Wrap Up: What I Was Watching In February 2020
I think I’m coming down off the business of award season and sneaking in every single movie I can and I’m all but detoxing a little bit. I’ve found myself binging podcasts instead and it doesn’t help much that it’s been slim pickings in the theaters as we transition from Oscar nominees to blockbusters. For now, I’ve been sneaking in movies a little bit but haven’t quite been up to a bunch of theater visits. Here’s hoping this changes moving forward!
Toy Story 4
Disney Plus
Getting to the end of my frantic attempts to watch all the awards movies, I had a few animated ones to cross off the list and while I enjoyed this one - it’s hard to find a truly bad Pixar film - I thought the third movie ended the story so beautifully that this one just felt unnecessary and just a grab at cashing in on the franchise.
The Verdict: 3/5
I Lost My Body
Netflix
This was one of the movies I was most nervous about since on premise alone it sounded a bit insane. A severed hand trying to find its way back to its human? And it’s subtitled? Not surprisingly, my initial hesitation was proven wrong and I found this to be deeply fascinating and engrossing - and beautifully animated.
The Verdict: 3.5/5
The Irishman
Netflix
So confession: this was started in December. And it just took literally more than a month for me to finish it because I just didn’t feel pushed to. This movie wasn’t bad in any way that I can point out but something just dragged and failed to propel me forward, to make me invested. And for me, that’s a requirement.
The Verdict: 3.25/5
The Two Popes
Netflix
I went into this one solely knowing the information that’s on the Netflix summary and I figured it would be a decent enough way to spend a couple of hours, but I was beyond surprised with how immediately engrossed I was in this story. Granted, I don’t know how much of it is 100% accurate but I still feel like I learned a lot.
The Verdict: 3.5/5
Say Anything
Hulu
I was told that I’d probably like this one better than the John Hughes movies I’d already watched, but unfortunately, this felt like more of the same to me. John Cusack’s character would be uber-scary if he was written in 2020, and maybe that’s just something I can’t get past - watching it so far from when it came out.
The Verdict: 2/5
Secrets of Chatsworth
Netflix
So this may not be a movie exactly, but a documentary is still worth including. I was incredibly excited to watch this since I love all things historical England, but this skipped some of the parts that I was hoping to get into - the beginnings of Chatsworth and only focused on the later drama that took over the house.
The Verdict: 3/5
Mr. Right
Netflix
A friend recommended this one to me and I couldn’t resist when I heard the premise - a romcom with some fun action/spy shenanigans rolled in. It was exactly what I expected, which is great. It was truly funny, an enjoyable watch and some cute moments. My only complaint: I will never believe Anna Kendrick is named Martha. Never.
The Verdict: 3/5
Up in the Air
Netflix
This had low key been in my queue on Netflix for months, and when I saw it was leaving the site in March, I had to jump on it. Almost anything I’d heard about it made me not crazy excited, but I was impressed. It took turns I didn’t expect and I thought it was a really interesting movie - one that I couldn’t really compare to anything else.
The Verdict: 3/5
Do you tend to turn to media for comfort or to unwind? I am such a sucker for rewatching things that it’s hard to indulge in something new when it’s gross outside and you just need a mental hug.