imagined symbolism felt random and left me with whiplash. It was distracting from the brutal events this movie was bringing to light. It felt disjointed or trying too hard to make a statement, which was unnecessary in my view as the subject matter alone makes a clear enough statement. All that said, it was a powerful and profoundly upsetting film but…I still got a little bored (which I kind-of hate to admit but I’m keeping it real). 3 watch checks, you can rent it (but I do wonder if the big screen would have kept me more engaged?) Ryan would not have made it through this one.

Absolutely beautiful animation. Truly incredible and worth watching just for that. But it gets a little boring, might be because there’s no dialogue…watching animals interact is fun on 30 second clips posted on social media feeds but hard to hold up for an entire movie. It’s a sweet story though (cat & dog lovers will adore it) and again, the animation is outstanding. This would be better on the big screen, I think Ryan would fall asleep, I had 3 watch checks. (I’m rooting for The Wild Robot over this one for the best animated Oscar although both are worthy.)

Disturbing but an important look at the brave men & women who hunt down nut jobs. I like true stories because seeing a sound bite on the news only gives you a small piece of a complex issue that this movie allows you to watch unfold. Jude Law is really awesome in this movie. It’s worth a watch, and you can rent this one. Ryan would stay awake and I only had 1 watch check.

Solid movie but a little boring. I like the premise: two cousins going to visit where their grandmother came from. It’s a funny thing that happens when you travel with somebody in such close quarters where you can not get away. You’re forced to deal with some things you’ve been avoiding. It’s also fascinating to watch one person act annoying and everyone just tolerate it. But then the gold is when the movie scratches under the surface: I wish there had been a little bit more of that. Impressed with Eisenberg that he both directed and starred in it, and Kieran Culkin is really good at being a huge pain. My guess is you might see different family members reflected in these two characters. 3 watch checks, you can rent this one, Ryan would be asleep in the first 20 minutes.

I kind of liked this movie, it felt like a more realistic version of Pretty Woman. Be prepared for some graphic sex scenes and language, and some laughable naivety but you just can’t help but root for the main character. I wanted to see her win. I’m not sure it has the chops to actually win best picture but the best thing about the Oscar nominations is it causes me to see movies I might’ve missed otherwise, I’m glad I saw it. I had 1 watch check, you can rent it for sure and Ryan would absolutely stay awake for this (I mentioned all the sex scenes, need I say more?).

Eeeeeewwww. If you like gross, you will love this movie. If the sound of people chewing and the squishy noises of a puss pocket grosses you out- you may want to skip it. Although the concept of a beautiful woman desperate to do anything to look younger & more beautiful is not a new one, this was an original take. The movie started out so good but the ending gets too weird and gross and just goes too far. The ending ruined it for me, I was a little bummed (I had high hopes). Demi was brilliant, a front runner for the Oscar. 3 watch checks, I think Ryan would stay awake for this one, it’s pretty hard to look away. You can definitely rent it. 

A complete surprise at how good this was! I thought this would be a cool look at Bob Dylan‘s early years, but it went deeper than I expected into his struggles. Timothée Chalamet and Edward Norton are amazing in it. I’m so impressed with them both, Timothée is deserving of the Oscar. This movie hit me unexpectedly in the feels about inspiration, love, the folk music movement in the 60s and 70s. It’s easy to forget how good Dylan‘s early music was!  It’s also an interesting look at the fear of change and evolution that we still struggle with, I guess we always will. It’s definitely worth watching. If possible see this on the big screen- to immerse you in his music, and capture the feeling of festivals / concerts in a way that watching it at home won’t be able to do. I think Ryan would stay awake for this movie. 1 watch check.

Yes this movie is brutal in many ways. I had high hopes for it in the first half but the ending ruined it for me. It’s a brutal 3.5 hours long (I felt that at least an hour could have been edited out easily), filled with symbolism. If trying to pick out & connect symbolism is your thing, you’ll like this movie (especially if you don’t like questions answered for you). It started as a really interesting story that’s not told as often- a survivor of the Holocaust rebuilding his life in America. As an architect, he’s influenced by the brutalist nature of what he endured and it’s reflected in his designs. The sex scenes are brutal, many of the characters were brutal, the way these refugees were treated was brutal but the most brutal was the randomly rushed ending that hardly made sense to me. The acting was superb by Brody, Pearce & Johnson. I’m not sure it’s fair to rate watch checks on this because it was SO long but I’ll condense to say 3 watch checks. Ryan would have fallen asleep for certain (I almost did). The cinematography was pretty great in this movie- so if possible, see it on the big screen.