Last movie you watched & your rating

[Kong Wen]

I've watched my sixteenth film of the year:

Fighting with My Family (2019) — 8.1/10

2021-05-04: This is a cute little film that I've been meaning to watch for some time but haven't actually put much proactive effort into seeking out, ever since I saw it was written & directed by Stephen Merchant. By total coincidence, Florence Pugh is also the lead in this one, so I'm on an unintentional Pughfest right now. Anyway, it was a good movie, a little bit by-the-numbers (although it did feature a couple of nice subverted expectations). The biggest weakness was that it was pretty much WWE propaganda. Vince Vaughan put in a surprisingly good performance as well.


2021-01-07: 7.6/10 The Sisters Brothers (2018)
2021-01-17: 8.5/10 Tenet (2020)
2021-01-27: 8.6/10 Uncut Gems (2019)
2021-01-29: 8.5/10 Tenet (2020)
2021-02-06: 6.5/10 The Dig (2021)
2021-02-27: 2.0/10 Red Dot (2021)
2021-03-12: 7.9/10 La Bamba (1987)
2021-03-21: 2.0/10 Deadly Illusions (2021)
2021-03-27: 6.9/10 Zach Snyder's Justice League (2021)
2021-04-03: 8.0/10 Crip Camp (2020)
2021-04-10: 9.0/10 Sicario (2015)
2021-04-16: 6.0/10 Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal (2021)
2021-04-19: 8.1/10 Green Book (2018)
2021-04-25: 8.4/10 Nightcrawler (2014)
2021-05-01: 8.4/10 Midsommar (2019)
2021-05-04: 8.1/10 Fighting with My Family (2019)

[Kong Wen]

I've watched my seventeenth film of the year:

The Upside (2017) — 7.0/10

2021-05-11: No Pugh in this one. This is a little dramedy starring Cranston & Hart. It's extremely tidy and predictable, and the ending felt a bit rushed, but overall it was a cute, harmless little film.


2021-01-07: 7.6/10 The Sisters Brothers (2018)
2021-01-17: 8.5/10 Tenet (2020)
2021-01-27: 8.6/10 Uncut Gems (2019)
2021-01-29: 8.5/10 Tenet (2020)
2021-02-06: 6.5/10 The Dig (2021)
2021-02-27: 2.0/10 Red Dot (2021)
2021-03-12: 7.9/10 La Bamba (1987)
2021-03-21: 2.0/10 Deadly Illusions (2021)
2021-03-27: 6.9/10 Zach Snyder's Justice League (2021)
2021-04-03: 8.0/10 Crip Camp (2020)
2021-04-10: 9.0/10 Sicario (2015)
2021-04-16: 6.0/10 Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal (2021)
2021-04-19: 8.1/10 Green Book (2018)
2021-04-25: 8.4/10 Nightcrawler (2014)
2021-05-01: 8.4/10 Midsommar (2019)
2021-05-04: 8.1/10 Fighting with My Family (2019)
2021-05-11: 7.0/10 The Upside (2017)

[Kong Wen]

I've watched my eighteenth film of the year:

The Woman in the Window (2021) — 7.2/10

2021-05-14: This is a Netflix thriller with a bizarrely stacked cast, including the two most recent Captains America. It's not bad. I like the house, and Amy Adams was good. Too much of the drama seemed unrealistically staged. There are a few scenes where the action is almost completely theatrically staged, very intentionally, so it made me wonder if some of the drama being unrealistically staged was also intentional... maybe, but I doubt it. It was directed by the guy who did that recent Winston Churchill film Darkest Hour! Anyway, it was a thriller.


2021-01-07: 7.6/10 The Sisters Brothers (2018)
2021-01-17: 8.5/10 Tenet (2020)
2021-01-27: 8.6/10 Uncut Gems (2019)
2021-01-29: 8.5/10 Tenet (2020)
2021-02-06: 6.5/10 The Dig (2021)
2021-02-27: 2.0/10 Red Dot (2021)
2021-03-12: 7.9/10 La Bamba (1987)
2021-03-21: 2.0/10 Deadly Illusions (2021)
2021-03-27: 6.9/10 Zach Snyder's Justice League (2021)
2021-04-03: 8.0/10 Crip Camp (2020)
2021-04-10: 9.0/10 Sicario (2015)
2021-04-16: 6.0/10 Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal (2021)
2021-04-19: 8.1/10 Green Book (2018)
2021-04-25: 8.4/10 Nightcrawler (2014)
2021-05-01: 8.4/10 Midsommar (2019)
2021-05-04: 8.1/10 Fighting with My Family (2019)
2021-05-11: 7.0/10 The Upside (2017)
2021-05-14: 7.2/10 The Woman in the Window (2021)

[Kong Wen]

I've watched my nineteenth film of the year:

Paddington (2014) — 8.2/10

2021-05-22: This was a cute kids' movie about a cute bear doing old-fashioned Britishness nostalgia. It's an allegory of xenophobia and postcolonial collapse, but not in a hit-you-over-the-head with it way. I mean, it's not subtle, but it's not preachy, so I can see it being good for establishing a base layer of tolerance in kids. The bear also sometimes says funny things. Actually there's a pretty good undercurrent of dry British humour sprinkled throughout, usually in throwaway lines.


