01/16: Monthly Recap

January was quite a month. For all the things that happened (entertainment industry-wise), what saddened me was the loss of Alan Rickman. He is such a great actor not only on the Harry Potter movies but on his other endeavors as well. My favorite character of his (besides Snape) was Alexander Dane in Galaxy Quest – never have I seen Rickman handle a comedic role that well.

There were a bit of minimal changes on the blog – this section included. I am also going to try to stick to a blogging schedule, as I won’t be online as much. I’m also doing a reading challenge this year – I went with Book Riot’s Read Harder Challenge, with my progress and mini-reviews linked in the projects header of the blog. I’ve also foregone my top 10 films and performances for the year as I haven’t had the time to work on the respective posts. 

With that said, here’s what I’ve watched this month:

Thursday Movie Picks: Movies Adapted From Movies of a Different Language

Thursday Movie Picks is back (on my blog at least)! The weekly event hosted by Wandering Through the Shelves is on its third year so if you’re up to join the fun, head over to her blog! This week’s theme is about movies adapted from movies of a different language. I usually try to put movies that I like but I'm listing down movies that I thought were really bad and would never want to watch again.

Blind Spot: A Woman Under the Influence

I was digging around the filmography of Gena Rowlands when I stumbled upon a group of films that she had made with her husband, actor-director John Cassavetes. I was curious to watch their films together as some had really good subject matters, but I didn't know where to start. That was a few years ago, and I never got around to watching any of their films until now. It can be said that A Woman Under the Influence is one of Cassavetes' acclaimed work, garnering him a nod for director, with Rowlands scoring a best actress nomination. A film centered on family life, it divulges into the personal and social effects garnered due to the mother's mental instability. 

Room

Brie Larson isn’t an unknown name; she has been getting some buzz for her previous roles, but it is here in Room that her name is finally circulating awards buzz and is getting rewarded for it. I’m a bit of a sucker for emerging artists so I had to check out the film she’s getting the buzz for. Room is based from the novel of Emma Donoghue, about a boy named Jack and his Ma who lived in the Room for 5 years. One day, his ma had enough and devised a plan to get her and Jack out of the clutches of Old Nick, their captor. Leaving captivity behind, both Jack and Ma had to readjust back to society.

Brooklyn

Saoirse Ronan is no stranger to recognition. She has been in projects of note, starting with her acclaimed performance in Atonement. Her name is now in award season talks for her role in Brooklyn, a story of love between an Irish immigrant and two suitable men, an Italian residing in America and a fellow Irish back home. She is getting quite the praise for the role, and the film was garnering positive reviews, which prompted me to seek this out. 

Favorite New Shows of 2015

The year-end list continues! I initially wanted to do a top 10 but that would mean naming my usual television haunts so I’m going with shows that premiered this year. I still have a lot of critically acclaimed shows to catch up on for the year, but so far the following shows after the cut are those that I loved for the year. The list is not ranked, but arranged alphabetically.

The Danish Girl

After Eddie Redmayne wowed critics in his award-winning turn last year, everyone was tuning in for his next project. It finds him in The Danish Girl, where he played Einar Wegener, a painter who realizes and unearths his true being in the form of Lili. This revelation plays a big part in his relationship with his wife, played by Alicia Vikander, and how it affects her.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Happy New Year everyone! What better way to start a new year with a film everyone watched over the holiday season – The Force Awakens! I didn’t get to see it until after Christmas so avoided all reviews (including spoiler free ones) until I got to watch it for myself.* I went to watch the original trilogy in preparation for the seventh film. The wait was over, everyone was simply raving about it on social media – I have to say, I definitely agree with the hype; the film simply delivers to expectation and I cannot wait for the next installment.

*It was almost a spoiler-free run, until my cousin mentioned a scene over Christmas dinner. Merry Christmas to me.