4o3v2h

Watched on Friday May 23, 2025.

Crazy the most visually striking movie of all time was made in the USSR in the 50s.

Feel like I may enjoy it more on a rewatch, I enjoy this kind of a Wes movie. His style is definitely still there, but not as overbearing as his recent movies (which I do still love.) The emotional heart of this movie just hits a bit more with the gentle tone it has.

Watched on Monday May 19, 2025.

This is THE modern blockbuster.

I’m finally getting around to rewatching and we don’t talk about this movie like the masterpiece it is. No other movie has done what this one has on such a high level – it’s set in modern times, with modern characters and modern themes. Directors talk about how hard it is to do, and Peele not only does that, he knocks it out of the park. 

This movie functions in so many different ways, and in all of those ways it’s functioning on the highest level. Entertaining blockbuster? Check. Terrifying horror? Check. Wonderfully styled and crafted filmmaking? Check. A deep and layered commentary on modern content and so much more? Check. 

I always thought it was one of my hot takes to call this Peele’s best, but I don’t even think it’s hot anymore, it’s not a question in my mind this is his best work, and maybe some of the best work of anyone this decade.

For all the faults of the first ant (many of which are still present here) credit to them for realizing it desperately needed A LOT more Jon Bernthal.

Works like this are so important, especially given the way American educations paint the Black Panther movement, and radical movements of the Civil Rights Movement in general. 

They want us to believe the Black Panthers were unnecessarily violent, acting in ways that were detrimental to the overall Civil Rights Movement. In reality, the Black Panthers simply defended themselves from a violent, oppressive government while working to educate their community. This documentary does such a great job portraying that. 

The opening is particularly striking, showing the joy of the movement through song in dance, not to juxtapose the seriousness of the protest and the movement overall, but to show how important it is to the Black Panther Party that those work in tandem.

Watched on Friday May 16, 2025.

Watched on Friday May 16, 2025.

Told myself I’d randomize the Criterion Collection and watch whatever came up no matter what so here I am. What have I stumbled into…

Watched on Friday May 16, 2025.

Frames have never been fuller wow, the camera work and blocking is unreal. Such an amazing direction.

Watched on Wednesday May 14, 2025.

I was actually REALLY liking this until the final act where the writers were like “I know we’ve spent a whole movie showing this metaphor for the dangers of the internet but what if they still don’t get it? We need to make it MORE obvious.”

It still rips though.

Maybe I missed something but I just didn’t care about the plot at all, and really any of the characters. Also the soundtrack has always been a selling point for this movie but it felt a little hokey to me. 

I promise I’m not as mad as this review probably makes me sound, just a little confused.

As soon as Dr. Chilton set that pen down I was locked in

I love the camera work and the use of lighting/shadows is super cool. This oozes style in a way that movies of its time just never really did.

Also let me get a take off about the metaphor for Leftist infighting this is.

Blonde Josh Hartnett panting and groaning for 90 minutes🙂‍↕️

Why am I watching so many horror classics for the first time on random weeknights in May? No idea but tell me which should be next.

Do you think The Thing knows it looks like that

Watched on Tuesday May 6, 2025.

Really enjoyed the awkward, quirky style of this!

Watched on Tuesday May 6, 2025.

Crying at the age of time again

Watched on Monday May 5, 2025.

Watched on Monday May 5, 2025.

Watched on Monday May 5, 2025.

Giving this 3 starts but with the energy of the dad that coaches the team and is a little extra hard on his own kid because he knows their potential and wants to push them and not let them become complacent.

One of the most consistently good looking movies ever. Every scene looks incredible.

Hey so why are we not re-releasing these in theaters in the lead up to The Final Reckoning and printing money? As a matter of fact can we just make it so I can watch this in IMAX any time I want?

(Also I believe this was the first MI I saw and that final twist hits sooooo much harder omg)

I knew this was going to hit in theaters but honestly it hit me way harder than I thought. 

One of my first memories period was calling my parents at a sleepover to ask if I could watch this movie because it was PG-13. It ended up being the first PG-13 movie I saw (lol) and my introduction into the world of Star Wars. 

When Anakin comes running into the fight between Windu and Palpatine I found myself still hoping for a different outcome despite knowing how the story ends. When Obi-Wan and Anakin come together on Mustafar and the lava explodes behind them I felt like I was that little kid again feeling what the power of stories can make me feel. 

This genuinely holds such a special place in my heart, so glad I got to see it on the big screen.

Watched on Monday April 21, 2025.

