Weekly Recap #30: Austin, annoying mothers, and Martin Freeman

Howdy! As many of you know, I live in Austin. I've been here for about 10 months now and I absolutely love it. Among the food, shopping, and just overall great atmosphere, the main thing I love about Austin is how much of a 'movie town' it is.

For instance, since I've lived here, I've had the chance to go to several movie screenings where directors and/or actors are in attendance for Q&As afterwards. Most recently, a couple of my coworkers and I saw an indie called Luce last week (read more about my thoughts later in this post) where the director, Julius Onah, and star, Kelvin Harris Jr., were interviewed after. We were sitting front and center -- which was not ideal for watching the movie, but was the best seat in the house for the Q&A.

I've always loved movies, but I've never lived in a city that I felt loved them just as much as I did. Last Wednesday at the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar, all I could think about was how lucky I am to live here.

Now, here's a recap of what I watched this week:

#205 Otherhood

Available on Netflix

Three mothers set off of an intervention for their adult sons who forgot to call them on Mother's Day.

This concept is just as annoying as you think it is. Also, I was wondering why this didn't come out around Mother's Day, then I remembered.

#206 School Spirit

Available on Hulu

If The Breakfast Club and Friday the 13th had an ugly baby.

Yet another installment in Hulu's Into the Dark series. It has maybe one of the best line deliveries of 'how dare you' I've ever seen.

#207 Gone Baby Gone

Available on Prime Video and Hulu

Two private investigators take on a missing child case.

This is one of those 'you haven't seen it??' movies that I decided to watch on a whim. It was clear about an hour in, that this was not a 'casual viewing' kind of movie. Really good, but very scarring.

#208 Luce

In theaters (limited release)

A married couple is forced to question the image of their adopted son, after his teacher reveals alarming things about him.

This is definitely a need-to-watch-twice kind of movie. I did have a visceral reaction to it, which I can't say about a lot of movies. I'm not sure if this movie will get a wide release, but if you have the chance to watch it, I would highly recommend.

#209 Smart People

Available on Netflix

A English Professor deals with his estranged son, strange daughter, unreliable brother, and a romance with his former student -- all the while having a terrible attitude.

The characters were interesting and overall it was pretty funny, but the story was lacking quite a bit. It took me like 5 minutes to think of how to describe the plot, and I just ended up describing the characters.

#210 Light of my Life

Available to rent/purchase

After the world is ravaged by a plague that only wipes out women, a man and his daughter fight to survive.

This movie was basically just the aftermath of a much more interesting story. Woven in were these flashbacks that I really wanted to stay in longer.

#211 Ode to Joy

Available to rent/purchase

A man navigates relationships while dealing with a disease that causes him to pass out when he feels joy.

I saw Martin Freeman, so I watched. What a bad decision that was.

#212 The Kitchen

In theaters

Three women are forced to take matters into their own hands when their husbands go to jail.

I love a good mob movie, but this one was so fragmented and boring that I started to just pay attention to everybody's outfits -- which were amazing, by the way.

Well, thanks for sticking around for another week. I'll see ya next week!