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What could have easily been a mere condiment to a rather lacklustre course, instead have proven to be the focal ingredient to the entire experience. Thunderbolts have taken the ive and discarded to a space of agency, growth, and redemption that the cinematic universe sorely needed; a much-needed resuscitation to what has recently felt like a flatline. I speak on this fondness with scant iration, but nothing comparable to the injected rush of the franchise’s heyday. That being said, I relished the mild and brief satisfaction as I absorbed a competent story, a charming set of characters, and a willingness, and successfully so, to embrace intimate and meaningful stakes - even if still hampered by the familiar allergy towards honest loss, grief, and their permanency. Am I excited? The scepticism that its predecessor, Brave New World, had bred remains intact, yet I cannot deny that little glimmer of hope. A hope that one day may be cultivated as excitement.

The efficiencies of allowing the infamy and failures of the past to set judgment for the future are well understood. This societal default is perhaps the preservation of intellectual and emotional expenditure, making the alternative - empathy and hope - all the more seemingly strenuous. Therefore, it is expected that storytelling trends will be paralleled, demonstrating a scarcity of the medium’s entirety that goes against the grain. An exemplar of this differing approach is Wim Wenders’ Paris, Texas. With its protagonist, Travis, introduced to us as a blank slate whose past is locked away from even himself, this aimlessness and sense of loss is a personal path, a mobility of self-discovery that eventually paints the fragments of a broken American family. What is eventually uncovered are morally complex pieces that seek not for critical judgement, but rather a window for reconnection, understanding, and forgiveness. It conveys the idea of restoration in a world that is content to see things discarded once blemished and diverts any who would dare to endure such an uphill climb. But as we are all aware, the rewards are not always abundantly clear from the base and once conquered the upward trail, the air is rather refreshing. Wim Wenders has crafted a journey that is as intimate as it is picturesque, a nourishment for the dying thirst we have so long often suppressed.

Ushered into a world where governance and market powers have been established, the facade of structure and authority. Simultaneously set but capable of disruption - a vulnerability that spearheads would not want to be exposed or exploited. Sergio Leone brings about an agent of chaos, a skilled opportunist who intends to turn heads, only to also expose his deficiency of insight into the concrete dangers that lie ahead with robbing a piece of the pie. A Fistful of Dollars speaks against the traditional moral comes of its genre predecessors, revealing the evolved cut-throat world that has continued to surge the veins of the present. While the guns, gold loot, and horses of the Wild West may not hold contemporary relevance, the capitalistic and political structures remain familiar, with our lone, savvy, and opportunistic protagonist representing the navigational token of pursuing such a brutal land. Survival is the fundamental goal, and it rings much louder in a world where much has been stolen from the masses, it is exciting to see a figure conduct with such cleverness and assurance even if the hand of greed eventually comes to grip our hero in a state of duress. Though exciting, warnings are also offered to the determined hero, enduring a shift of perspective that recalibrated his philosophical horizon moving forward as he exchanges his introductory unassuming mule for a grown horse - one that has since carried the weight of death. Yet, it is clear that he will remain a survivalist, conducting the necessities to earn his keep within a corrupt system. Fistful's story and metaphor may seem contemporaneously archaic, and yet we bear witness to its endurance against the specificities of time, culture, politics, and economies. Its historical stamp has yet to fade and remains doubtful it will completely do so in the years to come.

Rare have I come across a film-related experience that diminishes the strength of its former encounters, with most subsequent viewings often compounding on that initial interest. What We Do in the Shadows seems to present itself to me as a unique case of its comedic punches softened in this third engagement. Starkly apparent in the distance I now seem to have with the happenings on screen, what was once a belly laugh has become a nostril exhale at best, and what was once an empathetic identification of its humorous set of characters and their circumstances have evolved into simply an intellectual appreciation of concept and thematic execution. The experience had begun to feel clinical, had an unexpected outcome, and certainly differed from the director’s other works - Hunt for the Wilderpeople being the most recent otherwise example. Have I outgrown the awkwardness and irony of this film? It certainly seems to be the case, to which I harboured a fragment of disappointment.

It is less a cathartic experience as it is an incision into the current fabric that shapes our world's various systems, exposing its vulnerabilities and inter-reliance. Criminality within these systems is held by those who understand its weaknesses, its very composition, and its harvestable rewards. Mann brings us into a flow of kinetic motion, guiding this allowance of insight with emotional anchors and fetishised processes - stripping it of its common sterility. Blackhat may all appear emotionally blunt and bare, yet I commend its intent to emulate beyond the understood mundanity of its processes and to let us instead feel and be led by said feeling. It may not be dramatically exceptional but it certainly is elevated. Perhaps, Mann was the perfect creative to helm such a task.

Watched on Friday May 23, 2025.

With a slate of mistakes paved up to this point, Brave New World was meant to signal to its audience the cinematic universe’s new and corrective direction, to an extent, of course. Evident in the desire to progress forward and establish the foundations of what is to come, it was refreshing to see a cinematic Marvel project not fall under the nostalgic trap in multitudes within its runtime. Investment, both emotional and financial, is the name of the game, and Disney wants it back from us, and does so almost knowingly of the forgiving and comionate arc it lends to one of Brave New World’s fractured villains, Thunderbolt Ross. In a place of power, influence, and responsibility, it communicates to the masses to move forward with hope and understanding, and find focus and excitement in the ventures that lie ahead. Meanwhile, deep within, attempting to grapple with the infamous and tattered fragments of one’s past, hoping not to be extinguished from this world with a stain rather than an unsullied one. However, such a reclamation of our trust, interest, and investment would need far more than what was gathered and offered here, thus the general flatness of its presentation and incapability to move the necessary needles to bring itself back to familiar waters. This is not a display of a self-destructive act but rather a tepid one.

The authorship of one’s life and the tension it holds to one’s kin was the primary tension of Clash of the Titans. As I was ushered into its successor, it was evident that its expansion upon this familial ties to explore the tugs of vengeance and jealousy against the much deeper well of forgiveness, love, and empathy did not breed the same nostalgic fondness that its predecessor was able to generate (even if only slightly). Undoubtedly an escalation in immersion, a doubling down of the awe-inspiring effects of its former, hoping to bring forth a synonymous result, only to find the hollowness unable to be completely obscured. Much of what fills and surrounds Wrath of the Titans is a simulation, a sensationalist holographic recreation as a means of fooling us towards into a semblance of something tangible and real - emphasised greater by its 3D theatrical release - only to still see the hollowness within the cracks; the yearning souls nowhere to be seen from its endangered and abandoned characters.

Swarmed by an apparent peace and calmness that obscures the threat awaiting to emerge and bring disorder to the landscape. This third iteration brings not only a familiar semblance of destruction, but an escalated one, where the battle of Gotham’s soul is not determined by an immediate sever but rather through decay, one that takes it to the brink of complete calamity. Yet the journey of a symbol continuing to serve and sacrifice, at the expense of his own physical deterioration, is taken to dramatic heights that harvest all that has since been paved. Its scope may bring some untidiness under the microscope, yet its macro-scale ambitions are sweeping and its impact feels concrete. Though seemingly resting on the service of its predecessors, however, its ability to communicate such a story is a testament to craftsmanship worthy of its own. What I had just experienced was not a symptom of a nostalgic rush but rather a display of timeless filmmaking that would only cement itself further in the years, or perhaps decades, to come.

Harnessing its positivity in depicting the human spirit’s defiance and determination despite oppression and dire consequences. The Great Escape pays its respects as well as it entertains. It is often and rather easy to succumb to the tragedy and suffering under such depicted circumstances, as war is not a pretty sight, and yet, like the ensemble attitude, the film itself shows resistance against such expectations. It revels in the potential of liberty, even if only briefly, even if the risks are overwhelming, and success seemingly elusive, we delightfully harvest the joy that is offered, that is conveyed in their experience. I am truly in awe.

My wondrous eyes gleaned at the visual effects on screen, to see figures that I had once only encountered in animated form brought to a greater realism that I was simply unprepared for. Nostalgia shaped my interest and curiosity for a return, the adolescence within me enamoured by the capacities of cinema in its ability to immerse and fascinate remains intact, but the integrity of the film has shown its fades. Unfortunately truncated, sparse in any sense of breathing room, the swiftness and economical movement of its storytelling robs it of its inner character, an interiority that also often resembles the anchor of our fondness to it long after the closing credits. To see such come to life is still a delight, even if short-lived by its narrative shortcuts.

In this day and age, who hasn't expressed fear about our technological future, regardless of how irrational it may be? However, given the repetitiveness of warning signs, cultural shift towards distracting and mindless behaviour, and our tendency to be niched within our travels on the internet, it is starkly evident that there is much to be concerned about, at least with where we, as a society, currently stand. Richard Stanley may have presented a story of our ignorance, willingness to bring monstrosity home and of humanity's dire need for survival, but Hardware has simply taken that universal attitude and behaviour of the daily into a sensationalist live-or-die experience. Yes, global warming and unregulated industrialisation are slowly leading us into decay, but this film desires to usher us into the collapse immediately. We watch survival against the seemingly dire, to reject the surrender to death, to simply make it at least one more night, to get through Christmas. With such a statement, I would expect to be somewhat entertained, to care for its ideas upon retrospect, and yet it leaves me rather flat and uninspired.

To see, to look, to survey, to review, what do those all mean when applied to a subject, and how does it feel when it is returned? As we pace along with our protagonist, Steve Burns into the depths of the New York BDSM leather scene, with the intent to apprehend the stalking murderer within it, we witness him absorb all that surrounds him; the acts, the decor, the vibes, the culture. A necessity of transformation blends him into the fold, and yet within him must retain a semblance of his original form, to create a necessary separation to distinctively define Steve Burns and John Forbes - the undercover alter ego he dons. To commit means to inch closer to his target, to serve his agenda, and to save the lives of those he swore to protect. Yet, it feels like this infamous killer's capture means little in comparison to the internal fissures that occur with such a profession and commitment. Similarly to what Joe Carnahan does decades later with Narc, William Friedkin conveys the risks and tolls paired with such a work, the prices of immersion that bleeds itself into the worlds we had intended to keep separate from, only to find it eventually personally consuming and detrimental. More to the film and director's favour is the empathetic approach with its assumed perspective, as we watch the process of immersion take place, we are informed as much as we become comionate to their specifics, to review the subcultural landscape with an intent to expose the link that leads them to such congregations. By the end, we watch our protagonist who has endured much looking in the mirror and contemplate whether what he sees remains recognisable. As the audience, we are left to personally examine the markers that define us; our surroundings, our culture, our friends, our behaviours - but critically to also that we all have our reasons.

In its infancy, it was abundantly clear of cinema's necessity for serialisation. A desire for regularity in attendance, engagement, and profitability, as the medium attempts to make its mark in this new untapped world. With cliffhangers, recurring icons and actors, and an appeal to its genre promises, it desires to stir, enwrap, and captivate its audience, to develop a social currency that would promote itself within society, within the susceptible individual - and surely enough given the necessity for sustainability. This is not to say that Louis Feuillade's Fantômas is the primary mover of the needle, but one can attribute to the consistency in its methodology to entertain its audience, to gather an investment that would compel them to return and see to a hopeful conclusion to its story, to simply feel emotions that their everyday humdrum was not able to offer. Fantômas is a sensationalist piece through and through, its markers of artistic innovations may be spare but variety was enough to create distinctions between its five chapters, as its excellence and success unknowingly set the stage for the modern economy of franchised cinema and long-form television.

As we emerge from the doors of Dorothy's swept home in blissful Technicolor, all is not what it seems in the Land of Oz. Where such blossoming of the imagination gives us the likes of Muchkinland, Emerald City, and the fortress of the Wicked Witch of the West, these fantastical worlds carry with them a littering of tyranny and abject compliance, where hero worship is applied by the masses and political conservatism by the established powers that be. Here comes Dorothy and her gang, who carry within them a set of desires, hoping to find such within this seemingly bountiful and limitless landscape, yet their enduring act only leads them to tokenistic messages and offerings that limit the disruption of the established order. As one excavates the depths of its story, The Wizard of Oz has so much in its concept that lessons and insights are assured, yet throughout I felt a sense of disruption in this communication that exposes its vulnerable foundations. With its truncated pacing, bare in its thematic emphasis, skeletal in its plotting, and shallow in its characterisation, its cracks become so apparent that it diminishes much of its story potential. It is fairly evident, that the issue is not the narrative, but rather its construction, linked all the way down to the formulation of its script. Yet, despite its haphazardness, its innovations and ambitions are clear and commendable. Its position in the medium's history cannot be displaced, its cultural hold has embedded itself beyond dissolve, but seeing it for what it is has only highlighted the limitations behind its execution as it reaches out to an aspirational ceiling that it was unable to completely reach.

Almost as if the essence of the soul, externalised in the metaphorical borders and structures of this seemingly floating temple, where a young man’s development is subjected to the narrative’s cyclical nature. Spring gives us the space of serenity and isolation that exists within our personal interiors and of our material world, as we watch the blossoming of life, the emerging temptations, and the wisdom earned. We watch this space being departed from but eventually returned to, contextualising all that exists beyond the borders to transform experience into understanding, funnelling all to a state of simplicity, harmony, and fulfilment. How the film managed to penetrate and communicate was its ability to suddenly bring awareness of the noise that often surrounds me, the self-imposed pressures, the systems that attempt to entrap me, and the baggage of uncertainty I so often carry. Yet as the film suggests, action is never too late, steps can be taken to bring the conceptual to something tangible and affirming. I am always enamoured with the cinematic art-form’s ability to open up therapeutic dialogue with its viewers and expose the tethers that we share with the stories that unfold on screen, and will surely continue to do so in the years and decades to come.

