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“I really thought I was gonna die, my whole life.”

I being really hyped about this one before it came out, then seeing the reviews being all over the place and deciding to sit this one out, for the time being at least. Now that we’re about to get a new Ari Aster film, I thought it was the perfect time to catch up on his filmography. 

I thought this film was way too much if I’m being honest. Im glad movies like this get to be made but I can’t say it’s for me. Still there’s a lot to appreciate here. The stage play sequence is some amazing filmmaking and really lifts up this film for me. It’s so beautifully made. The acting is also great and there’s some interesting ideas thrown out here and there. 

For the most part, I just found this movie to be really exhausting. Not in a particularly fulfilling way either. Compare this to something like “Uncut Gems” or “Shiva Baby” for example, I finished these films feeling very satisfied even though they were tough watches. This one just felt tough. I was glad it was done. Ari Aster is a director I hold in very high regard so this was fairly disappointing. Not to mention, this was soooo long. 

Im not even saying this movie didn’t need to be 3 hours. What I am saying is that I didn’t need a movie like this, that is also 3 hours. The movie felt very disconnected and not in a way that works. Maybe this was because I took an extended break in the middle but at points it felt like I was watching a different movie. Maybe, the first act was just too ridiculous. I understand what it represents but it completely took me out of the movie at first. It was hard to recover from that.

All in all, I’m still very excited for “Eddington” and I really hope it’s a return to form. “Midsommar” and “Hereditary” are both all-timers, while “Beau is Afraid” probably won’t cross my mind again unless I have to discuss Ari Aster’s filmography.

“This film cannot be shown within the city of Flint... All the movie theatres have closed.“

I was required to watch this as part of an assignment I was given at uni. This is usually not the type of thing I’d go out of my way to watch. Im not really big on documentaries. I will say, this was a pretty well done documentary. However, I still didn’t feel like I learned much from this. Maybe cuz I already knew a bit about the history of Flint, maybe cuz I’m already very much on the left economically, so none of this is shocking to me. 

Michael Moore is a very dedicated man and it shows. The storyline we follow is intriguing but it does get repetitive after a while. The conclusion leaves you bitter, which is perfect for this film. If I was rating this on a documentary scale it would be pretty high, but I have to be real with myself and say that the fulfilment I got out of this watch is very limited.

Maybe this would’ve been a lot more scathing if it wasn’t trying to get the attention of Roger Smith. So I understand not pressing too hard on the people they had to to get to him. But to me it’s a pretty weak critique and is more so just “look at how awful this is”. I feel like we’ve reached that point a long time ago. Im gonna be fair and blame that on the movie being made in the 80s, but I can’t say I’m satisfied.

I do think this will make for a very interesting analysis in my paper, though. Im excited to dive into it and I’m honestly really happy I have an assignment like this.

“I don't think I can get her to do it.”

“You mean it'll be difficult?”

“Very.”

“Well, this is not mission difficult, Mr. Hunt, it's mission impossible. "Difficult" should be a walk in the park for you.“

This is terrible. 2 stars for the badass chase scene by the end and for a few things that I liked here and there. Other than that, this felt like a watered down, by the numbers spy movie. It lost all the charm that made the “Mission Impossible” films so good. Here’s hoping the third instalment is an improvement.

“I see you shiver with antici... pation.“

The cinema at my local dorm is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, so they showed this film for one night for free! I knew I had to go see it and I’m so glad I did. This was so fucking fun.

 When I was entering into the Theater, I saw that you could buy a sort of package with many items, like a water gun and a newspaper for example. So thankfully, I was mentally ready for this to be a sort of “free for all” “interactive” showing. After all, this movie wasn’t gonna need me to be entirely focused, so I didn’t mind it. There were a bunch of people who kept booing and yelling “boring!” every time the narrator showed up and it was sooooo annoying. Otherwise, the audience participation actually made this more fun :)

Tim Curry is absolutely insane in this. I can’t imagine anyone else playing this role. I wasn’t 100% sure whether this was a musical or not before going in and I honestly loved the music here. I didn’t love every number (there’s no bad songs tho) but I just absolutely loved the style of the music here. It’s not really similar to any other musicals out there. The direction here is so fucking good. So many shots here are beautiful to look at. 

This was a fucking romp. I genuinely had a smile on my face the whole run time. There wasn’t a single second where I wasn’t enjoying myself. The production design is so impressive. Every musical should aspire to be as balls-to-the-wall as this is. The makeup and hairstyling were OBVIOUSLY great too. 

Im so glad I watched this, and with an audience at that. I bet this is so fun on stage and I hope I get the opportunity to see it live. This was just the right amount of horny and weird. I understand why this is a cult classic, and a tradition for some to watch this around Halloween. 

Also 70s Susan Sarandon I am free whenever you like 😍

“I'm good, I'm good, I'm gonna be good.”

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to catch “Sinners” at all at my local cinema, or any cinema in the nearby cities for that matter. Im super excited for it and I’m genuinely really sad I won’t get to watch it in a theatre. I’ll have to wait for it to come out on VOD, so for now, I thought it would be a great opportunity to check out Ryan Coogler’s debut flick. “Fruitvale Station” is a brutal and heartbreaking film about the very real story of Oscar Grant’s last day. This movie really left me empty.

I love how human this movie was. They don’t shy away from showing how flawed Oscar is. If I’m being honest, he did many things that I found to be unlikeable. But Ryan Coogler also made you really feel how hard he was trying to do good by his family. He really was trying his best and that makes the ending so much more heartbreaking. 

This movie is really good at making you feel this impending sense of doom for the whole runtime. The first two acts are just so NORMAL, and yet you feel a lot of tension. You know how this story ends, so you don’t want him to fuck up. You want him to get one final win before he dies. It truly pains me that it’s been 16 years and nothing has changed. We have made no progress as a society when it comes to police brutality. It’s disgusting.

Michael B Jordan gives a great performance. Probably his best I’ve seen. The ing cast is great too. I didn’t know Octavia Spencer was in this and I was pleasantly surprised she was. Her final scene at the hospital made me cry so much. Ryan Coogler’s way of directing this was really nuanced. All his choices are very subtle and the movie is the complete opposite of flashy or stylish. It really makes me wonder how it convinced studios to hire him for blockbusters. Im not complaining anyways, he is an amazing director. This just shows his range.

Unfortunately, I don’t see things getting better anytime soon. This movie is a painful reminder of the shortcomings of America as a nation, and how you’re truly never safe. Especially if you’re a person of colour and ESPECIALLY if you’re black. We are witnessing a great career unfold in front of us. Ryan Coogler and Michael B Jordan are gonna be a brilliant duo for decades to come, I hope.

“RED LIGHT, GREEN LIGHT!“

“Tom Cruise is underrated. Cuz the mission was impossible, and he pulled it off… 3 times” - Vince Staples

Yeah this was awesome. It suffers a lot from some pacing issues and from the sheer greatness of later instalments but it’s still a really entertaining and iconic movie. Plus, its influence is undeniable on modern cinema. 

I think this movie’s greatest suit is creating tension. Every scene that’s supposed to be tense is REALLY tense. It’s especially palpable in the iconic infiltration scene. I’ve watched that scene many times but finally seeing it in the context of the film was a treat. This cast is really entertaining and they all work really well together. Tom Cruise is obviously a star and there’s a reason he’s one of the last true movie stars left. 

It’s honestly kinda jarring seeing Tom Cruise not do a stunt for real lol. Not saying he should have but so much of the appeal of these movies is how impressive the stunts are. It did decrease the enjoyment for me a little. As I already mentioned, i feel like this movie is paced kinda weird. Despite it not being that long, it felt longer. Especially the first act. 

