December
M O V I E S
The Call (2020)
LETS GOOOOOO Korean Thrillers are *mhwa* chefs kiss
Girl gets a call seemingly from someone in trouble, yet, where the caller claimed to be puzzled her. The address, well, the address is the same beaten down home she currently resided in. The more she thought about it, the more she explored the home, she realized something: The caller is in the same house, just a few decades ago. Experimenting, they realize what the caller does effects her future. All of a sudden, her father is brought back to life, and her mother is happy again. But was it wise to play around with time? Who really is the caller?
Other than the ending, I felt this movie was amazing. It makes you drawn to the story, wondering what happens next, seeing what else may change as they play with the fates of their lives, past and present.
And then they had to make it an open ending.
Overall:
Rating: R? I think
Length: 1h 52min
Genre: Crime, Horror, Mystery
Directed by: Chung-Hyun Lee
What's gonna happen now?
Searching For Bobby Fischer (1993)
During my short Queen's Gambit intermission, I watched this movie.
Josh Waitzkin is an actual child prodigy who started in Washington Square, playing speed chess. After finding his talent, his father searches for a teacher to help young Josh hone his skills. As the final competition nears, Josh must learn what it means to want to win.
As a swimmer in my past life, this movie really resinated with me. The feeling of giving up, of self doubt and finding the drive to work on what you love was something that I went through too. So to watch a kid struggle, someone who had proven himself to be over the top talented at the game, doubt himself, but still pick himself up, felt really good to watch.
Wow, did I just compare chess to a SPORT?! Lol
Overall:
Rating: PG
Length: 1h 49min
Genre: Biography, Drama
Directed by: Steven Zaillian
I suck at chess.
WW84 (2020)
A few decades have passed, and she's still not over it.
Diana is still fighting crime, while working as a whole list of titles. She meets Barbara, who is a clumsy new coworker. After uncovering a wishing stone, things go to chaos. A huge TV conman, Max Lord, gets a hold of the stone, the world goes to a brink of demolition just for his own satisfaction. But the truth saves the world.
I hated it. Terrible. The script was sloppy and poorly written. I hate that the only growth was her finally letting go, and Steve had to come back to tell her to let go. The wishing stone seems so weak of a "villain" and the lasso of truth was so amateur of a solution.
My favorite scene was probably the last kiss, where Diana doesn't turn back. It really shows her moving forward and letting go of her love. But other than that, like that monologue about flying, please just punch me.
Overall:
Rating: PG-13
Length: 2h 31min
Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Directed by: Patty Jenkins
The mall scene was the best fight scene.
Your Name Engraved Herein (2020)
Uhhh...
So there's the crazy one and the "normal" one. Definitely gay for each other but like, no one can know, not even themselves. The raw emotions that come out of these two feels so frustratingly true; as if they're screaming on the behalf of me. We watch them longing for one another, yet the pull of society keeps them far apart. It was absolutely beautiful. From the acting to the beautiful locations, the funny and heartbreaking moments that tie these two together into an unrelenting knot.
And then there was the flash forward. The actors they got were so BAD like uh all i could do was critique the lack of emotions these middle age men were expressing. It was as if they were taken out of their 9 to 5 so that they can try their hand at this acting thing. It was absolutely a mess. There as another flash back within the flash forward, made the movie instantly better, but then it was back to those old fools.
Overall:
Rating: PG-13 I would say...
Length: 1h 58min
Genre: Romance, Drama
Directed by: Kuang-Hui Liu
Big fan of Crowd Lu.
Hobbs & Shaw (2019)
MEh. I watched it because my brother and dad wanted to.
I'm too lazy to review it properly. Just know, it's very bland of a movie.
Ryan Reynolds was definitely the best part of the movie.
Overall:
Rating: PG-13
Length: 2h 17min
Genre: Action
Directed by: David Leitch
I miss Paul Walker
Soul (2020)
So this movie.
I really enjoyed it. The idea of having a nursery for souls preparing the enter earth, genius. A soul who refuses to have a will to live, hilarious. Famous dead people as mentors, amazing. I loved the jazz and the metaphor of living life as an improvised jazz performance, rifting off of your surroundings. Finding the small moments in life that truly makes this life worthwhile.
I guess I just have given up on life (I say as a joke but not really). My reaction right after was a solid, meh. Don't know why. But as I watched video essays praising the movie, I slowly started to understand the meaning of the movie for myself. Was I influenced by pretty words? Probably. But it helped me appreciate the movie and what it truly stood for.
Overall:
Rating: PG
Length: 1h 40min
Genre: Adventure, Comedy
Directed by: Pete Docter, Kemp Powers
My mentor had to have been Freddie Mercury.
S H O R T S
If Anything Happens I Love You (2020)
I wanted to check this out because it looked sad and the animation style looked beautiful. Sadly, both was too true.
The gentle brushes that created said characters brought forth the delicate balance of the two parents coping with the loss of their child. It guides us through the memories, and what was left behind. In just 12 minutes, the short film tells the tale of tragedy, of a loss that could have been so easily avoided, yet undoubtedly present in modern America. It's a cry for help. It shows us only one of the hundreds of families who had to endure the same heartbreak. It's a sign for change.
Float (2019)
A single father struggles to take care of his child, who has the ability to float. He's afraid of the judgmental eyes of his neighbors, criticizing him with those looks of disgust. So as his child grows up, he does everything in his power to hide his son's special talents, weighing him down with rocks, hoping for once, his son would just be... normal.
As a metaphor for autistic children, it's hard to fit in for them most of the time. But in the case shown in the short film, "normal" doesn't dictate anything. Happiness does. Embracing who someone is born as, letting them be them is what these kids deserve.
