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Conceptually unique, already very strong movie in its foundation alone. The way it managed to convey tension and atmosphere in daylight, prob the king of daylight horror goddamn.

Most movies in that small genre rely on odddities/shock, it scared you by how unexpected it is. But this one, YOU KNOW what you are getting but the way its told oozes this level of restraint in what to show, peeling back layers one by one. Genuinely terrifying that keeps escalating somehow, prob one of my favs now?

It was kinda giving Maurice but pleasantly went into unexpected territory where no other gay movie has done before. Surprised by the change and its about time we leave coming of age narratives behind, gotta try something new!!

I think grief makes you ask lots of questions, all the whatifs and couldves. This turns into your own personal conspiracy where you weave it all into a fine web. This movie is the representation of that, conspiracies stacked upon each other, offering no resolution or a hint of truth. These questions weren't made to be answered anyway, they were made to simply occupy ones mind, to avoid dealing with the raw reality of death, indulging in fantasy. Emotions decoupled, with transactional sex. There's a shot in the movie where Karsh's face was illuminated by this light, the ray specifically hitting the side of his nose, near his eye, it was wet. But I didnt know if it was sweat, or tears, that for me, is the crux of the movie.

Watched on Tuesday May 13, 2025.

Insane Oscar worthy performance by Fernanda that didnt require any histrionics, goddamn

i wish the philosophical implications of the tech was explored more, it was more interesting angle than... whatever this is

I think people expected something different, something bone chillingly scary, but it wasnt. And you would have sensed it from the opening along, it has a profound sense of melancholy that would be out of place in say, a thriller that some people expected it to be. I got teary eyed with some of the scenes.

There's a sense of scale being built here, stories we only know from ing, that girl in the highschool, Nadia, or whatever the mom is up to. Less is more, and through dialogue it forms this rich world of stories, and well backstories. It feels LIVED in, there's a certain history, not just in the house, but in the space around it. It acts as an anchor, much how the incredible camerawork for The Presence never felt floaty, it had a certain weight.

The Lucy Liu performance here matches that of Toni Colette in one scene from Hereditary, I know it sounds comical when this is a movie that made me cry and be sad, but youll know it if you see it.

whats with eastern european gay films having the hottest gay sex scenes ever put on film?

also ofc arek was studying hegel, he was the BLUEPRINT

For some reason in my head i always thought this was the Zach Creggers movie, boy im glad it wasnt, he only PRODUCED it

HOLYYYY SHIT MANNNNNN its too good.

The shift from horror to gothic fairytale is so well done. Its scary yes, but theres this pervasive feeling of longing and sadness. This humanized Orlok in ways I did not even expect. The line that stuck to me was "You are my affliction" this came from him out of all people.

He is inflicting disease and madness in so many poor souls, yet he himself is sick, he is "enchanted" by this love. But Ellen points out he cannot love, only carnal desire, he knows he is just a craving, nothing more. He is a sad, creature that knows his bounds, and abhors this, despite the great terror he can bring, he cannot do that one at all.

When the "marriage" happens in the third act, when Ellen offers herself to him. I noticed a moment of sheer disappointment from him. As if he said "Is this it?" The anticipation was stronger than the actual thing, it always is. He knew he reached the peak, he cannot go higher than that, both literally and figuratively. He reached his death still wanting.

figured out the secret to a successful gay movie, gotta be set in the 90s, the leads gotta have a black hair with a hard personality and another one is a blonde boy with a softer side. n also a tragedy is a MUST. so much my own private idaho vibes, which makes sense cos van sant was the executive producer. it also had a gregg araki vibe where ppl r just vibing n doing fuck all, just missing some 90s shoegazy soundtrack n this would all be set.

not a masterpiece in any means, it has very clunky scenes, offkilter dialogue, but some shots here are v deliberate n artistic, n the buildup between the leads takes a snapshot of a very specific time and longing that its hard to ignore.

someone needs to REMAKE this ASAP.

It feels such a disservice to call this a slasher, because most slashers just do kills and kills each time but this it really makes you take in the methodical nature of it all. There's not much gore even, much of it is implied and yet somehow it makes it all the more terrifying. You don't really how it happened, and yet you see this carnage.

