I have read that some people thought April felt short, I couldn’t disagree more. This month (to me) has felt like it lasted forever. To say I was ready for it to be May would be an understatement. I won’t waste any more time let’s talk about movies because there are quite a lot of them to talk about.

Phone Booth (2003)

If you read my Reacting To Day I Was Born, I watched Phone Booth because it was the most popular movie at the Box Office on the day I was born. I really wasn’t expecting much from Phone Booth, but I surprisedly enjoyed Phone Booth. The movie is very outdated in many ways, but overlooking that the movie stands up as a fantastic thriller. The plot is very unique and creates some good use of tension. It also helps the cast and performances are very good, particularly Colin Farrell and Kiefer Sutherland. They turned a potential hammy plot and turned into a very entertaining movie. I do think it is held back a little because once again it’s a bit outdated. But, otherwise, I recommend Phone Booth. It’s a very entertaining and fast-paced thriller.

Modern Girls (1986)

Modern Girls in an underground 80s indie movie with three female leads following them one night where high jinks occurring. Modern Girls was a lot of fun. I always love female lead movies and this one, in particular, is big on focusing on the female friendships in the movie. There is no infighting between the ladies. They care about each other and want the best for another. It was so refreshing watching a movie that cares so much about their female characters and their friendships with one another. Along with the cinematography and killer soundtrack makes Modern Girls a potential cult classic. I recommend I saw it for free on PlutoTV if you want to check it out.

Before We Go (2014)

Before We Go is a movie I wanted to watch for two main reasons. 1) I have seen my fair share of romantic comedies and I heard good things about this one. 2) It directed by Chris Evans himself, can’t say I wasn’t curious to see what Evans wanted to tell with this movie. Before We Go is better than most romantic comedies I have seen, but doesn’t reach the heights of the best ones I have seen. And I kinda hate calling Before We Go a romantic comedy because it’s more in line with Before Sunrise than say Bridget Jones’s Diary. And Before Sunrise is one of my favorite movies ever, so that’s a compliment I give Before We Go. The relationship between the two leads was sweet, though 95% of the movie there isn’t anything romantic between them. Overall, I liked the movie and it ends on an ambiguous note. If you like romance movies or Chris Evans, I would recommend. Though if you are not a fan of either then this isn’t the movie for you.

The King of Comedy (1982)

My actor of the month for April was Robert De Niro. An actor whose discography I have been waiting to fully delve into for a while now. The first movie of his I watched was The King of Comedy. I don’t know what exactly I thought The King of Comedy would be, but it wasn’t quite this. For at least the first half of the movie I liked it, but it wasn’t something I would have wanted to revisit. But, I liked the second half of the movie much better than the first half of the movie. Even more than that I absolutely loved the ending. The ending is what makes the entire movie for me. So though The King of Comedy wasn’t my favorite De Niro movie I saw this month, by the end of it I found it really enjoyable. I recommend it.

Goodfellas (1990)

I won’t spend a lot of time talking about Goodfellas because at this point what unique perspective on Goodfellas can one have at this point. I had similar feelings to Goodfellas to the feelings I had to The Godfather. Expect controversial opinion, maybe? I liked Goodfellas much more than I liked The Godfather. They both are extremely well made, but overall I preferred Goodfellas. I like how the storytelling in Goodfellas more compared to The Godfather. Where my feelings overlap is though I think Goodfellas is a terrific movie, it’s not going to be a favorite movie of mines. The crime/mobster movies aren’t my favorite and I doubt they ever will be. So no matter how good a crime movie like Goodfellas and The Godfather is I don’t ever see them entering into the list of my favorite movies. With that, all said I still really did enjoy Goodfellas. It’s a classic for a reason. Highly recommend.

Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again! (2018)

This is without a doubt a case of where the sequel out stages the original in every way. The original Mamma Mia is fine. It’s neither good or bad in my opinion. It’s silly fun, not to be taken seriously at all. This sequel, however, is actually good, not just good in fact. It’s excellent I would say. The storytelling is very good, even some emotional weight is added to the film, it’s well-paced, has great songs, and the cast much like the viewers are having a blast while filming and it clearly shows in the movie. I’m just so shocked by how good this movie turned out to be. It’s one of those rare sequels that elevates the first movie. It has plot holes of course, but like I said this franchise isn’t really made to be taken seriously. So ignoring some plot holes I loved watching Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again! It’s not for everyone I acknowledge that, but you would have had to hate fun to dislike this film. If you like musicals and fun, I recommend Mamma Mia. I truly didn’t see that coming.

Jurassic Park (1993)

Another controversial opinion coming from me. I didn’t care too much for Jurassic Park. Obviously, it’s not a bad movie by any means but I think its reputation was too big for me. Jurassic Park is one of those movies where I have seen playing on television thousands of times but never watched it. Having only seen a few clips here and there every couple years meant nothing was a surprise for me. Not to mention it’s over two hours long and the entire first hour is just setup. Setup is fine, but I wasn’t expecting an entire hour’s worth of setup. And the payoff though good was everything I had seen before. I think Jurassic Park is one of those movies where you have to know very little knowledge to get the full experience of enjoying it. I know I’m an outlier with this opinion, but you haven’t seen it watch and make up your own opinion on it.

Taxi Driver (1976)

Taxi Driver is another classic that didn’t totally live up to the hype for me. I appreciate the social commentary about loneliness and depression, but I couldn’t get myself to fully enjoy the movie. Robert De Niro gives a great performance, and of course, he does the movie doesn’t give anyone else anything to truly work with. I expected more to have been given to Jodie Foster and the rest of the supporting cast, but the movie’s sole focus is on De Niro’s character. That’s fine, but I guessed I expected more than just a character study from Taxi Driver. A lot of people helm Taxi Driver as one of the best movies ever and I can see why. There’s plenty to like, but I was left with the feeling of wanting more.

Casino (1995)

I liked Casino a bit better than Taxi Driver, but I doubt this will be a movie I will revisit. Casino is just way too familiar to me after having just seen Goodfellas. Casino just feels like Scorsese is retreading what worked in Goodfellas and seeing how far he can recreate it in Casino. Playing up to your past hits isn’t a bad thing, but you eventually hit a point where you keep reminding the audience of your best movie and make them want to watch it instead. I feel that way here with Casino. It’s too similar to Goodfellas for my liking and it’s somehow even longer. Seriously three hours? Casino did not need to be three hours long, two hours would have sufficed nicely enough. So although there were parts of Casino I liked there is just no real reason for me to want to revisit it when a superior (and shorter) movie in Goodfellas exists.

What did you watch in April? Have you seen any of the movies listed above, if you did what did you think of them? Comment below.