july '24 roundup!
- 3shotcine
- Aug 3, 2024
- 6 min read
July has come and gone. Bye, bye, bye. Anyway, check out some films we watched this past month.
Disclaimer!
These monthly roundups will include more mainstream titles than our usual lists, as our goal here is to document anything good (or not so good) we watched in the past month.
It can be hard to keep up with regular movie-watching when so many other things are happening in the world, so we do this to remember first, share second, and uplift third.
That being said, we hope you enjoy this roundup! Feel free to leave a comment with your July logs, or tell us what you think about ours.
This list is available on our Letterboxd here.
Sophia's List
The Sadness (2021)
written and directed by Rob Jabbaz
TW: extreme gore, extreme violence, sexual content and mentions of sexual assault.
The whole movie is a trigger warning in itself. This Taiwanese body horror movie follows a couple, Jim and Kat, while they try to survive a fast-spreading pandemic that brings out the horrors that lie within human nature. The movie used makeup and special effects to create a macabre and horrific visual experience that is difficult to look away from. The film doesn't shy away from graphic depictions of violence and gore, making it a challenging watch, but one that is ultimately impressive when you notice how realistic it looks. It’s not just a horror movie; this movie forces us to confront uncomfortable questions about the nature of humanity and our capacity for cruelty.
Available: deepest trenches of the internet
Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)
directed by Shawn Levy
The title is pretty self-explanatory: this is a superhero movie featuring Deadpool & Wolverine. This movie provided me with one of the few fleeting moments of joy that I’ve experienced this year. Everybody say thank you Ryan Reynolds for his dedication to be as inappropriate as possible on Disney money.
Available: out in a cinema near you now
Batman: The Long Halloween Part 1 & 2 (2021)
directed by Chris Palmer
This two-part animated film is based on a 13-issue DC comic of the same name. As an already avid fan of Batman, it was so exciting to watch the films' noir-style as it tells the story of a series of murders tied to various holidays. Batman, voiced by Jensen Ackles, struggle to uncover the identity of the mysterious Holiday killer while dealing with his complex relationships with characters like Catwoman (Naya Rivera). The animation beautifully brings Gotham to life, with its haunting atmosphere and shadowy visuals. For any Batman fan, "The Long Halloween" is a must-watch, offering a faithful adaptation of one of the most iconic stories in the Batman lore. It’s a testament to the enduring appeal of the character and the rich, complex world he inhabits.
Available: on HBO
Danis' List
The Boys Season 4 (2024)
created by Eric Kripke
This season was mostly a filler season that answers questions from the last season, but it was also one that focused on developing and expanding on the overarching plot, subplots and characters. The occasional shocking moments are still in this season cause it’s a staple of the show, with great performances from everyone, even from the newly added actors - Valorie Curry and Susan Heyward. They both nailed their characters down to a T, and have turned themselves into household names only with a season under their belts. Fuckin dope. Other than that, the final two episodes were really gripping, and the ending to this season WAS AMAZING. USING HEART-SHAPED BOX AND SETTING UP THOSE SCENARIOS FOR SEASON 5 WAS AWESOME. CAN’T BLOODY WAIT FOR IT. The memes that came out of this season were amazing too, especially that Starlight one.
Available: on Amazon Prime
Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na (जाने तू या जाने ना) (2008)
written and directed by Abbas Tyrewala
One of the best feel-good films to watch, and if you love rom-coms, DEFINITELY check this one out. Wonderful music created by the icon A. R. Rahman. It may have some cheesy moments here and there, but boy it is still lovely all over, and seeing Nasserudin Shah as a portrait who could dance, and his obsession of wanting to continue his family’s legacy through his son, yeah nah that is what I call comedy. Overall, watching this movie was just a wholesome and unforgettable experience that has already solidified its position as one of the few feel-good movies I’ll watch just to get through a bad day, or when I’m just bored.
Available: on Blu-Ray?