The once presumed familiar have revealed themselves as seemingly diverted from expectations, the conversion to the unfamiliar as one recognises the influence of the interiority of an individual. The idea of internal corruption corrosively alters the identity, yet leaving little manipulation to one’s appearance, confronted with such breeds of confusion, anger, grief and disappointment. Ryan Coogler has not established Sinners to be a tale of moral decay’s inevitability, but rather the harrowing sadness of such capability within the human spirit to surrender with ease to such comforting and lethal spaces. The nihilistic certainty of a vampire and their influence is pervasive, rampant, and normalised, a ruling class favouring appropriation rather than preservation of the traditional form. Incorporating its inspired genre elements to bring a refreshing flavour and serve depth to the overall narrative, even if its incorporation may bring about a jarring experience upon its survivalist shift. Yet I must ire its utilisation to facilitate its themes of community, self-preservation, and a threatened artistic influence and expression.

I am fascinated by the ability of the home, and the contents within it, to function as storage units of our memories. One can simply return to a home they had once departed from long ago and flood one's mind back to the specifics that our distance was unable to recall. Similarly, with a grave or shrine, deceased of families retain sentiment and real estate in one's thoughts as one interacts with them, resurfacing the established memories once shared with them, in some ways keeping them alive. I note this as this seems to be the driving force behind Huỳnh Lập's The Ancestral Home, as we sit within the all-seeing plane between its ghost and home inhabitants, watching their behaviours and decisions as they determine the outcome of its titular space. The arrival of a long-departed sister of the haunting ghost opens up the conversation that would inform its emotional agendas and thematic thesis. What has created this distance between her and her home/family? Why should the value of the deceased be held? How does this oppose philosophically the youths of today, and how will such be treated in the generations to come? Such questions are the beating heart that would resonate with its domestic audiences and pose for consideration and contemplation for those who are foreign to such values. Yet, it is clear that such an impact would be under dampened weight due to its manner of presentation. Its consciousness of the horror genre is utilised and attempted to be subverted, and yet it attempts to do so with the cringe-inducing tactics that the director-star has brought in his last feature, The Blind Shaman. The common welling from the melodramatic reservoir unfortunately is paired with poor logic and character tokenisation that undermines its grand purposes and leaves forth a rather deficient experience.

Watched on Saturday March 8, 2025.

One can easily get fearfully paralysed around the presence of the psychologically enigmatic, especially when such are associated with something as confronting and horrifying as matricide. In the context of Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho, such a perception is drawn by the intentional structures and attitudes of his narrative, to trace Norman Bates as the other in its own equation. However, Richard Franklin’s follow-up reveals that such a perspective does not need to be the standard and that through exposition under a donned alternative and considerate review, Norman is revealed as much of a victim as he is a perpetrator. As discouraging as it was to see the relapsed narrative of the third instalment, it was truly liberating and cathartic to see this fourth entry recoil from such damaging outcomes. Psycho 4: The Beginning thoughtfully looks at the past to form the shape of its future, it therapeutically reconstructs the meaning of its tragic foundations, to uncover insight into what was already spoken for. Norman, as much in panic and displaced as he may emotionally seem for much of the film, endures through a greater sense of agency that is remarkably comionate in comparison to his past iterations. The past may be inextinguishable but the future can still be paved, it is simply a manner of enduring the rough weather and harnessing the that surrounds him.

Early on in the film, a recognition of limitation under the donned suit becomes apparent to Bruce Wayne, seeking an alternative that could withstand the rabid canines that would come his way. This slimming of the uniform evokes a parallel of the ferocious dangers ahead, the trade-off vulnerabilities it now exposes, and the transparency of the body and soul that rests within. One needs not a direct contrast to highlight the depth of its ethos and the streamline of its plotting. Exposition remains as prevalent and constant as ever, and yet immune from intrusion and spoil. The momentum runs consistently and rapidly, correlating with the titular character’s greater agility but under more escalated pressures. The external threat remains a familiar sight, and yet it is not here where The Joker finds his focus, but rather towards the interiority that defines an individual, that creates a community, that constructs a city - chipping away at the areas most precious and sensitive. The Dark Knight exists without obligatory tether outside of its own thesis, and every technique, scene, and exposition is utilised to feed this particular aspiration. Its high entertainment delivery may not immediately compel us to question our own realities, and yet if peered close enough, the parallels are stark. We live in a world where such chaos can go unchecked, resources funnelled towards its eventuality which opens up the question of whether the system that we currently employ and advocate still has the capabilities to uphold justice. It’s a horrifying thought that our heroes are nowhere to be found.

The parameters and responsibilities of an origin tale can breed its own set of shortcomings. I state this as it becomes fairly apparent throughout Christopher Nolan’s opener of his superhero trilogy of its narrative obligations as the skeletal structure is being defined. This results in the necessary depth and expansion that subverts the titular figure’s pre-established aesthetics and sensibilities. Tracing inwards as a means of carving the output becomes the pathway of Batman Begins, as we are immediately thrust into Bruce Wayne’s developing psyche as it slowly contours and exhibits the formations that would eventually bring its titular figure to fruition. While the physical manifestations are abundantly clear, it is perhaps in the easily overlooked ideological struggle that co-exists within its story that fulfils the abundance of its rewards, an anecdote that I press on due to this film’s performed due diligence, thus the causation of its trilogy. Despite the evident difference in focus and arguable shortcomings highlighted under contrast, its successors in The Dark Knight and Rises would not have been able to fulfil their respective thesis and entertainment, at least in their graceful manner. In a nutshell, Batman Begins is an investment, financially, narratively, and emotionally, achieved only under the strict delivery that prioritised its obliged interiority and thematic establishment that paved the franchise, the trilogy, and the cultural phenomenon to be actualised.

With immediacy, it was the words of the mother that emerged and set the scene, it was under her protective eyes and voice of authority that defined the foundations that her family stood on. Whether such words carry integrity, such is determined by the listening ear, and in The Others, we watch their once-held truth of the world begin to illuminate and reveal a differing and contradicting landscape beyond the fog. While it may be easy to associate such actions and decision-making to be markers of self-imposition and self-destruction, it is in the impressionistic eyes that the audience is inherited with that supply the sympathy and understanding for its fragile and caring mother. Trauma is the clippers that trim the hedges and shape the way such perspectives are harboured, Nicole Kidman’s Grace Stewart means the best for her offspring, and such an emotional hold is felt and undeniable, but we are also given insight into its undoing, the damages that form the cracks and reform the walls as the boundaries for imprisonment rather than security. The shocking concluding twist is indebted to Alejandro Amenábar’s theatrical and philosophising tendencies, with this as his third feature simply demonstrating a refinement rather than an escalation, which truly works to the film’s more sombre flavours. The Others may not tread the most tempting and dense of waters as his previous works were able to provide respectively, but it certainly provides variety to an oeuvre that can easily find dull repetition when unchecked.

There comes a point where the intellectual intention, when pressed with indulgence, can lose itself to the realm of aesthetics, to which has been demonstrated in Tinto Brass’ Caligula. As we trace the appointment of power, its eventual abuse, and the self-imposed demise, this character study is also decorated with an abundance that mirrors the inflated excesses and murky morality that propels such a powerful position. We watch an empire lose faith in itself through the personal eyes of a hungry, paranoid, and privileged individual, a weight that seems to shed its value under its unconstrained presentation. Reaching past its tipping point, sexuality, immorality, and violence emerge beyond their commentary capabilities and reside overconfidently as decoration, as we watch characters navigate such discomforting opulence as merely wallpaper. Yet, when I remove all such distractions, there is present intrigue that I hold for its story, curious about the parameters and motivations that fulfil its history and appreciate the cinematic medium’s ability to inform. Caligula truly does feel like an afterthought.

Watching violence erupt from the simmer of greed has never delivered entertainment and intricacy as it has in Kim Jee-woon’s The Good, The Bad, The Weird. Weaving us through the diverse spaces and avenues within its dense and abundant set design, whether it is presented as tightly hectic in the form of a market or a train, or something as vast as the Manchurian desert, we witness violence rear its ugly head, demonstrating the efficiency in destruction over furtiveness. Compounding this is the all too often human impulse for possession, under the mask of greed, a desire that doesn’t always link with tangibility as it morphs under the eyes of the beholder, salivating at its bountiful promises. As one absorbs all that the film offers, it seems almost inevitable to be charmed by its adrenaline chaos, its murky morality, and the textural sociopolitical undercurrents that surge beneath the premise - common layers of anchor and appeal in the director’s work, and arguably from the greatest in Korean cinema.

Do we truly have the capacity to change what has already happened? Nacho Vigalondo’s Timecrimes seems to think so, but to engage with it in a literal sense seems to bring very little intrigue than if it is taken more metaphorically, as the overall outcome matters little in comparison to what he personally endures and how the audience’s perception is built from it. We watch as we prod along the mystery of Hector and all that he encounters begins to unravel in front of our eyes, watching how much of what occurs is of his doing, all conceived from the error that leads him astray and the understated lustful desire that simmers beneath. It poses the question of our true control in the aspect of time as we see the error already committed and what is simply being conducted is an intent to sweep it all under the rug. I don’t believe the film had the intent to hold firmly in its morals, but rather to give us an indulgence of irony and unexpected comion. Should we aspire to be Hector, probably not, but he is also spared from being ripped to shreds as we see a recognition of error and a blooming of gratitude that had been missing in his life as of late. Temptations exist in the world as a means of testing us, to facilitate growth in the endurance of resistance and eventually converting into wisdom. We have all been Hector at one point, and we all have been critical of our past iterations and attempted to rectify our shortcomings, Timecrimes simply demonstrates the gravity and determination of a time machine were included in the mix.

In its relatively short 82-minute runtime, two key moments would wrestle in my mind for as long as I live. The first would be its lead protagonist, Heather - the aspiring creative, speaking to the camera in what feels like a confessional surrender to the fate that has been paved for her, bawling to an uncertain audience, simultaneously pleading for a semblance of relief or catharsis from the entire affair, her pride and confidence ultimately at a state of rubble that transparently reveals herself. In its harrowing vulnerability emerges the contemplation of the camera not just as an entity that immortalises lives into legacies, but also as a therapeutic window into human interiority formed by emotional, psychological, existential attributes that resembles such a confession to a palliative figure’s last rites. The second imprinted moment was found in its conclusion, one of our protagonists standing at the corner, back towards us, lingering long enough to convey an eerie stillness, only to suddenly cut us from any semblance of life as the camera falls on the ground. Just in this brief moment, it emerged as both enigmatic and as a key towards truth, open-ended questions filled my mind and yet certain of its proof of existence, which in itself fed this space of curiosity, one that eventually found its way to questioning the very fabric of my own life and reality. While an obvious factor of effective marketing, after watching The Blair Witch Project, I cannot blame any for gullibility, as I too harboured its aura of dread, anxiety, and terror. Stepping out of its narrative frame, watching the credits abruptly arrive, giving oneself space after such an ordeal, what I once carried as a defence in logic began to show its cracks, areas of darkness began to reveal more within than what I can tangibly perceive, fearing the potential that lurks within, one that is synonymous to the fearful eyes of an imaginative child.

Unfortunately, its attempt at genre blending has only left itself with deficiencies in both, leaving us with corny comedy and an aggressively insecure horror film. While there were some chuckles to be had here and there, the inconsistency made me contemplate whether such responses were out of pity or from genuine effect. It is obvious that to expect certain conventions would give the film a fair comionate analysis given its mainstream intent, and yet it feels so devoid of fun that even dialling down one’s standards would not even give it the necessary conditions for enjoyment. The theatre was quiet, seemingly extinguished of life, we simply looked up at the screen watching things unfold but the experience resembled something of a restraint to our chairs for the sake of not wasting our money. However, when one gives the time to reflect on its value, it is clear that what was truly lost was our precious time.

My general criticism regarding Tran Thanh has often revolved around his writing, with screenplays to his directorial efforts lacking in an earned conclusion, a scattering of its own thesis, and devoid of seamlessness in its overall telling. While aspects of his filmmaking have shown improvement - or perhaps more accurately, polish - in its presentation, such were not enough to compensate for its storytelling woes. The film’s intention to speak about the relationship dynamics that often tug on relationships does radiate some familiarity, honesty, and weight, with its melodramatic swings sinking us into the interior waters of its characters and how opposing views attempt to come to a space of compromise and understanding. On the other end, it takes us to comedic spaces that are effective in their execution, with surprising timing and irony to instil laughter within us while also giving the entire affair a light touch. However, as I mentioned, seamlessness is the primary issue, with a glue that holds both types of storytelling that gave me little faith in its hold. Not to also mention that its pacing suffers from it as we endure a multitude of fade-outs throughout its entirety, giving us a false sense of conclusion to these moments and a cheap attempt to move us onto the next scene. It is a shame since Tran Thanh does often demonstrate his love of cinema, much in the same way that someone like Edgar Wright and Quentin Tarantino does, and yet we find time and time again that he is unable to get past the barricading hump that often holds his projects back.

