or film, if you prefer—cinema for the erudite elite. i'm a pretty avid movie-watcher
(tho i wouldn't consider myself a film buff) and i really love discussing what i've watched.
this page is a place for me to get those thoughts out when i finish something new, and maybe
even write about some things i've already seen.
fair warning: i'm always in it for the story, and while i love over-indulgence in nearly
every other aspect of the medium, when it comes to narrative i'm 100% less-is-more. this
makes me essentially martin scorsese's biggest critic. it also means i'm gonna end up being
way more critical of a movie starting minute 121. i don't mean to, it just happens. aside
from runtime, i'm pretty forgiving. but just know that, like, while i definitely look for
good editing and lighting and cinematography and all that technical crap, i'm really only
here to assess whether the vibe supports the story.
if you'd like to see more of my thoughts and reviews in real-time,
follow me on letterboxd.
and if you ever have any thoughts on what i've shared here, feel free to lmk in my
chatbox!
I really wish there was a way to better translate Paul's spice-fueled internal monologues
into film, but this was a really excellent adaptation! Not enough mysticism for me, and
Stilgar shouting "lisan al-gaib" every 3 minutes didn't help that, but it's such a good story.
I'm definitely gonna get back into the book, and maybe even read Dune Messiah finally.
literal poet gurney halleck slaying his arch-enemy and finally achieving his revenge being
unable to think of a better line than "for my duke and my friends" had me weeping.
also unfortunately for dave bautista they kinda made rabban look like a fucking wimp instead
of the beastly mofo he's supposed to be. the books spend more time making it clear he is a
pawn in vlad's machiavellian schemes to make feyd-rautha succeed, not some chump with anger
problems.
THE SPICE MUST FLOW.
maestro
pretty intense oscar bait. there's some great moments here and there, but there's no moment
where i really felt captivated by. i think the choice to make it about felicia and leonard's
relationship had some really great potential, but the story was a bit messy and not all that
compelling.
like at one point they get into a fight and felicia starts attacking
him in a weirdly "i won't stand around and watch you ruin yourself!" vibe that had absolutely
no grounding in anything that had happened up to that point? or like there's a really great
scene where leonard announces that he's finished "Mass" and felicia runs out of the room and
jumps in the pool? like it was very cinematic and i can try to make meaning out of it, but
honestly it just felt like the aesthetics of an arthouse drama without the intent.
if you're interested in leonard bernstein, bradley cooper, or any of the cast/crew, it's
still worth a watch, but there's not really all that much "Best Picture" going on here.
the zone of interest
absolutely gut-wrenching. be prepared before you watch it, but absolutely watch it. a movie
about what you don't see. some of the best sound design and editing i have ever heard . . .
american fiction
jeffrey wright is always brilliant, and i really enjoyed this one, but i don't think it even
comes close to deserving its Best Picture and Screenplay noms. it's frustratingly close to
being a brilliant movie, but constantly falls flat with awkward, unfocused family drama. but
like i said, you should still watch it, it's still a good time.
in the mood for love
a masterpiece. like, sometimes there's movies that everyone says they're perfect, and you
watch it and you kinda see why but also it's mostly hype—this is NOT one of those cases.
this film has so much style, it's literally dripping with style. it makes my soul hurt. it
makes me feel every second. the acting, my god. if you're lucky enough to see this in the
cool local cinema downtown, absolutely do it. i'm not usually a snob but do not watch this
on your ipad please i'm begging you.
anatomy of a fall
this might be Best Picture for me. absolutely is Best Original Screenplay.
it's so fucking good. almost the opposite of Oppenheimer:
very small, nothing super flashy or mind-blowing, but a story that absolutely stuck with me
for days. it has a lot to say about relationships, privacy, media, truth... so good. and if
you don't get any of that out of it, it's still a fun murder mystery trial movie with a
pretty spectacular child actor and one of the cutest dogs to ever grace the silver screen.
i would give Sandra Hüller the Oscar except Lily Gladstone simply can't be beat.
oppenheimer
this movie is going to win so many awards it absolutely does not deserve. i had fun.
the holdovers
honestly just a really good little film. it's trying really hard to be "they don't make 'em
like this anymore!" material, but honestly if that's the goal they hit it out of the park.
if all you want is to see some really good acting and a nice little christmas story, pretty
good for that too!
poor things
IF THIS DOESN'T WIN AN OSCAR WE BURN IT ALL DOWN.
Barbie's ugly but smarter cousin. it basically said everything Barbie was
trying to say, but with a lot more room for nuance and interpretation. and while it's not
pink, it has all the camp and more. Art Nouveau
Hysteria. like, if this doesn't get Best Production Design???? And Mark Ruffalo absolutely
kills it, hands down the funniest and most enjoyable he's ever been, this movie could get
by almost on him alone.
saltburn
i went into this expecting a bad movie but hoping for camp. tbh it wasn't really that campy,
and it wasn't even quite as weird as everyone was saying (although it is a little weird),
but it was better than i expected. and fun. on the other hand, it wasn't really that good.
the boy and the heron
like pretty much anything ghibli, i'm going to have to revisit this one. i really wish the
heron had just stayed a creepy bird and not becomea weird lil dude. one of hayao's more
abstract films, which is kinda cool. as always, very beautiful and emotional.
killers of the flower moon
this one's gonna end up being a full on fucking essay i just know it, so hang tight. i'll
get to it later.
EDIT: still haven't gotten to it 2/6/24.
triangle of sadness
i meant to see this when it came out, but i got busy and it came and went without me even
noticing. i think this could have been a really interesting movie to see with an audience,
mainly because of the puking and shitting sequence lmao. a
little slow, and each "part" was so different as to make it a bit disjointed. i definitely
think quite a bit could be cut, but not so much for time as for pacing... i was only 40 mins
in and felt like i'd been watching for well over an hour.
but overall, a really enjoyable film. high and low brow. tone was kinda all over the place,
but there really isn't any subtlety about the intention here so it's never really hard to
follow. we love marxist woody harrelson. go abigail. rip charlbi dean. definitely recommend.
