Manda's MovieWatch

Zone was an unsettling movie, I’m sure that’s the point. I was left with lots of questions which is not my favorite type of movie, I prefer to be given the story in its entirety, not made to guess what happened. There’s several scenes where you hear horrible noises, but don’t see them- one in particular where we see the German officer and the sky, while there’s screaming and gunshots. I suppose it’s symbolism – the officer turning a blind eye, but if you’re going to make a movie about the horrors of the holocaust, I feel we owe it to those who were murdered, to show all the story and not let a blind eye be the reality. I believe it will probably win the Oscar for Best Foreign Film (but only because Anatomy of a Fall isn’t in the running- really interesting that Sandra Hüller was in both films). 2 watch checks, Ryan would stay awake, this was a rentable one.

It’s Oscar time! Oppenheimer will probably clean up, but I truly loved The Holdovers, Barbie and American Fiction and I’m hoping they will be recognized in some category. I don’t think they will win, but Mark Ruffalo, Emma Stone, Ryan Gosling Paul Giamati, Jeffrey Wright, America Ferrera and are all SO deserving in their roles. (Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Cillian Murphy, Robert Downey Jr & Lily Gladstone also so deserving and I think will walk away with the gold statue). Enjoy the Oscars & keep going to the movies!

Such a great movie and deeper than I expected. I thought it was only going to be about the entertainment industry forcing a black narrative but it went into family relations, and a beautiful complicated one at that. Bravo Jeffrey Wright! It’s great, I was absolutely impressed. 1 watch check, Ryan would stay awake- this can be a rental. See it, you won’t be sorry.

This movie was a bit disjointed. The first half seemed to be building his story but the second half felt like a big time jump without much explanation. ?? I was disappointed- it seemed like this could have been a great in depth look at a fascinating historical character, but it failed to do that. (It didn’t help that I was expecting the caliber of Gladiator…definitely not there.) 3 watch checks. Ryan stayed awake but only with lots of snacks. This would be better on the big screen.

I really wanted to like this movie more than I did. I got bored. I was hoping it would delve more into the mind of Leonard Bernstein, maybe his creative processes…(like show us how he came up with West Side Story!) or his struggle with his sexuality. But instead, it kind of danced around his life without ever going deeper. Like a silly caricature…the couple scenes of him with his daughter or wife where he struggled to hide his true self- were awesome and what I wanted more of. Carey Mulligan was excellent, she deserves the Oscar nom. I love Bradley, but this felt forced…or silly…or something. 4 watch checks. Ryan would for sure fall asleep (I almost did). Rentable.

This movie bummed me out a little. We watch romantic movies because there’s a certain formula we’ve come to expect. This movie doesn’t follow the formula, but that may be the beauty of it. It’s very real life and I think every person wonders about past loves and what could’ve been. The problem with this movie is you’re confused on what to root for. There’s a lot of beauty in this story, just not a lot of closure. 3 watch checks, Ryan would be snoozing away, you can rent this one for sure.

I’m a total sucker for an underdog sports movie, Rudy is one of my favorites so it’s not surprising that I liked this movie. This inspirational story shows that anyone, no matter their age or gender, can achieve their dream. I enjoyed this movie more than I thought I would. As an older woman, I can’t help but cheer for Diana Nyad, even though her character is off putting. I mean to swim from Cuba to Florida you must be a little crazy. I also loved that this movie showed that behind the star, it takes a dedicated team to make dreams happen. It’s a little slow but it’s worth a watch. Ryan actually stayed awake for it (a surprise to us both!). 2 watch checks, you can rent this one (on Netflix right now!).

Bizarre. Think Mary Shelly on an acid trip and throw in porno vibes. The set, costumes and cinematography are beautiful, but the score was very annoying (like plug my ears annoying). The performances by the lead actors were awesome too, Mark Ruffalo was my favorite. It was an interesting concept, but I couldn’t help feeling that Tim Burton’s Dr. Finkelstein & Sally were first. Also, don’t say I didn’t warn you: there’s a ton of sex in this movie: don’t take the kids. One thing I did appreciate was a refreshing point of view on life in general. 3 watch checks, it is worth trying to see on the big screen because the visuals are the best thing about it. I think Ryan would stay awake for this, but that might be due to the afore mentioned warning.

I love it when a movie can take me to a place I’d otherwise never get to experience: an all boys prep school in 1970 for example. Remember being in high school and thinking your teachers were all vile idiots? This beautiful story shows how connected we all are once we stop and pay attention. Paul Giamatti is a genius and does an amazing job here, no surprise. I actually wish these characters were real – just so I could find out where they are now. You just can’t not relate to each person in this movie and especially the vile idiot. 0 watch checks, I think Ryan would stay awake for this one, totally rentable and I absolutely recommend that you do!

This is an interesting look at the forensic evidence of a tragic event….but “phycological thriller”- it is not. Still waiting for the big plot twist. It did feel very “real” and so, if you can’t stand movies with no musical score to hide loud chewing or loud breathing, this is not the movie for you. The acting is amazing- I really did believe these people were their characters. Was just too slow for me. Ryan did stay awake (even through subtitles!)- so maybe there is some anticipation thrill there that I missed. 3 watch checks, you can rent it for sure.

So this one is a pretty cool history lesson. A bit on the long side though (maybe like most history lectures feel). Excellent acting- some Oscar noms for sure! I think this will have a strong run at Best Picture. It’s not full of visual effects but it is visually beautiful. It definitely gives you a respect for the scientists of that era. It’s a long one but it didn’t feel as long as it was- which to me is always the mark of a good movie. 1 watch check (at 3 hours that’s pretty amazing), Ryan did stay awake (but wasn’t a big fan of this movie- I suspect Florence Pugh’s boobs helped here), this is better on the big screen (apologies for this being too late for that, I’m catching up!).