Thursday 11 September 2014

The Months that were May, June, July and August

       Hello again peoples! Seeing how I haven't blogged in about three months and I haven't blogged properly in like forever, a post of this size was obviously on its way. Um, due to my never-ending exams and my laptop breaking, I have not been the tidiest in keeping track of all the movies and TV shows I have watched these past four months so in this post I'm just going to list down all the stuff that I've watched that I remember about and as for the things that have slipped out of my teeny tiny brain, well, sucks for them. They must not have been that good to begin with *tosses hair back sassily*

Firsts:

1) The Double- So weird and cool. My favourite looking movie of the year so far.
2) Not Another Happy Ending- Super cliched and not all that great. Karen Gillan is adorbs though.
3) The Amazing Spider-Man 2- My god, this list is old! Anyways, I actually somewhat liked this one. They fixed a lot of problems from the first movie and Emma Stone is just such a treasure.
4) The Host (2006)- For the podcast's Monster Movies episode. Loved it.
5) The Blob- For the podcast. Hello there, Steve McQueen.
6) Cat People- Podcast. I was a little bored but it was a pretty cool movie.
7) Tom at the Farm- The least Xavier Dolan-y of all the Xavier Dolan movies I have seen but that's not a bad thing. This dude is such a genius with atmosphere and music, it's insane. Really interesting and creepy.
8) The Secret in their Eyes- Kind of fantastic. Wonder how the remake will fare.
9) Godzilla- The people sucked but that's alright because the monsters were awesome! Such a cool concept with the slow reveal and the atmospheric tone.
10) X-Men: Days of Future Past- I loved it! I was so pleasantly surprised at how cleverly they handled so many friggin' characters. Plus, Quicksilver!!
11) Do the Right Thing- Loud but powerful.
12) Non-Stop- So stupid. So, so, sooo stoopid!
13) Wet Hot American Summer- Speaking of, dafuq was this? Why is it so famous? And bahahahaha Bradley Cooper :')
14) Oculus- It started out well but god, that ending was depressing. Also, way too convoluted.
15) The Grand Budapest Hotel- First Wes Anderson movie in theatres! It's so pretty and delightful. It was also the first Wes Anderson film I cried in. I hope Ralph Fiennes gets an Oscar nomination for it.
16) M- Blindspot for June. I really liked it. 
17) Ping Pong Summer- I thought it was adorbs. 80s might really be my decade.
18) A Million Ways to Die in the West- I liked it. It was exactly the kind of stupid humour I needed during my exams, although I will say that there were a little too many poop and fart jokes.
19) The Wind Rises- So beautiful. I shall miss Studio Ghibli movies.
20) The Raid 2: Berandal- The second half of the film is absolutely brilliant but the first movie is still better.
21) Neighbours- SO funny! Bless Rose Byrne.
22) Happy Christmas- It was very simple and sweet. Nothing amazing but it puts you in a nice mood.
23) They Came Together- It was perhaps trying to be too clever but I did like it, mostly because of Amy Poehler and Paul Rudd.
24) Chef- Do not watch it on an empty stomach! It was a feel good and a feel hungry movie.
25) We Are the Best!- My favourite movie of the year so far and one that might actually remain at the top spot at the end of the year. So cute and funny and endearing and awesome! #hatesports4eva
26) Cliffhanger- For our Dumb Action Movies episode, and it was indeed v. dumb and v. actiony.
27) The Fault in Our Stars- The first half was so funny but it kind of falters from then on. Shailene Woodley, Nat Wolff and Laura Dern were perfect but Ansel Elgort's face just annoys me to no end.
28) Locke- SO GOOD! Very unexpectedly engaging and thought-provoking. I need Tom Hardy to read out all my books for ever.
29) Calvary- Absolutely loved this one too. I love the McDonagh brothers' humour and this film is no different. It's very dark and it tackles some huge religion problems but my god, it delivers! The cast is amazing too.
30) Animal Kingdom- I don't know what I was expecting but this certainly wasn't it. I liked the film more on retrospect than while watching it.
31) Another Earth- Kinda on the same boat with this one. The opening is damn cool and god, I love Brit Marling's voice.
32) Life Itself- So. Much. Crying. Really beautiful movie.
33) Life After Beth- My least-liked movie of the year yet. Dane DeHaan plays an asshole who remains an asshole till the end. Not good.
34) Ida- Even though this film was about 80 minutes, it went on for forever! I did appreciate it though. It looked stunning as well.
35) 22 Jump Street- Hilarious. That ending alone was worth the ticket price.
36) Lucy- I wish its tagline read "Drugs Make You Smart!" because that's what the film showed. It was unintentionally hilarious and super trippy.
37) Guardians Of The Galaxy- Fuckloads of fun and such great characters and oh so pretty and colourful. More of this kind of movies, please.
38) Belle- I liked the movie quite a bit. Gugu Mbatha-Raw is stunning
39) Happy Together- I watched it on occasion of Wong Kar-Wai's birthday who has really become one of my most favourite filmmakers. I did not expect this film from him or Tony Leung at all and I was really pleasantly surprised. Gorgeous as always.
40) Blue Ruin- It was a bit slow for my taste. I feel like I needed to be in a different state of mind to truly appreciate this. I wasn't :/
41) Under the Skin- For the podcast. I thought I would hate it but I kinda loved it. So weird and unforgettable. ScarJo and the score were the stars.
42) Dawn of the Planet of the Apes- I thought it was excellent. The story, the cinematography and the effects were amazing, and of course, Andy Serkis is a god.
43) Starred Up- So raw and unflinching. Great performances by Jack O'Connell and Ben Mendelsohn 
44) The Immigrant- Again, not the film I was expecting. It was kind of a dirty movie but in a beautiful garb. One of the best last shots I have ever seen.
45) Camp Takota- So I went a bit Youtube crazy in the last couple of months and this has three of my favourite Youtubers. In that sense, it is good. Otherwise, it's a bit cliched and some parts were a tad cringeworthy.
46) Sightseers- In preparation for Ben Wheatley's Doctor Who debut. I wasn't able to see more of his stuff but I really liked this one. So funny and dark. My kind of humour :)
47) Frank- Incredibly original and sweet and sad. Maggie Gyllenhaal for all the awards!
48) Boyhood- So difficult to judge something like this in normal movie terms. I just hope Linklater has more ideas like this up his sleeve.
49) To Have and Have Not- RIP Lauren Bacall. What a legend. Gorgeous.
50) Good Morning, Vietnam- For our Robin Williams tribute episode. Quite fun but half of the pop culture references went over my head, soz :/
51) The Fisher King- Podcast. I was v. pleasantly surprised with this one. Quite magical in its own way.
52) Maleficent- It was a bit bleh but I did love it every time Angelina Jolie smiled and all of her scenes with baby Aurora.
53) Easy Rider- Blind spot for July. This one was a struggle to get through.
54) The One I Love- Really amazing for 3/4ths of its running time and then it goes too science-fiction-y and I found that pretty unnecessary.
55) Grand Hotel- Blind spot for August. It was good and Joan Crawford is the one I love.