Its slow and yet it rewards you with this sharp hopelessness. These girls were failed by the people around them, they cant do anything with their bodies, and hell they wont be even be found maybe. The contrast of the Christmas carols, the decor amplifies this feeling. Even with the jolliest time of the year the cold bodies will continue to pile up.

I loved the shots, the blocking especially when all the girls show up listening to a phone call and split diopter too The cuts of screaming but the sound is a ringing phone. First person killer POV. It feels like a different era, and it is, but most horror movies nowadays wont even reach half the tension this movie has.

A little heavy handed for my taste but pretty damn good. I loved all the drama

Really really absurdly good. The first act was just really slow and I commend Baker for not making it the entire movie, that would have been much easier. But instead it changes gears, and the rest of the movie is bonkers.

A lot of Anora's characterization happens in the first act, the rest of the movie which is chaos, is sprinkling in seeds into what she really feels, beyond that usual line of work. Sure there's laughs, fun, quips and whatnot, but what does our titular character really feel? Beyond the jokes and the fierce way she handles herself? That is answered in the ending. The dam gets broken, which I did not see coming at all. It is the core of the movie, remove it, and it would be hollow.

In a way its a culmination of the chaotic scenes built up, a pressure cooker blowing up. If you hated that ending then I'm afraid you do not get the movie.

Im sorry this is just too good, if I gush more about I'd spoil it so please watch it now.

Watched on Tuesday December 10, 2024.

Watched on Sunday December 8, 2024.

Jesse Plemons had like 5 mins of screentime but I think he has the best performance in the movie, he fucking killed it, contender for top performance for this year? Maybe?

I didn't really look for any political depth for this movie, I was not expecting it, but there's also not much depth anywhere else. I wish Lee's backstory was elaborated upon, her connection with these characters and how seeing the world in a lens, will in turn make you perceive the world in a warped way. I really like the subtle chromatic aberration? i think on the sides of the frame, I cant tell if she's on the verge of breaking or she's just ing something, either way, the latter probably causes the former, its all the same to her, its all she knows.

Tonal and Tomei perfection goddamn, just bit after bit after bit. It never drags, no joke outstays its welcome. The jokes aren't made to "hehe got you laughing" but written in such an absurd way that you'll laugh at the circumstances. You just can't help but root for Vinny and the two boys, and Lisa was just wonderful. Marisa Tomei carried this movie, their banter with his husband, Vinny was off the charts. The way she carries herself is remarkable, she is a deadly fucking weapon you don't want your car to be near with or else she'll chop it to bits with "general automotive knowledge".

Bigger, tighter version of the first movie. Kinda cheapned by some of the cop outs tho, would be a 4 star if it didnt rely on it that much.

That said, goddamn its entertaining as hell, some parts are genuinely clever and extends the concept in so many ways. It didnt give that much lore and mythos (pay attention Longlegs) that drags the movie with some exposition of of nowhere, but amped up what I noticed was gore, it has more physicality and placing with the space than the first movie that relied too much on jumpscares. Naomi was acting her ass off, Oscar worthy, maybe? But the academy rarely pays attention to horror.

So damn awe inducing and terrifying at the same time. How does one even think of rouge planets + depression + anxiety. But at the same time, the fiest concept kindof leads itself to the next two. Amplified in such an extreme way, but still grounded in reality.

It would have been so easy to make this movie well melodramatic as hell, but no, there was restraint shown here. The insane concept can be warped in so many ways, it feels so big yet intimate at the same time.

One thing that stuck with me is that scene where Callum and Sophie were eating, and Callum just stares at Sophie eat. It's one thing I always notice with my mom, she watches me eat, and I don't really know why. I thought mostly because she likes to see me eat more, as she really likes me to gain weight, but now I dont really know. A million different things might be running in her head, from a deep seated sadness, fear, happiness, being content, or maybe all at once? I'm frankly stupid for not thinking about it that much but with this new knowledge, I don't even know what to ask. I would look and sound stupid, she'll probably laugh at me, and I won't know if its from confusion, teasing me for a stupid question, or a deflection.

That one single mundane moment made me question just about everything, and goddamn what a good movie, cried twice.

The 2nd movie I saw where a dance was used to bridge the gap between memories, first one was Arrival.

