2020 Movie Challenge Summary #2

            Hi lot and welcome to 2020 Movie Challenge Summary #2! I think I delivered the promise, to come here with part two somewhere in May – it’s not that late, right? Those two months were… Weird. Different, for sure – being 10 weeks on lock-down gave me, and I am sure a lot of you as well, time to focus our thoughts on something less negative, than this nasty virus.

How am I doing with keeping positive note? My brain works non-stop; whether it’s the podcast, posts, work or workouts, I just keep as busy as possible. I watch more movies and series, that’s for sure. And books, oh God the books. The Dune series blew my tiny mind.

Let’s dig into the March and April movies, though. Those were very interesting categories!

Read 2020 Movie Challenge Summary #1 here – it was such a jump through the genres, oh boy!

How does it work, again?

            Just a reminder, before I move in with the summary – rules are super simple and not very restrictive. Well, okay. Point 5 is pretty tricky, but there are ways to go around… ? You can join the challenge at any point in time. It’s fun! And… We do have the time now, right? Note about “additional activity” which was watching two movie premieres – make it personal. Watch a movie you have never seen before; putting „movie class of 2020” on hold for now.

Let me remind you how it goes, then:

1. Rules are simple – you watch one movie a week. But not just any movie!

2. Each month tab is a separate, dedicated category. I am leaving a liberty of choice when it comes to the movies to you. Surprise me!

3. There is additional task for volunteers – watch at leas two movie premieres a month (it can be in the Cinema, it can be Netflix, HBO, Amazon, Disney+)

5. Write down the title of the movie and write „5-word review” of it.

6. Rate each component – Plot, Acting, Cinematography, Directing and Music on scale from 1 to 5. Excel will do the rest and pull out average final score 🙂

7. Have fun!

MARCH – War movies

            For sure, it was one of the darkest categories in the Challenge, very demanding and maybe a little bit sad? Each category is a concept though, so understanding each “idea” is subjective. And that’s just wonderful! War does have that one particular meaning we all have in mind, but… It does not necessarily must be a negative interpretation.

Here is how this month looked like for me, Marta and Gavin:

            It’s great to see that we didn’t pick the same movies – with only exceptions being Iron Man and Dunkirk. Thank you, guys, for your 5-word-reviews! I know it was hard; I’m struggling each time. I do have a black “movie book” where I elaborate more on each movie, using graphs and all! It will be my hard copy of this Challenge.

Here are the Twin Peaks Café January highlights:

SURPRISE OF THE MONTH: Onward– it was the last movie I watched in the cinema, before they got closed in Poland. It was truly wonderful! The colors, the plot and overall Disney experience! A week after it was released digital and I watched it again, but this time in English with Tom Holland and Chris Pratt doing voice-overs. And I must admit, watching it at home, with soft lights dimmed to a cozy level, tea with raspberries and warm blanket around my arms… Something broke inside me. Being a younger sister… I know the struggles. I hope it will get the recognition it deserves; so far it is the best animated film of 2020.

DISAPPOINTMENT OF THE MONTH: All the bright places – not really a disappointment per-say, but! It’s a movie based on a great book by Jennifer Niven. I read it few years back and it moved me to the core! I will never forget that cold gut feeling I had, when I finished… I think that casting choice for Violet was poor. I had someone else in mind. Anyway, it’s not a bad movie. Just… I expected something else. Give it a watch, though – available on Netflix.

HIGHEST SCORE OF THE MONTH: Onward BUT since I already was mentioned, second place goes to Hook – with 4.9 score, Hook is a great escape in time, back to the glorious bits of childhood! Robin Williams with his prime performance, being soft and lost, like a true Lost Boy! John William’s music is another thing that only makes the experience better.

BEST MOVIE OF THE MONTH: Guava Island – short movie from Donald Glover, directed by Hiro Murai. And this one is a perfect example of understanding war as a concept. I don’t want to spoil the fun of discovering the hidden meaning.

APRIL – Superhero movies

            Now, that was a real treat and yet another concept for subjective interpretation! For me, a superhero movie does not necessarily mean capes and extraordinary powers. Though looking at Gavin’s and Marta’s films, I think I completely overthink things, haha! No, but seriously; we are all kinds of creative – Marta’s cheet-tab on Captain America: Winter Soldier proves it. April gave me great excuse to re-watch few of the “classics” though.

Take a look at our scores:

Here are the Twin Peaks Café April highlights:

SURPRISE OF THE MONTH: Little Woman – sadly, I missed my chance to watch this movie in the cinema, which I really regret because it was great! Why on Earth did I wait with it so long? Grrr. But the plot and message in this film is truly amazing: women are so much more than just “destined to wed”. Sure, this is a good dream for some, but no one ever should cut off the creative wings. And that had even more significant meaning to me, a writer. Can’t wait to read the book – once I’m finished, expect an emotional review.

DISSAPOINTMENT OF THE MONTH: Extraction – holly shit, this was a nightmare to watch. REALLY, I mean, the Russos and Hemsworth, but it was just blasts, shooting, blood (not in a good, old Rambo way) and not much of a story. Good for when you brain needs distraction. So far, it is the second worst movie I watched in 2020.

HIGHEST SCORE OF THE MONTH: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse – perfect score of 5 points! Straight “A” in every possible criteria, which only proves what I wrote in my review a while back: MASTERPIECE and a game changer for all future animated movies.

BEST MOVIE OF THE MONTH: The Dead Poet Society – second month in a row, Robin Williams is in the wall of fame! This movie is extremely important for young adults around the world; it shows the significance of art! Its beauty, meaning and impact it has on all of us. I’m sure you saw it, but trust me: it’s time for a re-watch. And fun fact: book was written after movie was released and it was complete and utter disappointment for me. And you know what? I am so damn glad that I watched this movie as a kid – I think it awakened the sensitivity inside me; the kind of you need to be an artist. I know it’s not fully mature yet, but with this wonderful fertilizer I am sure, it’s just a matter of time.

What’s next?

            Sometime in June, I will come back with part three of this summary, yay! For May we have Star Wars movies (yet again, concept of “star” and “wars”; a little sneak peek from my first movie in May: You’ve got mail!). For June – 90s classics and shout out to all those born in the glorious 90s!

(Just wondering… In 30 years we will be watching classics from 2020. WOW!)

You can still join the challenge – just download the form, watch one movie a week, write 5-words-review and send the file back to me! ? Let’s keep this party live, people! 2020 can still be our year! We just have to make it ours!