I still think this franchise having the longevity that it does is supremely impressive. This was a really fun time, although it doesn’t touch many of the highs that would come later on in the franchise. I still don’t know if I wanna watch the second and third instalment. However, I do know this, I CANNOT WAIT to watch “The Final Reckoning” and I’ll try my best to not miss it in theatres. Im so excited 😁

"مش دي سياسة يا هبة؟"

"كله سياسة يا رشدي"

الفيلم ده جبار. من زمان و انا عايز أتفرج عليه. كنت حاسس أصلا اني بقالي كتير مشفتش فيلم مصري فى قررت أتفرج عليه اخيراً. يسري نصر الله من الأسامي الكتير المصرية الي للاسف مشفتش لهم ولا فيلم. سعيد جدا اني شفت
الفيلم ده

الصراحة، الفيلم فيه عيوب كتير جدا. كتير منهم كانت شكلية شوية. يعني مثلاً، المشاهد الدمويه كان واضح جدا ان الدم مزيف، لدرجة شتتت انتباهي. اي مشاهد عنف عامة كانت سيئة. يعني الواحد المفروض يتعاطف او يحس بالذعر، لاكن للأسف كانت اقرب للضحك. حسيت برضه ان المخرج مكانش دقيق اوي فالطريقه اللي بيلفت بيها انتباهنا. كان واضح اوي انه بيحرك الفريم في اتجاه الحاجه الي لازم نركز عليها

لاكن غير كده، الفيلم تحفة. استغربت جداً انه قدر يحكي كل القصص دي خلال ساعتين. بل عكس، أنا استغربت قد إيه هم اتأخروا  في سرد الأحداث. التمثيل كان رائع! مكانش فيه مشاهد كتير فيها انفعالات حادة، و ده خلا المشاهد الي فيها ليها قوة كبيرة

عجبني جرأة الفيلم و قد ايه مش خايف يقول الي فرأيه. عجبني برده انو بيخليك تتعاطف مع أشخاص، ممكن المجتمع يبص على تصرفاتهم و يعتبرها خارجه. في النهاية، الستات كلهم ضحايا للنظام. لأنه مش بيفرق بين السن، ال"أخلاق" ولا عن المستوى المادي

مع ان فيه شخصيات كتير، حسيت انه قدر يشخصهم بسهولة و بسرعة. في مشاهد كتير اوي أيقونية، منها طبعاً المشهد الرائع بتاع سوسن بدر. بجد كوين بموت فيها! الفيلم طبعاً مش مثالي بس انا انتصرت للرؤية الكاملة. كتابة الفيلم برده حسيتها طبيعية جدا. بمعنى ان حسيتهم بشر بجد، مش بس شخصيات عالورق

انصح الكل يشوف الفيلم لأني بحسه مظلوم جدا و مش واخد حقه. متحمس جدا اني اشوف أفلام اكتر من يسري نصر الله، و أفلام تانية مش خايفة من رأي المجتمع و الناس

“You know, in ancient cultures, bears were considered equal with men.”

“This ain't no ancient culture here, mister.”

“Sometimes it is.“

Jim Jarmusch has always been a really fascinating character to me. I’ve been really intrigued by his body of work for the longest time. So, don’t ask me why it took me this long to watch my second Jarmusch. Well, I’ve finally done it and this really felt like what I was anticipating out of his filmography.

This meditative look at a gangster hitman, very much soaked in black culture, who abides by “The Samurai Way”, on paper sounds really corny. In practice though, it just works. Ghost Dog is such a cool character, portrayed amazingly by Forest Whitaker. I’ve personally not seen him in many leading roles so this was delightful! 

Although I do feel like this movie is missing some more elaborate action, I did really enjoy how “calm” it was. It really set it apart from other mob films. In fact, my favourite scene in the whole movie was the first scene between Ghost Dog and the kid, where they’re sitting in the park talking about books. This movie’s strongest suit is the characterisation of Ghost Dog. He’s a character that appreciates tradition, yet he eventually finds a way to apply two truths that may be at odds with each other.

I will it, this movie does have some glaring weaknesses. The biggest one being how boring the mobsters were. They had their quirks (more on that later), but they felt very flat and one-dimensional to me. As mentioned, I feel like some better choreography would’ve really added to this film.

This movie is really amusing. I found it really entertaining how every character had certain quirks that were nonsensical. It shouldn’t work but it does. I can’t really place it exactly yet, however, you can tell that this movie and “Patterson” were directed by the same guy. Maybe it’s how meditative and calm both movies are. Not to mention, the use of poetry and literature in both.

The prospect of diving deeper into this man’s filmography really excites me. I don’t know if my third Jarmusch will be soon, but I can tell you that I’m anticipating that day.

“In this healthy and beautiful life my share has been nothing but suffering. Why has it been given to me?”

I won’t even pretend that I understood what was happening here. For the most part, I felt clueless and I still do. However, I felt like this really connected with me on an emotional level.

One of the most unique visual experiences I’ve ever seen. I’ve seen someone on here liken it to a walk through an art gallery. They mentioned it as a negative, and on that front I disagree. I definitely think the movie would’ve been better in my eyes if there was a clear line of thought that could be followed, but I still think the uniqueness of this experience adds to this movie.

I loved seeing Armenian culture so vibrantly expressed in cinema. I think I’ll need to sit with this one for a while and revisit it again down the line. I do generally need to watch more movies that were made in the USSR. Such a rich place for storytelling that I’ve not really interacted with much outside of 2-3 films.

“Confession cleans the sinner's soul, it doesn't help the victim. Our whole church is in need of forgiveness. Where is our humility? Sin is a wound, not a stain. It needs to be treated, healed. Forgiveness is not enough.”

“Conclave” for straight people!

This movie is lame as fuck I’m not gonna lie. Boring isn’t the word I’d use, cuz it’s still a movie I was able to engage with and watch till the end with no issues, but there’s just something off about it that I can’t place. Maybe the presence of Pope Benedict as a main, sympathetic sort of character really threw me off. Especially when he’s very much a real person that we’ve all known about. 

I guess to me it felt like the movie brushed off all the church’s issues too much. They did address some stuff but not nearly enough for my liking. Still, I found some value in this film. For starters, it’s perfectly cast. Jonathan Pryce and Anthony Hopkins are great in this. Anthony Hopkins looks more like Pope Benedict than pope Benedict himself does 😭

I also liked whenever they butted heads with each other. The conversations felt very interesting and I felt it said a good amount about progress in the church, versus drawing a line and sticking by tradition. 

Someone said this was shot like “Succession” and I genuinely couldn’t stop thinking about it lol. It got really distracting. Yeah, this movie is shit very weirdly at points. I don’t know honestly, it’s not really a movie I’ll ever think about again but I can’t say it was a bad watch. Honestly, my rating may be a little harsh but I’m still sticking by it.

“Of course, if we had your airplanes it would be a lot easier for us. Give us your bombers, and you can have our baskets.”

Honestly, I didn’t know much about this film before I actually watched it. I was surprised by how closely it was filmed to the actual battle of Algiers. I mean, Algeria gained its independence only 4 years before this movie came out. This isn’t really the kind of film I’d go for, but it really excels in what it’s doing. I couldn’t help but find value in it.

This film is about as close you can get to a documentary without it actually being a documentary. I’m not really big on documentaries, so that hurt the film more than it helped it. I felt like the characters were all very one note and it was hard to engage with their struggle past “I think what they’re going through is morally wrong”. What I mean is, I couldn’t see them as fully fledged people, but rather tools to hammer home the anti-colonial message, which is obviously a message I already agree with. 

Still, this movie has some great dialogue. I also cannot stress how important this film is. It’s one thing to be against colonisation, but it’s another to understand the effort that goes into decolonisation. If you consider yourself to be politically progressive in anyway, then this is an essential watch. The story is really engaging and I was surprised by how tense it got at times. I loved the scene where it kept alternating between noisy and silent environments. 

I don’t know how accurate this film is, but I’m assuming it’s pretty accurate. They did a great job of showing the brutality of the war, and its effect on both the rebels and on the civilians. It was heartbreaking seeing all these lifeless bodies. 