The jump from MI3 to MI4 is so crazy

Why does this movie do that new brain rot trend where they put the most exciting few seconds of a tiktok at the start? Like they literally cut the best scene and paste it at the front, what a horrible, horrible decision.

Watched on Friday April 18, 2025.

Probably unfair but given the magnitude and scope we have come to expect from these films I find it hard to go above 3.5 on this. But all that charm and style that makes the Mission Impossible movies so fun was started here so it’s still a real enjoyable watch.

Hate is a disease, but it isn’t one that comes yelling and breaking down your door. It knocks, exchanges some pleasantries and shakes your hand while flashing you a smile. It makes promises of kinship and safety, but as soon as you give that hatred an inch, it takes root, shows its ugly teeth and tears people apart. 

Incredibly badass movie but also incredibly poignant. At such a decisive moment in our country Ryan Coogler delivers a reminder of the history of hate in America and how we need to take action against it.

I stumbled upon this movie a bit ago and liked it on the first viewing, but it’s stuck with me since and finally gave it a rewatch. It’s a really enthralling watch because a lot of the tone and the actual plot actions that should be working against each other somehow work in tandem. What looks and feels like a sort of adventure comedy/coming-of-age is really a great take on the dark side of our sexual culture. 

Bright colors of a warm bathhouse and a charming banter between Susan and Mike are contrasted by the deviance of the older woman who is Mike’s first customer or the gym teacher who is far too handsy with his students. 

Mike’s stalking and obsession coupled with Susan’s teasing set the scene for a truly odd game of cat and mouse. Susan takes a peek of Mike changing and Mike makes an advance on her. Susan reports it to the police and then misses him right after. It all sets the ground for a dangerous relationship built on varying degrees of obsession. 

Mike operating out of feelings of infatuation, the nativity of a young crush. He’s emboldened by a society of masculinity that allows men to treat women as objects of obsession without recourse until it has gone too far. 

Susan is operating out of some sense of power over Mike. She encourages him to play into sexual advances of older patrons. She also tends to say or do one little thing that she knows will keep Mike right on her tail. 

There are obviously varying degrees of guilt at play that lead to varying degrees of consequences, but it’s a sort of cacophony of bad decisions that make this all a really intriguing watch. Couple that with some moments that are meant to be played as truly funny, it leads to a one of a kind viewing that I can’t quite explain.

Watched on Wednesday April 16, 2025.

Watched on Friday April 11, 2025.

That boy just wanted to believe in love :(

Warfare isn’t interested in any sort of commentary or endorsement, it simply wants to drop you in the middle of the action and try to convey the reality of these soldiers for 90 minutes. 

And it accomplishes that thesis really, really well the set, choreography and performances work in tandem to deliver a hyper-realistic, hard-to-watch experience that really did leave my ears ringing. 

However I’m not sure how powerful a movie can be on that thesis. Which as I type it is kind of crazy to say, what could be more powerful than a 90 minute view of some of the worst violence the modern world has to offer?

And it really has me thinking about how art like this serves us when we live in an age where the reality itself is at our fingertips. I mean at 12 I was able to see things a 12 year old should not be seeing just because I had access to the Internet. Even today if you look in the right place or the algorithm feeds it to you, you can get borderline live footage of the atrocities happening in Palestine. 

I’m not sure if I have a point to all of this, just some interesting thoughts on how the context these movies live in has changed so much. Imagine how crazy seeing Saving Private Ryan must have been when all the information available about the reality of war was whatever journalists had access to and word of mouth. 

All in all I think Warfare accomplishes what it sets out to do well, it’s just a shame that we’ve become so desensitized to these sorts of images.

Where was the mention of the true Minecraft legacy? (Minecraft Hunger Games)

Watched on Wednesday April 2, 2025.

As someone whose favorite film is The 400 Blows I’m mad at myself I’ve taken so long to dive into the rest of Truffaut’s work. 

Technically it’s impeccable. The camera work is wonderfully smooth and subtle. I saw someone else describe the camera as “floating through the scenes” and thought that was a great analogy. It feels so natural the way the camera moves between the characters and scenes. 

The love triangle is inspiring and frustrating. Watching the characters switch between selfishness and selflessness, acting for one of the others in one moment, sometimes at the expense of the other, and acting for themselves in a moment after. Continually following their hearts whether it be to ion or chaos.

The editing and direction are great as well (Martin Scorsese even said he took inspiration from sequences in Jules and Jim.) It truly helps play into the two sides of love in the different pacing and constructs of different parts of the film. 

And as always with Truffaut, that final shot is gorgeous.

Watched on Saturday March 29, 2025.

