What I Was Watching in July 2021
I’m having way too much fun watching stuff lately. Whether it’s a new release in the theaters, an old-but-new-to-me film on streaming or the reality tv that the summer is known for, I’m here for it. There’s always so much to watch and so little time, but here are the movies that crossed my path this month.
In the Heights
In theaters/HBO Max limited run
I wanted to like this movie so much more than I did. It had nothing to do with the talent. Everyone in the film was talented, charismatic and beautiful. It was a bit too long for my taste and I needed something more I can’t quite figure out in order to make me a bit more invested. I’m wondering if something about this musical didn’t translate as well to screen, or if it was one I really should have seen in theaters.
The Verdict: 3/5
J. Edgar
HBO Max
Sometimes my movie choices confuse even me. I have no idea what inspired me to watch this one out of all the “leaving soon” options on HBO’s app, but it was pretty solid. It also was a little long, but I learned a lot about J. Edgar Hoover I never would have sought out myself. It does exactly what I want historical biopics to do: teach me a little and give me the interest to look up even more after.
The Verdict: 3.5/5
Replicas
HBO Max
This movie came on my radar because a How Did This Get Made episode was out about it. There are few things I enjoy more than a movie that’s so delightfully bad that it comes back around to be incredibly fun. Weirdly enough, I was almost disappointed that it wasn’t worse. The script wasn’t the best in the world, but it held my interest and it kept me guessing which sci-fi paths it would be following.
The Verdict: 2.5/5
Kill Bill
HBO Max
I may not be a huge Tarantino fan, but I’m surprised how long it took me to get to these films. I feel like I knew so much about the movie before ever even turning it on. It was difficult for me to be fully on board with it since his version of blood and gore is a bit too much for me. I don’t get much joy from that genre, but I can see why this would rank high up there who are into that kind of thing.
The Verdict: 3/5
Kill Bill Vol. 2
HBO Max
I think I liked part two more so than the first. There was a little less blood and a little more plot development outside of The Bride moving through her kill list. I wasn’t able to predict every single move and twist, and that kept me into it enough to see both movies through. I think I’m Tarantino-ed out for a while, though. Only so many decapitated limbs I can handle in my media.
The Verdict: 3/5
Grace of Monaco
Hulu
I made the mistake of looking at Rotten Tomatoes for this movie and discovered it has some of the worst ratings I’ve seen for a movie in quite some time. Maybe it is that bad to some, but going into it expecting it to be truly horrible made it seem WAY better than it should have been to accurately reflect those numbers. It was definitely mediocre, but I assumed it would have been a dumpster fire, and that, it definitely was not.
The Verdict: 2.5/5
Terminal
Hulu
I love aimlessly exploring streaming services and discovering movies I had literally never heard of before. This one, for example. Margot Robbie, Mike Meyers and Simon Pegg in an odd, twisted thriller. I was so astonished by some choices this production made that I actually laughed out loud in shock multiple times. It’s far from being an Oscar winner, but it was a very entertaining way to spend an hour and a half.
The Verdict: 3/5
Wendy
HBO Max
I remember seeing trailers for this film when it came out and thinking that a dark twist on Peter Pan had a lot of potential. Even if you just make a list of plot points of the Disney film, it’s kind of twisted. But somehow, this movie made one of the most universally known tales and twisted it into something convoluted. The characters weren’t that sympathetic and the ways they reached certain comparisons to the original story were a huge stretch.
The Verdict: 2/5
500 Days of Summer
Hulu
I went into this one expecting not to like it too much. I’m not the biggest Zooey Deschanel fan, and I’m exhausted by the manic pixie dream girl trope. However, this movie managed to win me over. Even though I’ve seen more romantic comedies than I can count, this hit some points that still felt new and fresh, and I had some literal laugh out loud moments. Now I have to eat crow and acknowledge this movie did the trope right.
The Verdict: 4/5
King Kong
DirectTV
My father is on a kick of watching a bunch of classic movies, hence this 1933 film being on my wrap up list. I can easily see how impressive and groundbreaking it would have been for the time. To be honest, I still can’t quite figure out how they were able to do everything they did with the lack of technology that would come after. The main reason I’m deducting points on Kong is because if I ever have to hear Fay Wray shriek one more time, I may go insane.
The Verdict: 3/5
The Exorcist
DirectTV
Is it possible for anyone to actually say they enjoyed this movie? I’m not a horror fan, so this was another one my father had to push me to watch. And, well, even though I can never un-see or un-hear what went on in that movie, even I have to acknowledge it was incredibly well done, especially for the time. The viewing of this movie will, however, need to be a topic at my next therapy session.
The Verdict: 3.5/5
I’m actually starting The Wire, a show that has been on my list for far too long so I expect my wrap up next week will have a lot more lighter films to help balance that out. Any favorite movies you seek out to counter the darker media that is so prominent? Let me know in the comments!