But first: here are the 14 movies I watched in the month of April:
Batman Returns
Frailty
The Wicker Man
The Road
Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Extended Edition
The Shape of Water
Milo and Otis
Halloween
Halloween 2
Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider
Parasite
Dumb and Dumber
Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers
Not moving on:
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider
This should come as a surprise to no one. This movie irked me so much that I actually took the time to write an entire blog entry on how much of a disappointment it was to me. Check it out.
Frailty
I wish I liked this movie more, because its premise is very interesting. But for some reason I found it to be very dull and mundane. You know the phrase "it didn't do anything for me?" That's how I feel about this movie. It did nothing for me. Nothing.
Halloween 2, 4, and 5
Yes, I am currently watching all these movies in order in case you can't tell. And no, I am not skipping the third one. I just can't find it anywhere on streaming. I'll come back to it in due time. Anyway, while the first Halloween movie is considered a great classic, the sequels are generally not appreciated as much. I actually like the sequels a lot, but they are simply not quite good enough to crack my top 5. This is nothing against them.
The Road
This is a movie you can really only watch effectively one time. The first time I ever saw this, I remember it being very disturbing, and it had a giant effect on me. I've seen it twice since then, and each time I like it a little bit less. That's not to say it is not a good movie or it's not disturbing. But when you know what's coming, it softens the impact quite a bit and makes it not as memorable.
Batman Returns
I was obsessed with this movie as a kid, watching it on an endless loop on VHS. I haven't seen it in a good long time as an adult. It's still a fun movie, I love how dark and atmospheric it is. The Penguin and Catwoman are great villains, and of course Michael Keaton is the best Batman. Unfortunately it is not quite good enough to crack my top 5. Plus I kept falling asleep while watching this. It took me about 5 installments to make it through the movie.
The Wicker Man
I saw this for the first time a few years ago, and I remember loving the movie and its gut punch ending. While there is a lot of value to this movie on re-watch, I have to say it loses a lot of its impact when you know what is coming.
Parasite
This one almost mad my top 5. It is such a well-made movie with a clever premise. I have mixed feelings on the movie, though. While it is entertaining and flies by quickly, the ending has always been a letdown to me. It leaves me empty, wanting a better ending after the movie itself was so good. It just doesn't make sense to me that the dad would suddenly murder someone in the middle of a party. Why, because the other guy said he smelled and hurt his feelings? I suppose it makes sense he'd end up hiding in the house, like the previous family, so there is some karma there. But eh. Maybe I need to read more about this movie to see if I'm the only one who thinks this way about it. Or maybe I'll read something that can change my mind.
Moving On:
Dumb and Dumber
This is another childhood favorite I used to watch on an endless VHS loop when I was a kid. I could quote nearly every line in this movie. That said, I haven't sat down and watched the whole thing in, geez, 10 years. I noticed it was leaving Netflix at the end of April, so I threw it on, not expecting much. Turns out the movie is just as good as it was when I was a kid. The jokes are still fresh, the ridiculous characters are still entertaining. I had fun the entire time through this movie, and the time went by so quickly! The movie just flew by, I was having such a fun time watching it.
Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Extended Edition
This may be my single favorite Lord of the Rings movie, so there should be no surprise it cracks my top 5.
Halloween
The OG Halloween is clearly the best in the franchise. I've listened to a few podcasts that discuss this movie recently, so I decided to dive in and watch them all in order. I definitely like the first one the most. It establishes Michael and Haddonfield. And of course Dr Loomis's performance is amazing. Great soundtrack, great suspense. Just an all around terrific horror movie.
Milo and Otis
I know there are rumors of a lot of animal cruelty on the set of this movie, so I probably shouldn't like it as much as I do. But I can't help it. I grew up with this movie in the pre-Internet age and fell in love with it as a kid. My son has been big on watching things with animals in it lately, so I showed it to him and got to watch him fall in love with it too. Proud dad moment. Such a fun movie with a lot of interesting animals in it. Big feeling of adventure and getting lost in an unfamiliar land. One of my all time favs.
The Shape of Water
I've seen this movie a few times in the past, and I've never been too impressed by it. I decided to watch it here in 2024 because my son picked it off the shelf at the library and handed it to me. He told me I should watch. So I checked it out and brought it home. Turns out, I really did enjoy the movie this time around. It's so well-filmed. The cinematography is beautiful. I love the music, the acting, the set pieces, everything. I completely lost myself in this movie, it was so good. I am still not quite sure I completely buy the love story with the fish creature, but I was able to push aside those thoughts and just enjoy the movie for what it is. This is definitely a contender to finish high in my year-end ranking.
With these 5 movies advancing, here is a look at the top 20. 4 months down, 8 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
The Shape of Water
Milo and Otis
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
Dumb and Dumber
The Skeleton Key
The Illusionist
The Prestige
Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Extended Edition
Halloween
Past rankings:
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