While my impression towards Kim Ki-duk’s The Isle seemed fairly set, what recently emerged as I let myself brew on its themes and images were more questions than answers. However, these were questions that furthered my interest, tapped onto my hunger for insight regarding its meaning - not so much with the filmmaker’s concrete intent but rather on what it contemporarily mirrors in the everyday. Closely scrutinising the relationship between fishing resort owner, Hee-Jin, with one of her newly arrived patron on-the-run, Hyun-Shik, eruptive violence became apparent interiorly and within their union. As unorthodox this relationship may be perceived, we find pockets of empathetic checkpoints, as we examine not just on the basis of what they do, but also rather what they attempt to personally oppress. Hyun-Shik, as down-in-the-dumps he may reveal himself to be - both to the audience and to Hee-Jin, unknowing of being observed - the common violent eruptive nature of the male sex within both sexual impulse and self-deprecating nihilism toxically emerge at every turn, even if his current predicament proves sympathetic. Hee-Jin, who found attraction in his sense of honesty and desire for care in his fragile state, allowed herself intimacy with him - beginning with an attempt of mutuality that Hyun-Shik swiftly breaks through his misreading and sudden surge of desire. While both carrying their own set of needs, they are distinctively separated in their measurement of trust, allowance, and agency in engaging with this relationship. As the film progresses along, more of these potentially harmful emotions begin to individually consume them, leading to immoral decision-making that would change the tide of security, and further accentuating their dependency for one another. It was in the particular contemplation of the film’s final shot, which initially felt too enigmatic to draw a semblance of an impression on, but with time, it greater solidified the intent of the director’s examination of humanity, uncovering the unfair and often shifting dynamics of the every day, and how such violence can reveal themselves in both states of palpable vulnerability and perceived security. Things are not what they seem, and promises can easily be broken, and yet to continue with such distrust, fear, and isolation is as damaging to the psyche. As we currently stand, these pervasive dynamics remain and continue to be engaged in, forced to navigate and endure through such structures and dynamics as we make small strides for a better, or different future. In some way, Hee-Jin must have senses an alternative and joyous future with Hyun-Shik, and it seemed like the risks were worth fighting for, and yet one can speculate on whether despite the brutality and loneliness of it all prior to his arrival, whether it truly was for the better. Perhaps hope and ion can make fools out of us.

It was in the physical supplemental materials in Umbrella Entertainment’s release of Alejandro Amenabár’s Thesis that brought Mute Witness to the forefront of my attention. Exploring humanity’s relationship with sights that we shouldn’t, or in this case accidentally, see and how such embed itself into our memory and shape who we are moving forward. However, Mute Witness’ intent was very soon clear that it simply desires to utilise this device as a means to tell an exciting story, and yet it is because of its devoid of depth in the telling of said story, that it fails to excite. What is on display is primarily the mechanics of suspense and tension, how the deprivation of one’s primary communicating device would elevate threat and impose greater survival pressure, but the demonstration of this is far from innovative but rather imitative. As it all unfolds, it all feels familiar, and it handicaps itself even more with characters kept at surface level, as symbolic and archetypal devices, and a final half-hour showing its greater leanings to comic relief and cheap gender discourse. Its end credits suddenly arrive, just as we are thrust from the end of its opening credits, and a sigh of relief came out of me - I was glad that it was over.

Unless the roap had been predestined, the idea of a third sequel in an accidental franchise seems to be a little long in the tooth. However, in the case of Norman Bates, a brilliant sequel by Richard Franklin in Psycho 2 brought unexpected life and discourse to the character that was both riveting and empathetic. It encapsulated the attributes of a strong and essential sequel while also serving food for thought despite its inability to synonymously innovate as its predecessor - I mean with what Hitchcock was able to bring to the table, the bar for outperformance is stratospheric. However, with this second sequel, now under the hands of its star, Anthony Perkins, the plan seemed to encase its narrative in a state of déjà vu with a noted apprehension to further progress as its direct predecessor was able to do. Yes, here societal division regarding their opinion of the character remains and Bates’ mental fissure remains as pervasive and brutal as ever, and yet this familiarity never brings us to a critical catharsis that would serve its audience satisfaction and value. While a semblance of exploration may have been offered in the way of Norman and Maureen’s subverted relationship, it never ushers us into that door completely, remaining throughout in familiar territory. Much to its credit, a trifecta within its spontaneous franchise roap would have been a stroke of luck or of stunning skill, to which, unfortunately, there was neither - but I think that’s ok.

It would not be to anyone’s surprise that Alejandro Amenábar’s Thesis would pique my interest. Surging through its narrative veins are the questions posed that dig into humanity’s relationship with media, how we are drawn to deeper wells to source our entertainment, and how such are interconnected - but also differing - in one’s position as either the consumer, the subject, or the creator. Thesis does not intend to find answers in the philosophical queries it swims in, but rather it intends to probe its viewers to swim in its curiosity, to find our own individual answers, and recognise where we stand in this triangular relationship with pervasive content/media. Crafted and presented in an almost Hitchcockian/De Palma fashion, the grand questions refuse to intrude on its simple premise, thrills are still abundant, characters remain the focal point, and dialogue remains grounded in the personalities and archetypes that are associated with these characters. David Cronenberg may have given us a hallucinatory trip to evoke the grey ethics and grotesque of the human body’s relationship with the screen in Videodrome, but Amenábar instead chooses to keep the logically unseen and unanswered as a means to springboard us to conduct our own investigation. Thesis, since my viewing, has continued to linger, synonymous with the works of great cinema. Even if melodramatically intrusive to some, focusing on such is a distraction given the medium’s capability of catering to both ends of the intellect-entertainment spectrum. What is most important is the meaning that can be mined from both the reality within the frame and with our own.

There is the obvious dichotomy in credit between the path that we pave and its offloading to a superior form. How much of this tug-and-pull is concrete truth or chosen faith? As I sit and write this, I question this point of time as a predestination or one I ushered myself towards. Yes, these were the questions that emerged in Álex de la Iglesia’s Perdita Durango. While not as rigid in perspective as the title may suggest, it was in the following of its ing protagonist Romeo, as we watch his journey and learn about his life, that I began to ruminate. Coming from a place of community, harmony, and spirituality, his since transition to a new world, navigating borders and surviving regardless the conditions presented to him, the perception from the only figure who once truly knew him, his grandmother, seems like a distant figure via descriptions that we are given in her communication with her grandson. Integrity has now dissolved, the survivalist momentum is never at rest, his surrender towards capitalistic exploitation, and the thirst for the liberty that this immigrated land has given him speaks volumes during the viewing experience. While the pains and desires of its titular character were distracted from me in this initial viewing, it was evident, however, of the genuine themes of love, sacrifice, ion, and liberty that I believe would prove prominent in a subsequent viewing. Perdita Durango surprised me with the bountiful food for thought that it was able to serve despite the hectic navigation of its storytelling. It spoke just as much about what it means to exist in my world as it is to exist in the one projected in front of me, a linking tether that has been a staple since the filmmaker’s debut effort.

Irresponsible and insulting, Golden Harvest’s initial documentary of their star, released in the immediate aftermath of Bruce Lee’s death, was an exploitative act to the most heinous degree. A decade has now ed since his death and that documentary’s initial release and the decision to provide another document of his life continues to be exploitative as it is fitting. Much of what this new documentary by Leonard Ho has to offer is not so much treading completely new waters, much of what had already been uncovered was revealed to us from the company’s previous effort, however, it is in the shift in tone, the more settled, contemplative, and respectful presentation that it delivers is what preserves itself a sense of integrity that its predecessor was not able to give. Yes, the intrusive footage of the star’s funeral is still incorporated here, but its application is an extensive deviation from the disrespectful utilisation done a decade ago. Would it have been better if this footage was not utilised at all? Of course, out of respect for him and his grieving family, but the damage has already been done, its exposure was already at a global stage, and to pretend may not offer much benefit to the situation.

To what end does participating in war become a point of hypocrisy, this seems to be one of the central questions posed against the film’s rebellious hero - Shuya Nanahara. A new batch of children, whom Shuya’s rebellious group - The Wild Seven - unknowingly slaughtered becomes an unexpected point for reflection as one of the survivors presses to him in their eventual meeting. In the film’s reflective middle, these philosophical questions become the emotional charge that would have left this sequel hollow if unexplored. Its contrast to the Shuya we once knew to the one we are given here, who holds his firearm and deploys it with surging rage against the wave of soldiers, it becomes clear that despite the difference of action taken, the stance of rebellion remains the same, arguably evolved. Speaking on one of its key differentiators, its presentation of violence deviates greatly from its predecessor. Where the space of violence was used to evoke intimacy, sorrow, and terror, it has been traded for expansiveness, militaristic procedure, and incoherent chaos. The scale now at play is larger than ever, the system exposed beyond what was originally imaginable, and the voice of rebellion now extending itself beyond its traditional borders. So does the film deserve the mild reputation it has garnered since its release? To an extent yes, but not at the expense of discarding its aspirations and commentary points.

While the exactness of the phrasing has since been lost to me but the words Hell on Earth ring a palpable truth in this day and age. The Day of the Beast demonstrates the rampant urban decay that leaves many anxious, guarded, and paranoid, yet unable to accurately determine who or what has caused it. Yet I believe that our virtuous nature, our intermittent ignorance, and our occasional envy have created a smokescreen between the common public with the ruling powers that be. However, if one were to peer deeply enough, to fight away the often commercial and sensational distractions that permeate and define our daily lives, we would see the semblance of evil that defined and organised this Hell on Earth. What we eventually find in this priest’s search and fight against the prophetic apocalypse is the disguised directions that the establishment would desire us to look, to turn a blind eye and normalise the horrors they induce and recontextualise them as virtuous figures. It is not until we see later in the film, along with the priest, with his very eyes the initial semblance of the true threat in front of us as we see a man set on fire on the street, as they tag in the building behind Clean Up Madrid; a striking piece of horror filmmaking. Yet, the film can do all of this while keeping itself an entertaining ironic farce.

In the tents that sit behind these lights, music, and games of the travelling fair are the homes of the of these booths, each with their own set of desires, vulnerabilities, strengths, and histories. The tentpole that guides and manages them is the titular Madam Phung, whom herself share these qualities, and is opened up for everyone to see in Tham Nguyen Thi’s documentary. The camera seeks not only to capture the humdrum of their day-to-day lives, which in itself carry their own set of risks with their joyous liberations, but it is in the quiet and contemplative moments in their home quarters that intimately links us to their human nature. It was through their shared stories, honest confessions, and contemplative countenances that speak about their relationship with both the troupe and the world around them. We learn of a life constant in its state of insecurity, threatened by a society that is ready to discard and exploit them at their whim, travelling around the country not only for the sake of assuring revenue but also to evade the looming dangers. However, behind this survivalist nature are the endearing ions they share towards their lives as entertainers, spreading joy, creating meaning in an otherwise hopeless and cruel world, and holding onto aspirations that allow them to wake up and fight the temptation of surrender. While Madam Phung may symbolically represent the many in Vietnam with similar identities, feelings, and circumstances, Tham Nguyen Thi’s decision to celebrate at least one person’s journey is a true gift, one that I am sure Madam Phung would have been deeply proud of.

Much like the contrast between Boyhood’s opening scene to its last, a significant time gap has developed since my last encounter with it and has since shifted to a different bracket of my lifetime. Milestones that were once aspirations, some have since been claimed, some remain pending, and others failed or discarded. With this, I anticipated my return to Richard Linklater’s celebrated work with a wave of nostalgia, to recall the familiar emotions that had set my foundational impression, only to find a different experience that had turned my sights to its surrounding adults. Characters of its story that I once deemed ive of the titular journey, had slowly unpacked a separate trajectory and depth in their separate stories that speak just as loudly as the boy’s formative development. These adults, who carry their own set of responsibilities and aspirations towards themselves but also to their children, demonstrate the difficulties in navigating the adult world, as it portrays a trajectory that only compounds in pressure and duress with each ing step. Yet, funnily enough, it is in the synonymous questions that are being pondered and yet resolved that they enduringly tackle that speak breadth of their respective stage of life, one that is equally as formative as their children’s. By its end, we wonder about our agency in this life, whether such critical existential formations were susceptible to our own influence or whether we were simply led by life’s paving constructions. Either way, I should look back on the path I walked with fondness and comion as I brace with excitement for what has yet to come, or else what is the point?

The Battle Royale Act, a conceptual premise that can attract curiosity and instil excitement in a viewer, is a promotional effort of propaganda in the guise of entertainment as it feeds those who are outside following the sense of progress and statistical metric that such an intervention on society has promised. We don’t care how they feel, but rather is it working? From the eyes of a youth, this idea seems preposterous, horrific, and inhumane. Yet under the guidance of the political overseers, it is a solution, and to those they have imparted the levers to execute have been exploited by their sense of nihilistic world-view and lack of agency in a world that is supposed to have paid them their dues. Yet at some point, we can all speak out our grievances, stand up against the established order, and find a greater meaning in all of this, but that is only a symptom of the ruling class’ desired effect - to move and act as intended - whether to enrol these children to their deaths or to pick up the scythe and kill to survive. The bubble has been made to appear small and one can only do so much within it. The nihilism feels manufactured when one peers deep enough, recognising the solidity of its foundations, realising the only way to truly rebel is to run and not contribute to its statistical agenda. While the grand scheme of things is abundantly clear, it is evident that Kinji Fukasaku himself desires to rebel against this mirrored establishment through his camera seeking and relishing focus on the slices of humanity that are shared. What we find are dashes of empathy, periods of existential dialogue, moments of emotional and psychological vulnerability, and semblances of agency. We are introduced to these once-estranged individuals - collectively cowering, yet individually emerging - as we bear witness to their personal bedrocks. Aesthetic and its conceptual structure may be the source of amusement for many - and will continue to do so as its legacy swells, but having already viewed this film twice under the same mindset had only led to apathy. Somehow this viewing brought upon an alternative perspective that reminded me of the elements of humanity that I had since been obscured from, with a reevaluation of every individual that forcibly participated.

