Happy March! This monthly recap is coming a bit late as I was I had just posted my review of DUNE 2 and wanted to give it some breathing room. I was hoping to post it this morning but the weather was SO NICE I spent time outside all day, even had an outdoor picnic for lunch as my friend had a dog with her so we couldn’t go to a restaurant.
Anyways, here’s what I watched last month:
NEW MOVIES
(films indicated with * are directed by women)
Dumb Money (2023)
A fascinating David vs. Goliath tale about everyday people who flipped the script on Wall Street and got rich by turning GameStop (the video game store) into the world’s hottest company. Paul Dano is excellent and the movie is quite hilarious as well as eye-opening.
Fast X (2023)
I’ve seen most of the Fast & Furious franchise but decided to skip the press screening for Fast X as I just couldn’t be bothered. Well I was right, as I had to fast-forward quite a bit of it when I watched it as it’s so atrociously bad (yes even by this franchise’s standard!) Only Jason Momoa seems to be having fun and he’s the only watchable thing here. Based on his interview with Stephen Colbert, Christopher Nolan LOVES this franchise, really Chris??
Free Solo* (2018)
I missed seeing this Oscar-winning doc and I wish I had seen this on the big screen. Married documentarian filmmakers Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi chronicle Alex Honnold’s biggest challenge of his career, climbing El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. Free Solo, which means climbing alone without a rope, and watching him do it makes my palms sweat and legs tingle! An exhilarating death-defying feat that’s powerful and inspiring.
Marmalade
Stray* (2020)
Elizabeth Lo’s documentary Stray follows Zeytin, a stray dog living life on the streets of Istanbul. Zeytin is quite the charismatic dog and the movie offers glimpses of what it’s like for stray dogs but also Turkish refugee people on the periphery of society. It’s a mostly silent film so it’s a bit confusing as to what is going on, but it’s got quietly moving.
Bank of Dave (2023)
review upcoming
The Mustang* (2019)
review upcoming
Paging Mr. Darcy + Love and Jane
So I got all four screeners of Hallmark’s Jane Austen’s adaptations for its Loveuary program. I’ll do a ranking post once I watch all four of them.
Get Smart with Money*
I watched this as I’m definitely one of those people featured in the documentary, I’m hopeless with money management! While personal finances aren’t the most enthralling subject matter, the doc is actually quite entertaining with some really wise tips to learn from.
The Last Right* (2019)
I was looking for an indie film directed by a woman and came across this on Prime Video. It’s a pretty unusual story of a man in charge of the corpse of a man he met on a plane on the way to Ireland. Michiel Huisman is Dutch but somehow can pass as an Irish-American, and Scottish Brian Cox also had a cameo as an Irish priest. It’s uneven and tonally all over the place but it’s an enjoyable and funny little movie with some interesting surprises along the way. The lush Irish scenery makes it well worth a watch, too!
The Greatest Night in Pop + Quincy Documentary
DUNE Part 2
TV SERIES
I’ve been watching Japanese-themed shows lately, but that’s not exactly planned. We were already watching House of Ninjas on Netflix when I got the screening invite for Shōgun, which I’ve reviewed here.
I enjoyed House of Ninjas quite a bit, which centers on the Tawara family, supposedly the last shinobi clan that abandons its ninja lifestyle after an incident in the past. I’ll likely do a review of it later this month.
My hubby and I tried to binge on Mr & Mrs Smith as we like Donald Glover but we stopped watching after 1 episode. Though he’s got a nice chemistry with Maya Erskine, overall the pacing is a bit on the slow side for an action comedy and the humor is few and far between. I don’t know which episode Paul Dano would show up so maybe we’ll give it another shot at some point.
SHORT FILMS
GHOSTED
I watched two short films last month. One was sent to me as a screener by actor/director Keith Black where someone his character went out with the night before suddenly ends all communication without warning or explanation. Keith is instantly likable, he shows off his comedic chops and comes off pretty naturally in this funny, snappy little film with a surprise twist at the end.
THE AFTER
David Oyelowo stars in this intense 19-minute film, a grieving rideshare driver picks up a passenger who helps him confront the past. Directed by Misan Harriman, a Nigerian-born British photographer/entrepreneur/social activist, the film is stunningly shot but the only saving grace of this film is Oyelowo’s heart-wrenching performance, as the script is meandering and laborious. I guess it’s fine for a first-time filmmaker but it leaves me scratching my head that it’s nominated for an Oscar.
Per Women In Film (WIF) organization, the basic rules of 52 Films By Women are simple: watch 52 films directed by women within one year and share what you watched on social media, using the hashtag #52FilmsByWomen to spread the word, and get more people talking about the women filmmakers that don’t always get attention.
It’s another strong month with this challenge with six movies #directedbywomen – seven if you count my rewatch of Wonder Woman. The six new-to-me movies are Free Solo, The Mustang, Get Smart with Money, Stray, The Last Right, and Quincy.
