Monthly Movie Recap: April 2020 🎥

Hello and welcome! I’m back with my usual monthly movie recap. 12 movies, animated TV series, and TV shows, the majority of them fantastic and only a few not so much this month. Let’s get started! As always, no spoilers!

Samurai Jack Seasons 4 (2003) & 5 (2017) – I wrote about this animated series in my March Movie Recap and was extremely impressed by seasons 1-3. Season 4 had the same marvellous mood, sublime script writing and plots, the character of Jack was same charming. Season 5 was made 14 years after season 4 and aired on Adult Swim (the first four seasons were on Cartoon Network), and the changes were drastic. I think the character progression made sense, but the storylines didn’t have enough time to unfold – they were a bit crumpled in order to fit the limited number of episodes. When I watched 5th season, I didn’t feel it was dissappointing – it was rather a little underwhelming. I enjoyed the humor in the last season and new characters – some moments were hilarous! Keep in mind though that seasons 1-4 are suitable for children age 7 and above, but season 5 is rated TV-14 for violence (e.g. bleeding wounds, etc).

1917 (2019) – hands down the best war movie I’ve watched in recent years. It’s genuine, raw, and simple, but so well-written that it held me tense for the whole two hours. It’s brilliant, inspiring, captivating, brutal, and once again brilliant. A film that offers experience rather than entertainment for two hours. Absolutely 100% recommend.

Shawshank Redemption (1994) – I guess everything that could have been said about this film has been already said. I’m sure that everyone watched it already, so I won’t get into detail. One thing I’d like to add though: I don’t know many movies that stand the test of time, but this one surpasses them all. Must watch (or re-watch 😊)

Sonic (2020) – boy oh boy no wonder this movie completely destroyed Birds of Prey in cinemas in terms of the box office, making 307 million with a 85 million budget! It’s very dynamic, lighthearted, fun, and equally respects the fans of the video games and those who never played the games (that’s me). The plot is dynamic, Sonic himself is so cute I caught myself smiling just looking at him, and the movie just never stops – same as the main hero 😊 Loved it!

Lethal Weapon 1 (1987) & 2 (1989) – enjoyed the first movie more than the second (a bit more believable stunts), but overall they are both pretty typical buddy cop action comedy films. The characters are fun, the plot is simple, and Joe Pesci in the second film is my favorite character. Overall, great films if you like this genre.

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) – this stop-motion animated musical is rated PG and I think it was initially targeted for adults. It’s definitely dark and I love it. The songs are amazing (means a lot said by me – not a lover of musicals overall), voice acting is equally great, and the plot is unique. If you enjoy Tim Burton’s style, you’ll definitely like this one!

Corpse Bride (2005) – this is one of my favorite animated films. It’s also rated PG, by the way. The plot is so unique and tragic, but there’s so many beautiful details about it that I just love it. The voice acting is sublime, but what else can we expect with Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter? 😊 Absolutely precious thing, will always re-watch it same as The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Who Am I? (1998) – Jackie Chan classics! Fun and enjoyable movie, and it’s so awesome to watch all the stunts he performed himself. It made me wonder how many bones he broke and I Googled it – it’s 40! I got curious seeing his nose, which he reportedly broke 3 times, and it shows. I admire his work ethics same as I admire Tom Cruise’s – there’s a very genuine feel about every stunt the actors do themselves – it’s a thing that no amount of cuts, meticulous camerawork, or stuntmen can get. Overall, if you enjoy action movies without shooting, but with cool fight scenes – you might enjoy it.

Spy (2015) – in many ways, this movie is both funny and clever. I loved Jason Statham here – he’s hilarious and obviously has a huge comedy acting potential. Many jokes are quite witty, the dialogues are often hilarious, and the pacing is excellent. Fun fact: after watching this movie back in 2015 I got the idea of visiting Budapest and actually did it that same year! Have you ever been there? I visited in October and it was so beautiful – loved it!

Black Books (2000-2004) – one of my favorite sitcoms created by my second favorite standup comedians Dylan Moran (after George Carlin). It’s packed with witty humor, brilliant acting, and very creative plot for each episode. My least favorite episode is the last one – it just somehow feels lackluster compared to all the other episodes. Other than that, awesome sitcom, although I don’t think it’s absolutely everyone cup of tea.

Police Squad! (1982) – comedy series that was so much ahead of its time that it was cancelled just after 6 outstanding episodes because ‘the viewer had to watch it in order to appreciate it’ 😲 The jokes are as clever as it goes, the plot and charatcers are just brilliant, the acting is amazing. Leslie Nielsen is my favorite comedy actor and here he truly shines. I just loved it and it’s truly a shame that ABC gave us only 6 episodes. Oh and another thing: the humor here is very kind, there are just no evil or cruel jokes – it’s very pleasant to watch. Police Squad! is filled with hilarious puns and word play jokes, which amused me greatly. This is a gem that I can recommend to anyone.

The Last Starfighter (1984) – a movie that aged quite poorly in terms of special effects and quite well in terms of plot and ideas. It’s pretty dynamic and fun, and wasn’t boring to watch at all. It was interesting to see where sci-fi genre was going in the 1980s.

Have you watched any of these movies and series? 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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Previous monthly movie recaps:

February 2020

March 2020