Viggo Mortensen

Lili’s Pick: Captain Fantastic

Lanie’s pick: A History of Violence

What can I say about a man who gives so much heart, so much passion to his roles? How can I properly pay homage to such an unpretentious actor without sounding… pretentious? Between my sister and I, I am the Viggo stan. However, we both fell in love with him as Aragorn, and I won’t let her forget that. Our Viggo Mortensen picks are very much a reflection of how my sister’s taste and my own can differ, but they are also now a representation of how our minds can open when we step outside of our viewing preferences. We both generally avoid movies that seem overly sad or poignant, especially when that is the only focus of a film, which was a worry of mine before I viewed Captain Fantastic the first time. And on the other end of the spectrum, I do not typically gravitate toward movies that are strictly placed within the genre of action, a thought that came to mind when my sister suggested the original John Wick: David Cronenberg’s A History of Violence. Because of this, I think we were both hesitant but excited to show each other our choices, and in the end, the steps we took outside of our typical viewing pleasures wound up being incredibly successful. As it would turn out, your taste can evolve and your appreciation for films as a whole can grow when you decide to watch something you normally might not.