A minor complaint I have, which could possibly be caused by the version I watched and not the movie itself, is that the Arabic dialogue felt obviously dubbed. It was really distracting at times, especially when I was trying my best not to depend on the subtitles for any Arabic dialogue. Considering how difficult the Algerian dialect is, I feel like I did a pretty good job 😎

All in all, this maybe isn’t the kind of movie that usually connects with me in a deeper level, but I can still appreciate a lot about this film and its importance. Many people are anti-colonialist but don’t understand the history of African decolonisation and how brutal it was. I’m so glad I watched this.

Ever since this won best picture and was bombarded with criticism, I’ve wanted to rewatch it. This is still great and I probably liked it more than on my first watch. Not enough to bump it up a rating. 

This is probably Sean Baker’s best but I don’t think it’s particularly flashy in its directing. I think it really shines in its comedy and in the lead performance. God, Mikey Madison is amazing in this. I really liked the ing cast as well. I really appreciated Karren Karagulian more on this rewatch.

The ending is what really makes this for me. The movie sacrifices a lot in order to make the ending hit harder and it really works in my opinion.

Maybe this is a pretty “weak” best picture winner but it’s still a quality film and the attack on it is highly exaggerated. I fucking love this film.

"The only place I get hurt is out there. The world don't give a shit about me."

Last night, I was picking between this film and “Melancholia” by Lars Von Tirer, on which of them will be the movie for the night. I settled on Melancholia, but for whatever reason, the audio was really fucked. I still don’t know if it’s the movie or itself or if something is wrong with the version I found. I hope I don’t sound like a dumbass lol. Anyways, I switched back to “The Wrestler” and I can safely say it was a great decision. This movie was so close to being an all-timer for me. It’s brilliant.

As alluded to in previous reviews, I’m a huge wrestling fan. This movie has always been on my list and I’m so glad I finally got to see it. It was great seeing the world of pro wrestling portrayed for all its beauty and ugliness. I don’t know if Darren Aronofsky actually is a wrestling fan or not. However, I find it hard to believe he isn’t. This feels like the work of someone who’s really ionate about wrestling and is very knowledgeable. It was really cool seeing promotions and wrestlers I was familiar with!

This movie is so raw and real, I almost believe the Randy the Ram was a real person. Mickey Rourke gives an all-time performance for me. He is so mesmerising in this. I have not seen Sean Penn in “Milk” but I don’t really think he can possibly be better than this performance. Just… wow. Also, I don’t see enough people praising her but god I loved Evan Rachel Wood in this film. She isn’t in the movie a ton but she’s so good in the emotional scenes she’s in. 

This is a story about a man grappling (hehe) with his own mortality and what his ion has done to his body. Struggling for relevance, both in the world and his personal life. Wrestling is amazing, and it’s a great vessel for storytelling, but the truth of the matter is that it really taxes your body. We’ve unfortunately lost many wrestlers to their ion for the sport. Really, the subject matter is perfect for Aronofsky. It’s almost like the counterpart to “Black Swan” in that sense. Two films about ion and dedication, and how far a person can go for their respective “purpose”.

The writing is simply really good. With the exception of one big flaw that I’ll touch on later. I especially loved how all the wrestling talk was used. It’s hard to remove my bias here lol. The documentary-style approach to filming gave this a really raw and realistic feel. That along with the acting really brought this together. My main issue with the film is Marissa Tomei’s character. Of course, she’s great in this, but it felt like her character was really one-dimensional and didn’t serve much purpose outside of being Randy’s love interest. There was a really good opportunity to contrast the two characters, and the movie does do that at times, but it didn’t do it enough imo.

That being said, this is still really brilliant. I’m looking forward to watching more Aronofsky films. This and “Black Swan” are two of the most fascinating movies I’ve seen. I hope we get more pro wrestling movies in general. That medium is full of amazing opportunities for storytelling, wether that be real stories or fictional.

"We rip out so much of ourselves to be cured of things faster than we should that we go bankrupt by the age of thirty and have less to offer each time we start with someone new. But to feel nothing so as not to feel anything - what a waste!"

This quote has been ringing through my head for the past few months. It’s so beautiful to me and I can’t quite put my finger on the reason why. It’s so beautiful to feel, to be heartbroken, to love. It’s good to let things linger and let them take up the space they need. Love is all-consuming and it eats at your soul. This is probably my favourite father/son conversation in film history.

This quote is the reason I finally watched the movie, despite my hesitancy over the controversial age-gap. I still do believe I would’ve liked this better if Elio wasn’t a minor, but at the end of the day, I don’t believe this movie endorses their relationship. Despite this, it’s still pretty uncomfortable to watch, and it’s difficult to separate Elio’s perspective, from what you’re supposed to feel. To me, as cliche as it sounds, this is a story about love and not a love story. 

This was Timothee Chalamet’s breakout role and im happy to finally see where it all started. He is absolutely amazing in this. It pains me to say that Armie Hammer is also really good in this. It’s much easier to digest how problematic his character is now that we know all of this about the actor behind the character. It’s a real shame because he’s in many movies I like but that’s besides the point. As mentioned before, Michael Stuhlbarg delivers one of my favourite movie quotes ever and he also gives a great performance. That man is super underrated. “Is it better to speak or to die” is another highlight to me. I’ll be thinking about that one a lot.

The atmosphere of this movie is just so inviting. The Italian countryside and town are mesmerising and the cinematography is top notch as always. I loved how slowly this film moved and how beautifully we transition to the ending. It’s truly tragic and I loved every second of it. Oh and also, Sufjan Stevens 😍😍

I still could never fully get into this unfortunately. I understand that depiction is not endorsement but there must’ve been better ways to have depicted this fling. I do believe the creatives behind movies don’t owe us this but it does hurt to see that a controversy like this could’ve been avoided with “better” writing. I also don’t like the characterisation of Elio at times. I felt like some of the female characters in the film were just filler. Especially the French girl that Elio got with for a second. That just seemed unnecessary to me.

Still, I was totally sucked into this movie’s world and I loved it. I’m glad to have finally checked this out and let it engross me. Luca Guadagnino remains one of my favourite directors working today.

“You're breaking up with me because I'm too... blonde?”

Elle Woods is a top 3 fictional lawyer and I will not hear anything else from anyone!!

This is brilliant. There’s not much to it other than that it’s really fun! It’s a really well crafted story and the character really connected with me. I wanted to see Elle show that bitch Warner how wrong he was about her.

This movie is hilarious. Maybe it’s not “laugh out loud” funny but it’s still so funny. Every few lines I let out a good chuckle. It’s also really iconic! I knew so many of these scenes already and that’s a huge testament to the impact this film has.

There’s not much to say here. This is iconic to the core and deserves the status it has. If you don’t think this movie is brilliant you’re just a hater.

“Life is like the surf, so give yourself away like the sea.”

Oh wow. I was not expecting to like this movie in this way. I knew going into it that I’d like it because of how acclaimed it is, and because of Alfonso Cuarón‘s past work that I enjoyed, but I didn’t know this movie would be this smart. This movie was great!

Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna are so good in this! Their chemistry is off the charts and I wish they were in every movie. It was especially apparent with the contrast between the start of the film and the ending. Which, speaking of, the ending gave me major whiplash and I loved it. It’s so good and genuinely concludes the movie’s themes really well.

I loved the handheld feel of the filming here. It really gave this film a very home-y feel. Cuarón is really good at making you present in the moment with the character and this movie really exemplifies. Nothing that’s happening outside of that frame matters.

The pacing on this is really good too. I will say, the sudden cut into narration never stopped being jarring, but that’s me being nit-picky. I thought the middle section of the film wasn’t up to par with the beginning and ESPECIALLY the end. Also this is definitely a very horny film but there’s honestly less sex than I was bracing for lol.

This one has to sit with me for a while honestly. On the surface it’s just a fun road trip film about horny teenagers but honestly there’s a lot beneath that. So much so that I haven’t figured it all out yet. Great film.

“Hey!... I'm still good meat! I'm perfectly good meat! I taste fine!“

Disappointed doesn’t even begin to describe how I’m feeling right now. Bong Joon Ho is a director I hold to a very high regard, but this unfortunately didn’t work for me.

