4v291o

Watched on Friday May 23, 2025.

Watched on Friday May 23, 2025.

This review may contain spoilers.

Before “Whatever Happened to BabyJane” and "Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte" there was this high melodrama with Bette Davis and Olivia De Hallivand. They are sisters, of course, and "the Queen of Hollywood" as Davis was known, gives us perhaps her most repugnant character, Stanley Timberlake. Her only goal in life is to be "happy". If that means destroying lives along the way then so be it. Her worst act is blaming a Black man (Parry Clay) for an accident she caused. She does everything in her power to use her whiteness and class to get away with it. This being made in 1942, I was afraid she'd get off scot free, while Parry would end up on the chopping block. Luckily we have good ol' Olivia (Roy*) and she isn't having it, sister or no sister. Stanley can turn on the water works all she wants but in this case the truth prevails. I doubt we would've gotten this happy ending in reality. That's what escapist movies are made for.

My high rating is primarily for the entertainment value of watching Bette Davis in pure high drama form. I also really wanted that happy ending.

*The parents wanted boys apparently.
*According to IMDB trivia his was heavily edited when playing in the south for obvious reasons. Sympathy for Black folk not allowed.
*Interesting to see Olivia da Havilland reunited with Hattie McDaniel.

Watched on Friday May 23, 2025.

A colossal disappointment full of ponderous exposition and setting up expectations with little payoff. Time is wasted telling us the impossible challenge that awaits only to finally come only to leave me with a shrug. You know it’s bad when you start editing the film, including some of the action scenes, in your head. That’s something I never thought I’d say related to a Mission Impossible film. 

McQuarrie had brought a certain elegance to his previous films. Though Dead Reckoning started to show the polish fading but at least it was a hell of a time, especially on the big screen. Nothing in this film approaches the glee and adrenaline I felt during that train sequence. Also Rebecca Ferguson and Vanessa Kirby are sorely missed. Worse of all having an abstract villain in the form of the entity just doesn’t cut it. Gabriel as its surrogate isn't very convincing in of his motivation for world domination. Esai Morales, a character actor since the 1980s, deserved a better written role.

Oh and wasn’t  there supposed to be a polar bear? What’s the deal with President Erika Sloan (a fantastic as always Angela Bassett) and her son? Finally if you didn’t rewatch all the other installments, don’t worry lots of time is used up reminding you of them. This has to be the worst edited in the series. This includes having a sense of time and place.

This is just my initial out-of-theater reaction. Maybe with some distance I won’t feel so negative about it. What I suspect is even worse, I’ll just forget it.

A taboo-busting Japanese neo-realist-cum-roman porno (romantic or more artistic and narrative based) that simultaneously shows the depravity of living is squalor while capturing it so beautifully with its monochrome cinematography. In the opening moments we see some sex workers in the fenced off slums in Osaka. It's as if they are imprisoned. As the film progresses, it's clear that they are just as locked in psychologically as they are physically.

Tome, a sensational Meika Seri, lives in a room with her mentally challenged brother and her mother, who like Tome is a sex worker. There is some serious tension that turns explosive as the mother is increasingly resentful of her daughter's beauty and ability to bring in more tricks. After her mother miscarriages, in a impressively shot scene, we see Tome, while a client mechanically takes her from behind, reflect on how she was born. We don't get a flashback but we see it in Seri's facial expressions. The camera zoom's into her haunting face. She goes blanks as the oblivious man thrusts away. What comes next is pretty shocking and breaks taboos that most viewers wouldn't want to even imagine. Those of us who like cinema that pushes boundaries, including in psychosexual ways, will indeed be impressed and likely repulsed but appreciative all the same.

*The next paragraph has some vague descriptions of the ending. This isn't really the type of film that warrants a spoiler warning (imo) but wanted to give a head up just the same.

Director Noboru Tanaka (Village of Doom) leaves us with strangely hopeful conclusion allowing a burst of color as Tome's brother breaks away leaving the slums. Dragging along a chicken he wonders through the bustling streets of Osaka. It's a truly harrowing scene and the change to color makes it all the more intense. As for Tome she's resigned to the fact that she's going to die in the same streets she was born. In this cruel world, there's no advancement. Like her mother, once a whore always a whore, but at least there's some respite as Tome dances in a pretty dress as the cold harsh reality of the people in the slums of Kamagasaki drag on.

*The title is also known as The  Oldest Profession.

Watched on Wednesday May 21, 2025.

Watched on Wednesday May 21, 2025.

Watched on Wednesday May 21, 2025.

Imagine being around 10-years old and hearing your mom talking trash about your dad on the answering machine. Poor little Tommy endures just that. Directed at her ex-husband Dan, who left her for a much younger woman, Mommy spews the following venom:

Why a child WHORE, Dan?

And what is it about the BITCH that turns you on? It’s certainly not her intellect she’s a MORON.

