Movie Tuesday
- McKayla Walker
- Oct 4, 2016
- 7 min read
Get it, like Ruby Tuesday?
I recently had a friend come home from out of the country, and he was MIA for two years and has no idea what movies to watch. SO, here are my movie recommendations for 2014-2016.
Comedies
1. 22 Jump Street (2015)
Probably one of the best movie sequels I have ever seen. 22 Jump Street plays to the strengths that were in it's predecessor, as well as all the greatness that is Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, and mocking stereotypes that make it rock your socks.
2. The Lego Movie (2014)
I was super apprehensive about seeing this initially, and I am so happy that I ended up watching it. It's a feel good visual masterpiece that you could watch with anyone at any age, and every person viewing would be super entertained.
3. Deadpool (2016)
Action/Comedy Deadpool is the first R-rated Marvel movie released and it did PHENOMENALLY well in the box office. Ryan Reynolds slays as Wade Wilson and this may have been one of my favorite movies this year!
4. Zootopia (2016) and The Secret Life of Pets (2016)
Two animal themed movies released this last summer that were adorable and perfect get lumped together for this one. I don't get tired of watching either! Zootopia follows the heartwarming story of a young bunny who has only ever wanted to be a cop in the big city who befriends a sly fox and they solve crime. The Secret Life of Pets is about a dog, Max, who gets lost, and all of his other pet friends go to find them. I am an adult and approve these movies for viewers of any gender or age, everywhere.
5. Inside Out (2015)
I am aware that a lot of this list of good comedies has a lot of animated films. BUT this movie was fantastic. Inside Out was made to explain what happens in our minds and different ways the brain works, but in a super funny, animated way! Well worth watching.
6. Daddy's Home (2015)
Gotta love Will Ferrell. And be warned, even though this is a super hilarious movie, I definitely cried in it because it is kind of touching. And they're really mean to Will Ferrell's character at one point, and that brings on the tears.
Thrillers and Horror
1. Bridge of Spies (2015)
Based in the 1960's during the Cold War, Tom Hank's lawyer character is in charge of a negotion between a Russian spy and a United States Pilot. It's incredibly interesting and one of the better spy-drama/triller movies I have seen.
2. Jurassic World (2015)
I'm not sure how much of a "thriller" this one really is, but you are on the edge of your seat the whole time. Mostly laughing. Jurassic World was super well done and follows the story years in the future, in a world where dinosaurs are the new normal, so they need to keep engineering new breeds to make them more terrifying to the public. Obviously, this doesn't go very well.
3. Non-Stop (2014)
This is the only movie I have ever watched in the comfort of my home that I didn't look at my phone ONCE the entire time. It's THAT good. Non-Stop follows Liam Nesson as a U.S. Air Martial in a non-stop flight to London where a bomb has been placed on the plane. Honestly, I still talk about how good this movie is because it was tremendously well done as far as story line, character development, and overall casting and production. Any movie by this director is worth watching!
4. The Purge (2014)
I'm going completely off of recommendations for this film because I would get nightmares from watching this. But anyone who loves horror movies has told me that this is one of their favorites, and it spawned actual purges within the United States as well!
5. Crimson Peak (2015)
So this movie is visually the most stunning movie I have ever seen beside Age of Adeline, and that's just because that movie is 90 minutes of Blake Lively in beautiful clothes. It wasn't cry-and-pee-your-pants scary, because the gothic horror genre isn't about scaring you, but about the visual cinematography and dark storylines. It's intense like Disturbia intense, not Saw or The Purge intense. Tom Hiddleston plays handsome Sir Thomas Sharp and Mia Wasikowska (Alice from Alice in Wonderland (2010)) plays his new wife, Edith. They go to his super creepy mansion on top of a mountain that when it snows, the snow turns bright red from clay (SO COOL) and live in this haunted manor. Everyone is trying to kill everyone and everyone is in love and honestly, I could talk about this movie for hours because the plot is so complex and interesting and the symbolism....yeah, it's an amazing film. Please watch and ignore the rating (unless you're 15 or younger. You don't need to see blood and gore yet), since it is very clean in regards to language and even marital intimacy, so go Crimson Peak.
6. The Revenant (2015)
If you missed out on the last two years of life for some reason... LEONARDO DICAPRIO FINALLY GOT HIS OSCAR. Granted, he got it for eating a real liver and freezing his butt off for filming, but he finally got one! Based on the true story of Hugh Glass in the 1800's, this film follows a father avenging his son's death while surviving frightening conditions and literally being torn apart by a bear. Yeah.
