2015 in Movies (So Far)

It's been a while since I blogged because my life has been in various states of disarray since the start of the year. And I won't say that I intend to blog more regularly starting now because you/I/everyone in the universe knows that isn't true.

But, I've had a few ideas buzzing around in my brain for the last day or so, so maybe those will come to fruition. Time will tell.

Today though, I found myself wanting to do a sort-of mass review of some of the entertainment stuff I've experienced since January, kind-of like I did last December. I've seen quite a few worthy -- and not-so-worthy -- films in the last few months and I've recently been able to return to the magical world of actually reading for fun (whaaaat?), so I felt compelled to word-vomit my opinions on the Internet.

Everyone knows that feeling, right?

So, this is the first installment: movies. I'm even going to link to all the trailers because I LOVE YOU SO, READER PERSON. Let's begin. Prepare for lots of parentheses and em dashes.

At one point a few months ago (likely when I was under severe stress about, you know, finishing college), I got on a roll of watching romance-heavy movies, of both the comedy and drama variety. Some stand-outs include:

• Laggies (Kiera Knightley + Sam Rockwell + Chloe Grace Moretz -- what more could you want?)
• Two Night Stand (wait, a comedy about sex that isn't super gross? Yes, my friends. It's real.)
• Now Is Good (one of my many friends named Maggie recommended this one to me after we bonded over our mutual love of Dakota Fanning. It's sad, but worth the tears.)
• Stardust (how had I not seen this before??)
• Up in the Air (Anna Kendrick is my future wife, but I discovered a love for George Clooney in this one. Quite, subtle, very good.)

That's honestly just the tip of the iceberg. What can I say? It was a rough time. Also, a surprising romcom failure that stands out? Bridget Jones's Diary. I'd always heard nothing but love for this movie, but I wasn't very impressed. I think it's maybe one of those I would have had to grow up with to appreciate. It happens.

Amid this romance avalanche, I also dove into some thrillers. I finally watched Gone Girl and -- like everyone else -- really enjoyed it. There's something about Fincher I really like. I think he's one of the most distinctive directors currently out there and I'd even say he may be the closest we currently have to Hitchcock. He makes dark, subtle films that are distinctly his (and the comparison isn't mine alone -- Fincher is remaking a Hitchcock film soon).

After Gone Girl, I got on a Fincher kick and watched Fight Club for the first time. Again, I enjoyed, but with this one, I was also SO AWARE the entire time that this is so many guys in their 20s favorite movie~. It makes sense -- it has Guy In His 20s written all over it. It also just really made me want to re-watch Se7en, my favorite of the Fincher films I've seen.

I also finally watched Horns, which I had wanted to see since I first heard about it ages ago. It turned out to be one of the weirdest movies I've ever seen. I recommend it if you want to spend a couple of hours really confused.

And also because of Daniel Radcliffe. And Joe Anderson. And Juno Temple.

Late in the semester, as I wrote my final paper for my comedy class, I also caught a few new-to-me horror-comedies -- one of my favorite genres and what I wrote my paper about (bored and want to read it? You can find it here). I had seen part of Tucker and Dale vs. Evil before (at an unbelievably cool, apocalypse-themed haunted house with Melany), but in May, I finally saw it in its entirety and it's phenomenal. Go watch it right now if you haven't seen it. I also finally watched Jennifer's Body and it was everything I had hoped for and more.

Finally, an outlier of note: Big Hero Six. Y'all know I love me some animated movies and this one has so much to offer. A multicultural cast! A biracial lead! Strong female characters! Enthusiasm for science! A Fall Out Boy song! Be still, my beating heart. I'll never understand why Disney lets some of its best work go by without fanfare.

Binge-watching-on-the-couch aside, I've also seen a few movies in theaters this year. The revamped, live-action Cinderella was charming (pun intended) and visually stunning. True Story was unbelievably strange, though I didn't dislike it as much as my friends did. Roar, a previously unreleased film put out by Drafthouse Films this spring, was a total trip (I recommend it -- it's an experience). Avengers: Age of Ultron was a typical superhero movie, meaning I liked it, though it isn't one of my favorites -- see Ant-Man for Marvel's better offering this year. Pitch Perfect 2 was a worthy, if unnecessary, follow-up (don't get me started on that upcoming third though). I have complicated feelings about Inside Out. And then...there's Paper Towns.

[Disclaimer: Do not read this part if you want to go into Paper Towns with an unsullied outlook.]

I did not dislike this film, let me stress that. It is a perfectly nice film about teenagers. I, however, think it's a pretty questionable adaptation of the book it is reportedly based on. There were many, many changes -- some small and unimportant, some small and notable, some very large -- and it just rubbed me the wrong way. There were things about it that seemed pandering and cheesy and it felt to me that the filmmakers were a little afraid of Book!Margo. Cara Delevingne did a nice job with the Margo she was given (actually, the performances overall were quite good and Ben and Radar were damn-near perfect), it's just that hers wasn't quite the Margo I read about.

Of course, John Green was an executive producer on this film and he loves it. And that definitely counts for something. And I learned long ago, soldiering through minute changes in the Harry Potter film series, that books and movies should be respected as separate things. But I still hold a preference for more faithful adaptations than ones with creative liberties taken. I want "based on." Not "vaguely inspired by." It's just my way.

So. That's where I'm at with movies this August. I watched so many more than I listed here, but hopefully I've inspired you to see some of these that you may have missed! 

It's always a good idea to make it a movie night.

Let me know your thoughts on the ones you've seen -- or any that you now plan to watch!