She’s an oversexed, SYPHILITIC piece of POOR WHITE TRASH.

You with the SLUT now, Dan?

Finally little boy Tommy has had enough and picks up the phone to advise Mommy not to leave such embarrassing messages. Mommy loses it and yells, 

YOUR FATHER DUMPED YOUR MOMMY FOR A 12-YEAR OLD.
YOU TRAITOR!
Who put you up to this the SLUT or the PERVERT? 

Imagine his therapy bills. Of course that’s trivial next to the the hell scorned Betty Broderick inflicts on her family non-stop for the last half of this ratings-hit TV movie of the week. The brunt of her rage is directed at her husband and rightly so but she ends up traumatizing the children. 

1980s/90s TV movie queen Meredith Baxter channels Faye Dunaway’s Joan Crawford and Glenn Close’s Alex. She is completely unhinged and a hoot to watch. This is a far cry from Mrs. Keaton on the sitcom Family Ties. The subject matter is actually quite painful, especially for the children caught in the middle. The pain is hard to though, when the camp is sky high. I’m not even really sure how to rate this. I’ll just give it a heart. If a broken one was offered I’d choose that.

Watched on Tuesday May 20, 2025.

Watched on Tuesday May 20, 2025.

Watched on Monday May 19, 2025.

I’ve always been fascinated with seeing sex workers walking the street or soliciting from a corner. I first saw them in the flesh when I was around age 11 in downtown San Diego. Seeing them in movies also intrigued me. I find scenes of ladies of the night especially cinematic. Angel and Crimes of ion were my go to childhood hooker movies. I didn’t have much adult supervision. Both of those films were released in 1984, just as directors Janice Cole and Holly Dale unobtrusive documentary was. They portray women (both cis and trans) and some gay boys working the streets of Vancouver. Like Streetwise, I always feel especially sad watching these kind of docs knowing that the majority of subjects came to horrific endings.

I love that Hookers on Davies captured this now-long gone subculture and its participants are always interesting in candid interviews. 
My favorite scenes are the ones just capturing them joking around, sharing stories and occasionally fighting. Wearing mics they knew they were being filmed but weren’t exactly aware when and what footage was to be used. This helped to avoid an overly performative presentation. Though as one of the subjects says, being in sex work is a performance.

Now that most sex workers find their customers online, it’s rare to see streetwalkers. I assume there are pros to this but I wonder if it can also be isolating. The comradery between the women in Hookers on Davie is at times moving. It’s like they’ve created a family away from the broken homes most of them come from.

Watched on Saturday May 17, 2025.

Watched on Saturday May 17, 2025.

Watched on Friday May 16, 2025.

Farley Granger does what he does best. A man filled with anxiety and on the run (exception Rope, where he's stuck in a room) due to some haphazard scheme. Director Anthony Mann gives us a fantastic car chase through the canyons of Wall Street. The on-location shooting in NYC is really impressive. We get aerial shots of the skyscrapers looking down at the little people below. I wasn't so much into the story but Granger and Mann's prowess behind the camera, lensed by Joseph Ruttenberg, kept me engaged.

Watched on Thursday May 15, 2025.

This is probably my favorite in the franchise. I left the theater beaming. The extended opening is fantastic and makes seeing this on IMAX worthwhile. What elevates this besides the fantastic editing is the brother and sister duo played by Kaitlyn Santa Juana and Teo Briones. There’s so much more tension since you actually care about them. I also loved the way death is treated here. The characters being aware of exactly what’s going on actually adds tension as they try to outsmart him. 

Seeing Tony Todd (RIP) was especially moving. Particularly with the dialogue he’s given and knowing that his own death was to come. 

Directors Zach Lipovsky and Adam B Stein have done a fantastic job reviving the Final Destination franchise. Next to Sinners this was my favorite filmgoing experience of 2025 movie.

Final Destination Ranked

Watched on Wednesday May 14, 2025.

Watched on Wednesday May 14, 2025.

Watched on Tuesday May 13, 2025.

Watched on Tuesday May 13, 2025.

Watched on Monday May 12, 2025.

Watched on Monday May 12, 2025.

A showcase role for Bette Davis in what was likely her last leading role. She's pretty much in every frame. Ernest Harden plays J.D. a teenager in need of foster care. Davis as Adele, a widow hard up for cash, takes him in. 

I was worried it'd be a white savior flick but it avoids that by making Eleanor just as in need of help as B.T., who thankfully doesn't fall into the magical negro role. I suppose the two cliches cancel each other out. Both have strengths and weaknesses in personality and circumstance. Their onscreen chemistry often brought a smile to my face. I it to chuckling every time J.D. called Adele "white mama".

My mom, who's around the same age as Adele watched with full investment. One of her fears is becoming homeless so this was pretty riveting. This being a TV movie, I assumed we'd get a happy ending. The last thing I wanted was to see my mom bummed out on Mother's Day.

