I only watched seven movies in the month of March. Time for me to give my thoughts on each of these movies. My five favorites will move onto my year end movie rankings, which means only two will not move on. Should be a quick one this month. Which movies will make the cut and which will not? Let's find out!
The 7 movies I watched in the month of March:
Dawn of the Dead
The Illusionist
The Prestige
Donnie Darko
Open Water
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbird and Snakes
The Skeleton Key
Donnie Darko
I'm actually a bit surprised this is not making the cut, especially when going up against such a small pool of movies. While I like this film, I've seen it a handful of times now and the mystery, intrigue, and otherworldiness of it has lost its grip on me. When I saw this the first time, a long time ago, I was blown away by it. The second time I was, too. But now? Eh.
Dawn of the Dead (2004)
I really enjoyed this movie. I had a more fun time watching it than I did Donnie Darko. It's fun, fast paced, and a good way to pass some time. The only problem is that I've seen it a ton of times already and while it is a fun popcorn movie, I liked the other movies I watched this month just a bit more.
Moving on:
Open Water
Admittedly, I had never heard of this movie before. I started listening to a Staff Picks episode on it, and as soon as I heard the hosts say what it was about, I stopped the podcast and found a way to watch this movie online. The thought of being stranded out in the open ocean with no rescue in sight, sharks swirling around below you, and not even having something to hang onto is something I knew would make a good movie. I really enjoyed it, despite the low budget. Kudos to Staff Picks because I never would have found this movie without the podcast. Get ready to hear much more about Staff Picks because....
The Illusionist
This is another movie I never would have seen or heard of if it were not for Staff Picks. The host Mario did back to back episodes on this movie and The Prestige, two movies centered around magicians which are forever linked because they came out around the same time. I watched The Illusionist first. I have to say I really liked the movie. If you compare it to The Prestige, it's more of a "popcorn" movie that is easy to follow, and moves along a lot quicker. I have to say I liked The Prestige a bit more, but that's not to say I didn't have a fun time watching this.
The Prestige
While similar in theme, it is a different movie tonally than The Illusionist. It is more of an artsy, slow burn type movie. You really have to pay attention as you are watching this, because little hints and clues as to what happens are dropped the whole way through. I didn't like this at first, and ended up falling asleep less than 30 minutes into the movie. I came back to it the next night and found myself completely getting wrapped up in the movie, watching on the edge of my seat. I quickly found myself saying "how did I not like this???" Great movie, and a contender to finish at or near the top when my year end ranking is said and done.
The Skeleton Key
Oh look, another movie I watched because of Staff Picks. Noticing a trend here? This movie was a lot of fun. It's a horror movie, but it is more mysterious than scary. It's about a nurse who moves into a house to take care of a bed-ridden old man, and she quickly is led to believe that the man's wife is casting some kind of hoodoo spell on him. Turns out to be a big ruse, leading the nurse into a trap. I don't want to spoil too much, but the twist at the end is similar to Get Out. You should watch it. It is good.
Last but not least,
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
Hey! Something I didn't learn about through Staff Picks. I've been wanting to see this movie for a while now because I like the Hunger Games, but I never got around to it till now. It is a lot different from what I expected, but in a good way. It's interesting seeing the tenth edition of the games, and how it is so primitive compared to the big production we see in the Jennifer Lawrence movies. It's a fun and exciting movie. I didn't mind the singing either. I know people like to hate the main actress, Rachel Zeigler, but she did a fine job in this movie. Too bad we aren't getting any more Hunger Games films because this one was surprisingly good.
BOOM! With these 5 movies advancing, here is a look at the top 15. 3 months down, 9 to go! At the end, we'll have 60 movies - 5 from each month that move on. And then I will determine my favorite.
Old
A Star is Born
Mystic River
Legends of the Fall
Cloverfield
Gerald's Game
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Extended Edition
Milk
Fried Green Tomatoes
The Four Falls of Buffalo
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
Open Water
The Skeleton Key
The Illusionist
The Prestige
Past rankings:
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