I watched a grand total of four movies in June. Since each month five movies advance to my year end ranking, this puts me in a somewhat bizarre situation. I've decided that just for consistencies sake, ALL four of these movies will advance, even if I didn't necessarily like them that much. Then I'll go back and pick a movie that missed the cut from earlier in the year, and add it to the list, making five that will move on to the year end ranking. A little bit of an unorthodox approach, but in the end - who really cares? I know you probably don't.
Without further adieu, here are the four movies I watched in June.
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I've heard about this movie for several years now, but for some reason or another, never got around to watching it. When I saw it on my Netflix queue, I decided to give it a go. But I probably shouldn't have.
I had a lot on my mind. I was tired. I was playing with my phone. I wasn't in a really good movie watching mood. The movie didn't immediately grab me right away, and as a result my mind started to wander. I missed half of what was going on.
But from what I was able to see, I did like the premise. It is the future (or an alternate present?) and people can have memories of other people removed from their mind completely - as if the person never existed in their life. Because of my not paying 100% attention, I missed a lot of what was going on. Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet meet and fall in love, not knowing that they already had met and fell in love, and had each others memories wiped from their minds. Something like that. I think.
Anyway, I liked the premise. I really should have paid more attention because I think I actually would have enjoyed the movie if I did. This definitely warrants a rewatch at some point this year. Since it will automatically move on to my year end ranking, I have plenty of time to watch it again. And who knows, maybe the next time I see it - it will blow me away.
Here is another movie I have wanted to see for a long time now. I thought the previews were interesting, and although I never got the chance to see it in the theater, I did put it on hold at the library and was able to watch it as soon as it came in.
Coming in, I didn't have much of an idea of what the movie was about. I thought it was going to be kind of dark and scary. But it really isn't. It is more darkly funny and outrageous than anything else. I look at it as a weird kind of Gremlins/Sharknado/National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation mash up.
Its an interesting mix of genres, and I had my doubts as if this film was going to work. But it slowly won me over, and by the end of the movie I was a fan. On a normal month, this movie might struggle to make my top 5. But due to lack of other options, it gets a free pass. I feel as if this movie could have been a lot better, but for what it was it was at least an enjoyable time.
The Lord of the Rings trilogy is good for a rewatch every couple years or so. I had been hearing a lot of people talk about the movies, plus seen some Facebook posts about them - so I decided it was time to bust out the collection and watch the trilogy again.
I only got around to watching the Fellowship of the Ring in June, but expect to see me finish up the trilogy by the end of July. August at the latest. I am a very slow watcher, plus I am watching the extended editions - which are 3+ hours long each.
The extended edition of this film is a fun watch, especially if you've only seen the normal version before. There is a lot of added content here and there which makes you look at the film in a different way. The characters and the story are given a little bit more depth. There are certain parts in the beginning of the film where it almost feels like a different movie.
But after a while, the added stuff starts to get old. There is nothing added that really changes much of what happens in the film. And it really starts to seem long after a while. It takes quite some time before the action starts to happen. In fact, I fell asleep before Frodo even departed the Shire with the Ring, and had to watch the rest of the movie the next day.
This is still a great film, but I think the next time I watch it (a few years from now) I can forego the extended edition and just watch the original cut.
This has always been one of my favorite horror movies, and my June watching of the film did nothing to change my opinion. It definitely wins as my favorite movie watched this month.
The story line for the film is very basic, but far ahead of its time. There's a zombie outbreak. A bunch of people trapped in an old house. There are two conflicts going on - the living versus the dead. And the living versus each other. If you think about, this movie really paved the way for the zombie genre. The Walking Dead wouldn't exist if it wasn't for the Night of the Living Dead.
I think everything about this film is well done. The acting, the location, the suspense. I like the feeling of horror in the beginning of the film when the blonde woman sees her brother killed by a zombie, and has to run into that old house. Her exploring, finding the dead body at the top of the stairs, really sets the tone for the whole film.
There is also a certain sense of realism about the film that I admire. The TV station with the emergency broadcast seems very authentic. Everyone's individual stories about how they arrived at the house. The interpersonal conflict that arises when people have a difference of opinion about what the proper course of action should be.
It's just a really great movie. And it has aged surprisingly well.
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That was a quick and easy month for me. Guess these write ups are easy to do when you only watch four movies all month! Obviously all of the movies are going to advance. So there is no drama there. The only drama lies in what movie I am going to go back and pick from earlier in the year to make this an even five.
I have decided that this movie shall be....
*drumroll*
Mad Max Fury Road!
I felt bad about not including this movie in April. It was a pretty loaded month as far as quality of movies was concerned. Now I have a chance to rectify this situation by adding it to my list after all.
So after 6 months, here are my top 30 movies watched in 2016! Which movie will win my ultimate ranking at the end of the year? Stay tuned to find out.
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
Cake
American Sniper
Predator
Friday the 13th Part 2
Cake
American Sniper
Predator
Friday the 13th Part 2
Locke
Evil Dead
Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter
Elysium
Snowpiercer
Room
Manson Family Vacation
Deadpool
Goodnight, Mommy
Unforgiven
Room
Manson Family Vacation
Deadpool
Goodnight, Mommy
Unforgiven
Big Driver
The Martian
Pixels
JFK: The Smoking Gun
It
Creed
The Revenant
Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith
No Good Deed
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Krampus
The Fellowship of the Ring Extended Edition
The Night of the Living Dead
Mad Max: Fury Road
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