Fist pumping like I’m watching a sporting event every time Juror #3 inadvertently says something that contradicts his own beliefs and looks like an idiot.

This review may contain spoilers.

Addi got cursed with empathy and comion and was forced to confront a society in which male friendships look down upon both. Yet he persevered! And ended up a better person at the end because of it!

Some really dark shit happens in between of course, but the journey he goes on is heartbreaking and beautiful. 

This was the last watch I had left in Gudmundsson’s filmography. I’ve fallen in love with the care he takes in both the visual beauty and emotional intimacy of his stories. It’s right up my alley and I’m excited to see what he has next.

A lot of great pieces to this movie and although I wasn’t happy about some of the ways they were all pieced together in the end, overall I enjoyed this!

As many other reviews have said it does fall into the familiar plot and tone of movies of the genre before, like Midsommar, The Menu, and Don’t Worry Darling. However, I think two strong performances from the leads and some genuinely interesting commentary on idolation, pop culture, and religion make this a thoughtful watch, even more so than some of the aforementioned movies. 

I do wish that commentary was sprinkled through the buildup a bit more and I wish they added some runtime to stretch out the sleuthing Ayo does in the middle of this movie as the tone shifts, but the lack of that all does not take this movie all the way into the “bad” territory as some other reviews may lead you to believe, at least in my opinion!

The irony of this adaptation of what I assume is a heavily anti-capitalist book, costing $320 million, existing really only to deliver profit, while also failing to actually have any semblance of a valuable take on capitalism would be very funny if it wasn’t extremely grim.

• Asteroid City
• The Grand Budapest Hotel
• Fantastic Mr. Fox
• The Royal Tenenbaums
• Moonrise Kingdom
• The French Dispatch

Home to all of my lists here in the description! Mainly for myself to make navigating a little easier, but also for you if you’re curious about my taste!

The entries on this list are just any film I’ve had in my top 4 at some point.

Years Ranked
2025 Ranked
2024 Ranked
2023 Ranked
2022 Ranked
2021 Ranked

Decades Ranked
Top 20 of 2020s
Top 20 of 2010s
Top 20 of 2000s
Top 20 of 1990s
Top 20 of 1980s

Directors Ranked
Nolan Ranked
Kubrick Ranked
Denis Villeneuve Ranked
Wes Anderson Ranked
Spielberg Ranked

Franchises Ranked
MCU Ranked
Mission Impossible Ranked
Spider-Man Ranked
Star Wars Ranked

• Asteroid City
• The 400 Blows
• The Boy and the Heron
• Little Women

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

1. Jaws
2. Jurassic Park
3. The Fabelmans
4. Saving Private Ryan
5. Catch Me If You Can
6. Ready Player One
7. Close Encounters of the Third Kind
8. The Adventures of Tintin

1. Stand by Me
2. Au Revoir les Enfants
3. Dead Poets Society
4. Paris, Texas
5. Do the Right Thing
6. The Empire Strikes Back
7. The Shining
8. Running on Empty
9. Back to the Future
10. Cinema Paradiso

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

1. Good Will Hunting
2. Jurassic Park
3. The Truman Show
4. Heat
5. The Matrix
6. Whisper of the Heart
7. La Haine
8. Scream
9. Princess Mononoke
10. Se7en

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

1. Billy Elliot
2. Spirited Away
3. There Will Be Blood
4. In the Mood for Love
5. Almost Famous
6. The Dark Knight
7. Mysterious Skin
8. Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith
9. Zodiac
10. Ocean's Twelve

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

1. Portrait of a Lady on Fire
2. Moonlight
3. Parasite
4. La La Land
5. Arrival
6. Interstellar
7. Little Women
8. Sing Street
9. Mad Max: Fury Road
10. The Grand Budapest Hotel

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

1. Oppenheimer
2. Nope
3. Asteroid City
4. The Boy and the Heron
5. Everything Everywhere All at Once
6. The Fabelmans
7. Challengers
8. Anatomy of a Fall
9. Sing Sing
10. Killers of the Flower Moon

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

• Sinners
• Mickey 17
• One of Them Days
• Black Bag
• Opus
• Warfare
• Fight or Flight
• Companion
• Thunderbolts*
• The ant²

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

Movies I’m trying to get added to my collection!