*Watched a terrible transfer on Youtube. It kind of put a damper on it. I was still able to enjoy it. The gritty locations of 1980s New York (actually filmed in downtown L.A.) were a plus. It was a trip seeing Davis squatting in a run down apartment and sleeping on a park bench.

*In a weird coincidence I was twice encouraged to watch this today. First I read a glowing review from Danielle. Then I mentioned it to my friend Jason, who said that "White Mama" was one of his favorite TV movies growing up. I was kind of shocked he'd even seen it.

Watched on Sunday May 11, 2025.

Another C Thomas Howell direct-to-video flick courtesy of TUBI. He must’ve done countless of these in the 90s. If you’re a fan of his you could do worse. He’s in almost scene and looks cute in a baseball cap. You also get to see him in the buff. The camera lingers on his tush.

The plot is cut and dry. A corrupt police department has one guy, a rookie of course, who doesn’t approve. There are some good kills as the cops are picked off one by one. The movie really wants you to think, Howell is the killer, which means he probably isn’t. The reveal, regardless of if it’s him or not, is pretty lame. Despite not being much good, it held my attention or at least Tommy did. Extra credit for sleazy shots of Hollywood Blvd.

Watched on Friday May 9, 2025.

Timed perfectly for Mother's Day weekend, this tale of older women being valued and celebrated is the epitome of a comfort movie full of cliches that's impossible to hate. It doesn't reach the heights of "Big Night" another tale of the opening of an Italian restaurant but it does have an inspiring true story made up of strong vibrant women. I especially enjoyed seeing Lorraine Bracco as Roberta from Sicily. She's crude and bombastic, which drives Antonolla (Brenda Vaccaro) from Bologna crazy. Vince Vaughn is what you'd expect in his more mature years. He's a working class bachelor with a dream and while he headlines the film, the true starts are the women who play the nonnas. Besides Bracco and Vaccaro, there's Talia Shire and Susan Sarandon, all of who have chances to shine.

While the story is pretty predictable, I did appreciate some unexpected characterization from writer Liz Maccie. I had assumed that all of the "nonnas" would be mothers/grandmothers but that's not the case. Sarandon's characters is happily single with no children. No regrets. That doesn't mean she doesn't value family. "Nonnas" shows that family can be sharing a good meal that was made with love. No blood relation necessary.

Watched on Friday May 9, 2025.

Watched on Thursday May 8, 2025.

I really wasn't sure what to expect other than a killer clown. When the slashing begins, I couldn't help but to think of Art the Clown, who is real hard to compete with. Still I was enjoying I the 90s vibe, despite being set in the present, and the usual weird small town folk. Quinn is the new girl in town. She's 17 and wise beyond her years. Yes there's tragedy in her past but this isn't one of those a24 films aka trauma in horror trend. The other teenagers serve their purposes to get hacked to pieces. Actually there are a couple of other interesting characters with arcs you wouldn't see in 90s slashers. There is a turning point that I'm pretty sure I saw in another movie set among cornfields but I can't be sure. It definitely ups the ante. There's some exciting horror action but it's more roller coaster ride scary than the unrelenting terror kind. For those disappointed by the mostly bloodless "Hell of a Summer" your taste for gore is amply rewarded. It appears mostly practical which is a plus. I hate CGI blood.

While I wouldn't call this an instant slasher classic by any means, it's successful at what it aims to do. You've got a final girl to root for, bloody mayhem and some actually laugh-out-loud moments. I really enjoyed seeing this with a crowd. There's one scene that got applause that would've gotten the opposite reaction back in the day. Progress for sure.. The exploration of generational resentment was especially intriguing and timely.

I hadn’t been planning to see this but when I read that Diego Calva injured himself during a sex scene with Jacob Elordi my curiosity peaked. I had assumed this was a torrid heterosexual melodrama based on the marketing but it is decidedly a bisexual one leaning toward a 5 on the Kinsey Scale.

Elordi as Julius is quite impressive and not just physically. He starts out rather cold. Understandable since he doesn’t allow for close relationships. He’s a drifter hustler who services both men and women. His wall all but crumbles and he grows into a lovelorn puppy when he meets Calvo’s Harry. The way he looks at him is so tender and palpable. While their sex scenes aren’t graphic, they both do a good job at appearing to be in awe of one another. This isn’t some quick pecks on the lips. We get deep kissing. Calva especially looks happy as Elordi tops him. If only the film focused more on these two than the half baked sapphic adventures of Muriel (Daisy Edgar Jones) and her pouty-eyed cuckold husband. It’s not that their story isn’t interesting, there’s just not enough time or rather the film isn’t good at juggling both story lines. The story of Harry and Julius had the potential to rip my heart out but the constant shifting around struck down that potential. Harry's character also could've used more development. I'm sure this works better in its original form as a novel. 