Let’s start with the positives, Robert Pattinson and Naomi Ackie are great! The chemistry between them is the best part of the movie imo. I didn’t expect Naomi to have this big of a role honestly. I also thought this movie was funny at times, and it did start to pick up a little in the second act. Unfortunately, the first and third act really didn’t interest me. Or rather, the first act was pretty interesting but only if it materialised into something better than what we got. 

I just can’t put my finger on why exactly I didn’t like this. It’s not nearly funny enough for it to be a satire, the politics are very heavy handed and even questionable at times, and the pacing is very weird. I genuinely was not able to keep up because of how boring the movie got. 

It’s certainly possible that this movie caught me in a bad mood, and if I was feeling better I’d be able to engage with it more, but the fact of the matter is that I didn’t enjoy this. I’m probably way harsher on this than I should be, but that’s because I was expecting a lot out of this. Very weird choice for Bong Joon Ho’s first movie post-Parasite.

Watched on Tuesday April 1, 2025.

الفيلم ده طلع اوسخ من ما كنت فاكر

Went nonverbal to this in a hotel room surrounded by family. 10/10 would recommend

“It’s my story.”

“Mine too.”

Stunning. This maybe the most visually stunning film I’ve ever seen. The costumes, the production design, the cinematography, the colours. All of it is on point, maybe even above that. Everything looks so grand and extravagant. I’ve never seen anything like it.

The rest of the movie is great too. I loved how it blended reality and fantasy. I felt very connected to the story being told, to the degree where I was bothered by the way it was going. I was no different from the kid in the film. Lee Pace gave a great performance.

At first, I was very disinterested in whatever was happening outside of the fantastical story, but that changed by the beginning of the third act. This movies really punches you in the gut towards the end. It’s a very emotional watch and I was on the verge of tears.

There isn’t much else I feel the need to say. This was really enjoyable and a feast for the eyes. It’s very masterfully crafted and definitely kept me intrigued to the end.

"إلى الجنوبي المطارد بخبيئته.. سلاماً إليك يوم تموت و سلاماً إليك يوم تبعث حيا"

بقالي كتير أوي نفسي أتفرج على الفيلم ده. الناس بدأت تعيد اكتشافه مرة ثانية من بعد ما أتظلم في وقت عرضه. طبعاً مقدرش أقول عليه جوهره مدفونه، ولاكن الفيلم ده مفيش زيه اتنين في السينما المصرية

قصة قرية غاب عنها رجالها. الفيلم بيتناول تأثير الهجرة إلى خارج البلاد، على البلد الأم. دايما بنسمع عن المنظور الآخر، و كان من المثير للاهتمام رؤية قصة من الناحية دي. الفيلم من الناحية التقنية جبار. التصوير في مستوى تاني خالص. استخدام الأضواء المختلفة و الضل كان عبقري. السكريبت طبعاً تحفة، مع أنه كان صعب الفهم سعات. هل ده بسبب الفيلم نفسه ولا بسبب اللهجة الصعيدي؟ مش متأكد

التمثيل من افضل ما شفت في مصر، ولاكن يفضل برضه تمثيل مصري. دي مش حاجة سيئة طبعا. اقصد ان مستوى الدراما و ال "اوڤر اكتينج" كان عالي. في الفيلم ده كان توظيفه مثالي. المخرج رضوان الكاشف يستاهل كل كلمة شكر اتقالت له. شيريهان هي صاحبة افضل اداء بالنسبة لي، مع أن حسيت ان لهجتها مش مضبوطة سعات

مشكلة الفيلم الوحيدة في رأيي هو ان الأحداث تحسها مش بتلحم على بعضها كويس. دي كدا كدا مشكلة في المونتاج بس في كتير من الأفلام الفنية بيكونوا كدا بالقصد. أنا مانكرش ان الموضوع مقصود، لاكن للاسف ما جابش نتيجة معايا 

الفيلم معقد فعلا و صعب فهمه. المخرج مش هيديك المعلومة بالساهل. لما قعدت شوية أفكر فالفيلم مع نفسي، و قريت أراء الناس التانية، حسيت انها تجربة مرضية جدا. الفيلم مليء بإسقاطات على أهمية الديناميك بين الست و الراجل في المجتمع المصري، دون ان يكون مباشر. المؤلف تناول الموضوع بذكاء مخيف 

بجد نصيحة لأي حد ماشافش الفيلم ده يدور على اي طريقة يشوفه. من اعظم أفلام السينما العربية و مختلف جدا عن اي حاجة هتشوفوا

“It's easy to know what you are against, but quite another to know what you are for.”

For St. Patrick’s Day I decided to watch one of Ireland’s many, great film exports. I have been getting this film recommended to me for years now and I’m so glad I finally watched it. 

“Harrowing” is the only word I can think of now. This movie ripped me apart. Ireland’s history is one full of bloodshed and struggles for freedom. This is such an important film that sheds the light on the cruel British occupation on Ireland. History repeats itself. Revolution is not without its losses, and it’s important that we define what we stand for. 

Cillian Murphy gave a brilliant performance. He’s so good in this film and I really connected with Damian. I felt terrible for him but I also recognised the courage he was displaying. Everybody else was great too, although it feels their characters were a tiny bit underbaked in comparison to Damian. The best part of the film is the dialogue. It felt very natural. I also like the way some dialogue-heavy scenes were shot. It really felt like you were in the room with them hearing them all discuss.

Unfortunately, the film isn’t perfect. I really wish I liked it as much as others did because this is a topic I’ve always been interested in. The romance didn’t completely work for me till the last few scenes. I also thought most of the combat sequences weren’t that good. It made sense for this movie but still, I’d you’re gonna show it it’s at least gotta be better. 

All that being said, you can tell I absolutely love this film. I’ll be thinking about this one for a while and I can’t wait to check out more of Ken Loach’s filmography.

Tiocfaidh ár lá! 🇮🇪

“Lying's the most fun a girl can have without taking her clothes off, but it's better if you do.“

What the hell is this movie. Is it good? Is it bad? Who knows anymore. This movie genuinely puzzles me. Everything about it is confusing but in an annoying way. Not in a way that makes me intrigued to dig deeper in it. Rather, all I feel is “what did I just watch and did I even enjoy it?”. Well, one thing I can say about this movie, it’s not boring whatsoever.

The timeline is very confusing to me honestly. To the point where I was convinced it was a sci-fi for a solid chunk of the middle. The 4 performances are honestly all great, but they’re tainted by some absolute dog shit writing. Which is a shame because there’s also some really great writing in the film. 

I honestly feel like I was baited into watching this. I think my final conclusion is that I didn’t enjoy it, but that’s mostly out of disappointment. I don’t know what this movie is trying to get at and why it took so many weird decisions, just for the movie to end up mediocre anyway. I don’t know, maybe I just don’t get it but I also don’t care enough to try to get it. It definitely kept my attention though!

“Martha, you gotta help me. My husband is in danger!”

“Everybody's in danger, Eunice.“

Fernanda Torres is a top 3 Nepo baby 🙌🙌

It has been SO LONG since I’ve watched a movie. Almost 2 weeks. Today I finally felt free enough to pop one in and the obvious choice for me was “I’m Still Here”. I have been waiting for this one to come out in a more accessible format ever since its Brazilian release. I understood from the start that Brazilians would be biased towards this, but I also understood the importance of the story that was being told here.

ittedly, my knowledge on Brazilian history is quite limited. All I knew going into this movie was that Brazil was under military dictatorship at some point. I also knew this was based on a true story but I didn’t know if the movie took any liberties to embellish the story. From what I understand from the reading I’ve done after finishing the film, the movie actually omits some truths that were too horrific. I can’t imagine what that family, and every other family, has gone through under that regime.

