5 Sunday Movie Picks

In the hustle and bustle of our daily lives, we have forgotten how to live life in the moment. Whatever happened to vegging out on a Sunday, with a slice of pizza in one hand and a TV remote in another, absentmindedly flicking through TV shows to pass time?I can’t remember the last time I actually sat down on a Sunday and watched a movie; instead my Sundays are just as intense as any weekday! But why should it be, surely Sunday should be the one day that you can ‘take off’ and do whatever you feel like doing, without thinking of the consequences? Sundays, the so ‘called proclaimed day of rest’ used to be me and my housemates ‘movie night’, where after commiserating over deadlines and lack of sleep we all snuggled on the sofas, while arguing over whose turn it was to pick the ‘Sunday Movie’. But those days remain in the past and it seems that ‘real adult life’ has left us forgetting what the true nature of Sunday is about. Sunday’s are about lying around in your jammies and eating as much s**t as humanly possible, not worrying what tomorrow will hold. While it might have been a long time since I have had a ‘Sunday movie’ day, there is no reason why it can’t become a tradition again. After all even Faded Spring needs a rest! From feel good musicals to action suspense thrillers, Sunday’s have never felt more movie ready and thanks to HMV, there’s a movie list with my name on it

1.La La Land 

Directed and written by Damien Chazelle, the romantic musical takes place in ‘ The City Of Broken Dreams- Los Angeles’ , where dreams crash and burn. Starring two Hollywood heavyweight leads, Ryan Gosling (Sebastian) and Emma Stone (Mia), the aspiring actress and jazz musician fall hopelessly in love, all while trying to make it in the big city. But can their newfound love survive in a ‘dog eat dog world’ and will their ambitions prove too much for the preservation of their relationship?

Why You Should Watch It 

After winning seven Golden Globes, six Academy Awards and five Bafta’s , La Land’s historic critic-led success is all down to its ‘old Hollywood glamour’. As an audience who craves escapism from our daily lives, La La Land’s musical adventure into old Hollywood makes us nostalgic for a simpler time, where technology was in the background and the world was a different place. Aspiring actresses and musicians struggle to break the entertainment industry made prototypes like Mia and Seb, who found solace in ‘newfound love’, which soothed their broken hearts. Despite Seb’s ‘reclusive’ hermit like character, it is Emma Stone who steals the show, exposing the bruised heart of a dreamer. Because essentially that is what we all are, dreamers struggling for our place in society.

2.Deadpool 

After featuring in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Ryan Reynolds takes the starring role as Wade Wilson. Diagnosed with terminal cancer, Wilson is offered an unlikely ‘solution’. Meet Deadpool, the new and ‘improved’ Wade Wilson, who is turned into a ‘superhero’ by an experimental physician. The term ‘superhero’ should be used loosely here as Deadpool is ‘unconventional’ to say the least and loves nothing better than ‘killing’ and exacting revenge on the people who ruined his life. Despite his sadistic tendencies, Deadpool’s journey is somewhat heart-rending and his bisexual tendencies paves a new path for ‘openly gay’ superheroes who are are secure in their sexual identities.

Why You Should Watch It?

Wade Wilson is an arsehole but a lovable arsehole at that. Despite wanting to ‘kill anything that moves’ the joke is on us. Somewhat based on a post-modern narrative, Deadpool ‘breaks the fourth wall’ by making frequent references to his role as a comic book character, while being ‘banned in China’ only serves to certify its status as a ‘good comedy’. Expect nudity, foul language and a whole lot of violence. It’s Deadpool what did you expect?

3.The Imitation Game 

Benedict Cumberbatch stars as British codebreaker and computer scientist Alan Turing, whose struggle with sexual identity becomes the focal point of the narrative. We follow Turing through his teenage years right through his private life after war, where he is convicted of ‘homosexual acts’ after his attempts to ‘turn straight’ makes him realize he is ‘gay’. Despite the running themes of sexuality, it is his ‘war-time work’ and advances in code breaking that is celebrated among his colleagues, who later play ‘Judas’. We see Turing interact with his longtime friend and colleague Joan Clarke ( Keira Knightley) and race against time to ‘decode’ the Nazi Enigma machine during World War II.

Why You Should Watch It

Despite critics stating that The Imitation Game ‘downplays’ Turing’s sexuality, it is the first time that Turing has been so ‘fully represented’ on the big screen and even with its flaws, it is a remarkably good film. Without having to resort to ‘weaponary’ as mainstay Hollywood ‘war’ narratives employ, the basis that ‘strategical thinking’ and teamwork can result in success is a moral compass that we can all attach ourselves to.

 

4. Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them 

Directed by David Yates, the narrative is based on the book adaption, written by the great JK Rowling. Set in 1926 (New York), Newt Scamander, played by Oscar winning Eddie Redmayne is an eccentric wizard , headed to the Magical Congress of The United States of America. With his special ‘briefcase’ in tow Newt is later ‘wanted’ by the authorities for losing the magical beasts he was in charge of. Question is can he repair the irrevocable damage of the ‘beasts’ absences and does he even want to?

Why You Should Watch It

Without giving too much away, the genre-bending film cleverly weaves a narrative pre- Harry Potter, which even without Harry, Ron and Hermione , still packs plenty of drama. While many critics have complained that the use of wand ‘magic’ is limited, Fantastic Beasts demonstrates a wizarding world that functions on logistics rather than just ‘pure magic’. Its a pre-magic world that sketches out the beginnings of the Harry Potter world that we ‘love so much’

 

The Duff 

Similar to ‘Easy A’, this Teen comedy, is set in a highschool, where Mae Whitman plays the ‘Duff’ Bianca. The Designated Ugly Fat Friend, Bianca is shown as a buffer between her more popular and enlists the help of jock Wesley (Robbie) to change her ‘status’ much to the annoyance of his girlfriend Madison ( Bella Thorne).  After a series of viral videos, Bianca is on a mission to remind everyone that beauty is skin deep and despite trying to change she realizes that being comfortable in your own skin is the most attractive quality.

Why you Should Watch It 

While some might write it off as another two dimension ‘teen comedy’ its use of post-modern elements and reference to the fourth wall is what sets it apart from the rest of the tween comedies. Mae’s turn as Bianca is refreshing and authentic, never once would we think that she is ‘acting’ and it is her likeable, personable nature that makes her a friend you would want for life.

*Collaborative Post