Deprivation, marginalisation, and inequity are some of the fuelling agents that are conveyed in Acción Mutante amid its titular rebellion against the establishment. As we watch the exploitative news program introduce us to the titular terrorists, we are led to believe - contrary to legacy media’s intent - that they stand for the hope of an alternative, equitable, and just world that would shield them from being subjected as society’s undesirables. However, under the vision of the film’s director Álex de la Iglesia, we see the twisting knife of irony do its business and convey the discomforting truths of the human condition. Here we see the corruptive soul rampant in numbers, demonstrating the ease of surrender to material glories rather than to weather the beating for higher morals, claiming joy in the envelope of convenience as the euphoria flavour of choice. Violence, control, aggression, and greed become the default response to a rattled society, erupting with such spontaneity and desperation that one feels the shock from its normalised occurrence. The most understated form of brutality in the film is found in its blasé commodification and objectification of women, whom we see repeatedly under duress and oppression regardless of the position of a prisoner or her eventual figure of agency. All in all, there is much in the film’s haphazard mixture, a reflection of reality’s uncontained extremes spilled onto the floor. What we find may be a little messy and may highlight its blemishes more than we would like, but amidst all of this chaos, comfort and iration are still within reach.

Our deep-rooted aspirations, our desire to learn and find beauty in this life, our connection and grips with the memories that we deeply cherish; Lee Chang-dong’s Poetry demonstrates life’s capability of distracting, deviating, and corrupting from such priorities. It perhaps paves the widest and most winding of paths that the filmmaker has since done, watching its protagonist with a holistic lens as we see her attempt to walk a path of agency, honesty, and artistry while external societal forces tug her route and attention. While most of the films within the director's oeuvre contain fragments of apparent chaos and suffering, there is instead a sense of calm that permeates throughout here, a calamity and disorder that is aimed at repair rather than existential and emotional defeat and surrender. Sadness may still expectedly linger, but now fused with a gratifying triumph, compensating for its timid emotional swing when compared to its peers within that same oeuvre.

The eyes of a child, to see one’s parents disconnected, and the dissolution of that child’s familiar sense of security, watching it lean at its tipping point, Moon Garden wants to take us to a heightened world that explores such devastating and complex emotions. However, such headway to such ambitions felt misguided, vacant, and intrusive, an emptiness that, perhaps is not deserving, but an adverse outcome of its excited influences and narrow focal point. Throughout we are treated to manifesting creatures and guided by imaginative strangers, yet their purpose throughout radiates from their pores, scant in their flesh, and slender in their diversity of interpretation - not to mention also tacky. Any sense of appreciation I share for this resembles the participation awards that are handed out a dime-a-dozen nowadays, it doesn’t mean all that much but at least some effort was made to recognise what it was trying to reach for.

The power and influence of acting can be seen in The Real Sister as we witness the treasure trove of emotional articulation and age for empathy within the commitment of its ensemble. Watching these characters navigate through their fragile interior space - their ancestral home - as vulnerabilities begin to emerge and slowly chip away at the obliged societal and familial hierarchies that have been since conserved. The oeuvre of Elia Kazan was the familiar impression that I gathered as I watched these performances unfold, bringing immersion amongst its highlight of skill. This sense of enveloping from the experience, was, of course, ed by other components of the filmmaking process, either in the form of spatiality in its framing or its tight close-ups in areas of interest. However, as I often encounter in mainstream Vietnamese cinema, its indulgence for the melodramatic spilled past its tipping point, fencing itself from optimal impact, robbing its crucial final third of the subtlety it sorely needed.

Narc, a slang to some, a slur from those who oppose them, an identity and its value dependent on the bearing perspective. Recently terminated, ashamed of his past, yet an expert in his field, Nick Tellis is enticed again under the guise of security and fuelled by desperation. This is a man who has given his life to the force, and we later learn that many others do too - in their own manner, of course - and yet what we see in Narc is the prices that are paid for that extended commitment; the unforeseeable hazard that can sweep the foundations at any moment; and the inevitable fractures and haemorrhaging emotional fuel that ultimately shapes their psyche and persona. Character is at the forefront and driver of Narc, and in doing so gives itself distinction over its peers in an already saturated genre. Having endured all of what it has to offer, a disheartening squeeze may be felt regarding its stance on the imperfect morally grey and the vanishing of the societal exemplar. Perhaps, personally, it was a truth that was uncomfortable to tolerate, even if it takes a fairly melodramatic arc to get there.

The nature of evil, the myth and allure of satanic worship, and the sense of helplessness that humanity endures as they are confronted with it, all are points of fascination with the human condition that have been rattling in my brain as of late. Perhaps it was the recent films that I have seen that seem to permeate this heavily in my mind, and thus when pulled from the shelf, it seemed relatively natural to pick Leslie Stevens’ Incubus. What this film seems to offer for the discourse is that unique perspective of subservience to the devil, as this temptress finds herself internally rattled and dissatisfied with those that she has lured, an ambitious desire fuelled by pride to penetrate and consume the saintly as a means of perceptual elevation and value. However, such a feat would prove to be a gargantuan task. Incubus’ traditional battle of morality finds itself slowly extinguishing as it trods along, losing much of the lustre and unique perspective of its opening act, only to find such a war - even if in the guise of romance and temptation - lacking in thorough discourse and innovation. Yet, an appreciation for what it barely resembles stands, thus it is not worthy of complete dismissal.

As the offices close and the sun begins to set, society turns to a period of respite and decompression. Their work has been monotonous and its value far removed from the overseeing perspectives that have since dictated their routine and labour - these employees are so far down the funnel that they can’t even see in which direction everything flows. Familiarity and comfort are the smokescreen of stagnancy and oppression. However, that expectation could only directly apply within the contracted hours of business, giving society to conduct freely in the after-hours. However, as our protagonist falls into a nightmarish funnel of his own, society slowly reveals its own vulnerable and hollow self. Many of the individuals that Paul encounters during the night, are in a way, just like him, looking for something meaningful, finding comfort in human presence, and desires stimulation and expression in ways that counter their daily mundanity and compliance. As I say this, burnout and apathy are at a rampant high, much is expected of Paul just as he has of them, and as the night is further endured, desperation, survival and panic become the key drivers of his decision-making, a domino effect that would eventually strip him of anything resembling security, identity, and agency. Is what we see in After Hours a symptom of the current social system established by the obfuscated overseers and lever-pullers, or is it a self-imposed structure welled by society’s greed and insecurities? I stand uncertain, but either avenue brought a fascination with my retrospect.

Taking a cliff dive in its integrity, itself fundamentally built for exploitation with a sprinkling of greed behind its projection of respect and homage, unfortunately no amount of high-flying acrobatics it throws at me can compromise for such transgressions. Game of Death 2 demonstrates the industry’s preying eyes, its ugly moral centre, and general contentment with incompetence. Its desire to insert itself into the pockets of the famed martial artist’s devoted fans is blatantly disrespectful, a shameless act that is bare in its entertainment and innovative appeal. It sits in the canals of cinema, and of an artist’s oeuvre, simply as a point for inflation in the appeal of the original works. I believe it is fair to say that what I just witnessed was morally criminal.

The depth and pervasiveness of evil swirled through my mind as I watched a host and his guests perform their respective agendas and provoke the unknown. Does evil sit within the socio-existential microcosm of this late-night talk show or does its bulk linger behind the eye of the camera and the elusive strings that pull from above? Late Night with the Devil opened up the questions of our existence and relationship with evil and sin in ways that were not anticipated as if tearing away its face of entertainment to reveal the grand questions, or perhaps even truth, that sits beneath. We watch and we stay because we don’t have enough good sense to look away, to commit to our instincts of flight, and instead to gamble in the numbness of normalisation and acceptance, all in adjustment to gain a semblance of that familiar status quo. Although as we expected, provocation comes with punishment. It is simply whether we are willing to accept the served to us, no matter how brutal.

The blood of Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World surges through the veins of Demolition Man, its ideas reworked and scrambled as a means of fitting into the 90s action-thriller mould. While introspection and critical incision of the film’s prophetic landscape may be deprived of its storytelling mechanics, one is still invited to traverse beyond the limelight and engage with such - and to do so would further reap the benefits. That being said, one may find such exploration to be less than abstract and far too exacting, a symptom of its genre moulds and the risk-averse agendas that are pervasive in the industry. While problems persist, found in the attributes of dialogue, ing performances, and plot progression, I was fascinated by its fabricated experience of displacement and the inherent vulnerability that could potentially reside or is obfuscated in this depiction of Utopia. While its entirety provided short of complete satisfaction, it was invigorating to find one’s bias challenged; certainly, the glass was half full.

These are the films that I personally feel are perfect, or at least very very close on being one. These films have either made an impact on me or it is just so well crafted that I find it highly enjoyable. These films truly stood above the rest that has come my way. The list is still currently small as I only add films to this list if I am purely confident in it's effect on me; it still maintains it's ability to hit me like the first time I was struck by it, or that it has grown on me and it maintains it's effect over time. Not everyone has to agree with this list as this is just purely based on my opinion.

• The Red Shoes
• The Tree of Life
• A Clockwork Orange
• Pulp Fiction
• When Harry Met Sally...
• Alien
• Taxi Driver
• The Impossible
• The Wrestler
• The Social Network

...plus 123 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

This is a list of actors and actresses that have captivated me with their performances.

This list is not in order.

I'll update this, if there are any changes to my opinions

• The Tree of Life

  Brad Pitt

• Revolutionary Road

  Leonardo DiCaprio

• Ikiru

  Takashi Shimura

• A Clockwork Orange

  Malcolm McDowell

• The Impossible

  Naomi Watts

• The Social Network

  Andrew Garfield

• All That Jazz

  Roy Scheider

• Red Beard

  Toshiro Mifune

• The Godfather

  Marlon Brando

• The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

  Eli Wallach

...plus 121 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

This list features the films that I have seen from the collection. I'm not gonna write any notes or rank them at the moment as I currently don't have the time for that. I do think a lot of these are great films but there are some that left me a tad disappointed; though I understand their inclusion.

• Grand Illusion

  Spine #1, Jean Renoir

• Seven Samurai

  Spine #2, Akira Kurosawa

• The Lady Vanishes

  Spine #3, Alfred Hitchcock

• The 400 Blows

  Spine #5, Francois Truffaut

• Beauty and the Beast

  Spine #6, Jean Cocteau

• A Night to

  Spine #7, Roy Ward Baker

• The Killer

  Spine #8, John Woo

• Walkabout

  Spine #10, Nicolas Roeg

• The Seventh Seal

  Spine #11, Ingmar Bergman

• This Is Spinal Tap

  Spine #12, Rob Reiner

...plus 479 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

My girlfriend and I have completely different interests and it was a gap that I hoped to one day bridge. With her influence, I found myself finally venturing further into the pool of literature, exhibited art, and anime, whilst for her, it was to dive deeper into my interest in cinema. Her perspective has always fascinated me and it is something that I would like to document on this platform.

Not all have been accompanied with a review, sadly, but I'll try my best to be consistent with these.

I also did my best to place them in chronological order. If there is anything I may have missed, I will be updating this retrospectively.

If you have recommendations, you should definitely comment them down below, and perhaps I can consider showing it to her.

• Like Father, Like Son
• Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom
• The Room
• Inception
• Call Me by Your Name
• Gravity
• The Royal Tenenbaums
• BlacKkKlansman
• Your Name.
• Whiplash

...plus 11 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

After looking through my Recommendations For A Novice Film Viewer list, I have thought for some time to make a film list that would appeal to those who genuinely appreciate the visionary behind the camera.

I have provided the first three suggestions, and I wanted them to be obvious ones, because I am asking you, the Letterboxd community to provide some suggestions of directors that people should invest their time in and possibly find something of significant value through exploration. It would also be wonderful if quotes from your own or other peoples' reviews that perfectly summarise the director's appeal could be provided. Hopefully the suggestions provided would be diverse.

I will consistently look for quotes when I have spare time on my hands to fill each director's notes.

*It seems finding quotes have been harder than I thought. If people could contribute some quotes to go with these entries, even if the entries are not your own; it would make the list much more sophisticated and expansive, and I would really appreciate it.

