Sunday, July 29, 2018

Movies of the Month {July}

A few months ago the hubby and I each signed up for a MoviePass membership. In case you're unfamiliar with the program, you pay $9.95 per month and can see as many movies in the theater as you'd like (there are a few restrictions... like "unlimited" means one per day, only certain theaters work, no 3D or IMAX films, and can only see the same movie once, but for the most part it's all-inclusive). Although going to the theater has never really been my jam, it speaks the hubby's love language so I signed us up. {FYI - On Tuesdays, our local theater's movie tickets are discounted for $7 a piece, but otherwise the cheapest you can find is $10.70 for a matinee... which means if you go more than once a month you're technically saving money!} Since we're seeing more movies now, maybe you wanna know our thoughts on them.


So, let's get into it already, shall we?! I mean, that's why you are visiting the blog today, right?! You all are sitting on the edge of your seat waiting to get our thoughts on the movies we saw... I guess you can call us the new Siskel and Ebert!


Sicario 2

The hubby and I were pretty excited to see this one because we both really enjoyed Sicario. I will do my best to not give away anything (although since this was the first movie we saw of the month, I'd assume that most folks who wanted to see this one in the theaters have already seen it), but let me say that although I did really like this one, it is a bit of a bummer when you get the sense they are trying to set it up for a follow-up film... like they don't wrap up the story in a neat, little bow so they can make another movie... and that's how I felt towards the end of this one... not to mention the last scene left me a little bummed/ frustrated. With that said, I didn't love it as much as the first (it's always hard to live up to the original in my opinion), but I did appreciate the additional depth we got with most of the characters in this one.

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Uncle Drew

I was actually pretty excited for this one. I remember a few years back when a company had commercials with current NBA players that got made over to look like elderly guys and took it to unsuspecting "victims" and I loved them. Not only was this one filled with some good basketball, it tugged at your heartstrings a bit too (even if it is full of tons of product placement). You know I love a good underdog story, and that's what this movie had as an underlying theme. Oh yeah, and the joke to "Preacher" about not having a timeout in the final game was pretty perfect! (I realize not everyone knew that Chris Webber was the legend playing Preacher nor do they know the history of the Fab Five, but don't worry, I got it!) We took a 10, 11 and 14 year old with us to see the film (after their parents okay'ed the content) and they all really liked it too.

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Ant-Man and The Wasp

Originally the hubby wanted to see Hearts Beat Loud. It wasn't playing at our normal theater, so we drove the extra 15 miles to a different theater. Well, when we got up to the window to get our tickets they told us they cancelled it... Instead of heading home, we figured we'd check out Ant-Man and The Wasp. In complete transparency, neither of us had seen the first one in this series, but were planning to eventually watch it and then see this movie. We were slightly nervous we wouldn't know what was going on, but like most superhero type movies you don't really need to know much backstory. I was actually pleasantly surprised with this movie and really enjoyed it. I shouldn't' be surprised, since I like Paul Rudd, but wasn't sure if it would be a really corny film. I wouldn't say it's the best one of the Marvel series, but it has some heart and kept me entertained (especially since the A/C was broken in the theater and it was one of the hottest days of the year).

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Sorry To Bother You

I think we had only seen maybe one preview for this movie, but we were both intrigued so when it finally made it to our local theater we went over to see it. Well, let's just say maybe there was a reason we only saw one preview ;) It was WEIRD! Don't get me wrong, there was definitely a message behind the strangeness, but once it was finished the hubby and I looked at each other and both said "WHAT THE CRAP?!". One of the benefits of MoviePass is you are only, in essence, spending maybe $2 on a viewing instead of $12-15 so when movies turn out differently than you had expected it isn't a huge commitment. Now I am not saying this was a terrible movie, but it definitely was NOT what I was expecting. In fact, I probably should have researched this movie a little more beforehand to give myself a clue... When the hubby was looking into the ending he mentioned the film was considered a "low budget sci-fi comedy" and had I know the sci-fi part I may not have been thrown off so much ;) But, hey, I will give Boots Riley (the rapper turned director) MAJOR props for a very original film that touches on some important issues (if you can see them through the insanity on the screen)!

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Hotel Transylvania 3

Okay, so the hubby and I haven't seen the first two, but we were hoping we'd be able to follow the story line enough. MoviePass just changed their program and now if you want to see a prime movie during a prime time you have to pay an extra fee (LAMESAUCE - although they're saying it's preventing them from having to charge everyone more, so I guess we just change our habits slightly and won't have to worry about the additional costs). With that said, we had to drive over to a different theater so we could see this one, but it ended up being worth it. Both the hubby and I thought it was cute (you know, it's a kid movie, so that's sort of what you expect). I love that the old Adam Sandler crew was back together again - they must really enjoy working together if they continue doing it year after year. I wouldn't say this was one we'd normally have gone to the theater to see (unless we were taking our nephews or friend's kids), but we still enjoyed it.

