Over the last three-ish years I have enjoyed the time I have spent watching movies on a Sunday Afternoon! It’s a great time to watch a film, and having a set time to watch movies has helped me to both be able to watch movies on a more regular basis at home, whilst also giving me the opportunity to watch some things that I didn’t get to see at the cinema, or things I may never have considered watching in the first place.
About a year and a half ago, I ranked the top 10 films I had watched since starting this routine, up until that point. It has always been my intention to do another list choosing the next ten, but I held off from doing that a year later. Simply put, it just felt out of place doing it in May, so thought I would wait until the next end of year came along, and did it with all my other end-of-year/start-of-year lists.
So, here we are, ready for another round of randomly selected films, that share only one thing in common, that being I just happened to watch them all on a Sunday. But as usual, there are a few which sadly can’t be in the top 10, but are still worthy of a mention. So, here are some other cool films I watched on a Sunday, which I too enjoyed, but not as much as the top 10:
Shin Ultraman, The Black Phone, Prey, Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings, Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance, Everything Everywhere All At Once, Mortal Kombat, Winter’s Bone, and San Andreas.
And so, with all the introductory red tape out of the way, onto the main event, with the Top 10 Films I have Enjoyed Watching at Home on a Sunday Afternoons, over the Last Year and a Half (2022-2023); Enjoy!
10. Glass Onion – The sequel to Knives Out has an interesting premise, as it sets up a powder keg so easily, by forcing all those involved to be confined on a small island, but still allowing the fire plenty of time to truly begin. It is a bit slower to the punch compared to the previous entry, but once the fire truly begins, it cannot be put out, leading to a decently satisfying explosion, both dramatically, and literally!
9. Flight – From the publicity materials, you really do go into Flight thinking it’s some blockbuster action film…well it’s not. It’s a heavy drama, detailing the destructive force alcoholism can have on people, as a decently respectable pilot, begins to drown in his own addictions, making rash decisions, which create a never ending domino stream of lies. And then, when the fall finally comes, all the dominos tumble, and at the end of the day, the only way to face up to them, is to tell the truth, no matter how hard it is!
8. Freaky – Freaky takes something that has already been done, but puts a deadly twist on it. It follows a bullied school outcast, who ends up swapping bodies, with a deadly serial killer. This sets the stage for a difficult situation, as one becomes desperate to switch back, whilst the other, has found the perfect body to now hide under. It’s a really silly idea, but it’s silly approach leads to some comic situations, as the victim is recognized for being a mass murderer, whilst the mass murderer, takes out their frustrations, on those that made the student’s life so miserable. It’s a real dilemma switcher, as you don’t agree with the mass murdering taking place, but those getting killed really do deserve it!
7. The Wicker Man – Something that’s been on my to do list for a few years now. It’s an interesting experience, as though whilst it’s hailed as a horror film, I found it more to be like a thriller, as the jump scares were few in number, and it all rides on the ending scene. But the build-up is really cool, as it talks about the islands history, and the conflicting beliefs between the islanders, and the investigating policeman. But it all leads into one shocking scene, that just gets worse and worse, as you yourself get hypnotized by those magnificent, and rather catchy, concluding chants!
6. A Quiet Place Part II – The first of three films on this list featuring Emily Blunt (can you guess what one of the other two might be?). I didn’t set out this past year and a half to join her fan club, it just sort of happened. A Quiet Place Part II jumps right off from where the first one finished, as the survivors, try to go out from their own land, and reach the world with the hope they have found. It’s still a horror film through and through this time, but there is more of a focus on adventure and discovery, outside the world created by the first one, leading to some cool new unforeseen surprises!
5. Sicario – It always feels weird to say the word enjoy, when talking about such a grim film. Sicario was not pleasant, not happy, just this dark twisting police drama, which such an unnerving ending, which never stops being horrible. It continues to live with you, its something you can never un-see, and it leaves not a lasting impression, just an impression. It’s a terrific film, but in order to see why, you need to see the whole brutal truth!
4. Hunt – An interesting historical pic from South Korea now starring Squid Game‘s Lee Jung-jae. Some of the historical details can warp your mind here, as what the film is telling you doesn’t sound right, but under closer inspection and research, you can see how realistic this film is. It does a sort of bait and switch, as it highlights early on who the villain of the two leads is. But then half-way through, a big twist, which changes your perception, leading to a dark and explosive action packed conclusion, that can only end one way!
3. Emily The Criminal – Emily The Criminal is such a well constructed film, that’s nice and small in content, easy to follow, and incredibly enjoyable to watch. It follows a young woman, struggling to find work due to her criminal record, so does some credit card scamming work, which she turns out to be really good at. Aubrey Plaza plays the character of Emily so well, highlighting the difficulty and frustration of finding paid work, in a harsh climate, and trying really hard to push aside her past. But as the world wants to keep seeing her in that way, she has no choice, but to be that person. And Emily is really good at this new work, but when it looks like it’s all about to be taken from her, the desperation to keep it takes hold, leading to a shocking, but surprisingly satisfying conclusion!
2. A Quiet Place – Our mini run down of Awesome Emily Blunt films from the last year and a half leads us nicely to A Quiet Place. A really interesting idea, of a world shushed into silence, as the monsters that now rule it, hunt on the tiniest little noise. It’s a really cool idea, which you think is going to run out of steam quickly, but instead leads to some dramatic moments, as people try to avoid doing the things that may cause the smallest squeak. But wrapped around all of this is this wonderful family drama, as through a tragic accident, one family member believes she has been pushed to the outside, and struggles to find her way back in. It’s a really cool idea, and so well executed too, both dramatically, and horrifyingly so!
1. Weathering With You – Your Name. is one of the best animated films ever produced. It’s one of the best films of the last decade, and was always going to be a hard act to follow up on for it’s director Makoto Shinkai. Well, whether or not if Weathering With You has outshined Your Name. is still up for debate, but it definitely parallels it. Another story of young romance, but with a science fiction twist. Weathering With You, sets up an interesting story, as one character goes in search of a better life in Tokyo, only to meet a girl with an amazing gift; to stop the rain. It looks like a magical adventure, but it sets itself up to be more of an action packed chase film, as when things seem to reach a never ending high, it all crashes to the earth, and one character must save the other, from a terrible curse. It’s another beautifully animated future classic, much like Your Name. before it, and the story is so well written, featuring terrific characters, and a romance you desperately want to see blossom, no matter how impossible it continuously gets!
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