March was a busy month for me, so I didn’t watch as many movies as I usually like to, though it was still a good amount. Between all the movie-watching, I’ve been planning out my trip to Hollywood for TCMFF (just about a week to go!). You can look at the films I’ve picked to line up for here. I’ll be keeping this post relatively brief, mostly due to building excitement for next week’s festivities. But until then, let’s look back at what I watched in the past month…
New-to-Me: 20
Re-Watched: 8
New-to-Me Films by Decade:
- 1920s – 0
- 1930s – 2
- 1940s – 2
- 1950s – 3
- 1960s – 3
- 1970s – 1
- 1980s – 1
- 1990s – 1
- 2000s – 1
- 2010s – 6
List of New-to-Me Films:
- The Cider House Rules (1999)
- Apollo 11 (2019)
- Paddington (2014)
- Paddington 2 (2017)
- The Young Lions (1958)
- The Professionals (1966)
- The Great White Hope (1970)
- King of Jazz (1930)
- Captain Marvel (2019)
- Les Misérables (1935)
- Three Identical Strangers (2018)
- Fort Apache (1948)
- Us (2019)
- The Last Voyage (1960)
- Another Part of the Forest (1948)
- The Pajama Game (1957)
- The Year of Living Dangerously (1982)
- -30- (1959)
- Move Over, Darling (1963)
- The Beaches of Agnès (2008)
A Few Favorite Discoveries:
Paddington (2014), directed by Paul King
I’d heard great things about the Paddington movies for a while now, so I’m glad I finally got around to them because they’re simply delightful! Along with a really heartwarming story about Paddington being welcomed into the Brown family in his new home of London, the movie boasts a terrific cast, from Sally Hawkins as the matriarch, to Nicole Kidman as the antagonist. Ben Whishaw does such a fantastic job in his voice work as the lovable bear, and his performance makes this adaptation of the children’s book even better.
Paddington 2 (2017), directed by Paul King
Now and then, a sequel surpasses its already great predecessor, and that’s the case here with Paddington 2. As is often the case with sequels, the story and production are bigger than the first, but fortunately, this movie doesn’t suffer from the more heightened stakes. Joining the fantastic cast this time around are the likes of Brendan Gleeson as the cook at the prison in which Paddington is placed after being framed for a crime, and Hugh Grant as an egotistical actor. I really can’t wait to see what’s in store for the third movie in this series after watching these two Paddington movies back-to-back.
Us (2019), directed by Jordan Peele
Now on the other end of the movie spectrum: Jordan Peele’s latest horror movie, Us. Just as his directorial debut Get Out, it’s a thrilling experience that leaves you a lot to think about after it’s all over. It’s also so great to see Lupita Nyong’o in her first leading role, and in one that really allows her to put her acting on full display in playing dual roles. I hope she gets offered more starring roles after Us because she is just amazing in this.
The Beaches of Agnès (2008), directed by Agnès Varda
On Friday, the world lost the great Agnès Varda, one of cinema’s most creative voices. I’ve only seen a handful of her films, but I’ve enjoyed all that I’d seen from her and have always admired her in general. I watched the documentary she made reflecting on her life and work in honor of her, and it may actually be my favorite film of hers I’ve seen so far. The Beaches of Agnès is an incredible self-portrait of a trailblazing artist, and after watching this, I’m especially looking forward to discovering more of her work.