This film lives up to the hype. It’s absolutely amazing. Fernanda Torres has been rightfully praised the whole award season. I’m so glad she won something in a very competitive best actress race. She was so subtle in her portrayal of a strong, worried mother/wife. I cannot imagine being this strong in front of your kids while all of this is happening. The family dynamic was really beautiful and seeing how everything unfolds was depressing. The ice cream parlor scene towards the end was just heartbreaking. The earth keeps spinning as if your world isn’t shattered. 

Walter Salles’ work here is brilliant. The way this film is shot feels really warm. Before the father is taken in, the film was very warm and happy but you could still feel a sinister tone underneath. These parts were punctuated within the first act very well. After watching this and “Central Station”, I will be keeping up with everything he makes from now on. I’m disappointed he didn’t get a best director nomination.

This is a really touching story. It’s sad that it’s still relevant in many parts of the world. This should serve as a warning to any country that thinks military control and fascism are the way to better the country. Sadly, many will turn a blind eye to history. Brazilian cinema has been great to me so far. I’m looking forward to watching more Brazilian films and learning more about the culture through film.

“Everyone asks where these songs come from, Sylvie. But then you watch their faces, and they're not asking where the songs come from. They're asking why the songs didn't come to them.“

I’ve been waiting for this movie for so long. I’ve been following its development ever since it got announced. Ever since it was called “Going Electric”. I pretty much knew going in that I was going to love this. As you can see, I did! 

Bob Dylan is one of my favourite artists of all time. His music means a lot to me personally and it got me through some really tough times. I think this is less a movie about Dylan, but rather a movie about him as a phenomenon. On that front, I think they did an excellent job.

Timothée Chalamet is great as Bob Dylan. I believed in him from the start but even I was blown away! He does the voice justice without sounding too much like an impression. You can tell he really worked hard on this role. Although I didn’t think he had the best lead performance of the year, I’m glad he won the SAG award and I wouldn’t be mad if he won the Oscar.

The ing cast is fantastic. I loved everyone in the cast and I real understood their motivation well, and how the hurricane that is Bob Dylan affected their life. Monica Barbaro and Elle Fanning are really good in this and it’s always a treat to see Ed Norton on my screen. 

If I’m being honest, the movie is a pretty traditional biopic, with not much to set it apart from the rest. However, I felt it took some decisions that optimised the experience. I was a very big fan of the decision to end the movie at Bob going electric. I feel it was representative enough of him as an artist, what he stood for, and what he stands for now. We don’t really know much about Dylan, which feels pretty accurate to him as a person.

Above all, it was just really cool to see these songs that mean a lot to me, be used to push the narrative and be performed skilfully by the cast. I particularly loved the “It Ain’t Me Babe” scene. Am I a little biased? Yes. But I loved it. It did feel a little too long and they theoretically could’ve taken this in a cooler direction. But the end product really entertained me.

This would’ve been a million times better if it was animated, didn’t star The Rock, and was like 10 times campier.

Jesse Plemons hamming it up saves this from being absolute garbage.

“I guess it comes down to a simple choice, really. Get busy living, or get busy dying.“

I mean, still one of the greatest movies ever made. Certainly one of the most iconic ever. I can’t say much that hasn’t been said before. I will say, the reason for the lower score this time around is that it felt like a bit of a slog at times. Maybe that’s because I’ve seen it before, maybe I just didn’t like the pacing as much this time around.

In any case, everything else about this is beautiful. It’s a really human story about being chained down and broken by the disgusting prison system. How the human spirit keeps going through all of it. The acting is top notch and the plot felt very natural. There’s a reason many prison movies replicate this one, but they can never quite capture its spirit.

One of the best Stephen King adaptations I’ve ever seen, and it’s definitely very different from what he’s most famous for. It’s clear why this is as iconic as it is. It stood the test of time.

“Ernest Hemingway once wrote, ‘The world is a fine place and worth fighting for.’ I agree with the second part.“

When I saw that this was rereleasing in theatres as part of its 30 year anniversary, I knew I could not miss this. David Fincher has always been one of my favourite directors and this is definitely a very iconic part of his filmography. I’m glad to say that this gets better on a rewatch!

Of course, it’s hard to not let yourself get swept away by the theatrical experience. Everything is amplified on this rewatch. The cinematography and lighting are more central to the viewing experience. The sound design is at the forefront and it really shines throughout the film. I felt much more focused on the film and as a result I was feeling more tense than ever before.

The chemistry between Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt is amazing. Kevin Spacey as John Doe is a different level of bone chilling and he does so much with the little screen time he has. My main issue with the film last time was Gwyneth Paltrow and how her character seemed to not be much more than Brad Pitt’s wife. I retract that statement. She’s great in this and is honestly a pretty well realised character, although a little stereotypical.

The script is mind-bogglingly brilliant. It’s genuinely insane to me that this can be conceptualised with such detail. I watched the movie before and I didn’t notice the photographer this time either. This movie is really good at misdirection, but at the same time it points you towards everything it wants you to see. I loved how there were many references to how deaths are given meaning based on the circumstance. 

Of course, how could I not mention the final scene. The whole scheme is honestly brilliant. The dialogue from the drive up until the final scene is just top notch. The line about the movie of the week is one of my favourites. You really pity Mills and understand why he did what he did. There was some very brilliant acting from Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman there.

This movie is a genre-builder. It’s the blueprint for many movies after it and it will remain so for the foreseeable future. This is a must see for anyone who hasn’t, and if you still can, please watch it in cinemas. The movie is visually grim but in a very effective and mesmerising way.

Paul Dano jumpscare

Watched on Tuesday February 25, 2025.

Watched on Monday February 24, 2025.

Someone free Juliette Binoche from this bullshit

“Welcome home, Beep-Boop.”

Yes I only watched this for Sophie Thatcher. Keep scrolling 🙄🙄

I honestly liked this more than I thought I would! It’s a pretty fun slasher. It’s pretty undercooked and there’s some stuff I didn’t like about the writing but I still liked it overall.

Firstly, this is written like the Iris reveal is something big, even though the whole premise of the movie hinges on it. I don’t know how they could’ve navigated that but it did take me out for a bit. Sophie Thatcher and Jack Quaid are honestly great. It was fun seeing Rupert Friend in a role like this. 

I loved how gory this movie got at times. I’m glad they went bold with the kills. The plot itself is pretty standard but it’s easy enough to follow and makes for great interactions between the characters. I like how some very smart choices were taken by the characters to progress the plot. This felt longer than it actually was unfortunately. I feel like the second act could’ve been reworked a little. 

All in all this was very enjoyable! This isn’t flashy or revolutionary but it’s a good time. Just wish there was a way for them to hide the reveal a little more! 

#GoodForHer 💯😌

"Unable to perceive the shape of You, I find You all around me. Your presence fills my eyes with Your love, It humbles my heart, For You are everywhere."

This movie has been on my mind a lot lately. I’m a big fan of unconventional love stories. I thought it was finally time to check this out, and I absolutely adore it. GDR is always very high on my list of directors I wanna check out more and “The Shape of Water” was always a priority.

The cast for this is so brilliant. The main ensemble is 6 actors who are super underrated and don’t get the flowers they deserve imo. Sally Hawkins is amazing in this and it’s really impressive how much emotion she’s able to convey using only her body. The scene where she’s begging Giles to help her, and he repeats her words to her with no ion, was so mesmerising. Speaking of Giles, Richard Jenkins was brilliant in this! He’s always been a very “nothing” actor for me but in so glad to be proven wrong. Of course, Michael Shannon remains one of the most underrated actors working today. He’s the perfect antagonist here.

Everything about this movie is just so beautiful. You really feel the connection between Elisa and the amphibian. Their love is fantastical but it’s still very real. It’s a love based in understanding and finding yourself in the other. I’m a sucker for that stuff. Explorations of love and why we fall in love can be very beautiful when done right, and this was most definitely done right!

Guillermo Del Toro’s direction here is fabulous. Only someone like him can pull this off. The blending of fantasy and romance was very well done, and underneath is a great plot that’s almost like a heist/thriller. The cinematography is also brilliant and I just love how this movie looks. It’s like something out of a dream, even in the boring settings like in the apartment and at the research facility. Not to mention the amazing makeup and VFX in this! It’s honestly a technical marvel!

