My March 2023 Recap

For a multitude of reasons, I only watched about half of the movies I usually watch this month, so the choices below represent almost everything I watched in the last thirty days. 

Hopefully, April is more productive! 

Favorite First-Time Viewing

Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016) - 8/10

Director Taika Waititi is one of my favorites working today and I'm slowly catching up on his earlier films. Hunt for the Wilderpeople is a smart, funny, heartfelt, and engaging movie with two great performances from Julian Dennison and Sam Neill. Set mostly in the lush forests of New Zealand, the film is an action flick/coming-of-age story hybrid with laugh-out-loud funny at many points during the entire 100-minute running time. It's not quite as hilarious as Waititi's What We Do in the Shadows and not as much of an emotional gut punch (at times) as JoJo Rabbit, but it's an easy recommendation on my part and a movie I'm sure I'll revisit several times in the future. 

Worst First-Time Viewing

Nope (2022) - 4/10

I was really looking forward to Nope and nearly bought the blu-ray sight unseen a couple of times while I was waiting for it to be added to one of our many streaming channels. While I was watching it, I thought to myself "Well, I'm happy I didn't waste that 20 bucks". Several times, I was annoyed or frustrated, but the more I think about the movie, the more little things stand out to me. The whole vibe of the movie was different than I imagined it would be, which isn't really the fault of the movie, the filmmakers, or the cast. Daniel Kaluuya's performance is muted to the point of being catatonic at times, but in hindsight, he turned in a restrained, introspective turn that I just wasn't expecting. I think I'll wait a while and give this one another chance. I wouldn't be surprised if my rating goes up a couple of points.  

Favorite Rewatch

Don't Breathe (2016) - 7/10

This was probably my third or fourth viewing and Don't Breathe is still an effective thriller/horror flick. The premise - a group of larcenous young adults break into a blind guy's house and soon realize he's not to be trifled with - is solid and executed very well. The script does a good job of making most of the main characters believable human beings with their own motivations and characteristics. Normally, a movie like this would be content with shallow, generic archetypes and little-to-no character development. The young actors all turn in solid performances, but it's Stephen Lang as the old, blind man who really shines. He's physically imposing and manages to relay a lot of emotion with only his face at times. There are moments of real terror, tension, and one very, very memorable gross-out gag that is always the first thing I think of when the movie is mentioned. If you've seen the movie, you probably know what I'm talking about. 

Worst Rewatch

Ted (2012) - 5/10

While watching Ted in the theater back in 2012, I howled with laughter and thoroughly loved almost every aspect of the movie. At some point in the last decade or so, my tastes have seeming changed quite a bit since Ted went from an 8/10 down to a 5/10, which seems a little generous even. There are still a bunch of jokes that had me laughing, but more often than not, a lot of the jokes just kind of fizzled out or landed with an absolute thud, including quite a bit of "gay panic" stuff that has never really sat well with me. The character of Ted - a stuffed bear who magically comes to life and grows up to be a fouled-mouthed, drug and alcohol-abusing, womanizing fiend - still cracks me up and the visual effects to bring him to life still hold up really well. Writer/director Seth MacFarlane also provides Ted's voice and is consistently entertaining. Giovanni Ribisi is wonderfully weird as Donny, an obsessed maniac who wants to buy/kidnap Ted and have him as his own. If the movie was mostly Ted with Donny in pursuit, it'd probably be great. Unfortunately, the main plot of the movie revolves around Mark Wahlberg and Mila Kunis and their preposterous relationship. Oh, well. 

My month, in watch order: 

    * = rewatch

Good Luck to You, Leo Grande (2022) - 7.5/10

* Don't Breathe (2016) - 7/10

Hot Rod (2007) - 5/10

Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016) - 8/10

Nope (2022) - 4/10

* Ted (2012) - 5/10

On the Waterfront (1954) - 7.5/10

What about you guys? Have you seen any of these movies? If so, what do you think? Did you watch anything significant or really disappointing in March?

Thanks for reading and commenting!