• Mulholland Drive

  David Lynch

  Notable Films:
  - Mulholland Drive
  - Eraserhead
  - Blue Velvet

  "David Lynch completely captured my attention early on in my film viewing life with his uncanny ability to capture what a dream would feel like and put that feeling into a film medium, and I have yet to find another film maker, or a movie for that matter, that can capture that feeling like he does." - tscarp

  "The horrifying skill that David Lynch manages to employ within his best movies is the ability to seep into your deepest horrors. Neither David or ourselves truly know what they are as they are typically buried so deeply within our subconscious, they are best left dormant. Lynch sculpts his psyche onto our screen in such a way that extracts these god awful emotions, scrambling for piece of mind whilst never quite understanding what we have seen." - Cityzen Kano

  "David Lynch truly understands how to fascinate and immerse the viewer by artistically spanning the medium, as he perfectly creates a spellbinding, atmospheric, evocative and breathtaking neo-noir with Blue Velvet." - Max

• The Tree of Life

  Terrence Malick

  Notable Films:
  - Tree of Life
  - The Thin Red Line
  - Days of Heaven

  "It is through Malick's use of fragmentation that he manages to capture the essence of memory. He recreates the effect of memories slipping away no matter how hard you try to recall every little detail." - Alice Bishop

  "Over the course of five decades Terrence Malick has become recognised as one of the greatest filmmakers of his, or any other, generation yet his considerable talent is already present in every frame of his haunting debut as if his skill as a visual storyteller emerged effortlessly and fully-formed with this first attempt." - Adam Cook

  "If you look merely at the surface of Malick's films, he may seem to prioritize the beauty of nature over the sterility of society, but in all his work he has been concerned with the "war in the heart of nature," with the idea that there is "no cosmic power, only action of hands upon the world." - ScreeningNotes

  "It's Malick's painstaking work-ethic, his persistence to capture the shot, never compromising and the location he assembles that asserts Days of Heaven as a masterpiece impervious to emulation." - Harry Ridgway

  "Malick's eye for cinematography and shot-framing are in top form, with some of the most gripping visuals this side of Tarkovsky." - Jordan

• Gone Girl

  David Fincher

  Notable Films:
  - Gone Girl
  - Fight Club
  - Se7en

  "David Fincher’s films specialize in the fetishization of filth—he gives life to the notion of beauty as residing in the eye of the beholder." - Aaron

  "David Fincher is a stylist through and through.... The shots are fueled by an unnerving energy, even the slow and empty ones. He finds feeling in the characters' surroundings, be it urgency, terror or complete unnerving terror in even the most minimalistic of ways. His composition is of the classical kind here, despite the showiness that most associate with him and all of his restless cameras." - CinemaClown

  “Fincher’s execution is flawless. He teases with questions and never gives you enough information to satisfy. This effectively keeps you leaning forward on your seat hungering for more.” – Jonathan White

  "That's what's so wonderful about Fincher - among other things - is that his films remain effective and compelling - and braingasmic - even after a 100th viewing. It never ceases to amaze me how he can keep making such stunning works that play with your brain each & every time." - Asher

• The Royal Tenenbaums

  Wes Anderson

  Notable Films:
  - The Royal Tenenbaums
  - The Grand Budapest Hotel
  - Rushmore

  "The whole thing is pure cinematic bliss, but the comedy and pathos and incredible production design and camera moves (Wes making the zoom cool again like whoa) are all working in service of explaining why Anderson makes his movies his way: to carry forward this lost art in a world that believes it has no place for it." - Matt Singer

  "For many years, Wes Anderson has been celebrated as an offbeat American auteur, with a narrative and visual style all his own - a colourful, melancholic whimsy riven with a biting, black comedic undercurrent." - Tony Black

  "His use of symmetry in virtually every scene can only be applauded and the naturalistic colour palette adds to that distinctive Anderson flavour which makes him so revered." - Anthony

  "Anderson's humor is smug, witty, snappy and most of all, respectful.... It's a playfulness that captures an inexplicable bout of pure joy that is infectious to any of its viewers but also complementary to them." - Gustav

• Inside Llewyn Davis

  Joel and Ethan Coen

  Notable Films:
  - No Country For Old Men
  - The Big Lebowski
  - Fargo

  "The Coen Brothers have always stood their ground as one of my favorite directors of all time. They have a way of sliding through genres with ease and putting their own unmistakable auteurist touch on each one. They treat their misfortunate characters with a love and warmth that you can feel through the films, thus creating some of the most lovable and hatable film characters of all time." - tscarp

  "The Coen Brother's comedies are always set in a universe that doesn't feel real. With perhaps A Serious Man being the exception, films like Hudsucker Proxy, Burn After Reading and Intolerable Cruelty all feel like they take place in the same, slightly off beat universe existing parallel to our own. Within it, the Big Lebowski is master of the universe." - DirkH

  "In Coen's cannon they're often using the negotiation as a element capable of structure the human society but it's impossible to negotiate with the unpredictable evil, it's hopeless to run away from it, you just have to learn how to live accepting that not every thing is under your control. Much more than a reconstruction of the western genre, No Country for Old Men is the placement of this arid reality in the entropy of real life, where even the more talented and prevented can fail if they're out of luck." - Walter Andrade

• Dazed and Confused

  Richard Linklater

  Notable Films:
  - Before Sunrise
  - Boyhood
  - Dazed and Confused

  "Richard LInklater has taken the world by storm with his recent opus Boyhood, bringing the everyday charm of his films to the minds of the masses. But one can find some beautiful films when digging back further into his filmography. There are few filmmakers that can show their characters in such a human way and make them feel so real." - tscarp

  "Its power comes from what happens after viewing the film, when an audience meditates on what it has seen and understands that Linklater has created a film with quiet truths and drama in a method that has extended the scope of narrative cinema, fostering a film about life, family, and the journey that both bring." - Travis Lytle

  "Linklater conquers the realm of on-screen romance with the ion of a true Renaissance poet. It’s so easy to fall into formula and other tropes of the romantic drama canon, but by sticking to this minimalistic approach, he has created something far better." - Mikael Stånggren

  "Linklater doesn't celebrate, doesn't condemn, and never condescends. And twenty years on, Linklater's most significant gift as a director has become clear: his modesty. It's still so tempting to credit the impeccably cast ensemble for the film's classic status - more than Linklater's script or direction. Dear Future: do not forget Richard Linklater. He's one of the best we've got." - Sam Van Hallgren

• Boogie Nights

  Paul Thomas Anderson

  Notable Films:
  - There Will Be Blood
  - Magnolia
  - Boogie Nights

  "Paul Thomas Anderson was the director that took my interest in film and turned it into an unbridled love. He cares for his characters more than any other director/writer in the field. Many of them are heavily flawed, but they are handled with a level of respect and humanity than no other director could do. I would recommend Boogie Nights for a first time PTA watcher, as it contains a little bit of everything that makes him my favorite filmmaker, emphasis on a singular character, an amazing ensemble cast, comedy, drama, music, long takes, writing, etc. If you like the comedy I'd reccomend inherent vice or punch drunk love, the ensemble cast then Magnolia, singular character study - punch drunk love or there will be blood, drama - the master or there will be blood, the soundtrack - Inherent Vice. And then watch Hard Eight when you have seen everything else." - Tyrion Lannister

  "PT Anderson's views of the world are constantly evolving. It's easy to see his personal growth process and enlightenment if you follow the films throughout his career. Here, he is basically surrendering to the ambiguities of the world, and that it is wholly designed for failure." - Simone

  "He's the complete package as a filmmaker and there's no one else out there that can get me excited for a new project like he can." - MikeN

  "Paul Thomas Anderson is truly one of the greatest American screenwriters/filmmakers of our time and with 'Boogie Nights' he creates another modern classic. A huge (no pun intended), sweeping epic about the America dream that brilliantly captures the feel of the 70's." - Gustav

  "Only Hard Eight, which was his first film, can be classified as good. The rest are exhilarating, vibrant, dark, moving, and bursting with humanity; all performed impeccably and directed to the absolute limit. Simply put, he is the reason why I love film as much as I do today, and I await eagerly for his next work; Inherent Vice." - SilentDawn

• Raging Bull

  Martin Scorsese

  Notable Films:
  - Taxi Driver
  - Goodfellas
  - Raging Bull

  "Martin Scorsese is another director that is focused on characters. He is a great director to start with if you want to begin to watch older films. Raging Bull and Taxi Driver are two of the best charaxter pieces of all time. He has a wide range but a majority of his films are focused on one character. He created the quintessential anti-hero movie with Taxi Driver, biopic/sports movie with Raging Bull, cringe comedy with King of Comedy, and mob movie with Goodfellas. I would reccomend those 4 to begin with, and then branch of from there. He is very prolific which is great when you can't get enough of his masterpieces" - Tyrion Lannister

  "An impressive DeNiro is steered though this film by a Scorsese at the apex of technical prowess. Very few directors are capable of matching his command when he is engaged. Shots and images aren't seen, they are burned into your brain." - Cinemonster

  " Everything done in the film has purpose behind it driving it home. The freeze frames, the narration, the narration switching to Karen, the soundtrack, ect, ect, ect... Directors have imitated various aspects of GoodFellas through the years because they enjoy the film so much, but a lot of them fail to realize the purpose behind everything." - Mr. Dulac

  "I love the way Scorsese's mind works. It works such unique and creative ways in a wide variety of films. He shows his creativity through the amazing cinematography of this films." - Kyle Metzger

• 2001: A Space Odyssey

  Stanley Kubrick

  Notable Films:
  - 2001: A Space Odyssey
  - A Clockwork Orange
  - Eyes Wide Shut

  "I don't know if I have the experience to cover him as there are so many people on Letterboxd who love and know more about this man's films than I do, but Stanley Kubrick. He has done every genre in every way in every style, the only common thing between the films is that he handles them with incredible technique and skill. Unlike the other two directors which I have reccomended, Kubrick never really uses the same actors twice, giving each film a very unique experience. I would reccomend watching full metal jacket or the shining to start with, and then diving into his more cerebral masterpieces like 2001 or Clockwork Orange." - Tyrion Lannister

  " It's often said that Kubrick never made the same film twice, meaning that all his films are very different from each other. When you watch The Shining it becomes apparent why. A film like this could never be recreated. The brilliance lies in the small details, which creates a subtext no other director has ever matched in either quality nor impact." - Hamushy

  "Stanley Kubrick shows his ability to create art with cinematography. From the prehistoric Africa to the confines of space, every shot, every angle, every camera rotation, every sequence is incredibly filmed and taken care of, adjusting themselves to a stunning and unparalleled perfection. That's why, cinematographically speaking, 2001: A Space Odyssey is one of the most beautiful and sensual experiences I've ever had: a true, authentic odyssey." - Edgar Cochran

  "Like all Kubrick films, the real fun comes when the viewer takes the extra step in digging underneath the superficial plot to discover the various layers and dimensions in which the film operates." - Double_Dubs

• Psycho

  Alfred Hitchcock

  Notable Films:
  - Psycho
  - North By Northwest
  - The Birds

  "Alfred Hitchcock has made some of the most thrilling films I have ever seen, and he revolutionized the landscape of cinema with his sound experiments in The Birds and Psycho. His films have a special magic to them that is hard to explain and impossible to replicate." - Connor Denney

  "Hitchcock is also rather merciless, both with his audience, and with his characters, which is, if anything else, refreshing. He develops characters well, and when he deems them sufficiently expanded upon, he doesn't seem to mind disposing of them just as quickly as he introduced them. He simply has no remorse. But if anything, this too, was a pleasant surprise, and definitely refreshing, since Hitchock operates seemingly without restriction (unlike most directors nowadays), expanding even more on tension, as each and every one of his characters, is rather expendable." - Victor S. K. P.

  "If we observe his style, Hitchcock's films are more concentrated on characters rather than the plot.... Hitchcock's characters are quite deep and extremely important. And most probably after re-watching Vertigo, I have to it that Vertigo's characters are much deeper and darker than they initially appear." - Mithil Bhoras

...plus 187 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

I want to create a watchlist or recommendation list for my little sister, who only started watching films with a serious mindset at the beginning of the year.

So far she has seen a number of films from notable directors but I think she would be more willing to try out more films if other people recommend her a couple.

It would be nice if this film could end up with a variety of film genres, styles, directors, and eras. The first ten of the films would be from me to recommend to her.

• The Red Shoes
• Gone Girl

  She gave the film a 4.5/5.

• The Seven Year Itch
• Rosemary's Baby
• The Ice Storm
• Fish Tank
• The Last Picture Show
• Quadrophenia

  She gave the film a 3/5.

• My Fair Lady
• Children of Men

...plus 144 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

These are my top films that the general consensus consider to be masterpieces or at least of high regard that I was unable to find equally appealing.

• Naked Lunch
• Gomorrah
• Mamma Roma
• Black Orpheus
• The enger
• The Red Balloon
• The World
• Ghost World
• Warrior
• Jules and Jim

...plus 70 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

These are the scenes or moments that have stayed with me after seeing their respective films.

• Singin' in the Rain

  Gene Kelly performing the titular song

• The Royal Tenenbaums

  Margot stepping off the bus

• A Clockwork Orange

  Alex begins narrating his story while sitting among his droogs at the Korova Milk Bar

• Up in the Air

  Ryan finds the truth about Alex

• The Grand Budapest Hotel

  "Keep your hands off my lobby boy!"

• Lost in Translation

  The final moment between Bob and Charlotte, or "Lip my stockings!"

  P.S.: I am aware this would count as cheating but the two scenes were too amazing for me to choose simply one.

• 12 Angry Men

  When Henry Fonda pulls out a knife

• Whisper of the Heart

  Shizuku and Seiji sing County Road together

• Her

  Samantha plays a beautiful piano composition at the beach

• Witness

  Barn raising scene

...plus 82 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Two years ago, I published a list, Ladies and Gentlemen: The Essentials, of which it details the 100 films that I personally deem to be essential viewing. This list marks as a first revision of that list, creating updated rankings and new/deleted entries that represent my current perspective of cinema. This list is not meant to be an objective assembly of the many essential lists that are floating out there, and there will be those who would object to my opinion, but I feel it is important for myself to be honest with this, and I hope to continue in creating further revisions of this list in the future as I go through more discoveries and reassessments.

