Quarantine Movie Journey Part 1

Casey’s Full Quarantine Movie Journey

Rating Scale

10: The GOATS 

Ex Good Will Hunting, Casablanca, The Shawshank Redemption, The Godfather Parts 1 and 2

9-10: Masterpiece 

Ex Pulp Fiction, Inception, Unbreakable, Borat, Parasite, Moonrise Kingdom

8-9: Great

Ex Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Goodfellas, Stepbrothers, 1917, Grand Budapest Hotel, Toy Story movies

7-8: Good

Ex Zodiac, Moneyball, IT, Apollo 13, Lots of Pixar

5-7: Okay Ex Pretty much Every Marvel Movie

Ex Pretty much Every Marvel Movie

4-5: Already Forgot About it 

Ex: I don’t know because I forgot

3-4: Bad 

Ex: Jurassic World and its sequel, Paranormal Activities 2-7, Boss Baby

2-3- Terrible 

Ex:  Paranormal Activities 2-7, A Dog’s Way Home, Trolls 

1-2- Nope! These movies make me mad that they exist because of what they represent and their quality 

Ex: The Incredibles 2, Ghostbusters 2016, Lots of Adam Sandler Movies, Indiana Jones: Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Inglorious Bastards (2009)

Available on Netflix

2h 33min

I started this journey off with a BANG! My friend has been telling me about this one for a while, and I finally took the time to watch Tarantino’s highly regarded WW2 flick.  While I am not Tarantino’s biggest fan he is a master in character development. Whether it be the famous Pulp Fiction or the recent Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Tarantino movies from top to bottom have memorable characters.  Tarantino brings some of his most colorful unique characters to a WW2 confined story full of tension and relevance to the film industry.  I smiled the entire way through.

8.6/10

Drive (2011)

Available on Netflix

1h 35m

I really, really liked Baby Driver when I saw it in 2017, it was a simple story, with a simple protagonist, and a unique style. Drive, in many ways, is very similar, it’s almost the same story, and its unique style makes it an hour and half of quality entertainment. With great EDM music, plenty of night shots with flare, this movie shows an artistic representation of Los Angeles and was fun.  It may not be as good as Baby Driver, but I enjoyed it.

6.7/10

Clue (1985)

Available on Amazon Prime

1Hr 37min

A who done it with colorful characters– yes.  An underdeveloped setting, boring deaths, and lack of style- yes.  I think Clue is very overrated.  If you want to watch a Who Done it with a more mysterious plot and setting just watch the 1942 And Then There Were None its free on Youtube.  Clue was boring, annoying, and slightly entertaining at points few and far between.

2.9/10

Marriage Story (2019)

Available on Netflix

2hr 17min

My Mom said this was a modern-day Kramer vs Kramer, but while I see the comparison I don’t think it’s fair.  Marriage Story is an all too real look at divorce and its repercussions as we watch the story of two characters go through the process. Every performance is brilliant, and this movie will make you hate one of two characters for valid reasons.  I have never genuinely disliked a character so much as in this movie and I think that gives credit to how realized this film is in developing the real-world it belongs in. 

8/10

The Lighthouse (2019)

Available on Amazon Prime

1hr 50 min

Two great actors trapped on Island and go mad.  I may be at fault for having too high expectations, but I wanted more out of this movie.  While it is well shot, acted, I never connected with the characters and left the movie not taking too much away from it.  There are plenty of stylized decisions, which make the film unique, but in the end, I think the story keeps it from being better in my mind.  

5.8/10

Blinded by The Light (2019)

Available on HBO

1hr 58min

In the same breath as Bohemian Rhapsody, Rocketman, Straight Out of Compton, and Yesterday, we see another film relying on the popularity of a certain musician. Luckily for me, I am a big fan of the Boss and wanted to see what this film had in store.  This movie is a simple story about a kid who finds inspiration to leave his hometown, and it could have been told in 30 minutes.  This movie has so much filler to make it a full movie I was checking my watch on multiple equations.  All the music scenes are campy and cheesy, all the characters are forgettable, you’ve seen the story hundreds of times.

3.7/10

Sweeny Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)

Available on Netflix

1hr 57min

I was surprised when this film came in my suggestion tab, I was surprised when this film came critically acclaimed, and I was surprised when I saw that the cast was STACKED.  As much as I was ready for this film to surprise me, the only thing that really stuck with me is about the worst pies in London being stuck in my head for hours. Performances are as eccentric and fun as you would expect, however, the CGI is a bit distracting, the story is a bit simple, and I never felt the emotional weight the best Tim Burton movies make me feel.  Sorry, Sweeny but if I want a great Tim Burton movie I have Scissorhands and the Nightmare before Christmas.  Sweeny Todd wasn’t bad but it is not worthy of your time. 

5/10

Blade Runner 2049 (2017)

Available on Amazon Prime

8.8/10

Blade Runner 2049 was one of the biggest financial flops of 2017 and now after having seen the movie I regretfully feel ashamed I didn’t see this dynamite work of art in the theater. I have never seen the original Blade Runner, my dad said to skip it, my best friend didn’t like it, so I passed until now.  I watched a 12-minute video explaining what I needed to know about the previous film, made some popcorn, and stayed up until midnight entranced in this three-hour sci-fi masterpiece.  I do not say this lightly, Blade Runner 2049 is the most visually gorgeous movie I have ever seen.  Roger Deakins won the Oscar for his cinematography and it is glorious.  With this film under his belt along with previous entries of Prisoners, Sicario, Arrival I think it is time Denis Villenuieve starts to be regarded as one of the superstars of our generation.  Every shot is so carefully thought out, the camera tells a story while following an intriguing character which both respects and enhances the original.  All the performances are great, Gosling is one of my favorite actors working today, and Harrison Ford plays a very strong, subdued performance.  This movie is 3 hours long and while I loved every minute of visuals I feel like certain scenes thinking back could have been cut down without harming the story. Regardless if you are a Blade Runner fan, I am not, if you love film and the art of filmmaking this is a modern classic.  It makes me both excited to want to make a movie and intimidated knowing this is as good as it can get, I give Blade Runner 2049 an 8.8/10

Enemy (2013)

Available on Netflix

1hr 35min

7.2/10

I saw this movie 4 hours and I have spent a majority of that time thinking about what it all meant before watching explanation videos on what it all meant.  This film is a great puzzle.  It is well developed, intriguing, and is very well directed.  It was only after looking it up did I realize that Enemy too is directed by Denis Villeneuve.  There are several theories of what it all means, and it is a movie that is worthy of discussion and thought.  Enemy reminds me of a classic book I’d read in English class, how only through dissecting specific elements can one understand the true meaning.  If you are into puzzles, enjoy making the most out of this original story.  

The Florida Project (2017)

Available on Netflix

1h 55min

7.2/10

Available on Netflix

It is rare to see a movie with a good child actor, but seeing a showstopping performance from a six-year-old is one in a million. The Florida Project is a gritty, trashy, tragic movie focussing on the impoverished lifestyle surrounding the magical world of Disney. Overall I would say this movie is above average, well shot, good acting, but Brooklyn Prince’s singlehandedly make the Florida Project one to watch.  

Part 2 out soon…