I knew this wasn’t exactly getting the best reviews but it was worth seeing for those longing stares between Calva and Elordi. It also has pretty cinematography and reminded me how hard it was to find someone without the Internet. I enjoyed seeing this soapy sultry light romantic drama in a theater made up of women and gay men. All attentively seated for, undoubtedly, the same thing.

Watched on Thursday May 8, 2025.

Watched on Wednesday May 7, 2025.

Watched on Saturday May 7, 2016.

Watched on Tuesday May 6, 2025.

Watched for Cinco de Mayo. I could've done without the narration but overall this was a moving experience about three generations of a Mexican-American family. Jimmy Smits is the MVP giving a ionate performance. The pain and heartbreak just exudes from him. When he smiles it's all the more powerful. Esai Morales is also excellent showing the worst of machismo swagger. Jennifer Lopez is practically unrecognizable and has one of the most harrowing scenes in a film with more than just a few. Highly recommended for those who like family melodrama and aren't averse to sentimentality.

You know these people have disposable income when they choose a high-end restaurant for a first date. This was entertaining at times and I liked the set-up but the suspension of disbelief required was too much for me to buy. A pretty glaring issue since since I'm usually able to do so. It also didn't help that I didn't care much for the characters. That waiter was especially cringeworthy, which was the point but I was just annoyed. Worst of all making the protagonist a domestic violence survivor felt forced and superficial. It wasn't until the last ten minutes or so that the film brought me back in.

I'm glad many of you had fun with this.
Wes Craven's RED EYE did it better.

Watched on Monday May 5, 2025.

Watched on Monday May 5, 2025.

Watched on Monday May 5, 2025.

Watched on Sunday May 4, 2025.

Watched on Sunday May 4, 2025.

When one thinks of "Little House on the Prairie" it's doubtful that a realistic depiction of opiate addiction would come to mind. Yet that's exactly what happened to little orphan Albert. Ever since he was adopted by the Ingalls, he's had one tragedy after the other. First he set a fire, then he fell in love with a young rape victim, and on and on.

In this first of three movies made after the series finally finished, Albert received the final blow, a fatal diagnosis of leukemia. Poor poor Albert. Matthew Layorteaux, who was adopted in real life as well, is perfect in the role. I've rarely seen a boy-man cry so many tears. Here he's grown into a handsome young man, whose only major film role was in Wes Craven's "Deadly Friend".

Watching Michael Landon as the grief-stricken Charles, you'd almost think his pain was real. After all Landon created Albert. The character is nowhere to be found in the books. He seriously looks broken when finding out about Albert's inevitable death. Landon/Charles felt the need for a son. While you'd think this would be full of cloying melodrama, the tears feel earned and it's actually quite beautiful. I only wish Karen Grassle, who played Caroline (ma) was around. Apparently there were salary disputes. Landon did't feel she deserved an equal wage. Turns out Landon wasn't as Christ-like in real life. Still his hard work on Little House is undeniable. He died of throat cancer when he was 54. Albert/Matthew while still alive, lost his house to the LA fires this past January.

*Megan Kelly recently clutched her pearls at the thought of Netflix's adaptation. She whined that it'd become "woke". Yet the show always was quite progressive and far from just some family friendly fantasy. Yes it was wholesome but far from oblivious to society ills. One of these days when I'm older and retired, I'll probably go through the entire series (that's what my mom is doing now). It was of great comfort to me growing up.

While I it to being intrigued for the entirety of its 80 minute running time, the plot of Fritz Lang's last American film was too far-fetched. Actually it was too short for the story it was trying to tell. The idea of someone risking death row just to prove a point or write a book wasn't set up to be believable. On top of that we get a couple of curve balls that are ultimately unsatisfying. Yet since I enjoy watching Dana Andrews and Joan Fontaine and Lang's direction, though not his best, is sold enough to make it still worth watching.

Watched on Saturday May 3, 2025.

Watched on Wednesday May 2, 2018.

Feature Length Narrative Films
Some films I saw through Sundance Online, I didn’t include. Once it’s announced they’ll be released in 2025, I’ll add them.

1. Sinners
2. Magazine Dreams
3. Lurker
4. Sorry, Baby
5. Who by Fire
6. Final Destination Bloodlines
7. Companion
8. The Ugly Stepsister
9. In Youth We Trust
10. Night Call

...plus 34 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

• 1900
• 10 Rillington Place
• 10 to Midnight
• 12 Angry Men
• 1941
• 21 Grams
• 28 Weeks Later
• The 3 Worlds of Gulliver
• 52 Pick-Up
• 8 Mile

...plus 1369 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

I'm pretty sure there's already a number of identical lists but with my SINNERS obsession, I thought it'd be fun to make one. Please let me know the ones I've missed. I've added some notes for the less obvious ones. I'll update later.