2021-01-07: 7.6/10 The Sisters Brothers (2018)
2021-01-17: 8.5/10 Tenet (2020)
2021-01-27: 8.6/10 Uncut Gems (2019)
2021-01-29: 8.5/10 Tenet (2020)
2021-02-06: 6.5/10 The Dig (2021)
2021-02-27: 2.0/10 Red Dot (2021)
2021-03-12: 7.9/10 La Bamba (1987)
2021-03-21: 2.0/10 Deadly Illusions (2021)
2021-03-27: 6.9/10 Zach Snyder's Justice League (2021)
2021-04-03: 8.0/10 Crip Camp (2020)
2021-04-10: 9.0/10 Sicario (2015)
2021-04-16: 6.0/10 Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal (2021)
2021-04-19: 8.1/10 Green Book (2018)
2021-04-25: 8.4/10 Nightcrawler (2014)
2021-05-01: 8.4/10 Midsommar (2019)
2021-05-04: 8.1/10 Fighting with My Family (2019)
2021-05-11: 7.0/10 The Upside (2017)
2021-05-14: 7.2/10 The Woman in the Window (2021)
2021-05-22: 8.2/10 Paddington (2014)

[Kong Wen]

I've watched my twentieth film of the year:

Eighth Grade (2018) — 8.4/10

2021-06-06: I'd been meaning to watch this for a while, but watching Burnham's latest special reignited my interest and I finally sat down to make it happen. It's a great, awkward coming-of-age story that, surprisingly, didn't feel overloaded by Bo gag hallmarks (there were a couple, though). Nice directing. The main kid's acting is what really shines, though. She's natural and believable. It's a very good film about anxiety and how younger generations deal with anxiety, mental health, and being inundated by social media and the internet (and how they deal with the idea of generations, even). Another nice thing is that the arc is nice and tight. The movie's around 90 minutes long.


2021-01-07: 7.6/10 The Sisters Brothers (2018)
2021-01-17: 8.5/10 Tenet (2020)
2021-01-27: 8.6/10 Uncut Gems (2019)
2021-01-29: 8.5/10 Tenet (2020)
2021-02-06: 6.5/10 The Dig (2021)
2021-02-27: 2.0/10 Red Dot (2021)
2021-03-12: 7.9/10 La Bamba (1987)
2021-03-21: 2.0/10 Deadly Illusions (2021)
2021-03-27: 6.9/10 Zach Snyder's Justice League (2021)
2021-04-03: 8.0/10 Crip Camp (2020)
2021-04-10: 9.0/10 Sicario (2015)
2021-04-16: 6.0/10 Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal (2021)
2021-04-19: 8.1/10 Green Book (2018)
2021-04-25: 8.4/10 Nightcrawler (2014)
2021-05-01: 8.4/10 Midsommar (2019)
2021-05-04: 8.1/10 Fighting with My Family (2019)
2021-05-11: 7.0/10 The Upside (2017)
2021-05-14: 7.2/10 The Woman in the Window (2021)
2021-05-22: 8.2/10 Paddington (2014)
2021-06-06: 8.4/10 Eighth Grade (2018)

[Kong Wen]

I've watched my twenty-first film of the year:

Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) — 8.1/10

2021-06-13: After watching The Falcon and the Winter Soldier earlier this year, Mrs. Kong got interested in revisiting the Captain America side of the MCU again, so we re-watched the first one. We'll probably finish this little side-quest and then move on to the Thor movies because of the Loki series. Anyway, this was about as pleasant as I remember it being. It's nice to see Steve's origins as the good kind incorruptible little fellah. #TeamCap


2021-01-07: 7.6/10 The Sisters Brothers (2018)
2021-01-17: 8.5/10 Tenet (2020)
2021-01-27: 8.6/10 Uncut Gems (2019)
2021-01-29: 8.5/10 Tenet (2020)
2021-02-06: 6.5/10 The Dig (2021)
2021-02-27: 2.0/10 Red Dot (2021)
2021-03-12: 7.9/10 La Bamba (1987)
2021-03-21: 2.0/10 Deadly Illusions (2021)
2021-03-27: 6.9/10 Zach Snyder's Justice League (2021)
2021-04-03: 8.0/10 Crip Camp (2020)
2021-04-10: 9.0/10 Sicario (2015)
2021-04-16: 6.0/10 Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal (2021)
2021-04-19: 8.1/10 Green Book (2018)
2021-04-25: 8.4/10 Nightcrawler (2014)
2021-05-01: 8.4/10 Midsommar (2019)
2021-05-04: 8.1/10 Fighting with My Family (2019)
2021-05-11: 7.0/10 The Upside (2017)
2021-05-14: 7.2/10 The Woman in the Window (2021)
2021-05-22: 8.2/10 Paddington (2014)
2021-06-06: 8.4/10 Eighth Grade (2018)
2021-06-13: 8.1/10 Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

