What I Was Watching in February 2021
Shorter month, so a shorter list. I’m finishing up a series I’ve been binging, and I am really excited to get back to watching some one season shows and a bunch of movies next month, especially as I try to work my way through the award season lists I made. So far, Nomadland is one of my favorites, which was something I was not expecting to happen. I’m ready to start getting more films and miniseries off my to-watch list!
Framing Britney Spears
Hulu
Like every other millennial female, I was obsessed with Britney Spears when she was inescapable around 2000 and now, our interests have shifted a bit. Learning about her mental health and what happened behind the tabloid headlines was a definite punch to the gut but was needed. It’s just so sad it took this long for the media to explain what’s been going on in this poor woman’s life.
The Verdict: 3.5/5
Battlestar Galactica: Razor
Peacock
Is this a movie? A supersized episode? I don’t know anymore, but I’m just rolling with it. Plus, this is how I can share that I’ve spent the majority of my tv time watching Battlestar, so it’s fun to actually include it in a roundup. This series/movie/everything is very underrated and the world that this universe has built out is absorbing and fascinating, even in a random throwback/flashback movie.
The Verdict: 4/5
Judas and the Black Messiah
HBO Max
Confession: I wanted to like this movie more than I did. I have zero complaints about the acting, the directing, the casting, none of it. I had been so sucked in by the trailer for weeks before the movie came out, but I just wasn’t as invested as I wanted to be. Considering I can’t really find fault in it, I wonder if it would have pulled me in if I’d been able to watch it in a theater, isolated from other distractions.
The Verdict: 3.5/5
Nomadland
Hulu
Actually, my love of this movie contradicts my theory from the previous one. I knew nothing other than the basic: a woman in her 60s ends up as a wanderer. And that’s what it is. It’s striking in its simplicity. There wasn’t a series of big speeches that move your soul, there were no Disney moments that truly glamorize nomad life, but it is wonderful and quiet, and it forces you to pay attention.
The Verdict: 4/5
Brokeback Mountain
Prime
I had an idea of what I thought this movie was before I ever turned it on, and it seems I was extremely off base. Not about the basic plot. That had been solidly shoved into the spotlight of pop culture when it came out. But other than the actors being phenomenal, I didn’t get the emotion I expected to. I was prepared for heart wrenching moments that would have me be on the verge of tears. It just didn’t get to that point for me.
The Verdict: 3/5
Eyes Wide Shut
Hulu
My friend warned me as I started this movie that it was extremely weird, and she wasn’t wrong. I kept getting American Psycho vibes despite there not being much similarity in the actual plots. Maybe it’s just the sociopath vibes I get from any Tom Cruise movie from the last 2.5 decades. It was certainly a unique film, and the acting was decent enough, but I’m glad I can cross this one off the list.
The Verdict: 3/5
Face/Off
Hulu
This movie is peak batshit Cage and Travolta. I can’t count how many memes or insane clips I’d seen from this movie without even knowing it. I finally gave in and watched this insane movie due to years of listening to the podcast How Did This Get Made? and cracking up over their references to it. I regret nothing. I was aghast for the majority of this movie and could not stop laughing at the most bizarre of the moments.
The Verdict: 2/5
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
HBO Max
My father recommended this one to me since he knows I have a deep love of distinguished, older British actors. And once I untangled it from The Grand Budapest Hotel in my mind, I loved every single second of it. Some moments were a bit too silly, but I got to see a movie with Dames Judi Dench and Maggie Smith that made me smile and that is more than enough. Every aspect of this movie is a complete and utter delight.
The Verdict: 4/5
The Descendants
HBO Max
In one word, this movie is decent. It’s not bad, it’s not incredible and it’s not a waste of time. The characters are interesting, the story is fine and I was curious how it ended without being on the edge of my seat. It was exactly what I expected and wished for from this movie: a drama with a few amusing moments to entertain me for two hours. And it did that most excellently.
The Verdict: 3/5
Gangs of New York
HBO Max
The run time was almost enough to scare me away from this movie, but once again, my father’s recommendation won out and I gave it a shot. I still think it is probably thirty minutes too long but it was a fascinating film. I think it helped that I went into it knowing nothing but the title and a few of the actors so I was pretty transfixed by having zero idea what would be coming. Cut the run time a smidge, and I may have given this a 4.5.
The Verdict: 4/5
The Little Things
HBO Max
This should have been good. I wanted it to be good. I love anything that comes off like true crime, but this fell incredibly flat. The only reason it’s getting more than 1.5 is that Denzel Washington drastically improves any project he’s attached to. I felt Rami Malek’s performance was stilted and cliche and I’m desperately tired of being creeped out by Jared Leto. I’m glad I saw it before it left Netflix but I’m not sure I can give it much more praise than that.
The Verdict: 2.5/5
Any of the award season movies you’ve seen that you can’t get over that I should bump up higher on my list? Let me know in the comments!