Although I can’t vouch for whether this film deserved its best picture win or not, I will say I just love the fact that this won. It shows that love transcended all of the “weirdness” and was still able to connect to a large audience. The movie used the controversial subject matter and its disconnect from reality, to tell a beautiful story ABOUT reality. About the human craving for connection. I know I’ll be thinking about this one for a while.

“You think anyone cares what's going on in Nickel? This is just one place. There are Nickels all over this country.”

Honestly I’m so disappointed in myself that I didn’t like this as much as I wanted to. I love the idea of this film and I love the execution too. But for whatever reason it didn’t connect with me. I honestly can’t help but blame myself which is why I’m still rating this movie highly.

The acting here is great, so is the cinematography. I loved how experimental this is but I feel like I wasn’t engrossed in its world as much as I should’ve been. This is a very human film and without that connection to its humanity, a lot of the value is loss.

Still I can see loads of potential here, especially for the director RaMell Ross. My plan is to give this film some breathing room and eventually rewatch it. I know I’ll get to like it more once I let myself go and truly sink into this. I wish I had a better reason to not be totally enamoured by this film but that’s the truth.

“Good dags. D'ya like dags?”
“Dags?”
“What?”
“Yeah, dags.”
“Oh, dogs. Sure, I like dags. I like caravans more.”

This was brilliant. It’s so ridiculous and over the top but somehow it works. Of course, sometimes it’s a little too much but I think that overall this was very enjoyable!

Firstly, the character work here is superb. Just one look at each individual character in this film and you get their whole deal. This movie is brilliantly written, so kudos to Guy Ritchie. The highlight of the film was definitely Brad Pitt as Mickey. I do agree that having someone like a Colin Farrell for example, play this character, would’ve been “better”. However, to me the character works because of how ridiculous it is that Brad Pitt is playing him. The novelty of it adds to the amusement factor.

The whole ensemble is on their A-game. I really liked Vinnie Jones in this too, even though his character is a little same-y. The editing for this is INSANE lmao. It’s a little overedited at times but it’s definitely purposeful. Guy Ritchie’s style is very distinctive and great. It’s such a shame what he’s turned into.

I love British humour so much and this movie is full of it. Guy Ritchie of course, being one of the most distinctly British voices in film. The plot felt a little weak but honestly, it was just a vehicle for the character work, as I see it. 

Overall, this was a blast. It does too much at times and, as you can imagine, can get a little stereotypical at times. But so does any mob movie to be for. This was hilarious and had great writing, action and direction. What more do you want!

“Good girl.”

The Harris Dickinson fandom is dying. Share this if you’re a real dickhead!

This movie and its marketing have intrigued me for a while, and after a 10 day drought, I finally found the time to watch a movie. Safe to say, this movie was severely lacking for me, but still pretty enjoyable.

I thought Nicole Kidman and Harris Dickinson were great in this. Their chemistry was off the charts! I thought Antonio Banderas was pretty good too, especially towards the end. This definitely has its moments but I think for the most part it just lacked some “bite”.

I just feel like the film didn’t commit fully to the kink aspect of it. It’s like they still wanted it to be a little sanitised so mainstream audiences can still see it. To me, that resulted in a toothless approach to tackling this subject. If some people can find enjoyment in this then fair play. I just personally the believe this movie need to be more risky.

Ultimately, it bothered me how the movie ended. It seemed like Romy honestly got away with something that she shouldn’t have gotten away with. I don’t know what conclusion this movie wants me to reach.

All that being said, I still had fun with this! The songs in this are so fucking good. “Father Figure” will be stuck in my head for weeks. I loved that whole montage honestly. This movies isn’t exactly carried by the chemistry, but it’s a big part of why I found this enjoyable. I also thought the direction was really good. The director has a very pronounced style and I loved it. I really liked how the camera was handheld for a lot of the scenes.

This was a movie that wasn’t brave enough for a great movie, but was just brave enough for an enjoyable one. I’m excited for the rest of Halina Reijn‘s career as a director!

“Same old Reed, always stretching, reaching for the stars.”

After the launch event for the new “Fantastic Four: First Steps” trailer yesterday, my excitement is at an all time high. The reason I’m this big of a F4 fan, is because of this film. I watched this as a kid and thought it was the coolest thing ever, then I watched it again as a teenager and thought it was terrible. Now, I’ve come to the conclusion that this movie is decent.

This is a gigantic ball of cheese. A big issue I have with this film is how corny it gets sometimes. Lots of fairly obvious foreshadowing, cosmic explanations for things that didn’t need explaining, mischaracterisation, and above all, a TERRIBLE plot. This movie felt really rushed and short, not in a good way. 

That being said, I did enjoy it. Maybe that’s just cuz I’m nostalgic towards it but I did love reliving this film again. Ioan Gruffudd is an amazing casting and so was Chris Evans. Im surprised he was able to pull off being captain america after this. Although she is GORGEOUS in this film, I really did not like Jessica Alba in this role. I thought she didn’t have the gravitas and demanding presence, and sort of motherly quality that comes with sue storm. Doctor Doom’s motivation made no sense and he sucked.

Overall I thought this was enjoyable. Nothing more nothing less. That being said, Doctor Doom himself could manifest in real life and threaten the universe if I didn’t watch the remaining two F4 movies, and I STILL would not be watching the sequel and fucking Fant4stic. Miss me with that shit.

“No matter what the others try and sell you, it is the destination, not the journey.”

The final scene, and this final line have been lingering over me since I finished this film. The ending is such a stark tonal shift that I can’t help but to feel its disconnect from the rest of the film. While I was gathering my thoughts for this review, I was reminded of an earlier quote from László:

“Is there a better description of a cube than that of its construction?“

I think, even the mere existence of this film, challenges head on what Zsófia says at the end. A movie that spends 3 hours and 40 minutes painstakingly showing you its protagonists journey, is not a film that devalues journey. László is not a protagonist who is much concerned with ignoring how you get here and how you achieve your legacy.

If the difference is this stark, what is the ending saying? My read on it is that Zsófia is rewriting László‘s ending. I feel the ending is specifically about how legacies can be co-opted and turned into something they’re not. László is quite literally silenced and his work now speaks for him. The journey is ignored, and what remains is the destination.

In case you couldn’t tell by my rating and by my excitement to talk about this movie, I thought this movie was brilliant! I cannot speak enough to how much this film affected me and how great I thought it was. It did not feel like 4 hours at all. When the intermission started it honestly really caught me by surprise. This film was better paced than most 90 minute films.

Although I’ve had some disagreements with how Brady Corbet speaks about some films, it’s undeniable how much of a visionary he is. I’m so glad he was able to fully realise this film after what seemed like a nightmare pre-production. Much of this film feels like a dialogue drama and the script is absolutely brilliant. It’s full of nuance and allows for many different interpretations, some that I flat out disagree with but that just shows that this film is really good at starting conversations.

Now, I will it, I have not seen “The Pianist” yet. That being said, Adrien Brody gave the best performance I’ve seen him give in this film. Holy shit. He portrayed László‘s ambition and trauma in a brilliant way. I was very doubtful of Felicity Jones but I was proven wrong. She was amazing in this film and I loved her role in the story. The reunion scene at the train station made me shed a few tears. Guy Pearce was also TERRIFYING in this. He is very subtle in his villainy and lets his guard slip sometimes, until a certain scene of course. The rest of the cast was also really good. I’ve never been the biggest Joe Alwyn fan but I’m glad to see him not afraid to play such a detestable character.

The score in this is magnificent. I loved how it evolved with the decades as the story went on. It really hammered home the epic scale of this film. Speaking of scale, for a movie of its budget and genre, this movie is MONUMENTAL. It’s a great achievement. The cinematography, the sound, the set design, THE ARCHITECTURE, the costumes. All of it is so impressive to me. 