• Vamp
• Sinners
• Blade
• Blade II
• Blade: Trinity
• Ganja & Hess
• Da Sweet Blood of Jesus
• Def by Temptation

  Technically a Succubi (female) Incubus (male) demonic figures who seduce their victims and drain their life-force. Not a vampire but enough similarities that I'm including it.

• Vampire's Kiss

  Jennifer Beals as Rachel

• Vampires vs. the Bronx

...plus 18 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Films owned either digitally or physical media in 4K.

• American Psycho

  Disc

• BlacKkKlansman

  Digital

• Bram Stoker's Dracula

  Disc

• Close Encounters of the Third Kind

  Disc

• Léon: The Professional

  Disc and Digital

• Predator

  Digital

• Starship Troopers

  Disc

• Planet Earth II

  Disc

• Mission: Impossible – Fallout

  Disc

• Christine

  Disc and Digital

...plus 481 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Blu Rays owned released by Warner Archive

• The Accidental Tourist
• The Ballad of Cable Hogue
• Dolores Claiborne
• The Hidden
• Time After Time
• Village of the Damned
• Wait Until Dark
• Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
• Wolfen
• Supergirl

...plus 39 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

• Final Destination Bloodlines
• Final Destination
• Final Destination 5
• Final Destination 2
• Final Destination 3
• The Final Destination

Movies owned through streaming.

• Waves
• Uncut Gems
• Parasite
• Midsommar
• The Last Black Man in San Francisco
• It Chapter Two
• In Fabric
• Hustlers
• Avengers: Endgame
• Alita: Battle Angel

...plus 485 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Best Picture winners that I own either on dvd, 4k-UHD, Blu Ray, or digitally.

• Wings
• Grand Hotel
• Gone with the Wind
• Rebecca
• Casablanca
• The Lost Weekend
• All About Eve
• The Greatest Show on Earth
• On the Waterfront
• The Bridge on the River Kwai

...plus 50 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

• Ali: Fear Eats the Soul
• All That Jazz
• Amarcord
• Y Tu Mamá También
• Antichrist
• Aparajito
• Arabian Nights
• L'Avventura
• The Battle of Algiers
• Before the Rain

...plus 227 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Vinegar Syndrome + Fun City Editions 4Ks/Blu Rays that I own

• Liquid Sky
• Penitentiary
• Penitentiary II
• Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song
• Buddies
• Lady Cocoa
• The Candy Tangerine Man
• A Woman's Torment
• Def by Temptation
• Incubus

...plus 85 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

After recently closing, I’m feeling sentimental about Lincoln Plaza Cinemas. This list will track films that I watch, that originally played at LPC. Most of the films are from my dvd Blu ray collection.

• Pelle the Conqueror
• Amores Perros
• Bandit Queen
• Before Night Falls
• Fanny and Alexander
• The Wrestler
• Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
• Buffalo '66
• Before the Rain
• I Can't Sleep

...plus 182 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Films owned under Kino Studio Classics label

• The Boys in the Band
• The Burning Bed
• Burnt Offerings
• Certain Fury
• The Day After
• The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
• Hangover Square
• The Lion in Winter
• Luna
• Miracle Mile

...plus 63 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Includes theatrical and streaming premieres released in the United States in 2024. Ranking is not set in stone especially as you get past #25. There are many 3.5 ratings that kind of blur together in quality and enjoyment.

1. Anora
2. Dune: Part Two
3. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
4. Civil War
5. Nickel Boys
6. Nosferatu
7. The Substance
8. Queer
9. Longlegs
10. Alien: Romulus

...plus 116 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Women-directed films I've watched or plan to watch in March '25 to celebrate Women's History Month.

• Not a Pretty Picture
• Crossing Delancey
• The Outrun
• Lady Bird
• Take Out
• There's Still Tomorrow
• The Substance
• Naked Acts
• Hollywood 90028
• A Dry White Season

...plus 15 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

After recently watching "Forgive and Forget", I realized I've seen a number of movies about gay men directed by women. Other than the one I just watched, they’ve been very good to excellent. A number of them were pivotal films for me in my younger years. If you know of any films not listed please comment.

• Head On
• Beautiful Thing
• Beau Travail
• I Can't Sleep
• Paris Is Burning
• Priest
• The Power of the Dog
• Beach Rats
• I Carry You with Me
• To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar

...plus 12 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

1. Anora
2. Dune: Part Two
3. Nickel Boys
4. The Substance
5. The Brutalist
6. A Complete Unknown
7. I'm Still Here
8. Emilia Pérez
9. Wicked
10. Conclave

One of my favorite contemporary directors, I've seen pretty much all of Guadagnino's work, including his shorts and the limited series, "We Are Who We Are". This list is of his feature length films. I like them all but Call Me By Your Name and Suspiria are among my favorite films ever made.