Rewatched:

1) Mean Girls- I think this was for Mean Girls Day. Or not. As if I need a reason to rewatch this masterpiece.
2) Edward Scissorhands- You had so much promise, Johnny Depp! WHY?!!!!!!
3) Thirst- For the Matineecast. I got to be less tense and enjoy it more this time 'round.
4) Sid and Nancy- For the Matineecast as well. God, Sid and Nancy were young :S
5) Only Lovers Left Alive- The Matineecast yet again. Still fucking cool.
6) Pride & Prejudice- I may love it more than the text. A brilliant romcom.
7) The Lego Movie- It was my in-flight movie. Still fucking awesome.
8) Sense and Sensibility- I was in an Austen kinda mood.
9) Clueless- Like I said.
10) Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels- I forgot how brilliant this film was. That score alone is to die for.
11) X-Men: DoFP- McBender 2 times :D
12) True Lies- For the Dumb Action movie episode. This one was my choice. Man, that Jamie Lee Curtis-machine gun scene is still genius!
13) Air Force One- Podcast. Harrison Ford in this is my favourite movie president :P
14) The Grand Budapest Hotel- Yep, I loved it alright.
15) Queen- It was coming on TV. Still one of the best films of the year.
16) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, part 1- I seriously love this installment. My second favourite of the Potter films. So stunning.
17) The Lego Movie- I bought the DVD. It's just soooooo awesome, ya know?
18) Fight Club- For my birthday, as I wrote here.
19) Dead Poets Society- Podcast. This is a great movie. That's all.


