2025 Cult Movie Challenge Week 22: Chow Yun-fat Week
“I would rather be a ghost, drifting by your side as a condemned soul, than enter heaven without you.”
Exquisite choreography, score, performances, and cinematography. I could rewatch this 1000 times and never get bored.
2025 Cult Movie Challenge Week 21: USA Up All Night Week
“Hippy, you think everything is a conspiracy.”
“Everything is.”
A lesser director would’ve miffed this with how much is going on. Cameron handles it well and tells a great story, albeit one that has some unnecessary fat on it. It’s so technically sound, which you expect from Cameron, but still wild that these aliens looked better than some stuff that comes out today.
2025 Cult Movie Challenge Week 20: Lance Henriksen Week
“Wow, you mean there were dinosaurs here in Brooklyn?”
”Relax, Luigi. There used to be Dodgers here too.”
Spent a lot of the run time thinking “huh” but also “hell yeah” so that’s a win.
Had to take a breather after the Twin Towers scene lmao.
2025 Cult Movie Challenge Week 17: 50's Sci-Fi Week
“What are we going to say to them?”
“Welcome to California.”
I was very surprised how great this look and sounded given the time it came out. Some sections look as expected for a 50’s sci-fi movie but most of it aged pretty well. The sound design sends everything to another level. Wasn’t expecting to be a big fan of this but it was a fun time and I very much enjoyed it.
2025 Cult Movie Challenge Week 15: Park Chan-wook Week
“Confuscious said: wise men like the water, benevolent men like mountains. I am not benevolent, I like the Sea.”
Every element of filmmaking is on display in Decision to Leave. It captivates you from the jump and takes you on a journey that sticks with you long after the credits roll. On top of that, it looks and sounds stunning. The use of music takes these well written scenes and great performances to another level.
2025 Cult Movie Challenge Week 14: Rod Steiger Week
“They blew up Congress! Haha!”
This is my kind of campy nonsense. The CGI is dated but I think it adds to the charm. What a cast, too.
My biggest regret is not watching it with a group or in a theater. Feels like the kind of movie that would kill with a crowd.
2025 Cult Movie Challenge Week 13: Ozploitation
“You must look after your blazer. It's got to last! We don't want people thinking we're a a couple of tramps!”
“What people?”
Baseball season started (go Phils) and my few day movie watching drought quickly turned into an eight day one, so it’s time to get caught up on last week’s challenges.
Went into this blind and was caught off guard when the dad does what he does. What follows is a journey through the Australian outback which is both beautiful and terrifying. Loved the score and the different ways these characters deal with their respective situations.
2025 Cult Movie Challenge Week 12: Film Noir Week
“You shouldn't have been that sentimental.”
Maybe not noir in the classical sense but it’s got all the elements done up in the Hitchcockian way I love so much. Found myself leaning forward in my seat multiple times. Never knew where it was going next but I was along for the ride.
James Stewart playing Scottie as a sympathetic figure at first who turns into a villain is great stuff. The…
2025 Cult Movie Challenge Week 11: Psychotronic Encyclopedia Week
“I am not an elephant! I am not an animal! I am a human being! I am…a man!”
I’ve tried to find the correct words for this review multiple times but every time I come back to how heartbreaking, beautiful, and visually stunning the whole thing is. John Hurt’s performance tore me apart. The dignity and care he shows shines through the second we see him on screen. Hopkins is also fantastic. Flowers to Lynch, too, for getting so much out of his cast and creating something that’ll stick with me for a long time.