Saw
Dune Part One
What Jennifer Did
Dune
Vacancy
Last Night
Dune Part Two
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)
Not Moving On:
A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)
I've been wanting to go through and watch all the old Nightmare on Elm Street movies in order, just like I did with the Friday the 13th movies several years back. I figured, since I am a slow watcher who is easily distracted, I'd start with this one since it is a stand alone movie. I'll dive into the original series at a later time. Anyway, I remember liking this movie when it first came out. I know a lot of fans of the original movies did not like it, but I really have no loyalty to those original movies because I've only seen a couple of them (a long time ago).
Watching it now, however, was quite painful. It felt like any other "teens getting picked off by a killer" movie, but minus anything interesting about this genre of movie. Just really hokey and uninteresting to me. It took me weeks to slog through this. It did get a little better when you find out some of the backstory of Freddie, and why this was all happening. But outside of that, it was about as "meh" of an experience that I can think of.
Vacancy
I've given this movie so many chances now. I want to like it, as the concept is pretty cool and it seems like the movie would be right up my alley. It just... doesn't do anything for me. Nothing. I wasn't feeling the tension or the stakes. I wasn't as invested as I should be in a movie like this. It just seemed very by-the-numbers to me. Another "meh" movie experience for me.
What Jennifer Did
This was pretty good, and it nearly cracked my top 5. I just really struggle to count a documentary as a "movie" even though it is listed on Netflix as a movie. If I didn't like anything else I watched this month, it may have made it into my top 5. But it didn't.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
I came into this with low expectations, but it managed to surpass them by quite a bit. I've read nothing but bad reviews about this movie online, with people calling it "woke trash." I struggled to find anything woke about it. Maybe I just don't care enough to be perennially outraged by every tiny thing. This was certainly better than the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. I mean, light years better. It felt at times like a classic Indy movie. I liked the digital de-aging effects in the first part of the movie. Didn't seem weird or out of place at all. It was pretty cool. The movie itself is fun and interesting - although it could have trimmed off about 25 minutes or so. It started to drag big time after a while. Still, a good movie that nearly made my top 5. I'm much happier Indy has gone out like this than like he did with Crystal Skull.
Now, onto the good.
Moving On:
Dune: Part One
Get used to seeing Dune on this list, as this is the first of three Dune movies to move on. Believe it or not, I had never seen a single Dune movie before, nor had I read the books. I didn't even know what the series was about until I watched this. Luckily I watched this one first, because it lays everything out pretty well for you. I always avoided the series because I'd heard it was confusing. If you aren't paying attention, I could see why you'd think that. It's almost like a sci-fi version of Game of Thrones.
Visually, the movie is stunning. It's well acted. It is very atmospheric. And the story is great, too. I absolutely loved it. When I was done watching, I ran out to watch....
Dune (1984)
I had to watch this before it disappeared off Netflix. This movie isn't just a part of the Dune story, it tells the whole thing. I'm glad I watched Dune: Part One first, as this movie doesn't do nearly as good a job explaining things as the former. I would have been confused as hell if this was my introduction to the series. It's David Lynch, though, so what do you expect?
This may be my favorite Lynch movie. The special effects are great for its time, and the otherworldly weirdness of the movie just really, really works well here. This movie pretty much cemented my status as a Dune fan.
Dune: Part Two
I thought I would have to wait forever to see this movie, as I was 37th in line when I placed a hold on it at my local library. But then I got an email the very next day that it was ready for pickup. Uh.... okay? But I'll take it.
I liked this movie a lot, but honestly it didn't "do it" for me in a way that the previous two movies did. It felt incomplete. I know it's only part two of a trilogy, but I struggled to get into this, which is a problem I didn't have with the other movies. It felt like it dragged at times, and there wasn't enough interesting things happening with the plot to really keep me engaged. I know that this movie is a critical success, and some people say it is the best science fiction movie of all time. I'll have to watch it again someday and reevaluate my stance.
Last Night
I can thank Staff Picks for once again introducing me to a movie that I never would have watched (or even heard of) without it. It tells the story of the last night on Earth. Everyone is going to be "vaporized" at midnight by an unexplained disaster. It doesn't really dive into why this is happening. It is more of a character study of what people would do on their last day of life than a sci-fi movie.
It is a really heartfelt and touching movie, and I felt that it gives a realistic portrayal of people's behavior when they know they are going to die. Most of the characters are very calm, and they have accepted what is about to happen to them. I don't want to spoil too much of this movie, but it is something that resonated with me big time. I encourage you to run out and see it right away. A very strong contender to finish at the top of my year end ranking.
Saw
I feel kind of silly advancing a Saw movie, as the series itself is not one I take seriously anymore. I do really love the original Saw movie, though. It tells a fun story with some strong twists and turns. There's a mystery and intrigue with what exactly is going on in this room with the two men locked up. The series has majorly gone off the rails since then, but that doesn't make this first movie any less good in my eyes. I love it.
I do plan to watch all the other movies in the series soon and give them another chance. I know there are a few standouts in there. Stay tuned to see if any of the others make my year end ranking.
With these 5 movies advancing, here is a look at the top 30. 6 months down, 6 to go! At the end, we'll have 60 movies - 5 from each month that move on. And then I will determine my favorite. Here are the 60 that have moved on:
Old
Last Night
Doctor Sleep
A Star is Born
Mystic River
Dune (1984)
Dune: Part One
Dune: Part Two
Legends of the Fall
Cloverfield
The Shape of Water
Milo and Otis
Gerald's Game
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Extended Edition
Ghost
Milk
Fried Green Tomatoes
The Four Falls of Buffalo
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
Open Water
The Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker
Dumb and Dumber
The Skeleton Key
The Illusionist
The Prestige
Rear Window
Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Extended Edition
The Disaster Artist
Saw
Halloween
Past rankings:
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