I cannot talk about this film without mentioned the controversy. Of course, I would prefer if this movie didn’t use AI at all, especially generative AI. However, I would be lying to myself if I said it detracts from the rest of this film. It’s a shame, but the movie is THAT good. 

I’ve got so much to talk about but honestly, just watch this. It’s so thought provoking and managed to fit in so many themes and brilliant sequences. The very first sequence in this film itself was so brilliant. I’m really looking forward to whatever Brady Corbet does next. If this does not win best picture and best director I will be very pissed,

I've found this film persuasive and intellectually stimulating 😉

“If you ever miss me, take a look at our little portrait. I say this because I fear that you'll forget me as well. I miss my father. I miss everything. Dora.“

I’m writing this with tears still in my eyes. As I wait for “I’m Still Here”, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to finally watch “Central Station”. Thus making it my first Brazilian film. I absolutely loved everything about this. It was so tender and heartbreaking. It felt like a hug while simultaneously making me sob.

The absolute highlight here is definitely Fernanda Montenegro. She gave a very touching performance. I thought Dora was a really complicated and well written character. You understand why she is the way she is but, at least for me, I really disliked her in the first act. I also felt sorry for the kid but didn’t really like him that much either. As the story progresses, you open up your heart for the both of them, and start to see the tenderness within them. 

As this is my first Brazilian film, I’m not all too familiar with the tropes and normalcies in Brazilian movies. However, the depiction of Brazil felt very diverse and real to me. I loved how they used illiteracy as a plot point. It makes for a really unique story that wouldn’t make much sense in a Europe/American setting. These kinds of stories aren’t accessible anywhere else.

I thought the cinematography was simple but really effective. Although i thought the child acting had its faults, i really liked the relationship and connection between Dora and the kid. The ending was also very beautiful and made me cry. The letter reading scene towards the end was also very effective.

I really look forward to exploring brazilian cinema more. Such a rich culture full of so much potential for story telling. Its funny because i always thought "City of God" would be my first Brazilian film, but I'm really glad it's this one.

“Anger will not quiet your soul, my son.”

 “Don't call me son.”

Me and my friends made plans to watch this movie once it came out on VOD and now, MONTHS LATER, we finally got together to watch it. It’s amazing! A lot of it is pretty derivative of I’m being honest but I still had a great time for several reasons.

Firstly, I loved the setting. I’m someone who’s not really familiar with Bollywood, and I haven’t seen many movies that are set in India. But India, to me, is a really vibrant place full of amazing stories and mythology. The way mythology was used in this film was really intriguing. 

I thought the action was fantastic. So many kills in this felt really impactful and innovative. The punches feel impactful and I’m surprised it looked this good given all of the issues that happened during filming. Dev Patel OBVIOUSLY gave a great performance but what I wanna highlight here is his directing. For a debut, this is very impressive and shows great potential. It’s not perfect obviously but I’m looking forward to more stories from him, if that’s the direction he wants to go.

At the end of the day, this is a pretty standard film story wise. I liked how it highlighted some marginalised groups in India and gave them some much deserved spotlight. I learned a lot from this film! It’s very clearly a criticism of the politics in India and I’m glad they were still able to finance the film, despite all the obstacles they were faced with for the bold direction they took the messaging in. 

For a debut, this is fantastic! I can be nit-picky and poke holes into this as much as I want but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy this a lot. It’s not perfect by any means but that’s part of why I like it honestly. I’m hoping Dev Patel starts showing up in movies again because he is one of my favourite actors from his generation!

“I am Odin himself!”

This was cool. I was expecting to like this a lot more but unfortunately I didn’t. Still like it tho! I feel like I’ll want to revisit this in a year or two and hopefully then it’ll click with me more than it did now.

The acting here is great, I really liked Patrick Stewart in this role. It’s a very surprising change of pace for him and I’m glad to see him take risks this late into his career. Anton Yelchin was also a great actor and it’s a shame we lost him this early.

I LOVED the colour grading on this. It’s such an interesting movie to look at. The gore was super realistic and I loved the violence scenes. I just can’t explain why I didn’t like it more. It’s possible I watched it at the wrong time. That happens sometimes.

This was honestly really fun! Seeing nazis die is always a pleasure 😊😊

“We are here encountering the undead plague carrier... the Vampyr... Nosferatu!“

Robert Fucking Eggers. He’s done it again! I am hesitant to say that this is perfect as the high of just leaving the cinema may be influencing me but holy shit. This is brilliant. It’s so good. I can’t stop thinking about it and I probably won’t stop for a while. 

The atmosphere of this is just insane. I loved how the shots at night looked moonlit. They even looked black and white, which I interpreted as an homage to the original. The entire cast was at their peak for this. They were all amazing. Nicholas Hoult gave a brilliant performance and I really want to praise Lily-Rose Depp. I really doubted her when she was cast but I’m glad to be proven wrong.

I really wanna commend Robert Eggers for the amount of research and care that was put into this. The costume design and the set design were both really impressive. I loved Count Orlok’s design and thought he looked absolutely horrifying. This movie really filled me with a sense of dread and so many portions of it were really frightening. 

Loved how sexually charged this was. To me it’s a story about a woman riding herself of the internalised shame that comes with being a woman in the 1800s (and if we’re being real, this is unfortunately still very relevant). How absolutely consuming shame can be and how harmful it can be to yourself and to your loved ones. I am in love with gothic horror and this is a perfect example of it. Playing with taboos, beautiful and dark cinematography, unexplained desires. It’s all there.

I am really looking forward to rewatching this. This improves upon the original and more. It has been so long since we’ve had a proper vampire film! I’m really glad this film has been successful in the box office. This already has me very excited for Robert Eggers’ next project.

“Don't be a good neighbor to her. I'll send you a love letter, straight from my heart, fucker! You know what a love letter is? It's a bullet from a fucking gun, fucker! You receive a love letter from me, you're fucked forever! You understand, fuck? I'll send you straight to hell, fucker!”

RIP David Lynch 1946-2025

Unfortunately, one of the greatest minds in cinema history has left us yesterday. Regrettably, I had only watched 2 of his movies before his ing. I thought, what better way to honour his life and work than to watch another one of his beloved films. My choice today was “Blue Velvet”. Not for any particular reason to be honest, it was just the first one that came to mind. 

I really liked this! As with all of David Lynch’s work, some of it still isn’t that clear to me, but I think this movie is generally more digestible than “Mullholand Drive” and “Eraserhead”. To me, this film is about our capacity for evil and why the world is so rampant with it. An innocent man gets his innocence tested. Kyle MachLachlan is so damn good in this. He plays that character archetype really well. The ing cast in this is great too and is the real highlight for me, acting wise. Laura Dern, Isabella Rossellini and Dennis Hopper are all amazing!

Nobody does “fever dreams” quite like David Lynch. He’s just always so confident and assured of his style and content. He knows what he wants to say and how to say it. I’m constantly impressed by just how perfect everything is on a technical level with him. The setting really gives life to this, or rather takes life away from it, in the best way possible. The mundane, small town American aesthetic is the perfect backdrop for a story like this. 

I thought the writing on this was great too. I also thought the villain was fantastic and so creepy. I love how much this blends genres and how it has a little bit of everything. I had some issues with the pacing and like I said a lot of it is foggy for me but other than that, I thought this was fantastic. Whenever I watch some Lynch I always approach it with the knowledge that I probably won’t understand all of it, but I can appreciate how much of the vision is realised. 

The world truly won’t be the same without this great man. The media has tried time and time again to crown the next Lynch but nobody was, is, or ever will be like him. He’s forever changed cinema and TV and for that, his legacy will last forever. Rest in peace.

“I want to talk to you. Without speaking.”

I’ve been thinking about this one ever since I finished it. There’s just something about it that I love so much but cannot describe. It’s a truly beautiful tale about desire and addiction. I went into this film really nervous. The first Luca Guadagnino/Justin Kuritzkes of the year, “Challengers”, was possibly my favourite film of the year. So I was cautiously optimistic for this film. But the reaction has been very mixed. I didn’t know what I’d think.

