Monthly Recap: June 2020

Another month has gone by, another month of me not doing the things I said I'd do, like visiting some places and learning German, although I did improve my doodling game a lot.

I kind of have an excuse though as I've gone back to work, doing more hours but enjoying it so much more than before because, despite the mask and the old fucks making nasty comments about my weight gain — drooling all over me is something they do not fail to do, though. And they say young people are rude —, that colleague of mine no longer works with me so it is such a less stressing environment. I did have some sort of breakdown a couple of weeks ago and cried in front of some customers but I'm pretty positive I can blame that on hormones. 

Also, I finally got March and April's furlough. It wasn't much but at least it's one less thing to stress about because, although I'm more comfortable in my new body that I was a month ago, I still have some days where I just want to quit all — like yesterday, when I had yet another breakdown and very bad body image day—, and go back to dieting and exercising. Luckily, every time I'm about to give up my body sends me positive signs and I stay on track. And I feel like my first period in 4+ years is very close. 

Enough with the gross stuff, am I right? Let's talk about the stuff I read and watched last June. I finally finished reading Jane Austen's Emma and it was just a tiny less unbearable than Pride and Prejudice. Frankly, I don't know what people see in her. Her stories don't flow well at all. Most of her characters are obnoxious. And the predictability, oh my god! I also read Jeanine Cummins's American Dirt which was definitely not an easy read but I highly suggest it if you haven't read it yet — it follows the journey of a Mexican mother and son as they make their way to the United States after a cartel kills their whole family. Ibram X. Kendi's How to Be an Antiracist was another very interesting read and I highly suggest that one too. Then I read The Little Book of Sloth Philosophy by Jennifer McCartney which is such a silly book but it's not as shallow as one would expect. And I recently started William Landay's Defending Jacob and I cannot thank enough Apple for not making a faithful adaptation cause the world needed Chris Evans plays a DILF. Anyway, the book itself is quite good although so far I liked the series more.

Speaking of series, What We Do in the Shadow Season 2 sadly ended but at least it was a delight from start to finish and I cannot wait for Season 3. I finally watch that Netflix show Maniac with Emma Stone and Jonah Hill and, while I liked the premise, the development was so boring and I stopped caring halfway through. The acting is great though. And I'm finally watching You which I guess from now on will be my excuse for being single. Although, if I have to be completely honest, chances are I'd be Joe with all the social media stalking I almost do on a daily basis lol

Movie-wise, I watched 18 movies last month which I'm pretty sure it's my new record for the year. And here they are:

The Lovebirds (2020)

Plot: A couple (Issa Rae and Kumail Nanjiani) experiences a defining moment in their relationship when they are unintentionally embroiled in a murder mystery.

I did know absolutely nothing about this film when I decided to watch it so when that murder mystery "twist" happened I was surprised and so excited. Of course, I hadn't seen the trailer which I guess is why I enjoyed the film more than most people as apparently all the funny jokes are spoiled in the trailer. Anyway, the film is fun and entertaining, and the leading duo is just lovely and has such nice chemistry.

Rating: 3,5

Scoob! (2020)

Plot: Scooby and the gang face their most challenging mystery ever: a plot to unleash the ghost dog Cerberus upon the world. As they race to stop this dogpocalypse, the gang discovers that Scooby has an epic destiny greater than anyone imagined.

I'm a Scooby-Doo fan since I was a kid so no way I could miss the chance to watch the latest computer-animated film, although it's not as charming as the original hand-drawn animation. Unfortunately, other than the nice visuals and a very nice origin story — how Scooby and Shaggy met —, the film doesn't have a lot to offer in terms of comedy and, especially, story.

Rating: 2

Failure to Launch (2006)

Plot: Two parents (Kathy Bates and Terry Bradshaw) hire a professional interventionist (Sarah Jessica Parker) to seduce their son, 35-year-old Tripp (Matthew McConaughey), and manipulate him into moving out of their home.

This ended on my watchlist because of Bradley Cooper who by the way is barely in the film. That disappointment aside, this is a clichéd and predictable romantic comedy with very poor writing but McConaughey is not as obnoxious as I usually find him, the film is overall fun-ish and Kit (Zooey Deschanel) and Ace (Justin Bartha) are just goals.

Rating: 2,5

The To Do List (2013) | Rewatch

Plot: Feeling pressured to have sexual experiences before college, Brandy Klark (Aubrey Plaza) makes a list of sex things to do during the summer.

I watched this film so many years ago I completely forgot the plot but I remember really liking it. I guess I'm getting old because this time it didn't work that well for me. Sure, Bill Hader is a treasure and funny as always, and Aubrey Plaza does a nice job as the lead, but overall this is the cheaper female version of American Pie as a lot of the jokes fall flat.

Rating: 2,5

Call Me by Your Name (2017) - Review | Rewatch

Pokémon Detective Pikachu (2019) - Review | Rewatch

I was not planning on rewatching this but my mother put it on and I just couldn't' resist. The film has its problems but it's still as funny as the first time, especially the Mr. Mime sequence.

The Half of It (2020)

Plot: A shy, introverted, Chinese-American, straight-A student, Ellie Chu (Leah Lewis), finds herself helping the school jock (Daniel Diemer) woo the girl they both secretly love.

Something I'll never understand is why I keep watching Netflix's teen movies (since I'm 26) knowing that a, they always suck and b, I wasn't a fan of the genre when I was a teen either. The film is not as dreadful as I thought it'd be though. Sure, the characters are a bit one dimensional, the acting is not that good, and the story is overall predictable, but Ellie is such a lovable character and I really liked the ending.

