Quarantine Movie List Part 1

MOVIE LIST PART ONE 

Ever since quarantine happened and KC and I have been home together a lot more often we are working and not spending time together, so we made a pact that we would watch a movie every single night during quarantine to 1. Watch more of what was out there and not just the newest “features”, 2. To spend more time together actually watching something and not only half watching/ half working or being on our phones, 3. To put a routine in place and 4. To pass the time of quarantine a bit better. At this point we have watched 70 movies (yes, there were a few days missed due to work or being too tired). KC most of the time used a list that he found on Twitter- here it is! We love watching these movies together and this time spent, it is absolutely something we will keep up post quarantine. 

In the past I have made movie lists of all my favorite movies to watch on Neftlix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, etc and I used to hand out paper copies to friends, family members, co- workers and clients. There was even one that I completely illustrated. I thought this time, I could break the list down and give a rating, review and where to watch each movie. I will do 10 at a time and hopefully this never ends.  

  1. About Time (Netflix)                                                Rating: 10/10

Review: As the first movie we watched, we were excited to pick something that had been out for a while. This movie goes honestly above and beyond. We laughed, we cried and we were completely shocked at some points. It truly shows the importance of paying attention, living in the moment and loving all of those around you. It also shows an amazing view of loss and grief and how impacted we are by those we love. It was a charming film and had a great cast. I would tell anyone to watch this movie, it truly was amazing 

  1. Crash (Hulu)                                              Rating: 8.5/10 

Review: Now, I know a lot about this movie because it won all the Oscars but I just had never seen it. I think in this climate it is also very important to watch and to see all that is corrupt in the police, but how change can actually occur. I felt my heart beating out of my chest the entire movie and it did not stop until the movie ended. There truly was so much white privilege throughout the movie and it was amazing to see a movie finally calling that out. It also was filmed very beautifully and shows just how much a person can take before they break down and realize that they can not continue to live the way that they are. We really did like it, and I feel that now more than ever is the time to watch this movie. 

  1. Thunder Road (Amazon Prime)                         Rating: 8/10 

Review: This movie was directed by the main character and really is more about his performance than what actually happens in the movie, though there is a lot that happens. It is almost like there are many little movies within a big movie and a larger plot. This movie in my opinion is about grief and how we deal with it. It is about trying to be a good person and do what is right but not always having the tools to get you there. I will say there is a twist that really shook me and confused me a bit, but it did all tie into the underlying tone of death, dying, grief and handling yourself during those times. 

  1. Honey Boy (Amazon Prime)                       Rating: 9/10 

Review: KC literally just said “that movie fucked me up,” I think that tells you a lot about it. It came very highly recommended by many people and is about the life of Shia LeBouf and the influence of his dad. What makes this movie more intense is that Shia actually plays the role of his dad and wrote the movie. This movie beautifully captures what happens to a kid when they are the “breadwinner” and everyone is relying on them to make money but also not treating them right. It goes through the hard life that Shia LeBouf had as a kid and what he did to “make it out.”  It just grazes the surface of Shia’s stints in treatment centers for alcohol and drugs and how he struggled to accept what has happened to him and why his dad treated me the way he did. I feel like it showed a positive experience of therapy as well and touched upon self- acceptance and even forgiveness. I liked also that they were never explicitly saying what movies or shows were being portrayed, but you could easily tell. This movie shows how Shia LeBouf grew up emotionally. I really enjoyed it and have told many to watch it. 

  1. Hearts Beat Loud (Hulu)                                            Rating: 7/10 

Review: We probably would have rated this lower but there was an Animal Collective reference at the end, so you see where we were stuck. This movie had a lot of potential and they could have done a lot more with it. I mean how cool- a dad owns a record store and him and his daughter start a band before she leaves for college. Best of all the dad is Nick Offerman. We had such high hopes for it, but the movie fell completely flat. It was soft. There was really nothing crazy that happened. The music was good and it was a nice time filler, but it is not one of those movies I would watch again or even put on if it was on TV. 

  1. Troop Zero (Amazon Prime)             Rating: 6/10

Rating: The only reason this movie got a 6 was because KC rated it pretty high. This is going to be a controversial rating because I can say that I did not like the movie and it came incredibly highly recommended by many people. The movie was not complex, which is fine, but it also just was not very good and there was WAY too much talking about peeing your pants. I will give it that the movie has a ton of heart and is quite cute, if that is what you are looking for. It also is really a great story about underdogs and that probably resonates with many people and I hope a few kiddos watched this too and saw that anything is possible, even when everyone tells you you can’t. I also really enjoyed that they challenged gender norms. All in all the movie was not that great and will be marked as another filler movie. 

  1. Band Aid (Netflix)                   Rating: 9/10 

Review: We had no idea what to expect when we put this movie on, but we are so happy that we did. I often really don’t like to watch movies about out of sync couples who fight all the time and can't really get it to work, but this movie put such a fun spin on that concept because the couple starts a band! It is fun also because the female lead in the movie also wrote the movie, directed the movie, starred in the movie and composed most of the music! YAY GIRL POWER! Anyway, both of the leads were just amazing and it really shows how relationships operate sometimes. There are moments where shit sucks but then you figure it out and learn how to not push each other's buttons in a way that ruins everything but in a way that's fun. Fred Armisen is also in this movie, so you know it's a good time. 

  1. All The Bright Places (Netflix)                     Rating: 5.5/10 

Review: You should read the book instead. 

  1. Coherence (Amazon Prime) Rating: 8/10 

Review: We really liked it, though many people we know watched it and felt it was a bit weird. The way I look at it, it is like the B version of the movie US. It looks like it was shot on a digital camera and the acting is not that great. There were some weird things that are happening with technology in the movie and that was this weird overarching theme of the film. It was eerie and confusing and there are still moments where I do not know what the movie was about and why I like it so much. This movie makes you think a lot and also feels like you are walking through a maze a lot of the time. It is a little dry at times but it is engaging and keeps you guessing all the way till the end. 

  1. MA (HBO) Rating: 7.5/10 

Review: Most people are probably going to be very confused by this rating being so high because this movie was not good at all. I think we rated it so high because we had such a great time watching it. This movie is supposed to be scary but I seriously have never laughed harder at a film. I honestly cannot believe that Octavia Spencer signed on for this role. The movie was just so bizarre and shows truly what happens when people do not move on from high school. There was also a nod to the Dee Dee and Gypsy Rose case and I was really here for that, but the movie as a whole was literally a dumpster fire of an amazing film.