The notes that accompany each entry are just quotes from Letterboxd reviewers that either show one's iration for the film or a summation of the film's particular strengths.

1. Her

   "What we are witness to is an evolving relationship that in all its impossibilities never feels unreal. It goes through all the phases most relationships go through and therein lies its strength. By choosing a very human perspective, the cascade of emotions Theodore and Samantha go through are extremely relatable, making the ramifications of the tragic nature of their relationship very gripping and moving." - DirkH

2. The Tree of Life

   "Not only is The Tree of Life thematically rich, aesthetically wonderous, and philosophically transcendent, it's just a piece of superb moviemaking. This is definitely one of the best films of all time, and remains one of my favorites, as it forever will." - Daniel Kibbe

3. Chungking Express

   "Although by no means is Chungking Express a challenging film, that’s not what it’s trying to be. Wong Kar-wai is the master of showing the simplicity of human connection and emotion. The feeling that someone can drift into your life, so easily, then, suddenly disappear just as easily. All these characters, all these emotions, they run in such a delicate and intricate sequence." - Nathan White

4. Profound Desires of the Gods

   "Extraordinary in its ability to be absorbing at its core, and with a haunting fusion of cinematic styles that range from surrealism to images of nature that mimic a documentary style, Imamura's analysis of the invasion of civilization over a secluded tropical island pervaded with Pantheistic philosophy is a truly entrancing juxtaposition of themes, rhythms and styles as varied as the unpredictability of life itself." - Edgar Cochran

5. 2001: A Space Odyssey

   "An unprecedented, unique & unparalleled achievement in motion picture history, 2001: A Space Odyssey is a path-breaking cinema & a splendid work of art that's responsible for putting science in science-fiction. Far ahead of its time & one of the first films to take its genre seriously, this film redefines science-fiction filmmaking unlike anything before or after it, features some of the most iconic moments ever captured on film, and is an elegant mix of remarkable cinematography, pioneering visual n sound effects, scientific accuracy, epic score & a distinct style of narration." - CinemaClown

6. The ion of Joan of Arc

   "The emotional depth to this film (or at least how it affected me personally) is tremendous. To know a film is successful is if it can get the audience to play right into its traps. I constantly could find myself nearly in tears from sympathy for Joan or the opposite effect of anger or disgust in response to many of the actions of the Judges. There is a reason why many even go as far as to say The ion of Joan of Arc may be one of if not "the" greatest film ever made." - Robert Beksinski

7. Make Way for Tomorrow

   "There's a sense of realization that hits the children at the end of the film that for everything that their parents have done for them, they remain all the more ungrateful. There's a chord that strikes upon every viewing of Leo McCarey's Make Way for Tomorrow that just leaves me to reflect on what I've been doing with my life and it triggers a sense I'm still just not even sure I'm ready for what life would be like without the elders as much as they may have aggravated us." - Jaime Rebanal

8. Lost in Translation

   "This is certainly most the case with her second - and arguably best - film Lost in Translation, a piece swelling in the moody sphere of troubled times and unknowable midlife qualms and depression, but hardly restrained to the elite. It is the universal themes placed within a perfectly personal and truthful package. " - Gustav

9. All That Jazz

   "All That Jazz feels like a musical in that its opening enthralls you through its contagious energy and presence, and is overall entertaining. It's second half shocks you into delving into darker territory you wouldn't expect from its opening, but with the same allure of its beginning. It's a spectacle in itself. It's a magnificent but brutally candid look in the mirror by Bob Fosse that is distinctly theatrical and also cinematic." - Joe Zappulla

10. Blade Runner

    "Blade Runner is a beautiful film because it achieves everything it wants to in a calm and collected manner. It reaches aesthetic and aural perfection but also provides greatly when you dig deep into the flesh of its subject matter. It's life, it's death, and it's all the grim spaces in between" - Alice Bishop

...plus 90 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

I have succumbed to the pressure, I have made my own list for films that I regard as Essential Viewings; these entries do not correlate with the personal score that I give them, I simply believe that even if I feel the film as a whole was disappointing, it has to be seen and recommended.

This list is not definitive, as the more I encounter new films, the more I would likely to change my perspective of cinema and deem some of these films unworthy of being part of my 100 essential viewings. I am unsure whether this list should be updated yearly or half-yearly, but one things is for sure, I would create another one to accommodate my new rankings.

Established: 20/04/2015

1. The Tree of Life

   "The Tree of Life is on the whole a very fulfilling experience. It's mind-boggling to think about how he even conceptualised this let alone managed to make it. A definite high point in his career." - Alice Bishop

2. Her

   "The film spoke about life, love and its relationship with society and technology in such a way that felt genuinely tender but also dark, despite the film's light sepia tone and bright photography. The film manages to find the beauty of something new, while also showing the dire aspects of it that we never expected early on. This made me both excited and frightened for what would come ahead of me, and I guess all I could truly hope is that I am able to dust myself off and climb back up when things have fallen to their lowest." - feedingbrett

3. A Clockwork Orange

   "In A Clockwork Orange, Malcolm McDowell delivers not only the best performance of his career, but also one of the best performances in the history of cinema." - alphonse

4. There Will Be Blood

   "There Will Be Blood is a haunting portrait of family, religion, hatred, oil & madness which not only marks an artistic high for its writer-director but is the very pinnacle of 21st century cinema that deserves to be ranked amongst the greatest films ever made." - CinemaClown

5. Whisper of the Heart

   "Tantalizingly beautiful, humourous and immensely comionate. Whisper of the Heart is a criminally underrated gem and one of my favourite movies of all time." - Fabian

6. 2001: A Space Odyssey

   "This is not a ‘film’. It is cinema in its purest form. Every aspect of this particular artform is used to its fullest extent. It exposes themes without narrative, offers no explanations but leaves room for interpretation and it provides a visual and aural sensation to accompany the unravelling of its internal philosophical debate. No other director than Kubrick could have made this." - DirkH

7. All That Jazz

   "All That Jazz isn’t a simple self portrait. Fosse frames the universal question of facing death with the canvas of his own life. As an Oscar, Tony, and Emmy acclaimed artist, that canvas is pretty rich. It’s how he cleverly weaves this story together, though, using the diverse palette of his career, output, adolescence, personal life, inner demons, and obsessions to paint his personal portrait is what makes it a masterwork." - Jonathan White

8. WALL·E

   "Funny, original, ambitious, beautiful, charming, heart-warming. I seriously don't know what more anybody could want out of an animated feature." - Alex H

9. Whiplash

   "Whiplash might just be the best film of the 2010's. It is by far the best movie of 2014. J.K. Simmons is lights fuckin' out as Fletcher, and gives one of the best acting performances ever." - Todd Gaines

10. A Hard Day's Night

    "If you love The Beatles as much as I do, you'll definitely love this film as much as I do. It captures that energy and charm of The Beatles. You can tell their having fun on screen and you can't help but love them and have fun with them." - SilentJ

...plus 90 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

This list is dedicated for my friend. These are just a few recommendations that I personally think you may like and are essential viewings - especially since you are undertaking a film course (I am jealous af).

Thanks for motivating me to watch films again and trek it all the way to the theatre every couple of weeks or so.

• In the Mood for Love
• Happy Together
• As Tears Go By
• Like Father, Like Son
• Chasing Amy
• Blue Velvet
• The Royal Tenenbaums
• Moonrise Kingdom
• The Tree of Life
• The Graduate

...plus 5 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Remakes are often dismissed by modern audiences as lazy products that attempt to capitalise far too heavily on the established appeal of an original film. However, it is valid to argue that the existence of a remake could prove to be far more fascinating and enthralling through new interpretations, and more immersive world-building. The ability to produce a worthy remake is far more difficult than creating an original piece, as the pressures behind filmmakers are far greater, and thus it should be celebrated when a remake actually manages to burst through that bubble and establish itself as a cinematic reference point. I am sure many of you would cry foul at my choices, but it is better for myself to be honest and justify to the best of my abilities on why I personally ire these cinematic re-imaginations.

• An Autumn Afternoon

  It is arguable that almost every film from Ozu is somewhat a restructured version of a previously tackled material, but among the handful, none pack the same wallop as An Autumn Afternoon. This is masterclass storytelling from Ozu, who takes his familiar themes and allow them to be amplified and resonate through the soulful performances, the intricate production design, the precise cinematography, and the warming musical score.

• Macbeth

  There is certainly a multitude of renditions of William Shakespeare's Macbeth in cinema, but none has created as much of a visual impact as what Justin Kurzel has provided with his 2015 adaptation. As expected from a film of this nature, performances from the cast would be compelling, but it is through the jaw-dropping cinematography and the haunting of its production and costume designs that the film truly soars. It is a cinematic trip that adds new flavour to an age-old tale, one that complements the material in a manner that I had yet to see from a Shakespeare adaptation.

• Ghost in the Shell

  I am one of the rare few who sees the value of this film. A film that I personally believe is an improvement over the original anime as it translates the visual cues of the animation and allows them to flourish with vivid hues and astonishing structures. This is a film that calls upon itself when it comes to its visual storytelling and world-building, but thematic points and character arcs are also given strong consideration that efficiently supplements the film's aesthetic.

• The Departed

  This wouldn't be the first effort from Martin Scorsese to put a personal spin on an already established material. Translating and adapting the Chinese original, Infernal Affairs (2002), Scorsese brings a familiar spin to the material, allowing the film's flavour to be more at kin with the director's gangster classics, but ensuring the narrative structure remains the same. Of course, many of the film's strengths over the original lies in the strong and committed performances from Scorsese's cast, a dream assembly for most filmmakers, and each one comes out with flawless delivery, leaving its viewers hooked and intrigued.

• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

  Johnny Depp is a man who is familiar with eccentricity, with many of his iconic roles have been built upon such an appeal that he is truly one of this generation's best character actors. At first, it seemed ridiculous for an actor to play such a role, but once the film introduces him as the iconic Willy Wonka, it catches one off guard, but it makes total sense. There is heart in a performance that didn't necessarily require one, and Depp pushes the role in moral areas that unsuspecting but entertaining. It is through Depp's contribution alone that allows this film to tower over the more celebrated original.

This is a compilation of all the films I have seen that have been bestowed with the Academy Awards' Best Picture prize. I might consider writing notes for each film when I have seen enough.

P.S. I am aware that my list contains very little of early winners, and I am trying to watch them as soon as possible.

• Wings
• It Happened One Night
• Gone with the Wind
• Rebecca
• Casablanca
• The Lost Weekend
• The Best Years of Our Lives
• Hamlet
• All About Eve
• An American in Paris

...plus 38 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

2016 was a great year for films, a more memorable journey than I could compare in the last few years. Sure, not everything that were served to us were sure-fire masterpieces, and a few films did manage to divide a community in regarding to its value, but such things lead us into opportunities of discussion that ultimately opens our perspectives of cinema, attempting to understand how another could feel so differently towards the same product. Though I jokingly push which of the films deserved recognition and criticism, deep in my heart, I ire differing perspectives and I aim not at all to insult the opinions of others.

Distribution for some films in Australia is far from ideal, thus my list cannot be considered as my definitive entry into what is considered to be the greatest films of this year. Therefore what I have left here are my top 10 choices on the best films I have seen of this year, and would certainly change within the next couple of months, after all of the prestigious and notable films have finally entered into this nation's doorstep.

• The Handmaiden

  The Handmaiden was a film that constantly defied my expectations, pulled me along like a string, with myself unnoticed of the manipulative methods that director Park Chan-Wook has applied onto me. I certainly do have a great affinity for a solid thriller and The Handmaiden was a film that never faltered.

• Your Name.

  Your Name struck me in ways that I hadn't felt since seeing Spike Jonze's Her for the first time. There was an emotional bubble that I constantly found myself in as I sat through the film in a packed theatre, uncaring of the people that surrounded, allowing the tears to simply fall and earn myself that sense of relief that cinema can beautifully dispense when struck at the right moment. Very few films could leave me as emotionally vulnerable as Your Name does.

• Paterson

  We live in a world where we seem to glorify the humans that exist within our living room box, finding the mundane lives of the rich to be of great importance rather than explore and identify the lives of those that exist amongst us. Paterson reminds us of the importance of the common individual, one who does not exceed the criteria of a celebrity, and simply exist in this world as any other, Jarmusch finds the right avenues in emphasising the importance and beauty of a pedestrian's soul, a penetrative film that is unlike any other.

• Jackie
• Nocturnal Animals

  It is rare for a film to demand me a second trip to the cinema, but Nocturnal Animals was a film that rattled my brain soon after it finished and continued to do so in the days ahead. I was constantly asking questions and attempting to unlock the inner essence of these characters, to identify the intentions behind Ford's direction, and how the jumbled stories interlock with one another. Certainly an outstanding sophomore film from the fashion designer turned filmmaker.

• Moonlight
• The Neon Demon

  Refn returns with a familiar glow that once again sparked a contrasting opinion from its audience, either finding the wonderful beauty in his retelling of the modern American Dream, or an over-stylised mess that rarely finds itself in commanding focus of its intentions. I personally was shook by the film's approach, in that ever single piece seem to fit perfectly in unpacking this familiar plotting, and his adherence to brutality overwhelming rationality continues to impress me.

• 13th
• Blue Jay
• Arrival

  Arrival was a film that caught me by surprise, in that its overall depth sured the expectations I had from a film that seemed to contain all the elements of another run-of-the-mill blockbuster, an pre-conceived expectation that I felt personally ashamed of due to my lack of faith in rising director, Denis Villeneuve. This is a film that is unafraid to ask the grand and difficult questions, and lead itself to wards answers that require much of our own efforts to reach that sense of satisfaction towards its conclusion that Villeneuve strived for. The film reminded me of the necessity of large-scale films to return to such thought-provoking tendencies.