Rating: 2,5

The Notebook (2004) - Review

Da 5 Bloods (2020)

Plot: Four African American vets (Delroy Lindo, Clarke Peters, Norm Lewis, and Isiah Whitlock Jr.) battle the forces of man and nature when they return to Vietnam seeking the remains of their fallen squad leader and the gold fortune he helped them hide.

Unpopular opinion coming. Spike Lee's latest film is not a great one. The really isn't one specific thing that didn't make the film work for me, it's everything. The story takes forever to take off, the pace is too slow, there was so much more action than anticipated — not a fan of action here —, and the editing didn't really strike me. Delroy Lindo's performance, however, is downright terrific and I really hope he will get an Oscar for it. And it's disturbing that Netflix wouldn't give Lee the money for CGI de-ageing.

Rating: 3

Scary Movie (2000) | Rewatch

Plot: A year after disposing of the body of a man they accidentally killed, a group of dumb teenagers are stalked by a bumbling serial killer.

The film that kind of ruined The Usual Suspects for me — luckily I didn't remember about the ending for the majority of the film — and made I Know What You Did Last Summer unbearably familiar, the first film of the franchise still holds up. Sure, the comedy is raunchy, but overall the film is fun and does a good job at making fun of horror movie clichés.

Rating: 3

What's the Big Deal [Che vuoi che sia] (2016)

Plot: Claudio (Edoardo Leo) starts a Crowdfunding to finance his work, a website that allows you to review freelancers such as plumbers, electrician, etc. The campaign isn't doing well though so, one night when drunk, he challenges the web saying that if the campaign reaches the goal he will release a sex tape with his girlfriend Anna (Anna Foglietta). The web obviously accepts the challenge and Claudio and Anna are forced to consider if it's really worth selling their intimacy. 

One week last month Vodafone gave me 10€ to use on Chili but I could only pick among a selection of movies. This was one of the available options and since I've never seen it nor heard of it and I liked the cast I decided to give it a chance. It wasn't terrible but it wasn't great either. Sure, it's easy to identify with Claudio and Anna but it would have been so much more interesting if these two characters had some depth whatsoever.

Rating: 3

Babyteeth (2019) - Review

The Fugitive (1993)

Plot: Wrongfully convicted of murdering his wife (Sela Ward) and sentenced to death, Richard Kimble (Harrison Ford) escapes from the law in an attempt to find her killer and clear his name. Pursuing him is a team of U.S. marshals led by Deputy Samuel Gerard (Tommy Lee Jones), a determined detective who will not rest until Richard is captured.

Thank you Tessa (@Tessicat) for putting this film on my radar because it is a very compelling and thrilling film. There are some moments where I was bored and almost lost focus — which is pretty common with me when a movie hits the hour and 50-minute mark — but the plot is well developed, and both Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones gives very good performances.

Rating: 3,5

Couple Therapy for Cheaters [Terapia di coppia per amanti] (2017) - Review | Rewatch

This is the other film Vodafone allowed me to watch for free and it was so bad I even forgot watching it already a couple of years ago. I kept having this déjà vu feeling so after almost wasting an hour I checked on my blog and then I knew why it felt so familiar. Needless to say, I stopped watching it as soon as I found out.

Emma. (2020)

Plot: In 1800s England, a well-meaning but selfish young woman, Emma Woodhouse (Anya Taylor-Joy) meddles in the love lives of her friends.

Despite the struggle to read Austen's novel, I still decided to give the film a chance because of the positive reviews I'd read and Anya Taylor-Joy whom I really like. Needless to say, the film was just as bad as the novel. Actually, it was even worse as the titular character was incredibly obnoxious here. As for the rest of the film, it is as slow-paced and uneventful as the novel.

Rating: 2

365 Days [365 Dni] (2020)

Plot: While on vacation in Italy to celebrate her birthday, Polish sales director Laura (Anna Maria Sieklucka) is kidnapped by Massimo (Michele Morrone), a member of a Sicilian Mafia family, and gives her 365 days to fall in love with him.

This is the movie everyone's been talking about lately, in a very bad way, so obviously, I had to check it out. I'm just going to say that bad doesn't even come close to how bad the film is. Just think of the Fifty Shades trilogy only worse. There's no story, the characters are paper-thin, the actors can't act, and it isn't even remotely erotic. However, the leading duo is hot and the soundtrack is way too good for this trash.

Rating:1

Mr. Nobody (2009)

Plot: It is the year 2092. Nemo Nobody (Jared Leto) is 118 years old and is the last remaining mortal human on earth, as, due to medical advances, all other humans are immortal. He is being interviewed in order to document his life, but the stories he tells seem to run parallel to each other. 

This is a film I always put off because of its running time and almost didn't watch on Monday because of its plot. I already knew it would bore me to death but I watched it anyway. And guess what? It did bore me to death. No matter how complex the story is, how well written are the characters, or how good is the acting, I found the film so dull and was not the least captivated. I just wanted it to end.

Rating: 2,5

My Beautiful Broken Brain (2014)

Plot: After suffering a stroke at the age of 34, Lotje Sodderland decides to document her recovery as she tries to come to terms with her new world.

I've had this on my Netflix queue for the longest time because the subject was just so heavy and didn't feel like watching it. I'm glad I did though because it is such a compelling yet insense and hard to watch documentary that really showcases how brave Lotje is. Highly recommend if you haven't seen it already.

Rating: 3,5