So many good films this month, my favourites were Nope, The Cremator, (500) Days of Summer, Eagle vs Shark, Juno and The Sweet East. I also advise that you avoid Fear and Desire and Luz: The Flower of Evil at all costs!
It is crazy to think that I have now completed three months of watching a film every day. At the same time, though, now not watching a film would feel a bit strange. Anyway, here is every film I watched in March:
01/03/24: Inside Man ★★★★☆
Very very fun. Maybe the best heist film I have ever watched.
02/03/24: The Interview ★★★☆☆
The sort of film conservatives will say ‘you can’t make jokes like that anymore, everyone is too sensitive’ about, even though this film, and many similar films, remain popular and untouched by cancel culture.
03/03/24: Nope ★★★★☆
I hardly know what to say about this film. It was so good in such a unique and overwhelming way, and everyone should watch it.
04/03/24: Fear and Desire ★★☆☆☆
I think most people watch this as part of an effort to watch all Kubrick’s films or to see his debut in film. I watched it because I was browsing Amazon Prime for something to watch and it was just there, and the description was vaguely interesting. Unfortunately, the film was incredibly boring, and I actually nodded off at times.
05/03/24: Anyone But You ★★★☆☆
I liked that this felt like one of the classic romantic comedies. It is so stupidly fun.
06/03/24: Uncut Gems ★★★☆☆
The most anxiety inducing film I have ever seen.
07/03/24: Eileen ★★☆☆☆
I really wanted to enjoy this film but nothing in it stood out as remarkable to me. Somehow it was quite boring and unengaging despite the amount of violent crime.
08/03/24: Kicking and Screaming ★★★☆☆
I really loved Frances Ha, which shares its director with Kicking and Screaming, and was hoping for something similar. This film has some similar themes – growing up and navigating adult friendships – but the exploration of these is poor in comparison.
09/03/24: Inglourious Basterds ★★★★☆
It’s so annoying that Tarantino’s films are actually good.
10/03/24: The Cremator ★★★★☆
Like Nope, this film was so good it leaves me almost speechless. All I can say is: unsettling.
11/03/24: Whiplash ★★★☆☆
Slightly overhyped film but still very enjoyable.
12/03/24: How to Have Sex ★★★★☆
The film is not quite a feminist masterpiece, but I do not think it was meant to be. To me it feels more like a commentary on friendship dynamics than anything else – the relations between Tara and her friends as they grow apart as well as the relationship between Paddy and Badger. I think by choosing this direction, rather than aiming to be a feminist masterpiece, the film does not feel like an educational lecture but instead allows the viewer to find comfort in its relatability.
13/03/24: (500) Days of Summer ★★★★★
This was a rewatch of an all-time favourite. It’s funny, almost romantic, and overall, a good way to spend an hour and a half.
14/03/24: The Lizzie McGuire Movie ★★★☆☆
Should be regarded as one of the ‘classics’ in film. Such a feel good film.
15/03/24: Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again ★★★★☆
Very controversial but I think I may prefer Here We Go Again to the original. This is mostly because Donna is my favourite of the characters and Lily James is such a charismatic actor but also because this film was just all about having fun.
16/03/24: What’s Your Number? ★★★☆☆
This has been on ‘My List’ on Netflix for so long. I was sort of putting it off because it seemed like it might cross the line from good trash to unwatchable trash. I was so pleasantly surprised – it was really good trash.
17/03/24: Eagle vs Shark ★★★★☆
So cute and silly. This might be a new comfort film for me.
18/03/24: Tangled ★★★☆☆
I had a terrible cold, and this almost remedied it.
19/03/24: Sister Act ★★★★☆
I went into this with fairly low expectations, as low as they can be for a Whoopi Goldberg film, but this was amazing. Definitely one of my favourite action films.
20/03/24: Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit ★★★☆☆
Sister Act was so good I wanted to immediately watch the sequel. This one was pretty good, but it pales in comparison to the original.
21/03/24: A Haunting in Venice ★★★☆☆
This felt like a parody of murder mysteries. I really enjoyed that it felt unserious and like it was laughing at itself – though I am unsure if this was intentional.
22/03/24: Look Both Ways ★★★☆☆
I liked the concept of this film – two potential versions of a woman’s life following the result of a pregnancy test. The message revealed at the end, though, was a stupid and strange. It seemed to suggest that it doesn’t matter whether you are a mother or childless and that what matters is having an attractive boyfriend and money.
23/03/24: Crazy, Stupid Love ★★★★☆
Truly a classic piece of cinema. Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone are too good at their jobs.
24/03/24: Juno ★★★★★
Juno is the sweetest film ever made. Every single song on this film’s soundtrack is so perfect – so grateful that this film introduced me to Kimya Dawson’s music.
25/03/24: Luz: The Flower of Evil ★☆☆☆☆
Sooooo confusing. Felt like an AI generated film.
26/03/24: Damsel ★★☆☆☆
This was really quite terrible but somehow it managed to entertain me enough to not turn it off.
27/03/24: Heat ★★★☆☆
Heat had everything needed for a good crime/action film. However, it felt very formulaic and not dissimilar to every other film of this genre (excluding the fantastic Sister Act.) This made the plot very predictable and took away from the excitement and drama it hoped to involve.
28/03/24: To Kill a Child ★★★★☆
Such a good short film. I only really decided to watch this film because it was getting late, and it had been sat on ‘My List’ on Netflix for months. Like with What’s Your Number I was very surprised at how much I enjoyed it.
29/03/24:What We Do in the Shadows ★★★★☆
Another very silly film. What We Do in the Shadows is the funniest film I have watched this month. And by funniest I mean that it was just so silly and stupid in the best way.
30/03/24: The Sweet East ★★★★★
Literally the best new film I have seen in so long. The visuals are beautiful, the soundtrack is fantastic, and the plot is hilariously random. (if you aren’t already sold, the film features an amazing cast including Ayo Edebiri and Jacob Elordi).
31/03/24: Poor Things ★★★★☆
Another film I was very late to watching (oopsie). I am not really a fan of this film being considered feminist – it felt like a watered down version of what sexual and non-sexual liberation means, perhaps to make the film more palatable to men and therefore a wider audience. Still though, Poor Things does succeed in many other ways – the sets, the acting and the costumes are the standout aspects for me.