1. Call Me by Your Name
2. Suspiria
3. Bones and All
4. Queer
5. Challengers
6. A Bigger Splash
7. We Are Who We Are
8. I Am Love

All films contained on Severin’s epic volumes of Folk Horror. Some short films might not be included if I wasn't able to find them on Letterboxd at the time of posting.

The Indonesian short film White Song (2006) doesn't appear to be on Letterboxd.

• Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched: A History of Folk Horror
• Eyes of Fire
• The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
• Transformations
• Backwoods
• Leptirica
• Ward
• The Maiden's Tune
• Witchhammer
• Viy

...plus 64 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

I didn’t see any stinkers this year, unlike 2024, which included Love Me (now in theaters). The bottom two aren’t bad but feel  derivative of other better films.

1. Omaha
2. The Perfect Neighbor
3. Sorry, Baby
4. Cactus Pears
5. The Virgin of the Quarry Lake
6. The Things You Kill
7. Mad Bills to Pay (or Destiny, dile que no soy malo)
8. Predators
9. Mr. Nobody Against Putin
10. Plainclothes

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

I love all his films save for a couple so ranking them is almost pointless. If I went by obsession, Twin Peaks- Fire Walk With Me would be at the top but then there's Mulholland Drive, which I'd also rank #1 oh and "Blue Velvet"! Yeah it's a fool's errand.

1. Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me
2. Mulholland Drive
3. Blue Velvet
4. The Elephant Man
5. Eraserhead
6. Wild at Heart
7. The Straight Story
8. Lost Highway
9. Inland Empire
10. Dune

With the release of The Brutalist, the first feature length film shot entirely in VistaVision since 1968, I thought it'd be a good excuse to make a list. The first release was White Christmas in 1954. The majority of films are from the 1950s. Studios were trying to compete with television with more razzle dazzle that folks couldn't get on the "idiot box".

• The Brutalist
• Death by Hanging
• One-Eyed Jacks
• It Started in Naples
• Heller in Pink Tights
• The Trap
• That Kind of Woman
• The Day the Earth Froze
• North by Northwest
• Li'l Abner

...plus 85 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

• The Abyss
• Born on the Fourth of July
• Do the Right Thing
• Batman
• Drugstore Cowboy
• Last Exit to Brooklyn
• Santa Sangre
• Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
• Lost Angels
• Glory

Films with Winners of Best Actress from NYFCC beginning in 1935. Greta Garbo received the first award for Anna Karenina.
Lady Gaga for The House of Gucci is the most recent winner.

• Hard Truths
• Killers of the Flower Moon
• TÁR
• House of Gucci
• Never Rarely Sometimes Always
• Us
• the Girls
• Lady Bird
• Elle
• Brooklyn

...plus 86 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

• The Brutalist
• Killers of the Flower Moon
• TÁR
• Drive My Car
• The Irishman
• First Cow
• Roma
• Lady Bird
• La La Land
• Carol

...plus 79 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Due to a newspaper strike there were no awards giving in 1962.

• Mutiny on the Bounty

  Charles Laughton

• Ruggles of Red Gap

  Charles Laughton

• The Life of Emile Zola

  Paul Muni

• Angels with Dirty Faces

  James Cagney

• Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

  James Stewart

• The Great Dictator

  Charlie Chaplin

• Sergeant York

  Gary Cooper

• Yankee Doodle Dandy

  James Cagney

• Watch on the Rhine

  Paul Lukas

• Going My Way

  Barry Fitzgerald

...plus 78 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

List of horror and horror-adjacent or otherwise otherworldly movies watched from Friday, September 13th (how could I not) until Halloween. Films will be added as I watch them. Some will be pre-planned including theatrical releases like "Smile 2" and "Terrifier 3". A friend of mine is focusing on ghost films. Mine will be more random but will include plenty tales of the supernatural.

TBH I watch horror movies all year long but it's fun to put an extra spotlight on them this time of year.

1. Halloween
2. A Nightmare on Elm Street
3. Bram Stoker's Dracula
4. The Hitcher
5. Hellraiser
6. The Changeling
7. The Sixth Sense
8. Creepshow
9. The Substance
10. Smile 2

...plus 61 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Horror flicks watched during the months of September and October. I'll add them as I watch them. Some might be considered horror-adjacent depending on your definition.

1. The Exorcist
2. Psycho
3. Black Swan
4. Rosemary's Baby
5. Martin
6. Freaks
7. Cape Fear
8. Dracula
9. It Follows
10. Thesis

...plus 68 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Movies owned thanks to one of the best boutique labels for physical media.

• The Bird with the Crystal Plumage
• Deep Red
• Donnie Darko
• Hellraiser
• Hellbound: Hellraiser II
• Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth
• Re-Animator
• The Last House on the Left
• Basket Case
• Children of the Corn

...plus 88 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Films that feature maniacal hitchhikers, vehicular intimidation/murder and psycho killers on the run.

