Films That I Saw: February 2018

What the fuck America? What’s the point of having gun control laws if you can’t stop a psychotic 19-year old kid from killing 17 people at a school in Florida? Yet, the solution of El Stupido is…. To have teachers carry guns. There are students at this school who are making more sense of what needs to be done while this moron would make the whole thing about himself. No wonder the rest of the world thinks of America as not just as a laughing stock but a country that no one takes seriously anymore. It’s just the continuous amount of insanity that is emerging in the country as it’s become less safe these days yet there is a solution for all of this. The problem is that there’s politicians who are busy trying to hide whatever money they were given by the NRA.

When I heard what happened on that horrible day in Florida which was Valentine’s Day. I was thinking “oh shit, someone is going to blame David Bowie for this as he made a song called Valentine’s Day about a high school shooter”. Of course, Dumb Man blames it on movies and video games which is always being blamed for as it was also being the source of blame back in 1999 during Columbine. In all honesty, fuck the NRA and everything it stands for. If I ever come across Charlton Heston’s grave or tombstone, I will gladly take a shit on it.

In the month of February, I saw a total of 33 films in 21 first-timers and 12 re-watches with four of the first-timers directed by women as part of the 52 Films by Women pledge. Definitely a more relaxing month than the previous as there were days where I didn’t want to watch films. The highlight of the month has been my Blind Spot assignment in Black Girl as I feel like it’s a film everyone should see as one of the reasons why I love doing this is to find something and tell everyone else about it. Here are the top 10 First-Timers for February 2018:

1. Black Panther

2. Antonia's Line

3. The Shape of Water

4. The Thief of Bagdad

5. Downfall

6. The Producers

7. Bessie

8. Babette's Feast

9. My Brother's Wedding

10. Loving

Monthly Mini-Reviews

King Arthur: Legend of the Sword

I do like Guy Ritchie as he has a style that is unique even though it can be flawed. His take on the King Arthur story is a mixed bag as it rely too much on CGI and extravagant action set pieces instead of focusing on the story. Charlie Hunnam is good as King Arthur while it does have some inspired casting such as Jude Law as the antagonist and Astrid Berges-Frisbey as a sorceress aiding Arthur. It’s just that the story doesn’t really do enough to be compelling while it tries to be gritty and street-like in its approach as it’s just an OK film.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul

I enjoyed the film series as I think it’s a witty family comedy about a kid dealing with growing pains and accepting responsibility for his actions. This new film with an entirely new cast including Alicia Silverstone and Tom Everett Scott as the parents this time around is just horrendous. It’s not just the casting that is uninspiring as fans of the original film series had every right to be upset as the kids who are cast as Greg and his older brother Rodrick are just bad as the kid who plays Greg portrays him as an irresponsible little asshole who is more concerned with wanting to go to a video game convention than take part in a family vacation. He runs around in his underwear in one sequence that is just creepy while there’s a recurring gag that has him trying to get a diaper out of his hands which makes him an Internet phenomenon for the wrong reasons. Yet, the most offensive thing about the film is this homage to Psycho in which Greg is hiding in a bathtub from a guy he keeps bumping into as the man sits on a toilet to take a shit as the sound is just obscene. Then he finds the kid and ugh… it’s a slap in the face to film buffs. Plus, since it’s a road movie. The scenes on the road are excruciatingly boring as this is a film that should be avoided at all costs.

Gifted

There is always a gem to come around as this film from Marc Webb is actually a nice film to watch. Sure, it’s predictable but at least it has characters who are compelling as it centers on a man who is raising his niece that proves to be a very gifted young girl that can solve any kind of complex mathematical problems. Still, he wants her to be normal as a promise to her late mother but his mother would arrive to complicate things as the casting of the film that includes Chris Evans, Jenny Slate, Octavia Spencer, Lindsay Duncan, and an incredible performance from Mckenna Grace as the young girl makes the film such a joy as it needs to be seen despite its conventions.

Top 10 Re-Watches

1. Somewhere

2. Witness

3. Wonder Woman (my mother finally saw it and loved it)

4. Spider-Man: Homecoming

5. Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief

6. Romeo and Juliet

7. Hitchcock/Truffaut

8. The Great Muppet Caper

9. Whip It

10. Short Circuit

Well, that is it for February 2018. Next month, I’m not sure what new releases I will see as I’ll be focusing whatever I have in my never-ending DVR list and whatever film I can get from the local library. Along with the upcoming Auteurs piece on Taika Waititi in which I will watch some shorts as well as Boy. I’m also working on what might be the return of the Favorite Films essay series as the film I’m writing about is Coming to America as it’s in the early stages as I hope to have it finished. Until then, this is thevoid99 signing off….

© thevoid99 2018