Romance is a beautiful thing, when an opportunity to share one's love with another person comes their way, they can feel a sense of bliss that cannot be purely understood if not in the relationship. There would be those from the outside, unable to fathom the qualities that one sees in this other person, but as the participator, one sees the world as a wonderful bubble that evokes happiness and excitement at every turn.

Love is such a precious and cherished thing that it becomes painful when it eventually dissolves. One would go through a period of intense confusion, frustration, and hopelessness, leaving one's state to be vulnerable of potential self-destruction or harsh self-analysis, some would strike the blame on others, while others would place the entire burden on themselves, at times unable to realise the equal contribution of both parties in this eventual break-up.

Things may hurt now, and one would want to return to how things used to be. There is a tendency for one to search for films that evoke familiar feelings or potential romantic ambitions, to somehow find a thing that one could really empathise with.

These are the films that may strike some sort of chord in you when you see them, knowing at this state, these films may bring you relief, comfort, and company.

1. Lost in Translation
2. Your Name.
3. My Sassy Girl
4. Her
5. Carol
6. The Last American Virgin
7. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
8. The Spectacular Now
9. The Garden of Words
10. La La Land

...plus 33 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Hi I want to start creating pages for Letterboxd to discuss particular topics in regards to cinema.

Please keep the discussion free from insults, and if criticism were to be had against another, please keep them intellectual and free from being antagonistic.

The point of discussion here is what your take is on the current state of cinema? Do you feel that the trajectory of cinema is advancing towards an upward trend, that what is being put out in our theatres are of significant value?

Please share your thoughts.

• Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)

A part of me would always value the significance of cinema, on how it could capture and reflect the world around us in a creative manner, and most importantly, how it has defined me as a human being, acting as the messenger of the world and its history, to broaden my perspective and act as a catalyst for self-improvement.

However, it seems in the last couple of months, I have found myself feeling more fatigued, a ion wavering by the natural strengths and patterns of the wind, my life now being different to what it was when I first entered the medium. A once hopeful and driven boy, have now taken upon greater responsibilities that would appropriately divide my time, notably my profession as a ed Nurse.

It is a profession that I feel competent and valuable in, I enjoy my experience in the ward and the interactions I share with my colleagues and patients. It is a place that drains a lot of physical efforts and at times, suffer comion fatigue as I work in Palliative Care. Due to this, I could only find myself in attempting to view one film a day, but despite such humble ambitions, it proves to be difficult as the tiredness hits you and finds one's eyelids drooping towards slumber. It has reached the point where I feel guilty for the film itself, as this tiredness and lack of provided attention is not entirely its fault, thus I am unable to absorb and appreciate the product in all its glory.

Due to this issue, I find myself returning to old ions, like music, both listening and collecting. It is a sense of satisfaction that I can gain that shows a greater fit in this more hectic schedule. A hobby that I can take with me outside and swiftly consume. There is a growing sense of fear inside me, that someday a disconnect may actually occur between myself and the medium, either losing the drive or that circumstances would just keep us apart.

I think it is also the desire to view these films and produce reviews/reflections that brings forth a fuller sense of fulfilment that simply watching the film cannot provide. A rare creative outlet in my life that serves multiple purposes, like feeling satisfied for the day through the evidence of creative production, somewhat afraid of living a day without earning that fulfilment, ensuring that my time not wasted.

It is for certain that this fatigue would not push me to surrender reviewing or watching films completely, but that possibility is now more foreseeable in the horizon, and a part of me is frightened of such a possibility. I guess, spilling my feelings in this "list" was more for my benefit, as I also wonder whether others out there suffer from the same issues? If so, please let me know.

Thank you for reading this, and sorry if its mere existence annoys you.

• Fatigue - Don't play with the fire
• Tired

The title speaks for itself.

• Easy Rider
• Shame
• Chungking Express
• Metropolis
• The Exorcist
• Enemy
• Dressed to Kill
• 12 Angry Men
• Tokyo Story
• Snowpiercer

...plus 25 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

If you have read my reviews of Quentin Tarantino's films, you would know that he has played a big part of my transition from a casual viewer to a film enthusiast.

Pulp Fiction was the film that I constantly quoted in my glory days of High School with a best friend who knew the lines word for word. We even had a friend, who I was a bit mean to, that I regularly called as a gimp for failing at the most simplest of tasks or to fit in the most regular of situations.

Though for quite some time, I had been one of those Tarantino advocates who never truly seen his whole body of work, I walked around and letting my praise by known, but if they asked me the frightening questions on whether or not I have seen his other films, I politely smile and change the subject.

It was viewing Reservoir Dogs, the second film from his catalogue that I had seen, that I began to genuinely appreciate his abilities and solidified him as one of my favourite filmmakers of all time, regardless of the fact that I wasn't too fond of his debut film, and my feelings further grew when I stumbled upon entries like Jackie Brown and Inglourious Basterds.

His first three films remained grounded with real life characters who are dealing with large problems in a fun, but almost natural kind of way. These films are filled with senseless dialogue that slowly defines its subjects with each ing word, and finds the value in the spoken word rather than utilise bombastic action or violence to maintain the attention of his audience.

Jackie Brown acted as the transitional film where he began testing specific genres, mostly ones that have been lost or unappreciated in cinema's history, and brings them to the surface and utilise them in a commercially appealing way. Then with each film he releases, they become more and more self-indulgent, slowly finding his characters further away from our reality, and providing an audience in an immersive trip that are filled with laughs, violence, and the occasional surprises.

Quentin Tarantino is similar to the likes of Paul Thomas Anderson, who clearly understands the traits of their influences and embeds in their work for audiences to appreciate, and potentially educate. If there is one thing to guarantee when seeing a Quentin Tarantino film, you'll have a fun time seeing it, especially with friends.

1. Pulp Fiction
2. Inglourious Basterds
3. Jackie Brown
4. Death Proof
5. Django Unchained
6. Reservoir Dogs
7. Kill Bill: Vol. 1
8. The Hateful Eight
9. Kill Bill: Vol. 2

This is a compilation list of the films that I have seen included in this prestigious list.

• Vertigo
• Citizen Kane
• Tokyo Story
• 2001: A Space Odyssey
• The Searchers
• Man with a Movie Camera
• The ion of Joan of Arc
• 8½
• Battleship Potemkin
• Breathless

...plus 93 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

It took me three years to completely appreciate the works of Paul Thomas Anderson, at the early stages of my commitment as a film enthusiast, I found much of his work to be overly challenging and ambiguous, but despite my mixed feelings towards them, there was something in those experiences that remained within me.

That thing that stayed, has made me currently appreciate his films, I still am unable to pinpoint what it was exactly, could it be the distinct mood and atmosphere that he encapsulates his subjects, or maybe it was the deeply rich texture that he provides for his characters, at times pushing to a level of symbolism that opens up possibilities of thoughtful analysis; take for example There Will Be Blood, Punch-Drunk Love and The Master, films that reaches deep into these characters souls and through our efforts we are left deeply rewarded.

Anderson started off with films that showed his love for ensemble films, utilising each piece effectively in the overall story. Boogie Nights captures the multiple personalities that define the specific era, one that pushes its satire and enriching the immersion of his audience. In Magnolia, he finds his large cast of characters in separate storylines, finding connection through their shared tragedies, providing an epic scope that never loses its sight on intimacy.

After Magnolia, he sought out to make much smaller films, one that captures the deep layers of humanity and does so similarly to Magnolia, ambition in its intimacy. Punch-Drunk Love acts as more of his transitional feature, and There Will Be Blood and The Master act as deeply profound character studies that explores its subject's souls, the rewards and the tragedies, a shift back in its pacing to allow audiences to have the appropriate time in absorbing everything in.

Unlike most filmmakers, Paul Thomas Anderson manages to display its influences as acts of tribute, affecting only the aesthetic of the experience, ensuring that the construction of his characters remain original, unique, and personal. As he has gotten older and more confident, his tributes towards his masters have become less and less apparent, but nevertheless present when searched hard enough. There is always a sense of growth to his films, with the succeeding feature suring all of its preceding aspects, but manages to find precise control and vision, instead of losing oneself in his ambitions.

Paul Thomas Anderson has found the essence of cinema and showcases it in his films for the audience to appreciate; he has spent much of his life paying tribute to his leading peers, it is about time someone does the same to him.

1. There Will Be Blood
2. Boogie Nights
3. The Master
4. Punch-Drunk Love
5. Magnolia
6. The Dirk Diggler Story
7. Cigarettes & Coffee
8. Back Beyond
9. Mattress Man Commercial
10. Couch

...plus 1 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

I am far from original here with many s of this lovely site have already conjured their own renditions. Notes are provided with every entry, but be warned my most unappealing of qualities could be found in my views of some of these women, a lustful and pitiful desperation and immaturity that I have longed buried for social acceptability and etiquette.

I want to personally thank Sarah Jane for pushing me into creating such a list, I had such fun contemplating and constructing my choices and their order.

1. Save the Date

   Alison Brie

   The only film entry in this list that I have yet to see, but to not include the under-appreciated beauty that is Alison Brie, with her captilised sexuality in the cult TV show Community and her infamous past of being a nudist. She captures my heart with every ing second she is within a frame, one that is far more deserving of leading roles than the sexual that she is constantly left with.

2. Blue Is the Warmest Color

   Adèle Exarchopoulos

   I could simply watch her eat, screw, and adjust her hair all day

3. Lost in Translation

   Scarlett Johansson

   Oh my lord, I have connected with you here like no other; envying your position whilst appealing to its honesty. Scarlett you began with a scene of your glorious curves, and continue to reveal them as you attempt to find your way, experimenting with profound tapes of lecture. I lust for the role you have embodied and the pure gem shining within it.

4. Mulholland Drive

   Naomi Watts

   Mulholland Drive was your breakthrough feature, but I have seen you through many more after it; seeing your comfortable and attractive features that neither distracts or dampens your performance, instead it becomes heightened, especially in your uncaring attitude of maintaining a pristine glow, crying and be agony when the scene calls it. If only the stars would align then we could be together.

5. When Harry Met Sally...

   Meg Ryan

   If you have read any of my reviews on the film, you would know that Meg Ryan's portrayal of Sally and the meeting of her and Harry is what I have always craved for myself; thus I do not need to explain why she plays such a big part of my heart.

6. Rear Window

   Grace Kelly

   You enter into one's consciousness like no other, an alluring sense of class in your attitude, walking about a crippled man's apartment with such grace that I cannot help but feel nervous for the thoughts I have for you. Oh and did you say you were a princess?

7. Just Go with It

   Jennifer Aniston

   You were my true crush of my early days of High School, I followed your banal life in a faux New York Apartment, and cared only for you, although I do apologise for the random days where Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) replaced you for a split second. Seeing you now in Just Go With It, my god, you seem to get better with age.

8. The Social Network

   Rooney Mara

   You carry the distinct features of an approachable girl, a lovely smile and a pleasing stare, the girlfriend I would have always wanted from High School or College. I wouldn't be the asshole that Zuckerberg/Eisenberg have displayed for you in Fincher's opus, I would have been the ive, but thoughtfully challenging and engaging, puppy that you would have always wanted.

9. The Seven Year Itch

   Marilyn Monroe

   Infatuation for the star was immediate from the moment I encountered her in Niagara, but pinnacled in her self-aware performance from The Seven Year Itch. Oh my lord, the curves, the voice, the smile, the radiating sexuality could not be missed.

10. The Wolf of Wall Street

    Margot Robbie

    Get off Rocky!

...plus 30 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

I'm going to rank all of the films that I have seen from Studio Ghibli.

1. Whisper of the Heart
2. The Tale of The Princess Kaguya
3. Princess Mononoke
4. Ponyo
5. Ocean Waves
6. The Secret World of Arrietty
7. My Neighbor Totoro
8. Castle in the Sky
9. Howl's Moving Castle
10. The Wind Rises

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

I had fun doing this list with my family. I asked all of my cousins on the films they believe are essential viewing before death. I have decided to not rank these due to the extensive nature of it and the lack of cohesion in opinion.

I am considering in making one of my own in the future.

Do you guys agree with their choices, and how many of them have you seen?

1. Back to the Future
2. The Imitation Game
3. A Clockwork Orange
4. Raiders of the Lost Ark
5. Django Unchained
6. Back to the Future Part II
7. Guardians of the Galaxy
8. Back to the Future Part III
9. Jurassic Park
10. The Theory of Everything

...plus 240 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

There was no doubt early in my days as a film enthusiast that David Fincher was an amazing filmmaker; but at the time I was looking for more obvious attributes of filmmaking in order for me to consider them as masters of cinema; notable examples would be Terrence Malick, Quentin Tarantino, and Wes Anderson, whom all I still consider to be the greatest directors in the contemporary field.

Before my recent marathon, it was only The Social Network and Gone Girl that stood out to be perfect films from the director; art pieces that have quintessentially captured the material's necessary and ideal tone while still managing to retain the trademark qualities of a Fincher production. My recent run through with the director's filmography has opened my eyes to the micro-details behind each film, especially in its characters, where initially unnoticed layers and ideas begin to become apparent and further enrich the whole experience.

