Monthly Movie Recap: February 2020 🎥

Hello and welcome to the new post category of my blog – monthly movie recap! I’ve made full reviews for a few movies, but there’s many more that I watch, but don’t write full posts about them for one reason or another, which is why I decided to introduce this format. I got this idea from a chat I’ve had in the comment section to my post about Motherless Brooklyn movie with the gorgeous fellow blogger from ASpooniesMakeupBag (check her blog out – she’s extremely talented!) – thank you for inspiration, darling 💕 In these posts I’ll go through the movies I watch during the month and this will be my way of making a movie diary and recording my impressions and feelings about different films. I’m also incredibly excited to share my thoughts with you and hear from you about the movies I’ll post about!

By the way, there will never be any spoilers in these recaps!

So let’s start right away, in no particular order:

The Gentlemen (2019) – this is the Guy Ritchie I know and LOVE! Dynamic plot, smart writing, extremely well directed. This film get the pace up in the first several minutes and then keeps it up all the way. The plot was dynamic and kept us on the edge of our seats the whole time. The actors did their best – Matthew McConaughey, Colin Farell, Michelle Dockery, Hugh Grant, and Charlie Hunnam once again demonstrated their talent. I’d like to point out the original soundtrack for The Gentlemen – it’s absolutely brilliant. If you haven’t watched it, I’d definitely recommend it, especially if you enjoy dynamic, smart, and unique movies. Solid 9/10!

All About Eve (1950) – won an Oscar for Best Picture back in 1950 for a good reason! I can’t believe I haven’t watched it earlier – it’s absolutely brilliant. The acting, costumes, pacing, and especially the way the characters are captured on screen is outstanding. My eyes were glued to Bette Davis – she steals the show, despite that Anne Baxter and the rest of the cast gave a great performance, Bette is just on another level in this movie. It was a treat to see Marilyn Monroe here as well and if you watch this movie, just pay attention to how well she played such a small role, but so convincingly. Her acting talent is wildly underestimated just because of the typecasting. Overall, I was extremely impressed by All About Eve! I want the movies to have an impact on me, make me think and feel things, and this one sure did, even more than I expected. 9/10, a must-watch for everyone.

Aquaman (2018) – I must admit I’m not into superhero movies anymore, they keep selling basically the same plot under the guise of CGI greatness, but CGI doesn’t make me feel human, doesn’t move me in any way, doesn’t do anything for me. That being said, Aquaman stood out for me because of all the genuine enthusiasm Jason Momoa invested into this role! I mean, that guy seriously looks thrilled about his movie, he’s obviously genuinely enjoyed it (unlike, say, Scarlett Johansson – to me she looks just bored with this role that doesn’t really let her show her strong acting skills like she did in Marriage Story I wrote about recently). In Aquaman, the plot is simple, but good enough because it’s dynamic and because Jason Momoa’s performance gives it a soul. The CGI aspect wasn’t overwhelming and the movie has some very nice scenes. The movie also has some good jokes. Overall, 7.5/10 and one of the rare superhero movies I genuinely enjoyed.

The Witcher (2019) Netflix show – very mixed feelings on this one. I am a huge fan of the Witcher 3 game (you can tell even from my post about Yennefer) and I’ve seen walkthtroughs of the Witcher 1 and 2 games, have read the lore, but not books. I’ve tried to watch the show without any prejudice, but I have to say they’ve nailed some things, but screwed many more things up (and I don’t mean miscasting here at all). The actress that plays Yennefer did a great job, it’s obvious she did her best, and Henry Cavill is enjoying himself in this role as well – they are the highlight of the show. The problem is, without Henry Cavill this show would never be so good because of the way it’s written. Anyway, don’t know how to rate it yet and maybe will do a separate post on it.

Citizen Kane (1941) – a rare film stands out in the history of cinema as much as this one, yet it’s only recently that I got to watch it. It’s certainly that type of thought-provoking movies that are still discussed, articles are being written about the hidden meaning of Rosebud, and the role of Welles’ own life and personality in the character he played. It didn’t leave me speechless, but rather hollow inside, which is probably the idea. Citizen Kane was filmed in 1940s, yet it feels very modern because of the topics it brings up. Didn’t resonate with me, but it’s astonishing how groundbreaking it was for 1941! Very strong story, well-written characters, interesting storytelling approach. It’s a classic that has to be watched at least once.

Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001) & Lara Croft: Tomb Raider – The Cradle of Life (2003) – these movies might seem cheesy, but I enjoy re-watching them. Angelina Jolie was the perfect cast for Lara Croft – confident, beautiful, and strong, just like in the 1990s and early 2000s games. She kicks all the asses and gets all the treasures, outsmarts every bad guy, and has the guts to make decisions in tough situations. Sure, there are gaping plot holes, but I didn’t care about them that much at all – these movies are lighthearted fun adventure films and they aren’t taking themselves too seriously. Also a delight to see Daniel Craig and Gerard Butler being totally owned by Lara – it’s pretty hilarious 😊

Cleopatra (1963) – oh my goodness this movie is epic! First of all, can I just point out that Elizabeth Taylor is stunning? She is the queen of this film, both literally and figuratively, all 248 minutes of it. She has an immense screen presence and truly a royal aura about her. I’ll say no more: must-watch! For me, it’s a solid 9/10.

Ford vs Ferrari (2019) – an excellent film based on the life of the legendary race car driver Ken Miles with a great cast including the dinosaurs of cinema like Christian Bale and Matt Damon. The acting is great as well as directing and I think even those with zero interest in racing and cars in general will enjoy it. Somehow it didn’t impress me the way I expected, but I can’t give it anything less than 8/10.

Motherless Brooklyn (2019) – full review here

One Fine Day (1996) – a greatly overlooked romantic film that never fails to make me feel nice and cozy. The kids in this movie are being just the right amount of ‘annoying’, adults hold on to stereotypes with just the right amount of persistence, and the acting of Michelle Pfeiffer and George Clooney is delightfully pleasant to watch. A feel-good movie, would recommend it to anyone! My personal 8/10.

I’ve already started writing the recap for March 2020 so that I don’t miss anything out, like I did in this recap!

Have you watched any of these movies? I would love love love to hear your opinions and feedbacks!! As always, looking forward to reading and responding to your comments 💖

See you in my next post,

Alex

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