So cute. A must watch.
Wind (2019)
A family of a boy and his grandma struggles to live in this spacial barren wasteland. They've been planning to escape for a while now, building a rocket that can launch them into "the light". But there was one problem: the rocket can only sit one.
This is a super cute short that shows the love and support of grandmas. I don't know what else to say.. lol.
Overall:
Length: 8 min
Directed by: Edwin Chang
Burrow (2020)
A rabbit struggles to build their new home. After a lot of pressure (created by themself) from looking at the stunning burrows of their neighbors, the little rabbit becomes highly unmotivated that they could create a home for themself. But what the bunny did not know was their neighbors are their friends too, and together, the rabbit has a place they can confidently call home.
It's so nice to see Pixar do a 2D animation short. I really like the message of friendship and helping vs rivaling. This is the short before Soul so if you didn't see this, give it a watch!
T V S H O W S
The Queen's Gambit (2020)
Chess child prodigy, Beth Harmon, grew up in an orphanage, learning the game with the help of the janitor. By the time, she hit the chess scene, all eyes were on her. The more people she meets, the more she progresses, which eventually lands her a chance to play in Russia.
I can't believe how good this is. The subtle parallels of emotions between of her mother and herself, to the constant, but changing plot points that is brought up throughout the whole show makes this a 7 episode masterpiece. I love how we see her mature not within her gameplays, but also how she interacts with the world.
I mean, I give out 10 stars sparingly, but this was just so good.
Overall:
Rating: TV-MA
Length: 7 episodes
Genre: Drama, SPORTS
Directed by: Scott Frank, Allan Scott
I still suck at chess.
Sweet Home (2020)
A depressed boy moves into a sketchy apartment building. He had just lost his family in an accident, and more importantly, the insurance money. However, something is a stirring. People are turning into monsters that reflect their strongest desires. The lady next door who is constantly dieting just ate her cat. More monsters lurk within and outside the building. He himself is turning...? Will the remaining residents of the apartment learn to survive together? Who can they trust?
Ok, that was just the webcomic, WHICH YOU SHOULD DEFINITELY READ BEFORE WATCHING. In the TV (I hope its not spoilery) but the monsters are linked to some government experiment. maybe we'll see what happens in the second season.
Overall:
Rating: TV-MA
Length: 10 episodes
Genre: Drama, Horror, Fantasy
Directed by: Young-woo Jang, Eung-bok Lee
Firefighter girl is best girl.
Alice in Borderland (2020)
Arisu is a gamer boy who games all day, "wasting his time" as his family would say. But jokes on them. He and two of his friends where transported into a world where they must play games to stay alive and stay alive to play more games. His heightened observation skills as well as fast reflexes help him and his team through the life and death games as he slowly uncovers the rules of this dangerous world.
As a live action tv show with a manga source material, this is top tier stuff. All the graphics, the storytelling and overall feel of the show brings us along as Arisu travels farther and farther into the rabbit hole. I love the small nods to Alice in wonderland, from the Mad Hatter to a literal bunny. Binge it all on Netflix and hope season 2 comes fast because I wanna know what happens so bad.
Overall:
Rating: TV-MA
Length: 9 episodes
Genre: Action, Fantasy, Mystery
Directed by: Shinsuke Sato
This has an anime?!
A N I M E
Attack on Titan Season 2 (2017)
The battle against the titans rage on, and a new threat appears from a distance: A beast titan. There are many other questions too: Like who is the church hiding? Why is there a titan in the wall? And most importantly, where are the titans coming from? With the team growing closer to the truth of the walls and the place they have called home for so long.
This. THIS. I can't believe it took me, what, 3 years to finish? I kept getting stuck half way because it slowed down and got a little political but to those who are stuck for the same reason, fear not, I will show you the way. Eren becomes more of a baby and Mikasa keeps having to save him but Levi is still best boy.
Overall:
Rating: TV-MA
Length: 12 episodes
Genre: Action, Adventure
Created by: Hajime Isayama
It took me 3 YEARS
Attack on Titan Season 2 (2017)
The Scouts are no longer just the enemies of Titans, but of people too. With the shroud of who really is Royalty pulled back and revealed, there is an up cry for revolution. Historia learns about her lineage, and destiny, while Eren becomes even more of a baby as he also learns the truth of his father and the role of Titan shifters.
MY BOY LEVI. This season is so great. I can't begin to express how good this show is becoming. We learn so much about the structure of the world they live in. As they slowly chip away the walls of this world, more secrets begin to reveal themselves to Lev- I mean Eren and crew. I'm currently watching Season 4 and OH MY GOD I CANNOT.
Overall:
Rating: TV-MA
Length: 22 episodes
Genre: Action, Adventure
Created by: Hajime Isayama
It took me 3 DAYS
Alice in Borderland (2020)
CURSE ME FOR WATCHING SO MANY THINGS THIS MONTH
On another note. Case 4! oh how amazing is this.
We finally see Mr. Laurent's story, which perfectly weaves itself into Edamura's past. We see the same gang years before, where Laurent is recruited to a band of confidence men. There, he meets Dorothy, who he falls madly in love with. After her disappearance, Laurent cannot accept his loss. Now years later, his new crew revisit the same case, uncovering more than he ever could before.
I love how Edamura's part of the story also drives the plot forward, being a crucial part of Laurent's story. It's so perfect and emotional and Freddie Mercury.
Overall:
Rating: TV-MA
Length: 23 episodes (Complete season 1)
Genre: Mystery, Action, Comedy
Directed by: Shiro Kaburaki
EDAMURA