Watched, Read, Reviewed: September 2021

Happy October, everyone!

I’ve decided to do October Horror Month again after skipping it last year, so I have two years worth of horror movie reviews that I’ve gathered together to post again. And you never know – maybe I’ll actually watch a horror movie in October for a change & do a new review! Maybe. I never seem to have the time to watch horror movies in October now (or when I do, they’re re-watches of old favorites).

Well, I’ve already moved onto “ALL HORROR” before doing this roundup of everything I watched in September. So here’s a quick break from the scary stuff…

MOVIES WATCHED IN SEPTEMBER (ranked best to worst):

– Minari – Was so happy to see this finally pop up on Sky Cinema as it’s one of the Best Picture nominees this year that I’d wanted to see the most. I have to say I enjoyed it much more than winner Nomadland but probably still like Promising Young Woman the most. But Minari would be a close second out of the six nominees I’ve seen. I reviewed it in full at the link but, basically, it’s a sweet film and I really liked this family. I especially liked the grandmother & young son – they were fun & adorable together. – 7.5/10

– Space Sweepers – Really enjoyed this movie. That’s two things I’ve liked on Netflix recently! I struggle to find anything new that I like on Netflix (the other recent thing I liked being Squid Game – I LOVED that). Think it’s because they have one thing in common (besides both being South Korean): Good characters. Same with Parasite & Train To Busan. I’ve written a review of Space Sweepers & it’s ended up so long that I’m gonna post it separately in November after horror month. It’s one of the better 2021 releases I’ve seen so it deserves a full review… – 7.5/10

– Free Guy – Saw this at a drive-in & reviewed it at the link (where I mostly reminisce about drive-ins). I probably enjoyed it slightly more than I might have as I needed a movie fix so bad (it’s the only movie I’ve seen outside of my house since February 2020). I thought it was fun. Ryan Reynolds is always likeable, of course, but I also really liked Jodie Comer’s character. The idea itself was good but, admittedly, not the most original. We’ve seen the whole “living in a video game” thing quite a lot. But this movie brought enough of a new spin to the idea plus the romance was surprisingly good (especially at the end). It managed to be slightly unpredictable, which was cool. Yeah, it was lightweight but that’s exactly what I needed. – 7/10

– Villains – Liked this quirky horror. Thanks, Film Miasma! And as it’s now October, I won’t say much more here & will instead try to do a full review of it for October Horror Month… – 6.5/10

– Three Days Of The Condor – Watched this Robert Redford film as I heard it was a really good spy thriller that helped inspire Captain America: The Winter Soldier (if I remember correctly??). Yep, it’s a good spy thriller so I recommend it if you like that sort of thing. Weirdly, I’ve never been big on this genre for some reason. I mean, I don’t even like the James Bond films. But I’m probably just weird. Anyway – Redford has sex from out of nowhere just like James Bond with a woman he’s basically taken as a hostage (Faye Dunaway). I was like “you’re gonna have sex with him now after he roughed you up a little & tied you up?!”. Whatever. Must be a regular thing for spy thrillers based on what I’ve seen of Bond movies. She seemed happy enough! I’ll say I thought this movie started out really good while they were in his workplace. The whole movie was pretty good but I liked it at the start more than at the end plus the story dragged a little at the end. – 7/10

– Vacation Friends – I enjoyed this. I’m always afraid to admit I liked a dumb comedy as I think film blogger types can be a bit snobby about these kind of movies. Hell, I admit I am too. I’m super picky on comedy & haven’t found anything truly funny since the days of This Is Spinal Tap & The Princess Bride. But those are brilliant & I gave up on getting anything remotely like those ever again years ago. So I’m now happy to turn off my brain sometimes & watch stuff like this. It’s over-the-top and ridiculous but that’s what I want from this sort of thing. I thought the four main characters were great together and John Cena was especially funny. It’s a story where the crazy, unpredictable couple clash with the more straight-laced couple and it’s of course predictable at times. But I’d say there were still some surprises plus the friendship was fun to watch. Whatever. I liked it. There are certainly far worse comedy movies you could watch to unwind one evening. – 6.5/10