Action
1. Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
If there are any Marvel Movies you missed in the last two years, you need to watch them. Stat. Because they make your life worth living, I promise.
2. Ant-Man (2015)
See above because this movie rocked my socks. Also to be included in your movie watching: Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Avengers: Age of Ultron, and Captain America: Civil War.
3. The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015)
Henry Cavill being a beautiful secret agent and delivering awesome one-liners, this spy-thriller/comedy is set in the glamorous 1960s. Why WOULDN'T you want to watch this one?
4. Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Coming to a theater near you last Christmas, this Star Wars film awakened a whole new franchise for this upcoming generations viewing pleasure. Some people will definitely hate me for saying it, but this was easily my favorite Star Wars film. There are new and old characters meeting and building off of one another, adding to a larger and more exciting universe than predeceased it. And it was awesome, so watch it.
5. Hunger Games: Mocking Jay Part 1 (2014) and 2 (2015)
If you had to miss the conclusion to one of the best book-to-movie adaptions, then watch them! My least favorite book in the series became my favorite part of the movie adaptations as the connection between Katniss and her influence over Panem is further explained, explored, and the capitalized upon.
6. The Martian (2015)
Fun fact about this movie- I thought it was based on a true story and in my English class tried to mention how America had gone to Mars.... It was a long day.
Anyway, Matt Damon in The Martian was a highlight of my 2015 movie watching. Scientific, edge of the seat worthy, super cathartic- this movie literally takes you on every angle of the emotional spectrum.
Dramas and Musicals
1. Into the Woods (2014)
Christmas came and this was the greatest present of all. Chris Pine, Meryll Streep, a super hot prince that no one knows the name of all singing their hearts out and making the greatest soundtrack of the year- what more could you ask for?
2. Fury (2014)
So this film is intense. I mean, INTENSE. It dramatically and graphically shows the realities of WWII, with a star studded and talented cast to back it up. I'm a person who doesn't deal well with immense gore, so it wasn't my favorite movie, but if that is something you're really into, the story and execution of this movie was extremely well done.
3. Room (2015)
Academy Award and Golden Globe nominated and winning Room is about a woman who was kidnapped when she was seven and later gives birth in a small room. She raises her son in this space, and he knows absolutely nothing of the outside world. It's the story of their existence and eventual escape to experience the outside world for the first time,
4. Get on Up (2014)
This fantastic film depicts the life of James Brown from the beginning of his life to the rise and fall of his career. Actor Chadwick Boseman is also known for playing baseball player Jackie Robinson in 42 and Black Panther in Captain America: Civil War, which I highly recommend watching as well!
5. The Good Lie (2014)
I just recently watched this movie, and wow was it worth it! The Good Lie tells the story of child refugees known as the Lost Sons and Daughters of Sudan and their experience of traveling through death and disease in Kenya to their lives and adjustments in America. The main African actors and actresses are actually either survivors or children of survivors of the Lost Sons and Daughters of Sudan as well.
Other
1. The Interview (2014)
The story follows James Franco and Seth Rogan's characters into North Korea where they go to give an interview with and assassinate Kim Jong Un.
Thinking back on my 2014 year, I remember thinking we were going to engage in WWII with Korea because of this film. So much scandal promoted this film: hacking, terrorist bombing threats, and a Netflix and Indie theater release instead of a typical commercial release for safety precautions. Besides this, I was hysterically laughing the whole movie, so 10/10 recommend this.
2. Cinderella (2015)
The first of the Disney movie remakes, Cinderella definitely set the bar high for The Jungle Book (2016) and Beauty and the Beast (2017). This movie was absolutely amazing and I just wished they had sung a beautiful duet in it, since that would have been prime.
3. Finding Dory (2016)
Save the cutest for last! Finding Dory, the sequel we have all waited 13 years for, was released this summer and was so good! There was a little freakout over witter about the fact that there might be a lesbian couple in it (although if you've seen the movie, that's up for your own interpretation. I don't see how it's a big deal either way), but the only controversy that could otherwise be associated with this film is that it took so freaking long to make! Quick synopsis in 10 words or less: Dory swims across the ocean, again, to find her parents.
There it is guys, some movies I could think of off the top of my head for you to watch in case you missed something. I couldn't help myself but close with putting a picture of Captain America: Civil War on here because that was the absolute best movie of the 2016 year.
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