Welcome back to Jade’s Monthly Movies, where I pick my top five movies that I indulged in that month, and talk about why I think everyone should see them. As usual, some of the movies listed contain possibly triggering content and it is suggested to do the appropriate amount of research necessary before you watch, in case the content could affect you!
First on our colorful list is the grimy thriller classic, “Se7en”, this movie follows 2 detectives, played by Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt. It follows Freeman’s nearly retired detective and Pitt’s fresh detective who is training to take over Freeman’s position after he retires. The two of them start investigating a series of grisly murders that they soon discover to be targeted at who the mysterious killer finds representative of each of the seven deadly sins. I gave it five stars on letterboxd.
Second we have a wildly different movie, the 2004 film and romantic drama favorite, “The Notebook”. A rom com classic, and yes, an extremely cheesy movie. With Ryan Gosling as the main character, Noah, and Rachel McAdams as Allie, as we follow their complicated, decades expanding romance. From childhood fling to more. While it is admittedly super cheesy and cliche, it is of course very charming. As most rom coms are, a guilty pleasure. Getting another solid five stars on letterboxd because of the classic feel and feel goodness of the film.
Next we have the psychological thriller “Gone Girl”. This might thave been the absolute favorite out of all the movies I watched this month. When it came out it was either a love or hate thing, I have never met someone who was in between on whether or not they liked this movie. It follows the story of married couple Nick (Ben Affleck) and Amy Dunne (Rosamund Pike) and the tension lies in the mystery of whether Nick is behind the disappearance of Amy. With a plot twist to rival Se7en or Fight Club, it is definitely worth a watch. Another solid 5 star film in my book.
Fourth, we have yet ANOTHER rom-com classic, “Mamma Mia”, and while yes, musicals may not be for everyone, this movie is absolutely worth watching at least once in your life. Following mother-daughter duo Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) and Donna (Meryl Streep), as it nears Sophie’s wedding and Sophie becomes more determined to find out who her father is so that she can be walked down the aisle. She invites 3 of her mothers past suitors to the island where they live, in hopes of finding out which one of them is her dad. It’s a lovely watch, aided by ABBA’s classic music. Another five stars.
And finally, fifth, we have the bittersweet beloved classic, “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”. Following the character of Joel Barish (Jim Carrey) and his ex-girlfriend Clementine (Kate Winslet) after their breakup, when he finds out she has undergone a procedure to erase him from his memory and he decides to do the same to her. It’s a gut wrenching film about the irreversibility of the past and the human memory. One of the most emotional movies I’ve ever seen. Getting a 4 and a half stars on letterboxd because of it being tough to follow at times, but it’s incredible nonetheless.
Again, everyone has different taste in what they like in films. And not all of these movies will be for everyone. Maybe none of them are! However they are all fantastically produced and intriguing films that are worth at least one watch.