Zeff’s List
The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020)
written and directed by Aaron Sorkin
This historical movie following the story of the Chicago Seven in their court battle will make you both frustrated at the injustice this group had to suffer from the legal system and in the public, as well as painfully aware of those same injustices being both present and possible today, in the form of corrupt judges, bought out juries, and institutional racism. Give this movie a watch, because it is legal kino, and even stars Jeremy Strong and Sacha Baron Cohen from my favourite roles Kendall Roy (HBO’s Succession) and Borat.
Available: on Netflix
Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence (1983)
directed by Nagisa Ōshima, written by Nagisa Ōshima and Paul Mayersberg
This movie follows a British POW played by David Bowie, his experience in a prisoner camp in WWII and his relationship with the camp’s commander played by Ryuichi Sakamoto, a legendary film score composer. Despite the title, this is in fact a war movie, but without any of the action you would expect from a contemporary expectation of one. This movie leans heavily on dialogue, and subtle interaction between its two leading characters. The body language and emotional acting was so captivating that it spawned an hours long discussion with a friend who did not believe such subtlety could have been acted on screen.
This movie must have been so unseen, because it could be described as a cult classic type movie instead of an accessible one. Pop a watch if you care to see David Bowie in a war movie that could be both strange and interesting. This movie was one of Akira Kurosawa's favourite movies too!
Available: This movie is pretty old by our standards, and might not be available on most platforms.
The Northman (2022)
directed by Robert Eggers
This film tells the saga of a one, Prince Amleth, and his journey to avenge the murder of his father. His vengeance takes him to lands far beyond his own; to the untamed lands of the Rus, (the Russia of Old); and all the way to the volcanic fjords of Iceland. This cinema mixes in mythical aspects of Norse mythology such as the Weavers of Fate and berserkers perfectly with a contemporary and digestible style of storytelling. Those same scenes of wacky and sometimes insane bits of old Norse myth in the middle of a perfectly normal historical drama setting absolutely intrigues me, and was the main draw for me.
Available: Blu-Ray, Amazon Prime
Komal's List
Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)
directed by Shawn Levy
This movie is really great when you don’t have millennials in your ear barking about how it’s the best of the trilogy - because it’s not. It’s a fantastic movie and a fabulous third installation, but the reasons that it’s becoming most people’s favourite installation is very obviously due to the nostalgic factors. The writing lost a bit of edge compared to the first and second films, but regardless, it was still deeply entertaining, and very hilarious. Matthew Macfayden was the stand-out character, unexpectedly. Very self-aware as always, and I’m happy I didn’t see a single spoiler ahead of time. There are things I'm unhappy about, and things I'm thrilled about, but I don't want to spoil anything. Sidebar me.
Available: in a cinema near you!
The Darjeeling Limited (2007)
directed by Wes Anderson
The most unexpected journey. I connect with Wes Anderson films so much as is, and had no idea what this film was going to be about before I put it on. Absolutely loved the sibling dynamics, the journey they take, the way they unfold in each other’s presences. Perfect, as all Wes Anderson movies are.
Available: on Disney+ Hotstar
Fishboy (2018)
directed by Anita Bruvere
Watched as part of a YouTube short film marathon - and was just glued to the screen with this one. Incredible stop-motion and rich use of materials, beautiful personification of guilt and shame, delicate voice acting that fit the characters perfectly - a perfect film. Deeply recommend everyone to check this one out, and try not to choke up.
Available: on YouTube
Quiz Lady (2023)
directed by Jessica Yu
Probably the first time I wasn’t annoyed at an Awkwafina character. This film was unexpectedly touching, and brought me close to tears at some points. But as expected - it was a great plot to follow, and really genuinely hilarious. Sandra Oh playing a washed-up older sister was brilliant and hilarious, and not without nuance. My mom expressed an issue she had with the pacing of the film, but I liked the way it didn’t give us what we wanted that fast. Fun, fun, fun. Watch with your (adult) siblings.
Available: on Disney+ Hotstar
That's the end of this monthly roundup! Tell us what you think of our picks, and then tell us yours!
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