FEBRUARY 2024 MOVIE OF THE MONTH
It’s an easy pick this month as it’s still fresh in my mind. Watching DUNE Part 2 on IMAX is definitely the highlight of my February viewing!
So what did you see in February and which one(s) are your favorites?
…
FLIXCHATTER FILM BLOG 
My favorite film of last month is my Blind Spot film in Splendor in the Grass. I am going to see Dune 2 next weekend. Fast Five was the film that won me over the franchise but it’s starting to run out of steam. Plus, I am not looking forward to the Crock returning as he’s become this egomaniac that wants to be a godlike messiah and schill bullshit at everyone. Wrestling fans don’t like him these days.
I read your review of Splendor in the Grass, now I wanna see that too!
I think Fast Five was decent but after that, it just gets louder & dumber. Diesel + most of the returning cast don’t even bother to act anymore and all that ‘all about family’ is just so derivative. Yeah I’m not a fan of the Crock either, now I’m curious what your thoughts are on John Cena? I think he’s likable in interviews.
Honestly, Cena is a better actor than Dwayne but… as a person. A real bitch. He considers his former boss Meekmahan (who is in deep shit for the things he’s done including rapes and other disgusting shit to women) a friend and a father figure as he is loyal to him and continues to be supportive of him. A fucking company stooge is what John Cena is. He’s forgotten the fact that the reason he became successful in WWE is because the boss’ daughter was in a bus with other wrestlers traveling around in Europe and saw him freestyling with Rikishi and Rey Mysterio. She was the one that saved his job. It was Stephanie McMahon he owes his career to. Not Vince.
Free Solo blew me away. I can’t remember what it was exactly.. Oh yeah Rolston scaled El Capitan without a rope😳 The Dumb money true story is eye-opening and offers hope to the small investor. Dani’s character, Keith Gill exposes a chink in the armor of the system. An exhaust port in the Death Star…
Yeah, Keith Gill and the GameStop stock surge story is crazy, truth can be much stranger than fiction sometimes. He kinda dropped out of public life, can’t say I blame him!
I’m so glad it’s March, which means winter is almost over, almost! I know we’ll probably get another big snow storm before the warm weather comes. Also, it’s traveling season for me and I don’t have to worry about too much flight delays in the spring and summer time. Lol!
New movies to me last month were John Woo’s Silent Night, a movie without dialog that didn’t quite work. But it’s nice seeing Woo back doing Hollywood films again after a 20 years break from La La Land. The other one is Spielberg’s first official film, Duel. A film that I never watched because it’s made for TV. It’s a decent thriller but definitely not as grand as his first major film, Jaws.
Then I just mostly TV shows. Caught up with Slow Horses, a hilarious and fun spy thriller that’s kind of anti Mission: Impossible and James Bond. Finished the latest and maybe best season of Fargo and then True Detective. I also finished the new Mr & Mrs Smith. Just like the film version, I’m not sure why I’m supposed to care about these two selfish people. I thought this version was going to introduce them as some sort of heroes but they’re the same characters as the film. They even included a shootout scene in their home just like the film. What a wasted opportunity to create something new and fresh.
Hey Ted! Sorry I missed your comment, yeah I hope you don’t have to deal with travel delays due to weather. No precipitation in sight for the next 10 days!
Thanks for your review of SILENT NIGHT, now I’m curious since it’s by the great John Woo! I LOVE Slow Horses, I still need to review season 3 which is my fave so far. I couldn’t get into Mr & Mrs Smith after 1 ep, not sure if I’ll ever continue
Great list of movies! I’m definitely keen to see “Dumb Money” at some point in the future. I absolutely adore Paul Dano who has become one of the underrated actors of his generation. I loved his work in “12 Years a Slave” where he’s playing a despicable slave owner. Here’s why:
I’ve met Paul Dano in person when he was promoting RUBY SPARKS years ago and he’s the nicest guy but yeah, he could play a baddie convincingly, i.e. 12 Years A Slave.
Free Solo was insane! Glad you finally got around to that. I really enjoyed Dumb Money too. Dano is great in everything.
I started watching Shogun last night. I’ve only seen the one episode, but so far so good!
Free Solo still makes my palms sweat just thinking about it! Dano never does a bad performance and he’s just so likable in Dumb Money. Ohhh, glad you’re watching SHOGUN, finally Hollywood does right with Asian representation, thanks to the Japanese producers in the project.
Free Solo is not for those with a fear of heights but for the rest of us, it’s a spectacular documentary that must be seen on the big screen. I hope one day they’d release it on IMAX. Just imagine the dizzying viewing experience.
Oh my, I think I might pass out if I see this in IMAX. It’s already so intense watching it on my big-screen TV, it made my palms sweat just thinking about it 😀