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Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again

I guess the theme of this month's movies is watching a sequel without seeing the original movie - oops. But when your friend's daughter asks you to take her to see this when it comes out AND you get free passes from Regal for a pre-screening, you hit up the theater. I do have to say that I have seen a play of the original movie (just a couple weeks ago, actually), so I think I had a decent idea of what was going on when we arrived. It ended up being a bit of a prequel and sequel at the same time. The story jumped back and forth between Donna (the mom) meeting the three potential fathers for Sophie (the daughter) and how that paralleled with Sophie's life in the present day. It ended up being a real fun movie (the 11 year old girl who I brought with me said "the first one had better songs but I really loved this one too"). I don't think I would say it was theater worthy (at least for me), but we tapped our toes and smiled for the majority of the movie.

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The Equalizer 2

And while we're at it, let's throw this film into the mix of movies we haven't seen the original for but went to watch the follow-up... Or maybe we have seen the original but forgot about it... Either way, we figured that the action type film wouldn't be too reliant on the story from the first movie so we'd be able to make our way through without too much issue - and we were totally right. I swear, Denzel Washington never ages! And he is continuing to kick booty! The hubby and I both really enjoyed this one. At times I felt like it was a little slow (only because I figured we had to be coming up on the end soon and there was still so much story to tell), but overall it was action packed with a little sentiment sprinkled on top.

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Three Identical Strangers

Wowser, what a crazy story! I'm too young (or maybe too oblivious) to remember when it originally hit the news (because, from the looks of it, it was EVERYWHERE), but this was cray-cray! This movie kept me interested and engaged from start to finish. Without giving too much away, three identical triplets were separated at birth and found each other when they were 19. The film dives into their journey and then takes a crazy turn... These boys weren't just separated at birth because the adoption agency thought it would be harder to place triplets, but because of RESEARCH! It was mind boggling to watch, so I can't even imagine what it was like to live and realize you were essentially a human lab rat. And the even crazier part is... the research that was being done never was released... so you can imaging the questions surrounding the study. And since the results were never published, there are potentially people in the world that don't know they have a twin walking around - wouldn't it be crazy if you turned the corner and saw yourself staring back at you?!

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Blindspotting

As you can see, the hubby and I see our fair share of movies, so when a new one comes out we've normally seen the preview probably 20 times. And when a movie hits the theater and we've NEVER seen a preview for it, well, let’s just say we're intrigued. That was the case with this one. We hadn’t seen any previews, but had gotten an email from MoviePass reminding us that it was opening. Sure, why not. Wow! This movie was ________. Yup, that line was meant to be there. I couldn’t come up with the perfect word to put... It was real, it was funny, it was serious, it was tackling huge issues, it was impactful, it was powerful, it was thought provoking, it was a must-see. In case you hadn’t heard of it (since we hadn’t before walking into the theater), it is a story about the intersection of race and class set against the backdrop of a rapidly gentrifying Oakland. I love that the two main characters are the two guys who produced, co-wrote and starred in the film.

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And with that our July movies have come to an end. I was able to see 9 movies while the hubby saw 8. I think that is what you consider a WIN for the McDots ;) With our MoviePass membership, my movies each cost approximately $1.11 a viewing and the hubby's were $1.24 - a MAJOR savings compared to actual box office prices! BOOMSHAKALAKA!

What was the last movie you saw in the theater?

3 comments:

John Hykes said...

We saw a lot of the same movies! I really enjoyed "Sorry To Bother You," but also left shaking my head, unsure of what i saw. "Three Identical Strangers" was great. I got confused by which brother was which. Went into "Equalizer 2" the same way and really enjoyed it. The scene in the hidden closet had me as anxious as the border crossing scene in the 1st "Sicario" (have not seen the 2nd yet).

"Blindspotting" is on my August list, as is "Mission Impossible."

Unknown said...

I love my moviepass too! I’m just so nervous they’re going bankrupt any day now. I’m not even 6months into my subscription! Ugh!

Tracy said...

I saw quite a few of the same movies in July! Like you, I also never saw the first two Hotel Transylvania movies, but you really didn't need to. I also was baffled at Sorry to Bother You. In addition, I saw Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and Mission Impossible. I ended with my second viewing of The Incredibles 2 (I couldn't help it-Elastigirl is my fav)!

I loved my MoviePass until they started with the $8 surcharge for weekends and blocking new releases. I cancelled before they totally sink.