11/16: Monthly Recap

As the year is coming to an end, I’ve been slowly evaluating my interests in terms of movie viewings, and to an extent, writing about it. I usually try to get a good number of movies per month but other things are happening and I’m fine with it. I haven’t seen a lot than I’d like, and that’s ok. I haven't written much either, but it's all right. That just means there are more great movies to look forward to. This month is certainly no different. Here are the movies I’ve seen this month.

Reviews You Might Have Missed

Doctor Strange – A solid effort from Marvel

Kubo and the Two Strings – Not the best from Laika, but still good
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them - It's no Harry Potter, but a great start to a new series

Other First Time Viewings

Captain Fantastic – It boasts a fantastic performance by Viggo Mortesen while showing a clash of societal norms between his family and the rest of the world.

Castaway on the Moon – I initially thought that this movie would simply be about a man trying to leave an island. At the root of it, it’s about battling your own personal demons. The cinematography and music score is A+!

Paradise Kiss - As far as cutesy movies are concerned, this was kind of cute although I had a big problem with the main relationship of this movie. 

The Da Vinci Code – I watched this after reading the book, and this was a poor adaptation of it. I expected Paul Bethany to be more fanatical, but the cast line up is very strong.

The Girl With All the Gifts - For a zombie movie, it uses a concept that I don't think most zombie movies would consider. I would have liked for the relationship between Melanie and Miss Justineau to have been fleshed out, as the novel made it seem like they are really fond of each other. Beyond one of the scenes in the movie, that was pretty much the extent of their fondness for each other. 
Jinx!!! - This wasn't so bad, but in terms of conveying emotion or strengthening female friendships, this failed.
The Liar and His Lover - The events of the movie spans during a time when a caterpillar was midway spinning his cocoon to it turning to a butterfly. A lot happens during that time that you wouldn't think would be possible, but it did. However, it's still an enjoyable movie. The butterfly did stand for a metaphor, but as a time line, it was unbelievable.