– The Starling – This was fine. I think I saw some reviews that I thought were way too harsh. I thought it handled the tremendous grief of this couple pretty well while keeping the movie a “light” drama with a touch of humour. Not everyone wants super heavy Oscar dramas! The story is absolutely heartbreaking but not every movie has to be Requiem For A Dream, you know? Here’s the IMDb synopsis: “After Lilly suffers a loss, a combative Starling takes nest beside her quiet home. The feisty bird taunts and attacks the grief-stricken Lilly. On her journey to expel the Starling, she rediscovers her will to live and capacity for love.” Melissa McCarthy & Chris O’Dowd were believable as a couple and as heartbroken parents. The movie isn’t perfect but I thought it came up with a unique way of telling a story of grief. I feel like it would’ve been more well received if it had starred, I dunno, Nicole Kidman? I think critics just don’t like McCarthy, to be honest. Snobs! – 6/10

– C.H.U.D. – Hey! Another horror movie so I’ll try to do a full separate review for it. It’s ’80s as hell and cheesy and anyone who didn’t live through the ’80s would hate it. But I did so I liked it. Even though it’s pretty bad… – 6/10

– Gunpowder Milkshake – This was not a good movie. I’m getting annoyed that they can’t make a really good female assassin movie. Has there been nothing good since Kill Bill? Well, having said that, I still kind of liked this one. Don’t get me wrong – it’s pretty bad. But at least it tried to be a little unique. They had some cool settings, like the ’50s-style diner, the bowling alley, and that “library”. So I appreciated that. I also liked Karen Gillan’s cool jacket in that photo. And I liked the kick ass older ladies: Lena Headey, Michelle Yeoh, Carla Gugino, and Angela Bassett. To be honest, they were all pretty great and deserved a better movie. I’d happily watch these characters again, so… maybe there’s a chance they could get a much better sequel?? Can we get these cool women into a good movie?!

I do feel that the best bits were ripped off from John Wick & from Hotel Artemis (which I actually liked quite a lot). But… It still meant there were some good scenes in this. To be fair, Hotel Artemis ripped off John Wick which in turned ripped off a million other assassin movies. No idea is original. But I feel like the all-female movies get reviewed far more harshly for the same things being done by all-male films. So… Fuck it. I’ve seen worse all-male assassin movies. I think I’ve talked myself into liking this one a bit more. Yes, Gunpowder Milkshake could’ve been way better but it’s not the fault of its stars. They did a great job with the material they were given. – 6/10

– Kate – This was as bad as Gunpowder Milkshake but without any of the fun of that one whatsoever so I just found it a chore to sit through the whole thing. Mary Elizabeth Winstead was okay. I assume she got this role after being the only good thing in that truly dreadful Birds Of Prey. I preferred her character in that film & it sucked that they didn’t try harder to make us care about her in this (although it was nice that she didn’t want to go around killing anyone in front of kids). I liked the setting of Japan but, uh, I think I’m just trying to think of one nice thing to say… And Woody Harrelson was wasted in this. I just wish they could make a good female assassin movie! Why are we getting so many bad ones?? Oh well. This still sucked less than Red Sparrow. – 5.5/10

Movies Rewatched:

– The Shining – I don’t think I’ll ever manage a full review of The Shining as I struggle to talk about my favorite films. I’ll just say it’s easily in my top five favorite horror movies of all time. Adore that creepy atmosphere & score and wish all horror movies could be as stylish. Love it. Think I’d really like a rewatch of Doctor Sleep now too after watching this one again… FYI – The Shining topped my favorite top ten list I’ve ever done on this blog: My Top Ten Carpets & Rugs In Movies. – 9/10

Shorts & Miscellaneous:

– Nona – So loving all the shorts on Disney Plus! Enjoyed this sweet story of a wrestling-loving grandma wanting to keep her husband’s memory alive & finding the best way to do it.

– Twenty Something – Thought this was a really good idea for a short that captures the feeling that we’re all still scared little kids deep down inside.