TV Shows-

1) The Fall, season 1- Jamie Dornan, you gorgeous fucker. As if I don't doubt my mental stability enough, here we have ANOTHER super hot serial killer! Although, props to the show because he's matched by an equally adept and very refreshingly unusual "good guy" played by the amazing Gillian Anderson. I really liked the show even though it disturbed me in many ways. I even rewatched it but only the Dornan-Anderson bits. Can't wait for season 2.
2) Buffy the Vampire Slayer, seasons 3-5- Season 3 and 5 *might* be my favourites, mostly because of the villains and I do mean Faith for the former. Season 4 was a bit meh, thanks to Riley and the worst villain ever, Adam (ew). There were some pretty incredible episodes. "The Body" is easily one of the best hours of television I have ever seen. I love this show and I kind of took a break from it mid-6th season because I was getting too obsessed but I'll restart v. soon.
3) Fargo, season 1- Holy shit, this show is brilliant! I love it to bits. So funny and dark and just surprising at so many levels. Just look at the character of Lorne Malvo who is completely and deliciously unpredictable. Billy Bob Thornton has done a fantastic job with him, and same goes for other actors in it like Martin Freeman who REALLY surprised me with how wormy (that's the only word I can think of to describe Lester) he can be, Allison Tolman who gave us a true TV hero after what seems like forever and Bob Odenkirk who's so lovely.
4) Game of Thrones, season 4- Again, WOW this post is late! Remember when this happened? I liked this season. For what feels like the first time ever, more evil-er characters died including the spawn of the devil himself. Hurrah! a) Favourite episode- "Mockingbird" 'cuz not only did it have one of the best scenes in the whole series between Oberyn and Tyrion, it also had hot Daario stripping while Khaleesi sips wine and watches the beautiful, beautiful show. #PoorJorah b) MVP- As much as I have enjoyed watching Sophie Turner turn Sansa into a true player and Jack Gleeson create a character who embodies hate itself, this season belonged to Pedro Pascal's Oberyn Martell. The Red Viper himself, he's sexy, sassy, complex, heroic and hilarious, and Pascal just acted the hell out of this part. So good. c) Favourite quote- This one is for Sati. I don't remember it in the show itself but reading it now, I quite like the idea it embodies.
Stannis: "I will not become a page in someone else's history book."

5) Veep, season 3- Starting this show has been one of my smartest decisions this year. Loved this season. I love where they're taking it and I love everyone in it and I love all the insults! FUCKING BLESS THIS SHOW! a) Favourite episode- "Debate" for Selena's haircut, Dan's transformation and "holes". b) MVP- I have a soft spot for Timothy Simons' Jonah. He's such a stubborn loser. Him reading Dan's medical chart is one of the funniest scenes of the season. c) Favourite quote- This show has too many amazing quotes but I laughed the hardest at this.
Mike: "Siri, why does God allow suffering?"

6) The Originals, season 1- Wayyy better than The Vampire Diaries although it does meander quite a bit. I quite enjoy all the politics and backstabbing in this. a) Favourite episode- "From a Cradle to a Grave" because it had all the best elements of Julie Plec's twisty plots but with a very lovely emotional core. b) MVP- Joseph Morgan's Klaus is still a very complicated character and I've been a fan of his since TVD. (no quotes for this one, soz.)