"My mom told me never to do this," is the first line of dialogue in 1986's "The Hitcher". It’s said when innocent Jim Halsey picks up hitchhiker John Ryder. The recent 4k restoration release inspired me to do the list. I'll add more. Any suggestion let me know.

• The Hitcher
• The Devil Thumbs a Ride
• Detour
• The Hitch-Hiker
• Hitch Hike
• Duel
• Breakdown
• Joy Ride
• Devil Nymphs
• The Hitchhikers

...plus 21 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

All the films granted Venice Film Festival's top prize, the Golden Lion. There's a big gap of non-activity in the 70s, which is unfortunate given all the great films of that decade.

• Manon
• Justice Is Done
• Rashomon
• Forbidden Games
• Romeo and Juliet
• Ordet
• Aparajito
• The Rickshaw Man
• General Della Rovere
• The Great War

...plus 58 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

List of films included as part of these beautiful collections for film lovers. Columbia is the parent company of SPC so I decided to combine them.

• Call Me by Your Name
• The Celluloid Closet
• The City of Lost Children
• Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
• The Devil's Backbone
• Orlando
• Run Lola Run
• SLC Punk
• Still Alice
• Synecdoche, New York

...plus 57 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

This list includes the 20 narrative feature films of Spike Lee that I’ve seen. He’s made three films I consider among my all-time favorites. Films 4 thru 8 are all very special to me as well. The only film he’s made that I actively don’t care for is She Hate Me.

1. Do the Right Thing
2. Malcolm X
3. 25th Hour
4. Summer of Sam
5. Clockers
6. Get on the Bus
7. BlacKkKlansman
8. He Got Game
9. Jungle Fever
10. School Daze

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

I'll include Magazine Dreams cause who knows when it'll get a release

1. Oppenheimer
2. The Zone of Interest
3. Heroic
4. Perfect Days
5. Killers of the Flower Moon
6. May December
7. Society of the Snow
8. The Holdovers
9. Full Time
10. Magazine Dreams

...plus 134 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

1. Oppenheimer
2. Killers of the Flower Moon
3. The Zone of Interest
4. The Holdovers
5. Barbie
6. Anatomy of a Fall
7. Poor Things
8. Past Lives
9. American Fiction
10. Maestro

• Absurd
• Anthropophagous
• A Bay of Blood
• The Beast in Heat
• The Beyond
• Blood Feast
• Bloody Moon
• The Boogey Man
• The Burning
• Cannibal Ferox

...plus 62 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

This list has the films from the documentary (same title as list name) that are focused on by year (1980 - 1989). Many films are discussed but this list just has the ones with a dedicated segment (camera zooms in on the poster) for each year. Maybe one day I'll add all films mentioned. There are so many!
Interestingly the year with the most focused films is 1988.
The documentary can be seen on Shudder.

• The Changeling
• The Fog
• Friday the 13th
• The Shining
• Dressed to Kill
• Fade to Black
• Maniac
• Scanners
• My Bloody Valentine
• The Howling

...plus 72 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

All titles from Harold Schechter book "Ripped from the Headlines - The Shocking True Stories Behind the Movies' Most Memorable Crimes" (2020) . This book combines two of my greatest interests - film and true crime.

• Zodiac
• Alpha Dog
• Anatomy of a Murder
• Arsenic and Old Lace
• Badlands
• Blood & Orchids
• The Body Snatcher
• BUtterfield 8
• Chicago
• Roxie Hart

...plus 66 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

This a list of 25 of my favorites from 2022. There's so many good ones that I could've made a top 35.

1. Babylon
2. TÁR
3. The Batman
4. Athena
5. Vortex
6. Top Gun: Maverick
7. The Whale
8. Blonde
9. Funny Pages
10. Bones and All

...plus 15 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Narrative films I’ve seen that were released commercially in the United States in 2022. Rankings aren’t set in stone or always up to date.

1. Babylon
2. TÁR
3. The Batman
4. Athena
5. Vortex
6. The Whale
7. Top Gun: Maverick
8. Blonde
9. Bones and All
10. Funny Pages

...plus 131 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

All the movies mentioned in J.A Kerswell's 2018 book The Teenage Slasher Movie Book (2nd Revised and Expanded Edition). The 1st edition from 2010 was called Teenage Wasteland: The Slasher Movie Uncut.
I just went through the Index and added all the movies listed, which is why there are some non-horror movies. (e.g., Pretty in Pink, The Breakfast Club)

• Absurd
• Alice, Sweet Alice
• All the Boys Love Mandy Lane
• Alone in the Dark
• Amer
• The Amityville Horror
• And Soon the Darkness
• And Then There Were None
• Anguish
• Another Son of Sam

...plus 438 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Film historian Karina Longworth has one of the best podcasts on film history you can find aptly titled YOU MUST THIS. 

podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/you-must--this/id858124601?i=1000557993326

The first season focuses on the boom of films from the 1980s that dealt with sexuality (often dangerously). I happen to be a fan of many of the films discussed. When I was too young, I'd sneak and watch them when I should've been watching the Disney Channel. This is a list of the films mentioned whether in detail or briefly. DEEP THROAT and LAST TANGO IN PARIS though not from the 80s is covered in the first episode as a springboard of what's to come. I believe Longworth will also do an Erotic 90s (I'll combine with this list). How could she not when the 90s gave birth to the sans panties Sharon Stone.

