Recently Watched (Three Movies in One Day?)

A casual observer reading my Letterboxd profile might not believe that I’ve really watched as many movies as I say I did. Yesterday, for example, I added three movies to my diary. Ever since I was a teenager, though, I’ve learned to watch movies in installments. I used to sit on my parents’ bed, tucked away in their wing of the house, and watch tapes of movies I’d programmed our VCR to record off HBO. I wouldn’t have time after school to watch whole movies, so I’d parcel them out over several days. While not an ideal way to watch, perhaps, doing this probably helped me understand film structure, since I was breaking the movies apart and putting them back together in my head.

Yesterday, I watched two complete movies: in two sittings, I watched Hulu’s Happiest Season, a well-made holiday romcom starring several of my favorite actors/secret girlfriends, especially Kristen Stewart. The movie is buzzy right now for the cast and especially the premise, which is that it’s a Christmas romcom, and exactly like that sounds, and just as preordained as that, with the small difference that it focusses on a lesbian couple rather than a straight couple. That makes practically no difference to the formula, although it’s central to the setup, but it’s interesting how the realities of being LGBTQ at this moment in America lend the film an extra layer of poignancy and effectiveness.

The second movie I watched was Addams Family Values (1993), Barry Sonnenfeld’s richer, faster and even funnier sequel to The Addams Family (1991). Being a father means I watch a LOT of children’s and family movies, for better (in this case) or worse (I’m looking at you, Disney).

The third movie was me finishing up a rewatch of a movie that put me to sleep in the theater last year, Terminator: Dark Fate, a second Mackenzie Davis movie for the day. I’ve been rewatching this movie for about a week, actually, in drips here and there. That’s how boring it is. It’s probably the worst Terminator movie. Maybe they won’t make any more—but I doubt that.