7) Orange is the New Black, season 2- I feel that this season went into more conventional directions and wasn't as mindblowing as the first. Still, it is one of the best shows on TV right now and I love it. a) Favourite episode- "A Whole Another Hole" if for nothing else other than Morello's heartbreaking backstory. But it also has the "hole" situation, Big Boo and Nicky trying to fuck Soso and Poussey and Taystee being lovely. b) MVP- I'm going to say it here and now: no TV performance (and maybe in movies as well) I'm going to see this year is going to beat Lorraine Toussaint's as the diabolical and endlessly fascinating Vee. She OWNED the screen every time she was there. If she was in Game of Thrones, she would be sitting on that Iron Throne. So much control but gosh, it is terrifying! c) Favourite quote- This quote is hilarious and also comments on women's issues with this world, which is what the show gets so right most of the time.
Piper: "He's a hitman? Oh, I thought he was a rapist. I'm so relieved."

8) True Blood, season 7- And that's the way this show ended, not with a bang but with a gooey fucking mess. Aww man, this has been a difficult show to stay faithful to. Thank god for characters like Jessica, Lafayette, Jason and of course, Pam and Eric. a) Favourite episode- "Death is Not the End" for 80s and 90s Eric and Pam. If only the whole show was about them. b) MVP- Fuck this, I'm going to choose Tara Buck's Ginger. Bless her screaming and her wanting to bang Eric from the moment she first saw him to her actually banging Eric which reminded me of why I never gave up on True Blood because what other show can show a scene like that? Beautiful. You go, Ginger! c) Favourite quote- I'm allowed two because we'll never get this chance again.
Pam: "It's like being kicked in the cooch by a wallaby isn't it?
Just because of the imagination put into this.

Ginger: "Eric Northman is nothing if he is not pure fucking sex on a throne."
'Cuz #FACT


Final tally:
                                                                    Firsts- 141                           Rewatched- 43
                                                                                          Total-184


          Phew, it's over! We got through this together, you guys! I don't know what is going to happen in September. I really want to write some posts but final year is hectic as hell and I can't make any promises right now.

10 comments:

  1. lots of great movies, we talked about some of them! Okay I REALLY need to watch the Fargo series. Also, do you mean Ginger? She was totally the best character in the end! I'm re-watching and every time she screams (which is like every other episode) is hilarious.

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    1. Yes I did mean Ginger! I don't know why my brain convinced itself her nae is Crystal. I even googled Crystal and got some other actress's name. Ginger is awesome!

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  2. Oh wow, that is a lot of movies. I really liked Under the Skin, along with The Fault in Our Stars. I had to watch Do The Right Thing for a film class last year, and it was an interesting film but a bit weird.

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    1. Some people watch these many movies in one month :P
      Yes I have similar feelings towards Do the Right Thing. It was so loud.

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  3. Oh God I don't think I saw this many films alltogether in last year! I have so many of those to see, mainly Calvary and Boyhood. I saw maybe 5 of your list, but glad you liked Neighbors and that's a great Thrones quote :) It was in Please raid my pantry sequence - http://littlesati.tumblr.com/post/89304564003/stannis-baratheon-per-episode-4x03-breaker-of :)

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    1. Some people see this many movies in a month :/
      Haha I love that you remember where the quote is from.

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  4. This is an incredible list, and I'm so happy that you're back! I've got to actually watch at least a dozen of these before I can comment meaningfully, though :(

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    1. Thanks! Watch the good ones and report back :D

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  5. Nice round-up! I just watched Tom at the Farm, and it's one of my new favorites from last year. Actually, several of my current top 10 films are one here - Calvary, The Immigrant, Starred Up, Locke, Under the Skin, We Are the Best!... Glad to know you're a fan of those too. :D

    The Raid 2 was awesome as well. I actually preferred it to the first one.

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    1. I need to rewatch all the Dolan films again. All of these films are so excellent. I just rewatched Starred Up and it just leaped up like 30 places in my 2014 films list.
      I like how contained The Raid is and I guess I prefer that but Raid 2 is more amazing, action-wise.

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