As much of a thrill ride Fincher's stories are; the true highlight of each film has always been the characters that drive it. Fincher captures these characters in such a way that stands on the darker side of the spectrum; representing the side of our realities that many filmmakers are reluctant to tread. Fincher is not afraid to break down and punish his characters, but he ensures it serves to the themes that the film is subconsciously attempting to explore.

Fincher rarely ever let its characters be influenced by the threats that surround them; instead his protagonists find themselves in difficult and dangerous situations due to their inherent flaws, laying down a psychological and emotional fundamental drive that would allow the story and the characters themselves to feel and seem more complex.

The director is also the master of creating tense and memorable scenes; an expertly crafted assembly of images that would remain with you for a long time, sometimes even defining the whole film. He is able to achieve these with effective collaboration with individuals who are intelligent in their roles; personal favourites of mine are Jeff Cronenweth, Trent Reznor, and Atticus Ross. Examples of Fincher's most memorable scenes are found in the list notes.

David Fincher has always been an amazing director; it is just a shame that it took me a while to completely realise that.

1. Gone Girl

   Memorable Scene: A Swift Cut of a Lover's Neck

   Compelling Character: Amy Elliott Dunne (Rosamund Pike)

2. The Social Network

   Memorable Scene: "Lawyer Up Asshole, I'm Coming For Everything!"

   Compelling Character: Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield)

3. Se7en

   Memorable Scene: John Doe Has The Upper Hand

   Compelling Character: Detective David Mills (Brad Pitt)

4. Panic Room

   Memorable Scene: Meg convincing the cops

   Compelling Character: Meg Altman (Jodie Foster)

5. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

   Memorable Scene: "Sail Away, Sail Away, Sail Away!"

   Compelling Character: Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara)

6. The Game

   Memorable Scene: Up The Roof And Down He Goes

   Compelling Character: Nicholas Van Orton

7. Alien³

   Memorable Scene: The Closest The Beast Could Get To Ripley

   Compelling Character: Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver)

8. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

   Memorable Scene: A Collection Of Figures Who Shaped Benjamin's Life

   Compelling Character: Benjamin Button (Brad Pitt)

9. Zodiac

   Memorable Scene: A Basement In California?

   Compelling Character: Robert Graysmith (Jake Gyllenhaal)

10. Fight Club

    Memorable Scene: A Confrontation With Your Boss

    Compelling Character: Narrator/Jack (Edward Norton)

Anton Corbijn carries a style that showcases his films with emotional distance that forces his audience to actively participate in finding the roots of his characters. His first two films allows storytelling to be more ambiguous, unwilling to let its secrets be divulged unless earned by his viewers. It is no doubt a style that would leave many distant towards his work, but one cannot deny that his methods are appealing, when approached with the right mindset.

Corbijn's first film, Control shows his indie sensibilities and adoration for music, which his early filmography suggests he was deeply involved in. He shows respect for the facts of his subject, and displays them in an unconventional way, leaning more towards objectivity than subjectivity.

It was in The American that I was convinced that Control's styles were not just an outcome from a restricted budget and an inexperienced crew; he has taken the objectivity approach and added layers that push the limitations of its audience. It takes a traditional plot and executes it in a distinct and effective way, favouring character instead of temporary entertainment.

He moves on to A Most Wanted Man, which for now is his most ambitious film to date; featuring an array of talented actors/actresses and a story that reaches far beyond its characters. It is no doubt his most commercial film, but even then, he does not find himself in reliance for climactic action set-pieces and obvious expository dialogue; similar to his previous two films, the audiences are still required to actively participate in its content in order to find immense value.

I cannot wait for his next film, hoping to be more ambitious than the last, but also ensuring that he does not lose his inherent sense of style that adds a unique flavour to mainstream cinema.

1. The American
2. Control
3. A Most Wanted Man

The women in Hitchcock's films that stuck on my mind. Thank you Hitchcock for putting these gorgeous women in your films!

1. Rear Window

   Grace Kelly

2. North by Northwest

   Eva Marie Saint

3. Psycho

   Janet Leigh

4. Marnie

   Diane Baker

5. Torn Curtain

   Julie Andrews

6. The Birds

   Tippi Hedren

7. Saboteur

   Priscilla Lane

8. The Trouble with Harry

   Shirley MacLaine

9. The Man Who Knew Too Much

   Doris Day

10. Vertigo

    Kim Novak

...plus 7 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

I am incredibly bored; currently itted in a hospital and is forced to stay overnight (I know, I sound like an attention whore), and I wanted to spend this idle time to communicate with some of you in the Letterboxd Community. So I have a question to all of you; What is your favourite film or director, and why? (You can answer only one if the other is too hard)

For me it would be Stanley Kubrick because of his ability to tackle an array of genres, subjects, characters, and stories with such precision and intellect. Many of his films are recipes for a safe and easy-money making product; but his ability to see beyond it and allow it to speak about real and interesting issues. Films like Lolita, A Clockwork Orange, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and Full Metal Jacket are just some of the examples that Kubrick added a sense layer and depth to its exploitable elements.

As for my favourite film, it would be The Tree of Life, which I choose to go into detail once I have the time to view and review it, as I have many things to say about it and to reveal it all here, and in my current condition, would not be appropriate.

• A Clockwork Orange
• Lolita
• The Tree of Life
• Full Metal Jacket
• 2001: A Space Odyssey

It was roughly around December last year that I ed this website, and since then I have gained so much joy and knowledge.

Before Letterboxd there was sites like Rotten Tomatoes and IMDb, which are great in their own way but lack the social component that allows individuals to build relationships with others who share the same ion.

When I ed the site, I was amazed by s like DragonKnight, Bruno Youn, Ryan Narc, The Ron, Emily, Waldo and Cogerson; creating reviews that were interesting and had a long resume of films that they have already seen. I was initially intimidated, thinking maybe I should give up as I doubt anybody would care for my opinion. Eventually, they inspired me to try my hardest in becoming an expert in cinema, to explore and try new things.

As I became more and more familiar with the site, I started to find other s that love films just as much as I do, producing top quality reviews with justified perspectives. These included Todd Gaines, Gustav, Alice Bishop, Malick Kaufman, Aaron and Naughty. I was always in complete delight and wonder, every time I read one of their reviews; and the more I grow as a film enthusiast, the more I also am able to appreciate their reviews.

Later on the year, I found connection and excitement in reading the works of Florin Stan, alphonse, Sir William of Cups, Dirk van Eck, loureviews, Jack Gaffney, Andy Summers, TajLV, CinemaClown, Sam Redfern, Cinemonster, Travis Lytle, Jonathan White, Asher and Evan. All of which have been ive of me and appreciating what I bring to the site, even if my opinions clash with theirs.

It is recently that I started to find appreciation in including SilentDawn, Graham J, Audrey Hepburn, and Esteban Gonzalez.

My affection for all of these may possibly be only one-sided, coming from my end; it still doesn't change my feelings towards them.

I want to extend beyond my thanks to all the of this glorious site, even to those that I do not personally follow or tagged in this tribute. All of you who ionately use this site are like family to me, and hopefully it will remain that way for years to come.

The site has become such a big part of my life. I'm constantly on it, checking on what is new, what my friends (am I allowed to call you guys that?) are getting into. It has become an addiction, but I am not ashamed of it and have no plans of slowing down.

My love for all of you cannot be measured and is sourced from the deepest depths of my heart; and again I thank you guys for introducing me to the brilliant works of Federico Fellini, Ingmar Bergman, Akira Kurosawa, Charles Chaplin, Stanley Donen, Krzysztof Kieslowski, Terry Gilliam, Yasujiro Ozu and David Cronenberg. These would have been master filmmakers that I would have ignored and dismissed if I hadn't ed Letterboxd.

Happy New Year everyone!

• I Vitelloni
• Persona
• Ikiru
• The Kid
• Singin' in the Rain
• Three Colours: Blue
• Time Bandits
• An Autumn Afternoon
• Videodrome

I know I'm late and my choices here may not be as agreeable or as intelligent as others, but to not include these films in this list would be a betrayal in everything I stand for as a film enthusiast and a critic.

• The Tree of Life
• Lost in Translation
• The Royal Tenenbaums
• Metropolis
• The Red Shoes
• Whisper of the Heart
• Singin' in the Rain
• 2001: A Space Odyssey
• Ikiru
• Mulholland Drive

This list isn't solid, changes will be made as my knowledge and exposure of cinema increases.

1. A Clockwork Orange

   Stanley Kubrick

2. The Tree of Life

   Terrence Malick

3. The Grand Budapest Hotel

   Wes Anderson

4. The Social Network

   David Fincher

5. Pulp Fiction

   Quentin Tarantino

6. Princess Mononoke

   Hayao Miyazaki

7. Red Beard

   Akira Kurosawa

8. Up in the Air

   Jason Reitman

9. Inception

   Christopher Nolan

10. Psycho

    Alfred Hitchcock

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

I am still young and still new at being a film enthusiast, everyday I am learning about new films and directors, and I thought I would use Letterboxd as an educational tool in order to increase my awareness of films and directors.

Drop a comment below of one or two films; then I would put up the ones I haven't seen as a reminder for me of these films and directors.

I would start the list off with Fincher's Zodiac, as that has been recommended to me time and time again.

1. Zodiac

   David Fincher

2. Triangle

   Christopher Smith

3. A Separation

   Asghar Farhadi

4. The Orphanage

   Juan Antonio Bayona

5. Nosferatu the Vampyre

   Werner Herzog

6. Badlands

   Terrence Malick

7. The Devils

   Ken Russell

8. My Beautiful Laundrette

   Stephen Frears

9. The Devil's Backbone

   Guillermo del Toro

10. Cronos

    Guillermo del Toro

...plus 38 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

I was laying down on my bed, just before drifting off to sleep. I reflected back on my early days of being a film enthusiast. I recalled the films that pushed me into trying out new and different types of films. So even if I don't classify all of these films as perfect, I am thankful for what they have done for me. Now I want to ask you guys what it was that made you an enthusiast? Drop a comment with a list of films, and if you feel a little generous give a description on why they were chosen.

• Pulp Fiction

  This was the film that I claimed to be my favourite for years. I had a friend who recommended this film to me and scraped all the money I could get and bought the Blu-ray for $15.98. When I first watched this film, I wasn't so much blown away by its story as I never really saw the point in following these individual stories, but something that stuck with me was the dialogue. I told my friend about the film in school, which then led to a back and forth quote-fest that had us laughing for ages. We end up having this quote-fest with each other every other day, and eventually making inside jokes about the film. I just want to say thank you Nathan for introducing me to this wonderful film, it is because of this that I found my intense ion for Tarantino's films leading me to such gems as Jackie Brown and Inglourious Basterds.

• For a Few Dollars More

  I buying this film in a set that came with the other two films of The Man with No Name Trilogy. I first watched A Fistful of Dollars because I wanted to watch the series in order and because I wanted to see the scene that Biff Tannen was watching in the hot tub in Back to The Future Part 2. I was sadly not too impressed with A Fistful of Dollars as the story failed to create any real tension and nothing all that interesting really happens. It wasn't until I watched For A Few Dollars More as this was the film that first convinced me of the beauty of the Western genre and the brilliance of Sergio Leone. This film has led me to other titles of the director including Once Upon A Time in the West and Once Upon A Time in America. Even up to now I still can't decide whether or not I love this more than The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly as both feature a strong script but features slight issues that prevent it from being perfect. Nevertheless, I would not ever forget what the film has done for me.

• The Breakfast Club

  This film started my love for the 80s films, particularly the ones that deal with youth. I have seen a couple of high school and college films before this but none has captured the struggles of being a teenager. It made me realise that everyone is not defined by their image and stereotypes. My perspective of the individuals that go to my school wasn't defined by their clique anymore; it made me appreciate each person as an individual. The Breakfast Club also pushed me towards more of John Hughes' films, including Weird Science and Sixteen Candles, and sparked my love for youthful films, to capture that sense of nostalgia of all the pains and joys of being a teenager.

• A Clockwork Orange

  A Clockwork Orange was not the first film I have seen from Kubrick, but it was the first film that convinced me of Kubrick's brilliance. This sparked my appreciation for older films, as it proved to me that old films could still surprise you and change your entire perspective of both life and film. This also allowed me to appreciate 2001: A Space Odyssey, a film that I watched before this as at the time when I first watched it, I never thought highly of it and forced myself to like it. With this film, I didn't have to fake my feelings towards it because this film is perfect in every way, and because of this I was introduced to beautiful films like Paths of Glory and Eyes Wide Shut.

• Lost in Translation

  Lost in Translation woke me up to the reality that one doesn't need to gain romance from being in a dating and sexual relationship. I was roughly around 15-16 years old when I watched this, and it brought slight tears in my eyes due to the beauty of the relationship between Charlotte and Bob. The film has changed my view of love; its value is now not based on the amount of women I date or the need for physical intimacy. As long as I still have a person to lean on when things get rough in life, then I am happy with my life. The film proved to me that films don't have to tell a story that a person wants but rather what they needs, and also proving that the smallest and simplest stories could be the most effective. I have yet to find a story that has hit me as hard as this one, especially in an emotional level.

• Inception

  Inception was an experience I would never forget, I still the gasp I made after the film's final shot. The film has kept me grounded from becoming too pretentious and maintained my faith that large blockbuster films still have the power to captivate us at the same level as films like 2001: A Space Odyssey and The Tree of Life. Inception was the reason I like coming back to the theatre, it gave me an unforgettable experience that no other film has yet matched.