Could have benefitted from a tighter ending and longer screentime, the romance kind of just came on but I think that is on purpose. Things come and go within these walls, and so is that love.

It's oppressed, even with the most patient and wonderful adults who supervise them (which I cant stop thinking how stressful the job is) its it point blank, and just like that. It will take a long time for either of these boys to get what they want. Felt like the movie was just a glimpse of what they go through, its magical sure in the first act, with the camera, all of these activities, from trade to exercise, presented as such, these boys are taken care of, all the best they can get. But at the same time, it serves as a great contrast to how monotonous it can be, how crushing doing the same things, but still not accepted, still not enough, and worse, you cant be the way you want going through this repentance.

HOLYYY SHITTTT man finally finally another movie that manages to take that visceral and adrenaline inducing vibe of 28 days later without being a 1:1 copy, and they tried something new. The cause of the infection is something I haven't seen before, and the one long shot really sells the fast paced nature in contrast with the slow creeping infection + dread. You never know what's happening just a few inches to the left or the right, the way it opened from a claustrophobic scenario into wide roads and chases is so well done.

The urban horror thing that 28 days later did was so easily apparent here. That sense of unknown and loneliness, unsure of something happening, until it all goes down. Not to mention the soundtrack reminds me of it too. A few days ago I wished for a movie that actually shows how stuff goes down, what will be the panic like, the patient zero and how it spreads, and its seems I got my wish :)

Its like that one We Bare Bears episode

The most fun I've had with a movie this year goddamn, carried by the wacky editing plus a really cool concept. If this was gay mann it would have been 5 stars

I get the complaints about being derivative, I really do, some moments feel like key jingling but there's some insanely cool concepts explored here both in the style and scale of it AND lore wise, the vibe is different, the new blood is apparent.

This movie is THE one that fixes Prometheus and Convenant, id would have been sooo easy to ignore those but no, it was smartly adapted here, and it made perfect sense. That endless pursuit of perfection, men playing God, capitalistic greed of Weyland Yutani, both showing in action and the slumlike environments of the colony (which is frankly so stark from Cameron's depiction). It's good because it synthesizes, it is nothing groundbreaking, but opens a new chapter for more Alien movies in the making.

About damn time we get a campy B horror movie with a high budget and great production value that actually GOES there. This movie does not hold back and a lot of fun is rooted on how crazy it is

There's a difference between a film with no plot and a film that's just meandering, unfortunately this is the latter.

It was really good, not on the execution side but on the enjoyment side, its no masterpiece, a bit sloopy but there's this unshakable vibe that its one of those movies you watch with your friends to have fun. Not that corny type of b horror movie, its a nice thriller that keeps your toes up jussstttt a bit

Okay fuck me for expecting some kind of good build up, a collapse of a small town. This went by too fast, aka characters are not fleshed out at all, but somehow also dragged. You can cut the last 30 minutes, do a fade to black and nothing of value would be lost. What a mess

Josh being all goofy n his face somehow taking up the entire screen while doing so, n also being slut in the 3rd act warrants 3 stars already, half star more because I'm enthralled by the whole concert thing

Watched on Tuesday August 27, 2024.

this felt like a back to basics horror movie, a reset from everything that eas dragging the genre down.

nic cage giving a performance that suck u off real good u drop dead

One of the crazy, "sequel almost suprasses the original" types of movies. It just expands a whole lot more on the initial movie. The world, corporation finally named, ing of time with established new locations with history. Applying more background to an already strong character, with stronger enemies and new ones too.

It's like the jump from Half-Life, to Half-Life 2, fundamentally different, but still the same, carved from the building blocks of what the franchise has to offer. Hat's off to Cameron goddamn.

Insanely bleak, even for an alien movie. You can really see Finchers touch here, but even then, its not enough to salvage an already bad movie. Its limping all the way to the end, although the Assembly Cut helps establish things a whole lot better. Mostly I'm just pissed with characters being killed off screen.

If they shot this today, it would have used medium shots for every scene, and a shaky camera for the chases. I find it interesting that for a monster movie, its slow and deliberate, and it follows the typical slasher genre movie cue of showing the environment before the fun begins, it establishes key places with a camera pan and drives in the point that its all so silent. The monstrous thing might be happening inside a ship, but the space around it is indifferent to death, everything can and will live, and they will die.