[Kong Wen]

I've watched my twenty-second film of the year:

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) — 8.3/10

2021-06-14: Second entry in our Captain America marathon. This holds up pretty well. A solid introductory effort for Falcon ("I do everything he does, but slower"). Lots of Nat, lots of Nick. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier series really recaptured this film's feel, which was definitely intentional. There's some truly crazy shit in here in terms of Cap's super-abilities. He falls from some pretty great heights. He uh... fist-fights against a jet, lol. Good movie.


2021-01-07: 7.6/10 The Sisters Brothers (2018)
2021-01-17: 8.5/10 Tenet (2020)
2021-01-27: 8.6/10 Uncut Gems (2019)
2021-01-29: 8.5/10 Tenet (2020)
2021-02-06: 6.5/10 The Dig (2021)
2021-02-27: 2.0/10 Red Dot (2021)
2021-03-12: 7.9/10 La Bamba (1987)
2021-03-21: 2.0/10 Deadly Illusions (2021)
2021-03-27: 6.9/10 Zach Snyder's Justice League (2021)
2021-04-03: 8.0/10 Crip Camp (2020)
2021-04-10: 9.0/10 Sicario (2015)
2021-04-16: 6.0/10 Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal (2021)
2021-04-19: 8.1/10 Green Book (2018)
2021-04-25: 8.4/10 Nightcrawler (2014)
2021-05-01: 8.4/10 Midsommar (2019)
2021-05-04: 8.1/10 Fighting with My Family (2019)
2021-05-11: 7.0/10 The Upside (2017)
2021-05-14: 7.2/10 The Woman in the Window (2021)
2021-05-22: 8.2/10 Paddington (2014)
2021-06-06: 8.4/10 Eighth Grade (2018)
2021-06-13: 8.1/10 Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
2021-06-14: 8.3/10 Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

[Kong Wen]

I wasn't initially going to count Bo Burnham's Inside as a "movie" since I see it more as a stand-up special, but upon rewatching it, I've changed my mind. So on that note, I edited it into my schedule of films this year, and that makes this my twenty-third, twenty-fourth, and twenty-fifth films of the year.

Bo Burnham: Inside (2021) — 9.9/10

2021-06-18: I'm a fan of Bo's previous specials, but his latest, Inside, is really on a whole other level, in many ways representing the maturation and culmination of his previous work and themes. So in addition to having pithy witty insights on culture, he's also fucking hilarious and the music is really good. Best Bo show in who know how lo.

Thor (2011) — 8.0/10

2021-06-19: I know we're in the middle of a Captain Amerithon, but since we're watching the TV series Loki we also thought it would be a good idea to revisit the origins of the important characters and events featuring in that series. The original Thor is a fun, short & sweet fish out of water movie that actually does a great job introducing Thor into the MCU. He's charming, affable, and confident. The arc is pretty simple though. He just get banished, realizes he needs to be a good guy, is a good guy, and then gets redeemed. It's pretty quick and maybe a tiny bit unearned, but they pretty much just wanted to get the hammer in his hands before Avengers. Fun.


2021-01-07: 7.6/10 The Sisters Brothers (2018)
2021-01-17: 8.5/10 Tenet (2020)
2021-01-27: 8.6/10 Uncut Gems (2019)
2021-01-29: 8.5/10 Tenet (2020)
2021-02-06: 6.5/10 The Dig (2021)
2021-02-27: 2.0/10 Red Dot (2021)
2021-03-12: 7.9/10 La Bamba (1987)
2021-03-21: 2.0/10 Deadly Illusions (2021)
2021-03-27: 6.9/10 Zach Snyder's Justice League (2021)
2021-04-03: 8.0/10 Crip Camp (2020)
2021-04-10: 9.0/10 Sicario (2015)
2021-04-16: 6.0/10 Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal (2021)
2021-04-19: 8.1/10 Green Book (2018)
2021-04-25: 8.4/10 Nightcrawler (2014)
2021-05-01: 8.4/10 Midsommar (2019)
2021-05-04: 8.1/10 Fighting with My Family (2019)
2021-05-11: 7.0/10 The Upside (2017)
2021-05-14: 7.2/10 The Woman in the Window (2021)
2021-05-22: 8.2/10 Paddington (2014)
2021-05-30: 9.9/10 Bo Burnham: Inside (2021)
2021-06-06: 8.4/10 Eighth Grade (2018)
2021-06-13: 8.1/10 Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
2021-06-14: 8.3/10 Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
2021-06-18: 9.9/10 Bo Burnham: Inside (2021)
2021-06-19: 8.0/10 Thor (2011)

