My July in Film

Before We Go
I'm a sucker for movies that take place in less than 24 hours (Clue, Dazed and Confused, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, etc). The format is great for economical storytelling and it puts an emphasis on how quickly important relationships can form. Before We Go is a good example. It takes place over the course of one night, the stakes are based entirely on where the two main characters have to be the next day and it focuses on how a stranger can make a big impact in your life in no time at all. It also stars and was directed by Chris Evans, whose eyes alone make it worth watching.

Blockers
As someone who has now lived through the reign of the American Pie series, watched Judd Apatow rise to fame and was in high school when both Superbad and The Hangover came out, I was super excited to see a sex comedy with female protagonists! Like most films in its genre, Blockers is very silly and (often uncomfortably) funny, but also really sweet?? It's a lot of fun. (Although I wish someone had warned me there is a puking scene because I hate those -- so this is me telling y'all. You're welcome.)

Broken Arrow
A note: I will watch any movie if it has Christian Slater in it, and I have suffered because of this. BUT, I enjoyed this one! It's ridiculous and fun in that special action movie way. There are enough explosions to make a drinking game out of and it stars John Travolta as a psychopath, Samantha Mathis as a very helpful park ranger and young Slater as the hero/babe. It's super '90s and, overall, a good mindless action flick.

Total Recall (1990)
I was surprised by how much I liked this one! I would have never watched it if it hadn't just started coming on TV (immediately after Broken Arrow), but it was a pleasant surprise. It's got all the hallmarks of sci-fi/fantasy action films from this era -- dramatic music; a complicated, but interesting story; gross special effects; and "futuristic" technology that now looks both archaic and still kind-of impressive. It also confirms my theory that if you give any action movie 10+ years, it can be viewed as a comedy. Bonus: you can make a game out of counting all the product placement because it is insane.

Justice League
Does this movie try to do too much? Yes. Is the villain totally forgettable? Yes. Does Henry Cavill's CGI face look insane? Yes. But you know what else? I love it! It's silly! It has fun! Arthur Curry/Aquaman and Barry Allen/The Flash are great comic relief (and played by Jason Momoa and Ezra Miller, I mean, c'mon). Batfleck is noticeably better than he was in Batman v Superman. It has a freakin' Danny Elfman score! I don't care, critics and fanboys, be mad, I guess.

Trouble with the Curve
Not bad! I'm not big on Clint Eastwood and his permanent Grumpy Old Man™ persona, but I like baseball movies and I love Amy Adams, so I enjoyed it. Also, I'm forever team Actor Timberlake.

Cameron Esposito: Rape Jokes
Halfway through this hour-long, dubiously-named special, I tweeted that it was already one of my favorite stand-ups of all time and the second half solidified that. I was covering-my-face, full-body cackling the entire time. Esposito is hilarious and comforting and has a fantastic voice. The whole thing was a damn delight. (Also, bonus: you can watch the special fo' free OR donate to RAINN -- the nation's largest anti-sexual violence organization -- by clicking here.)

Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind
Oh, man. Robin Williams is -- as for many people, I'm sure -- one of my favorite people in the world. This is a beautiful, heartbreaking, incredibly well-crafted look at Robin, told mostly through his own words -- a choice that makes it both more magical and more devastating. The interviews with his friends and family confirm what we've all suspected: he really was like that all the time and we are insanely lucky to have existed on the same planet as him, even for a little while. Watch it in whatever conditions you're most comfortable sobbing in.

A Most Violent Year
This movie gets off to a slow start, but eventually turns into a good, tense crime thriller -- like a gangster movie, without the gangs. Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain are reliably good, as always, and the music does a great job of building suspense. Also, new life goal: command even a fraction of the power Chastain exudes telling David Oyelowo, "This was very disrespectful."

I also temporarily gave up on 'Salem's Lot (I like it, but it's just not for me right now), started reading The Appetites of Girls and listened to these songs (so much Florence + the Machine -- what can I say, I guess I wish it was cooler outside?).