Well, I think this film is so deeply beautiful. It captures the feeling of yearning, and feeling drawn to someone you may not be the most compatible with. Trying to understand someone but fearing asking them. Lee is a really compelling lead, and very relatable in many aspects. Daniel Craig is absolutely transcendent in this. Certainly the bravest post-bond role out of all the other bonds. I’m so glad he has this willingness to be adventurous. I also absolutely loved Drew Starkey in this. This is my first exposure to him but he’s perfect in this. Also, a quick shoutout to Jason Schwartzmann, he’s literally unrecognisable in this!

To me, this feels like 2 different films, a romance in Mexico, and a psychedelic thriller in the South American jungle. I saw someone say it starts off like CMBYN and ends like Suspiria. All that says to me is that I need to watch these 2 films as soon as possible. So many scenes stick out to me. The heroin scene to me with the New Order needle drop was amazing. Speaking of needle drop, that “Come as you are” needle drop made me absolutely lose my shit in the Theater.

I loved so many story telling devices here. The phantom hand movements Lee would do towards Eugene were just so beautiful and heartbreaking. So romantic. The drug scenes were unexpected to me but were very welcome. A lot of it doesn’t make sense but the more I’m thinking about it the better I understand it.

This was ittedly a hard watch. I feel like it portrayers the feeling of touch-deprivation so well. Especially if you were involved with someone who had phases of unavailability for whatever reason. I keep thinking back to the statement that’s repeated in this film. “I’m not queer, I’m disembodied”. Lee and Eugene are both not really gay in the traditional sense. At least not in any sense that was understood during their time. They’re both characters that are very lost and seek some otherworldly power to figure things out for them. Essentially, being queer back then, and even now, is a very isolating thing and will have you looking deep within you in places you don’t wanna look.

The more I think about the film the more I love it. Luca Guadagnino is a genius as far as I’m concerned. I loved how this was shot too! The writing is obviously brilliant. I don’t know how much of that is Justin Kuritzkes’ work and how much is because of the book. Maybe I should give the book a shot because I absolutely adore this film. I’m docking points because still a lot of it doesn’t make sense to me, and the fact that it was a tough watch made me feel bored at point and wanting to do something else. Still, this one has touched me and will stay with me for a while.

“Yesterday i had a dream, i had a dream about you. you were 40 or 50 years old and you were happy.“

“Do your dreams come true?

“It's been years since i had a nice dream.”

And with that, i have watched the colours trilogy. This was awesome. The experience as a whole was great. The films didn’t really have A LOT to do with each other other than a few cameos, but I really liked the connection they had. They did all feel like they were exploring similar ideas but in different ways and through different lenses. 

Enough about the trilogy as a whole, this is a review for this specific movie after all! It’s brilliant. What more can I say? I was feeling iffy about it but the more I think about it the more value I’m getting out of this film. It’s not better than “Blue” for me but it’s amazing in its own right.

I really liked the connection between Valentine and the judge, and I feel like the dialogue between them is the strongest in the trilogy. The prominence of the colour red is apparent and it’s used really well! It makes for a very pretty looking movie.

Valentine is the kindest character in the trilogy, and it really shows how kindness goes a long way. I loved that they showed this by having her help the lady recycle the bottle. This is the most hopeful film of the trilogy and I think it’s really good that it ended on that note. 

Speaking of endings, what a fucking ending lol. It was so fun! It’s a really cute way to conclude this trilogy. Well, cute aside from the whole storm thing but you get what I mean. This was very ambitious and, although the films aren’t perfect, I think this is an incredible project and it fulfils what it set out to do.

“I understand.”

“No. If I say I love you, you don't understand. And if I say I hate you, you still don't understand. You don't understand that I want you, that I need you. You understand? You understand? No.“

I would also leave the country if I didn’t satisfy Julie Delpy.

Equality. That is is the theme of “Three Colors: White”. This one has a reputation for being the weakest in the trilogy. I still haven’t seen “Three Colors: Red” so that remains to be seen but I do agree that this one is pretty weak. By no means is it a bad film, but it’s just… fine. A little generic but enjoyable.

This one’s definitely more of a dramedy. I did like the central performance in this. Which reminds me, this is technically my first polish-speaking film! Anyways, I was really bothered by the lack of Julie Delpy in this. I have been bamboozled and scammed. I understand that the middle of the film is necessary to connect the beginning and ending, but I found myself naturally gravitating towards those parts.

 I loved the ending, but to get to it, I had to sit through a mildly entertaining film that felt like a million things that already exist. Nothing wrong with that, but I guess I was expecting more from such a highly acclaimed trilogy. I will say, the film is pretty funny at time. Clearly, the writing in this is still pretty good.

 I was also disappointed by how little the color white was focused on. However, I understand it’s a difficult colour to highlight. I did like the exploration equality within the framing of revenge. Im liking how this trilogy explores these everyday ideas but through an unexpected, different lens. Im really looking forward to watching the third film (hopefully) tomorrow!

“Why are you crying?”

“Because you're not.“

Im so glad Juliette Binoche invented acting in 1993!

The colors trilogy has been on my mind for a while now. Trilogies are often associated with franchise films and big IPs, so the idea of trilogies that stray away from that (like the before trilogy for example) had always intrigued me. My plan was to watch the 3 films across the next 3 days. Now, I’ve finished the first one, the “Liberty” movie.

I’m really glad the choice was to explore “Liberty” in a non-political sense. The idea of letting go and surrounding yourself by anything but the person you’re grieving is really interesting. I love how to movie portrayed that grief is inescapable. Parts of your loved ones will seep through anyway and “haunt” you.

We all cope in different ways. Part of grieving is being able to live with that love for that person. I think the film’s final act really delivers on this. As alluded to at the start of the review, Juliette Binoche is incredible in this. I absolutely loved her performance. It’s so subtle but every frame in this tells us a great deal about the sorrow she’s in. Her viewpoint at the start is realistic but soon she finds out why her goals were unachievable. She slowly learns about living with that grief and channeling it into good.

The cinematography here is on point. I love how blue is incorporated in this. The lighting in this film is very beautiful. The dialogue is sparse but impactful. I don’t think there’s any element of the movie that I hated but it did feel longer than its runtime to me. Also the constant closeups on Julie got tiring after a bit. By the middle point it felt like we were just doing the same thing over and over.

Im really interested to watch the next 2 films in this trilogy and I’m hoping they’re as good or even better as this one. I’ve now checked out 2 of the most famous polish directors of all time and I must say they’re both very interesting directors that I wanna delve into more.

1. Dune
2. The Power of the Dog
3. Drive My Car
4. CODA
5. Don't Look Up
6. West Side Story
7. King Richard
8. Nightmare Alley
9. Licorice Pizza
10. Belfast

1. Spider-Man: No Way Home
2. Dune
3. tick, tick... BOOM!
4. Mass
5. C'mon C'mon
6. The Father
7. The Power of the Dog
8. Titane
9. Zola
10. Spencer

...plus 51 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

• There Will Be Blood
• Magnolia
• The Master
• Boogie Nights
• Phantom Thread
• Punch-Drunk Love
• Licorice Pizza
• Inherent Vice
• Hard Eight

2021 Movies that are likely to be major awards players this year. In no particular order

• Mass
• House of Gucci
• The Tragedy of Macbeth
• Nightmare Alley
• Licorice Pizza
• Dune
• The Power of the Dog
• West Side Story
• Don't Look Up
• tick, tick... BOOM!

...plus 31 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Objectively correct don’t argue with me

• Spider-Man: No Way Home
• Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
• Spider-Man 2
• Spider-Man: Homecoming
• Spider-Man
• Spider-Man: Far From Home
• The Amazing Spider-Man
• Spider-Man 3
• The Amazing Spider-Man 2

• Incendies
• Blade Runner 2049
• Arrival
• Dune
• Prisoners
• Polytechnique
• Sicario
• Enemy