• Dressed to Kill
• 9½ Weeks
• Blade Runner
• Batman
• Basic Instinct
• Do the Right Thing
• Angel Heart
• Less Than Zero
• Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
• A Clockwork Orange

...plus 360 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Films mentioned in the documentary "Lynch/Oz".

• Lynch/Oz
• The Wizard of Oz
• Wild at Heart
• The Grandmother
• The Alphabet
• Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me
• Twin Peaks: The Return
• Blue Velvet
• The Elephant Man
• Lost Highway

...plus 130 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

• Wonder Bar
• Dickson Experimental Sound Film
• A Florida Enchantment
• Algie, the Miner
• The Soilers
• A Wanderer of the West
• Behind the Screen
• Our Betters
• The Gay Divorcee
• The Broadway Melody

...plus 80 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

The best films I've never seen until now that weren't released in 2023.

1. Farewell My Concubine
2. House of Tolerance
3. Shame
4. Broken Mirrors
5. Caged
6. Rapine
7. A Bittersweet Life
8. Illtown
9. Paid in Full
10. The Misfits

One of my favorite directors and one of the first I knew by name, William Friedkin ed away today. My obsession as a tween with The Exorcist is how I came to know him. I haven't seen all his films. Honestly there's some that don't interest me much. The ones I have seen are either great or at least interesting (except Hunted).

1. The Exorcist
2. The French Connection
3. Sorcerer
4. Cruising
5. To Live and Die in L.A.
6. The Boys in the Band
7. Bug
8. Jade
9. Rampage
10. Killer Joe

All films in my personal library that hail from Asia (excluding Russia)

• Cyclo

  Vietnam / DVD

• 2046

  Hong Kong / DVD (not in case)

• I Don't Want to Sleep Alone

  Malaysia, Taiwan / DVD

• Nobody Knows

  Japan / DVD

• Macho Dancer

  Philippines / DVD

• Manila in the Claws of Light

  Philippines / Blu Ray Criterion

• Happy Together

  Hong Kong / DVD

• Lust, Caution

  China, Taiwan / DVD

• The Hole

  Taiwan / DVD

• Battle Royale

  Japan / Digital Library

...plus 37 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

LGBTQIA films, including adjacent ones (queer in spirit), watched in June 2023.

• The Doom Generation
• Totally F***ed Up
• Mysterious Skin
• Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

  Gwen's struggle to "come out" to her father is something most in the community can identify with. Not to mention she has a "Protect Trans Kids" poster on her wall.

• Sleepaway Camp II: Unhappy Campers
• Sleepaway Camp III: Teenage Wasteland
• Rachel, Rachel
• Southern Comfort
• Paris 05:59 / Théo & Hugo
• Chasing Amy

...plus 22 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Just in time for June 2023 - Pride Month.
The 100 films mentioned in Kyle Turner's book "The Queer Film Guide". Each film essay comes with a recommendation of another film to see. I've included those as well, which add up to 200.

• Michael
• Death in Venice
• A Florida Enchantment
• Different from the Others
• Morocco
• Shanghai Express
• Mädchen in Uniform
• Olivia
• Sylvia Scarlett
• Design for Living

...plus 190 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Films nominated for Best Picture in my personal collection 
.

• Wings
• Lost Horizon
• Gone with the Wind
• The Wizard of Oz
• Rebecca
• The Great Dictator
• Citizen Kane
• The Ox-Bow Incident
• A Streetcar Named Desire
• High Noon

...plus 147 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

All fifteen of these films are timeless classics that I treasure in one way or another. It didn't feel right to rank them so instead they're in chronological order based on release year. I've seen 90% of the winners. My blind spots are:

The Broadway Melody (1929)
Cimarron (1931)
Cavalcade (1933)
The Life of Emile Zola (1937) - I'd like to see.
You Can't Take It With You (1938) - I'd like to see.
Mrs. Miniver (1942) - I'd like to see.
Going My Way (1944)
All the King's Men (1949)

• Rebecca
• Casablanca
• On the Waterfront
• Lawrence of Arabia
• Midnight Cowboy
• The Godfather
• The Godfather Part II
• The Deer Hunter
• The Silence of the Lambs
• Schindler's List

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