August was a good month for movie watching, as I was able to watch twelve total for the month. Five of these twelve will be advancing to my year end ranking. The movies I watched in August were:
Serial Mom
Alien Romulus
A Fish Called Wanda
Stand By Me
Deadpool & Wolverine
Saw II
Platoon
The River Wild
Martyrs (2008)
Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F
Saw III
Forrest Gump
Which five are moving on? Let's find out.
Not Moving On:
Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F
I didn't think this movie would be any good, and it somehow managed to be even worse than my expectations. It's such a dry, safe movie. Eddie Murphy is a shell of his former self. It's not funny. It's just a completely pointless paint by numbers police procedural. There were a few nice callbacks to previous movies in the series, but I found this to be very dull. Give me the much-maligned Beverly Hills Cop 3 over this any day. At least that movie knew how to have fun.
Saw II and Saw III
Don't get me wrong, I actually do like these movies. II is the superior film, but III isn't too horrible. Robert the Bruce's dumbassery almost ruined it for me, though.
Alien Romulus
I think I would have liked this a lot more if it was not so dark. I saw it at the drive-in theater with my wife, and we both could barely make out what was happening on the screen half the time. I think I'll wait till this comes home, and then watch it in the dark with headphones on for the full experience.
The River Wild
This is a fun movie and in fact was actually my introduction to Kevin Bacon as a kid. So while most people like Kevin Bacon, I've always been leery of him for being mean to Tim from Jurassic Park in this movie. That said, it is a fun 90s adventure and while there is nothing too memorable about it, I've always enjoyed it. Just not quite good enough to crack my top 5.
Serial Mom
This is very close to cracking my top 5. It just barely misses out. It is such a fun movie. It has an awesome cast. It is funny. I love the premise of it, with a seemingly normal, perfect mom who kills everyone who makes her mad. She starts with making obscene phone calls, and it quickly accelerates after that. It is such an entertaining film. Ricki Lake is in it. The deaths are fun. There's a lot of dark humor here.
A Fish Called Wanda
I think Mario Lanza will be very disappointed to see that this movie does not move on. It is a very fun, entertaining movie. I'm not saying I did not like it. It has some interesting twists, and I found it to be very enjoyable. However, I did not think it was the funniest movie ever made, or anything even remotely close to that. It's a fun 80s adventure movie with some comedy. It is a fast paced, fun watch, but I don't know if I'll be able to tell you much about this movie 5 years down the road from now. Maybe if I watch it again. Which I probably will. I like the movie, but I don't really have any kind of attachment to it, and I don't see it as anything more than just a fun and entertaining popcorn film.
Moving On:
Forrest Gump
This is a no-brainer for me. I've loved this movie ever since I first saw it as a kid. I haven't seen it in a very long time by my standards (since 2016). So it has been a good 8 years. But I think it has been a perfect amount of time. It kept me captivated from beginning to end. I noticed things I'd never noticed before. This is my first time watching it as a dad, and I have to admit that there were a few moments that brought a tear to my eye. As much as I've always loved this movie, it has never been one I cried for. But not this time. I've softened in my old age.
Anyway, yeah, I love Forrest Gump and I thoroughly enjoyed every second of it. Special shout out to the music, which is great. And the Vietnam scene inspired me to watch Platoon right after this. Don't be surprised to see this movie do well in my year-end ranking.
Martyrs (2008)
I first saw this back in 2017, which was 7 years ago. It ranked #2 on my favorite movie list of 2017. This is my first time coming back and watching it again. I am not sure it will place that high this time around, but it definitely deserves a shot to make my top 5 and move on. It is such a grim, hopeless tale that really beats you over the head like no other movie I have seen before. There are some genuinely scary moments in the movie, too. It is hard to get an emotional reaction, one way or another, out of me when watching a movie, and this one definitely does that. It's a very uncomfortable watch. And I oddly enjoy it.
Deadpool & Wolverine
I don't get to see movies in the theater very often anymore, so this movie stood out as a real treat for me and my wife. Not only were we getting out of the house and doing something fun, but we got to enjoy a fun movie with characters that we like. Lots of hilarious jokes, as well as Easter Eggs to other Marvel properties. I loved every second of it. That said, there are things about it that do not work, and when it comes to my year-end ranking, this movie has no chance of winning whatsoever. It's a good, entertaining movie that I had fun watching, but it will not go down as "a movie to be remembered" when all is said and done.
Platoon
While I've never been a big fan of war movies, I've always had a special place in my heart for Platoon. It has such a good cast of characters. Everyone is well fleshed out. I always enjoyed the scene when it is night time and everyone is splitting up to enjoy some R and R. Willem Defoe in the drug tent is hilarious and awesome. His character is just great in this movie. The music is flawless as well.
It is a tense film. Not just about the horrors of war (although there is plenty of that) but also about interpersonal conflict between the characters that boils over into madness. I love it.
Stand By Me
I've always related to this movie growing up. I haven't watched it in a very long time so I figured I'd watch it again. It is every bit as good as I remember. I don't remember there being so many Goonies parallels though. It's crazy. Anyway, this is a solid, emotional movie with a lot of emotional moments and some good character development. I found some of the crying to be a little forced and unnatural, though. One of my favorite movie quotes is from this film: "I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was twelve. Jesus, does anyone?"
With these 5 movies advancing, here is a look at the top 40. 8 months down, 4 to go! At the end, we'll have 60 movies - 5 from each month that move on. And then I will determine my favorite. In no particular order, here are the 40 that have moved on:
Last Night
Doctor Sleep
A Star is Born
Mystic River
Stand By Me
Dune (1984)
Dune: Part One
Dune: Part Two
Legends of the Fall
Cloverfield
Glass
The Shape of Water
Milo and Otis
Gerald's Game
Dr. Giggles
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Extended Edition
Ghost
Milk
Forrest Gump
Platoon
Fried Green Tomatoes
The Four Falls of Buffalo
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
Open Water
Old
The Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker
Bone Tomahawk
Deadpool & Wolverine
Grizzly Man
Dumb and Dumber
The Skeleton Key
The Illusionist
The Prestige
Rear Window
Martyrs (2008)
Transformers
Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Extended Edition
The Disaster Artist
Saw
Halloween
Past 2024 rankings:
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