Movies I Watched In March

March was a heckabusy month for me, but I still managed to watch eight movies. (Whoo, boy, a whole eight. Why, I remember when I used to watch eight movies a week! Silly real life deciding to get in the way of my casual movie watching.)

Last month, I watched:

Beetlejuice (1988). Part of my Blind Spot 2012 series. Really enjoyed it overall - I loved the dark, quirky sense of humor throughout. But of course I should have expected that with Tim Burton directing. 4/5.

Contagion (2011). Well-done and effective outbreak thriller with a talented (and impressive) cast, bringing life even to small roles. 4/5.

Drive (2011). I wanted to really love this movie, because it was highly acclaimed and I do love Ryan Gosling. I loved the beginning and I loved the end, but a lot of the bits in the middle never quite gelled with me. Looking back on it now, I liked it as a whole but would probably feel restless rewatching it again. 3.5/5.

50/50 (2011). Pretty solid little dark comedy. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is easy to root for. It's got a great combination of funny comedic moments and moving dramatic moments. 4/5.

The Battle of Algiers (1966). A well-done, important movie that I didn't enjoy watching at all. I never know what to give movies like this, so it ended up getting 3/5.

Stage Door Canteen (1943). Fascinating as sort of a time capsule of the great entertainers of the 1940s, but a lot of the jokes and cameo are lost on me as an audience member almost 70 years later. 2.5/5.

Deliverance (1972). Surprisingly boring for being a thriller about crazy rednecks. I just don't get it. 1/5.

Bowling for Columbine (2002). Good subject for a documentary, and parts were really well-done and very convincing, but it also felt scattered in its approach. I'm not sure if it was a deliberate stylistic choice or just the result of trying to explore every aspect of the topic. 3/5.