[Kong Wen]

I've watched my twenty-sixth film of the year:

Thor: The Dark World (2013) — 7.7/10

2021-06-20: Thor 2 actually held up a lot better on re-watch than it did when I initially saw it in cinemas. I guess all the additional context and payoffs from the later movies helped situate what was happening with Odin and the Dark Elves etc. in this one. Still doesn't make it a top-tier MCU film. Thor's arc in this one is kind of flat and boring. Loki is good in it, but also kind of flat—still, it lays the groundwork for their more legitimate collaboration in Ragnarok.


2021-01-07: 7.6/10 The Sisters Brothers (2018)
2021-01-17: 8.5/10 Tenet (2020)
2021-01-27: 8.6/10 Uncut Gems (2019)
2021-01-29: 8.5/10 Tenet (2020)
2021-02-06: 6.5/10 The Dig (2021)
2021-02-27: 2.0/10 Red Dot (2021)
2021-03-12: 7.9/10 La Bamba (1987)
2021-03-21: 2.0/10 Deadly Illusions (2021)
2021-03-27: 6.9/10 Zach Snyder's Justice League (2021)
2021-04-03: 8.0/10 Crip Camp (2020)
2021-04-10: 9.0/10 Sicario (2015)
2021-04-16: 6.0/10 Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal (2021)
2021-04-19: 8.1/10 Green Book (2018)
2021-04-25: 8.4/10 Nightcrawler (2014)
2021-05-01: 8.4/10 Midsommar (2019)
2021-05-04: 8.1/10 Fighting with My Family (2019)
2021-05-11: 7.0/10 The Upside (2017)
2021-05-14: 7.2/10 The Woman in the Window (2021)
2021-05-22: 8.2/10 Paddington (2014)
2021-05-30: 9.9/10 Bo Burnham: Inside (2021)
2021-06-06: 8.4/10 Eighth Grade (2018)
2021-06-13: 8.1/10 Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
2021-06-14: 8.3/10 Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
2021-06-18: 9.9/10 Bo Burnham: Inside (2021)
2021-06-19: 8.0/10 Thor (2011)
2021-06-20: 7.7/10 Thor: The Dark World (2013)

[Kong Wen]

I've watched my twenty-seventh film of the year:

Thor: Ragnarok (2017) — 9.3/10

2021-06-22: You guessed it. We polished off the Thor trilogy this week with one of my favourite movies in the MCU, a movie with Taiki Waititi's fingerprints all over it. I love the comedy, the neon aesthetic, the great fitting music, the Thor/Loki and Thor/Banner dynamic, and the bombast. Fun stuff. Can't wait to see Love and Thunder.


2021-01-07: 7.6/10 The Sisters Brothers (2018)
2021-01-17: 8.5/10 Tenet (2020)
2021-01-27: 8.6/10 Uncut Gems (2019)
2021-01-29: 8.5/10 Tenet (2020)
2021-02-06: 6.5/10 The Dig (2021)
2021-02-27: 2.0/10 Red Dot (2021)
2021-03-12: 7.9/10 La Bamba (1987)
2021-03-21: 2.0/10 Deadly Illusions (2021)
2021-03-27: 6.9/10 Zach Snyder's Justice League (2021)
2021-04-03: 8.0/10 Crip Camp (2020)
2021-04-10: 9.0/10 Sicario (2015)
2021-04-16: 6.0/10 Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal (2021)
2021-04-19: 8.1/10 Green Book (2018)
2021-04-25: 8.4/10 Nightcrawler (2014)
2021-05-01: 8.4/10 Midsommar (2019)
2021-05-04: 8.1/10 Fighting with My Family (2019)
2021-05-11: 7.0/10 The Upside (2017)
2021-05-14: 7.2/10 The Woman in the Window (2021)
2021-05-22: 8.2/10 Paddington (2014)
2021-05-30: 9.9/10 Bo Burnham: Inside (2021)
2021-06-06: 8.4/10 Eighth Grade (2018)
2021-06-13: 8.1/10 Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
2021-06-14: 8.3/10 Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
2021-06-18: 9.9/10 Bo Burnham: Inside (2021)
2021-06-19: 8.0/10 Thor (2011)
2021-06-20: 7.7/10 Thor: The Dark World (2013)
2021-06-22: 9.3/10 Thor: Ragnarok (2017)