The first hour was so good, so bleak and hopeless. I wanted more of that, just a crew finding a new place, but it's not what it seems. Again, it falls flat because like Prometheus, it doesn't know if it wanted an Engineer backstory or a lost in the wild, Alien type of movie. Oh Ridley...

I ire this movie for its boldness, but ultimately falls flat in finding its aim. Is it about the Engineers, or Aliens? Also I hate that the space jockey is now demistified.

Strip The First Omen's ending and replace it with this movie's ending and then you will get the perfect movie.

Can't believe that two movies with the same plot beat by beat nd only diverging at a specific point got released at the same time.

Watched on Wednesday August 14, 2024.

What a scattershot movie, pacing is off, flat characters. How am I supposed to give a fuck about these deaths if they barely had enough screentime? Narratives going nowhere and dropped all of a sudden, didn't know the tone it was going for. Detectives? Porn industry? Camp B movie horror meta narrative? Cults? Like cmon man, at least the first two movies had a clearly defined aim.

Watched on Sunday August 4, 2024.

Prob my fault for expecting something like Cloverfield here, I mostly got a slow drama but still pretty good.

Watched on Friday July 26, 2024.

Watched on Friday June 28, 2024.

Its very different structurally from the usual gay media one might watch. Typically it explores first loves and identity. The entire runtime of those is focused on fleshing out that character, breaking him out of a shell.

But this ones different, we already have established gay characters, there's no need to watch familiar scenes that's been already shown in countless different ways. Its a show that is despite being dramatized, it feels grounded, nothing has been cut off for brevity, oversimplification, and at the same time its not too complex and hard to follow (though I it i continuously cried for minutes). Refreshing that it tackles a different hard topic that gay men will prob have to at some point in their lives: forming a family, despite not having the best experience.

How parenting can be affected by how you were raised, trying to avoid being your own, father, mother, inheriting the worst traits that you now know how they got. The crushing realities of adoption and giving the best life to a kid you don't share blood with. It feels like you're getting your heart out there, once start that venture. You will feel vulnerable, but you know your love, a piece of you, nurturing a soul who god knows that they went through.

It not just about another gay story about getting over a guy in high school, or in college or a fleeting romance in a random vacation or a weekend, or a guy they fucked once in a one night stand. These characters actually grow and go beyond the usual scope in a gay story, its a human experience at the center that's just not focusing on navigating internalized homophobia, getting over past loves or about fighting shame in society, no its not like that.

Its more than that, and I'm glad we are breaking out and exploring new stories.

Happy Pride Month.

Something actually Lynchian and not just the style, but also structurally. Suburban mundanity, loneliness and nightmare. Fully American in style, but the message pierces across and applies to any culture and language.

It is scary, knowing the implications of it all, of something that I might not be able to do in any meaningful way. Tapped into that specific fear, and felt like my heart was ripped out, but I didn't have sadness per se, more like dread, because I expected this to happen, but the circumstances around me, and the people that I have meant that I could do nothing, absolutely nothing to stop it.

Like hopelessly yelling at a naive and dumb horror movie protagonist, but they cant really hear, see or feel. I'm on the other side of the TV screen, watching it all play out, unmoving like a statue, hypnotized by what ifs and what couldves.

Watched on Friday June 7, 2024.

• Children of Men
• Strange Days
• Midnight Cowboy
• Great Freedom
• Alien
• Arrival
• La Haine
• Punch-Drunk Love
• Rabid
• Law of Desire

...plus 10 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

A list made by a person who has a terrible sense of judgement. This centers around gays that might be end up being devastating, sad and or a little bit hopeful

• Weekend
• God's Own Country
• Midnight Cowboy
• Maurice
• Happy Together
• Law of Desire
• Pride
• Wild Reeds
• Totally F***ed Up
• Dead Poets Society

...plus 55 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

In-betweeners (wip)

• Gattaca
• The Fly
• Strange Days
• Children of Men
• Law of Desire
• Midnight Cowboy
• Dead Poets Society
• Caravaggio
• Weekend
• Esteros

...plus 28 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.