Monthly Recap: January 2020

One down, eleven to go. Okay, maybe that's not exactly the right attitude to tackle 2020 but I really didn't know how to start this post. So there's that. And the fact that I completely forgot to write this ahead so I'm doing it at seven am in the morning. On a Saturday. And I already had breakfast. It's very sad, I know.

Anyways, job aside — I don't know what's wrong with her, but my colleague fucking hates me. Or she envies me. Or both. And I don't even know why. Apparently, I don't do shit and I do it wrong. Isn't it confusing? I mean, if I don't to anything, how could I possibly be doing it wrong? It's impossible if you ask me —, I've killed it this January.

I managed to stay away from added sugars for 30 days — I kinda cheated on day 5 and 6 because I had a terrible sore throat and I took some manuka honey to cure that — and did yoga every day — it was really tough some days, especially when I had to practise after dinner, but I did it.

I also binge-watched season 2 of Sex Education and it was just as delightful as the first season. Actually, I think I might have enjoyed this new season a bit more as I liked the topics on sexuality it addressed a bit more — love that they talked about pansexuality and asexuality. And my Orange Is the New Black rewatch is going pretty well too. 

And I did great in terms of movies too. Although I did watch only 10 movies, I managed to pick mostly great ones. And by great ones I mean 5-star rating good. There were some exceptions, of course, but perfection does not exist. And the even greater thing is that I managed to review more films that I thought I would — the laziness in me almost made it impossible though.

Jojo Rabbit (2019) - Review

Uncut Gems (2019)

Plot: Howard Ratner (Adam Sandler), a charismatic New York gems dealer always on the lookout for the next big bet, thinks he finally hit it big when he discovers a rare uncut Ethiopian gem. But the closer he gets, the most it's apparent it's not going to end well.

I read wonderful things about Uncut Gems and I liked the Safdie brothers Good Time so I had quite high expectations. Unfortunately, they weren't met as the film didn't work for me — and apparently, it's me and the Academy on this lonely island. I didn't care about the story nor its characters, the score annoying the hell out of me — I felt the same about Good Time's though — and Adam Sandler, although he gave a better than usual performance, is so obnoxious here. And I wouldn't stand his voice.

Rating: 1½

The Addams Family (2019)

Plot: Thirteen years after moving to a derelict mansion in New Jersey, Gomez Addams (voiced by Oscar Isaac) is teaching his son Pugsley (voiced by Finn Wolfhard) the family's tradition while Morticia (voiced by Charlize Theron) is questioned by Wednesday (voiced by Chloë Grace Moretz) about the world outside their house's gate. In the meantime, Margaux Needler (voiced by Allison Janney), a conformist local reality show host, plots to get rid of the Addams family. 

I watched this only because I was curious to see if it was as bad as people said. And it was. It is a story crafted exclusively for kids, hence if you are an adult you will be bored and not the least entertained. It delivers the clichéd message of the importance of accepting people even when they are very different from us. And they had Oscar Isaac voice such an ugly, unattractive character. What the fuck? At least Charlize Theron got to play a hot Morticia.

Rating: 2

The Addams Family (1991)

Plot: The Addams family is getting along fine, though Gomez (Raul Julia) still suffers the disappearance of his bother Fester (Christopher Lloyd) 25 years earlier. Then, all of a sudden, a man claiming to be Fester arrives at the Addams' home. But he's actually an impostor who wants the family fortune. 

After watching the barely decent animated film I decided to (re)watch the original one and, although not excellent, it was far superior. The story is way more interesting and compelling. It is so fun and entertaining to watch. The actors are excellent, especially Lloyd and Christina Ricci as Wednesday. And the special effects are impressive.

Rating: 3

Parasite (2019) - Review

Bombshell (2019)

Plot: Let go from her job at Fox News, Gretchen Carlson (Nicole Kidman) sues her CEO, Roger Ailes (John Lithgow), for sexual harassment and seeks help from other female employees, especially from journalist Megyn Kelly (Charlize Theron), to speak up and make an end to this man. 

I actually wanted to write a full review of this film as it is such a powerful and poignant film but time didn't allow it. Anyways, the story takes some time to get going but when it picks up the pace it really sucks you in and makes a wonderful job at providing an insight into the emotions that comes with sexual harassment. Some scenes are tough and uncomfortable to watch, I even cried at some points as I could relate so badly to what was going on screen, but they made the film so much more powerful. The performances are terrific, especially Charlize Theron — she disappears completely in the character, and under the excellent makeup. And it manages to be entertaining too. You should really check it out if you haven't already.

Rating: 4

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (2019)

Plot: A sceptical and kind of cynical magazine writer, Tom Junod (Matthew Rhys), is assigned a profile of Fred Rogers (Tom Hanks), America's most beloved neighbour. 

Here's my second unpopular opinion of the month: A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood is not a good film. At least it wasn't for me. I could really identify with Junod, as I'm cynical and sceptical myself — whenever I know of someone doing good all the time I always think he/she has some secret agenda. Like looking better in other people's eyes or maybe they have to redeem themselves for something bad they did in the past. I just don't believe in genuinely good and spotless people — but I didn't feel any sort of connection with his growth and change as he spends time with Rogers and gets to know him. Also, I had never heard of Mr. Rogers before so I guess that's one of the reason the film didn't really work for me? Anyways, Tom Hanks is terrific and he alone makes the film worth watching.

Rating: 2½

Casino (1995) - Review

1917 (2019) - Review

I Lost My Body (2019) - Review