BOOKS, TV, MUSIC, MISCELLANEOUS THIS MONTH

TV SHOWS WATCHED

– Squid Game: S1 – Ahhh! I loved this! I didn’t watch TV for years as there seemed to be nothing I liked after Lost (the start of Lost, at least). Now there’s The Mandalorian, Cobra Kai & THIS. Finally! TV shows I thoroughly enjoyed for the first time in years! As it’s horror month, I’m contemplating doing a full review of this on its own but I’ve never really reviewed a TV series. I should go episode by episode but that sounds like a lot of work & the thought stresses me out. But I really loved this so I’m gonna do something in a separate post sometime soon… FYI – I clearly highly recommend this but only if you’re okay with pretty extreme violence. But the characters & story are worth it.

– Star Wars: Visions: S1 – Loving Star Wars & anime, I was really excited to see anime-style Star Wars. Enjoyed all these, although I did snooze through a couple while binging so need to rewatch those. I’d say it’s a mixed bag – some episodes are great while others are a bit meh. The one with the bunny girl thing was a bit too weird for me. My favorite was easily the first episode: The Duel. Loved the style of that (I posted an image of it at the end of this TV section). Worth watching for Star Wars fans, especially those who also like anime.

– Nine Perfect Strangers: S1 E5-8 – Ummm. I dunno. This was an odd one. I was liking it okay at first but it went off the rails at the end. I didn’t even realise when I was watching the final episode as it was a bit of a letdown after so much build-up. The only characters I ended up liking were, weirdly, those played by Melissa McCarthy & Bobby Cannavale. Wasn’t expecting that but they had really good chemistry. The family of three also had an interesting story but the shit Nicole Kidman had them doing at the end was weird. And I hated how Regina Hall’s character ended up after being one of the more interesting ones at the start. Meh. It was okay but for “weird grown-up drama”, I preferred The White Lotus.

– Midnight Mass: S1 E1 – Have only watched one episode so far so don’t have much to say yet. I like Mike Flanagan sometimes but haven’t gotten on with his TV shows as I feel they drag. As did this first episode. Nothing really happened so I hope it gets better.

– What If…?: S1 E1 – Again, only seen one episode (Captain Carter). It was fun. I’ll watch the rest eventually.

– Young Rock: S1 E1-2 – Seen two episodes. It’s quite sweet. Liking it so far…

– Dug Days: S1 – Although I adore the beginning of Up, the rest of the film isn’t perfect & I wasn’t that into the weird talking dog Dug. But these shorts are cute. Especially liked the one with the puppies. Worth watching.

– Monsters At Work: S1 E10 – Loved these! Have said plenty about the show in previous posts – just saw the final episode in September. Wasn’t expecting the show to be as good as it was. Will always love Mike Wazowski!

– Never Mind The Buzzcocks: S29 E1 – One of the few British shows I’ve watched since moving to the U.K. Love it! Not as good in recent years, though. Damn. This first episode was bland. Miss the humor of the older episodes.

– America’s Got Talent: S16 E1 – Started watching with the kid but we haven’t continued. She must have found it boring. I can live without it.

– Global Citizen Live Concert – I can’t believe I sat through this entire boring ass concert, including Ed f*^king Sheeran, just to see Metallica. And they never even showed them. And it ended with f*^king Coldplay!

Here’s The Duel from Star Wars: Visions:

BOOKS READ

– An Abundance Of Katherines by John Green – This was fine. I’ve read a few John Green books after liking The Fault In Our Stars but none have been as good. I feel he was guilty of the “manic pixie dream girl” thing with Looking For Alaska & especially Paper Towns (god that girl was hateful!).

I think there was a danger this would be the case in this book too but he did a slightly better job with the “dream girl” this time. She was a little more real, at least. The two boys were Green’s usual sort of “quirky nerd” but at least they were pretty likeable. I think the story itself was a bit bland, though, and the boy’s obsession with creating a math formula (ugh, math!) to predict the probability of him being dumped again after being dumped by (19, I think) girls named Katherine got annoying. Meh. The book was okay but think I’ll forget it in a year. Better than Paper Towns, at least. – 2.5/5

Now Reading Billy Summers by Stephen King

BLOG PLANS FOR THE COMING MONTH

Just posting horror movie reviews for the rest of October. Hoping to maybe do a couple new horror-themed top ten lists as well. Depends how busy I get with real life.

I always end these posts with music from one of the movies I watched but I’ll go with the Squid Game soundtrack this time. Really liked the music in this show…

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