Three weeks is a long time, especially in Olympia, Washington. Sure, it was nice to reunite with old friends and enjoy the comforts of home with family but that novelty couldn’t fill three weeks of free time. Once the dust had settled, I realized my small town is home to a roller rink that hasn’t seen an update since the 70s, a couple of diners, a movie theater, and not much else. So, naturally, I made it my mission to see as many movies as I possibly could. After several weeks of pounding the pavement and paying my eleven dollars for a seat at the back, here is my list of every single movie I saw from best to worst.
- “Little Women”
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Little Women was everything I wanted and more. Of course, with director Greta Gerwig and a star-studded cast that included names like Timothée Chalamet and Saoirse Ronan, my expectations were sky-high. The film centers on the lives of sisters Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy March and follows their domestic struggles during and immediately after the Civil War. Flipping between scenes of their idyllic childhood and a more down to earth young adulthood, the film effectively creates a whole world in the March household. While it has its moments of poignant (and well placed) political commentary, the film served as a means of escapism for me. With stunning visuals and likable characters, it was easy to get lost in the world the cast and crew created on screen.
I ranked Little Women as my favorite movie of the break because it managed to maintain a fantastical quality as well as including striking messages that extend into the present day. Characters like Jo, her fierce drive and undying quest to become a writer hit close to home and remain the reality for many women in the modern world. The relationships between the March sisters are relatable and real. The whimsical flashbacks to a loving and beautiful childhood presented the audience with a comforting escape from our increasingly serious reality.
- “Uncut Gems”
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I saw this one just a day before I saw Little Women and the two movies could not be more different. Uncut Gems––which (sort of bizarrely) featured Adam Sandler as a down on his luck jeweler––was fast-paced and intense. Although the movie was well over two hours, there wasn’t a single moment of silence. Each and every frame was packed with visual and auditory stimuli. If it wasn’t Kevin Garnett bidding on the sought after gem, it was Adam Sandler getting kicked out of a fancy night club for fighting The Weeknd.
I won’t spoil it, but what really made this film memorable was the ending. After a long and brutal ride, I thought the end would bring some sort of resolution. I was wrong. With a confusing mash of characters, I was more than pleasantly surprised with the results. While it certainly didn’t bring the calming energy of scenic New England, Uncut Gems is well worth the watch.
- “Knives Out”
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All I knew about Knives Out before I saw it was that Chris Evans wore patterned sweaters and it generally resembled a game of Clue. The movie was a quirky comedy about the unfortunate death of an eighty-five-year-old mystery writer, Harlan and the investigation that follows. Daniel Craig, who plays a quick-witted detective is on the case, armed with an over-the-top southern drawl. With ridiculous characters––an Alt-Right teenage boy and a lifestyle guru to name a few––this movie was pure fun.
I enjoyed this film for its quick turns and interesting characters. I spent the whole movie trying to predict the ending (it is a murder mystery, after all) and I still managed to miss the mark. Even if you’re not a fan of murder, go for Chris Evans, his sweaters, and Daniel Craig’s southern accent.
- “Bombshell”
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Bombshell was more about the experience than anything else. I got to go to an advanced screening (thanks Her Campus!) and sit behind a row of film critics. If I guessed correctly, I was directly behind somebody from the Seattle Times––who actually wrote a pretty scathing review The best part was that I got to cut the line of people waiting outside to buy tickets!
The movie itself falls into that category of just fine films. It wasn’t horrible. The film tackles a difficult issue and the nuances of gender in a conservative space were interesting to watch. The acting was convincing and helped me buy into the world of Fox News––plus I always appreciate a Kate McKinnon moment. However, it wasn’t the most memorable film. In the midst of the #MeToo movement, I wonder how necessary it is to center our stories solely around white women. While of course, these women are victims too, I wonder if it is right to center the movement around women who are (in the grand scheme of things) very privileged.
Overall, I liked the movie. If you asked me about it, I would recommend it. There were good moments and some great actresses but something about the story didn’t stick with me. While it was well told, there just wasn’t that extra something to make it a great movie.
- “Frozen Two”
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I should preface this with the fact that I am not a Disney person. I don’t wait for their movies to come out and the little mouse ears indicate nothing of the quality for my personal taste. I can appreciate people’s fondness for the movies, it’s just not me.
If you haven’t seen Frozen Two, imagine if Pocahantas was only white people, that’s basically it. While I appreciate Disney’s attempt to tackle the tough issues of colonialism and imperialism through cartoon characters and songs, the message was kind of lost in the fact that the story still centers around colonial heroes. While certainly more culturally sensitive than Pocahantas (they actually consulted the indigenous people of the region this time), the message didn’t sit right with me.
There were still a couple of moments in the movie that I found enjoyable. Kristoff performs an eighties-Esque ballad as he reflects on his life with Anna. He even has a chorus of reindeer who serve as his backup singers. Additionally, the animation was beautiful––the water sparkled and glistened like I could’ve reached into the screen and touched it. Even in the midst of a confusing message about social justice, there were still some gems.
- “Cats”
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I’m not sure if I should list this as the worst movie or the best. While I was working away on the other movies I saw, the plot (or lack thereof) of Cats was bouncing around in my brain. Both the terrifying CGI that included fully human hands and the misplaced tapdancing number are hard to forget––even if I might want desperately to forget. I’ve never seen the Broadway musical Cats and after the movie, I’m not sure that I ever will. With more mentions of the word “Jellicle” (which was left totally unexplained) than exposition, the movie was a weird mesh of a high budget set with low budget quality.
Cats can be summed up best by Jennifer Hudson’s song “Memories”. We know that her character––named Grizabella––is sad, but we can’t figure out exactly why. Maybe it’s buried somewhere deep in the Jellicle song, but it went completely over my head. Hudson is a beautiful actress and singer, but the movie is still Cats. While she’s belting the words, we’re staring into her human-cat hybrid face, trying not to look at her human acrylic nails. Snot pours out of her nose like a waterfall. The song concludes and she limps away, with little explanation about why. It was hard to appreciate the vocal talent when I was so lost in the jumble of the story.
Well, there you have it, a complete list of everything I did on winter break. Now that I’ve made it to the end of this list, I’m not sure if I should be proud of myself for being so immersed in pop culture or ashamed with how little I accomplished. If nothing else, maybe this will guide some lost soul on their journey to watching all the films that came out this December.