• Almost Famous
• Back to the Future
• The Banshees of Inisherin
• The Batman
• Bicycle Thieves
• Cinema Paradiso
• Close
• The Dark Knight
• Do the Right Thing
• Dunkirk

...plus 17 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Ranking Stanley Kubrick films as I watch them

• Barry Lyndon
• The Shining
• 2001: A Space Odyssey
• A Clockwork Orange
• Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb

Rewatching and reranking the movies of the MCU

1. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
2. Captain America: Civil War
3. Thor: Ragnarok
4. Avengers: Infinity War
5. The Avengers
6. Iron Man
7. Black Panther
8. Guardians of the Galaxy
9. Avengers: Endgame
10. Avengers: Age of Ultron

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

All movies I own a physical copy of

• 12 Angry Men
• The 400 Blows
• 2001: A Space Odyssey
• Aftersun
• A Real Pain
• Anatomy of a Fall
• Arrival
• Asteroid City
• Au Revoir les Enfants
• Barbie

...plus 48 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

• Mission: Impossible – Fallout
• Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning
• Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol
• Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation
• Mission: Impossible
• Mission: Impossible III
• Mission: Impossible II

• The 400 Blows
• Jules and Jim
• Shoot the Piano Player

How excited I am for 2025 releases

1. Mickey 17
2. The Phoenician Scheme
3. Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
4. Marty Supreme
5. The History of Sound
6. One Battle After Another
7. F1 The Movie
8. 28 Years Later
9. Superman
10. The Fantastic Four: First Steps

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

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

1. Challengers
2. Dune: Part Two
3. Sing Sing
4. I'm Still Here
5. Nickel Boys
6. The Brutalist
7. A Real Pain
8. A Complete Unknown
9. Dìdi (弟弟)
10. Conclave

...plus 71 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

All the nominees for the 2025 Oscars!

Sorted by most nominations (and then alphabetically)

Awards nominated for are in the notes of each entry.

• Emilia Pérez

  BEST PICTURE
  Makeup and Hairstyling
  Original Score
  Actress in a ing Role
  Adapted Screenplay
  Actress in a Leading Role
  Cinematography
  Sound
  Film Editing
  International Feature Film
  Original Song x2
  Directing

• The Brutalist

  BEST PICTURE
  Actor in a ing Role
  Original Score
  Original Screenplay
  Actress in a ing Role
  Actor in a Leading Role
  Cinematography
  Film Editing
  Production Design
  Directing

• Wicked

  BEST PICTURE
  Costume Design
  Makeup and Hairstyling
  Original Score
  Actress in a ing Role
  Actress in a Leading Role
  Visual Effects
  Sound
  Film Editing
  Production Design

• A Complete Unknown

  BEST PICTURE
  Actor in a ing Role
  Costume Design
  Actress in a ing Role
  Adapted Screenplay
  Actor in a Leading Role
  Sound
  Directing

• Conclave

  BEST PICTURE
  Costume Design
  Original Score
  Actress in a ing Role
  Adapted Screenplay
  Actor in a Leading Role
  Film Editing
  Production Design

• Anora

  BEST PICTURE
  Actor in a ing Role
  Original Screenplay
  Actress in a Leading Role
  Film Editing
  Directing

• Dune: Part Two

  BEST PICTURE
  Cinematography
  Visual Effects
  Sound
  Production Design

• Nosferatu

  Costume Design
  Makeup and Hairstyling
  Cinematography
  Production Design

• The Substance

  BEST PICTURE
  Makeup and Hairstyling
  Actress in a Leading Role
  Directing

• I'm Still Here

  BEST PICTURE
  Actress in a Leading Role
  International Feature Film

...plus 40 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

• 12 Angry Men
• The 400 Blows
• Arrival
• Asteroid City
• Au Revoir les Enfants
• Billy Elliot
• The Boy and the Heron
• Everything Everywhere All at Once
• Good Will Hunting
• Interstellar

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

1. Oppenheimer
2. Interstellar
3. The Dark Knight
4. Inception
5. Dunkirk
6. Tenet
7. The Prestige
8. Batman Begins
9. Memento
10. The Dark Knight Rises

...plus 2 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

• Sing Street
• Billy Elliot
• Dead Poets Society
• Stand by Me
• The 400 Blows
• Good Will Hunting
• Au Revoir les Enfants
• The Fabelmans
• Lady Bird
• Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

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

• Parasite
• Oppenheimer
• Moonlight
• Everything Everywhere All at Once
• The Godfather
• Nomadland
• No Country for Old Men
• The Departed
• Argo
• The Hurt Locker

...plus 2 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

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

1. Arrival
2. Dune: Part Two
3. Blade Runner 2049
4. Dune
5. Prisoners
6. Enemy
7. Sicario

1. The Boy and the Heron
2. Oppenheimer
3. The Holdovers
4. Asteroid City
5. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
6. Killers of the Flower Moon
7. Barbie
8. Poor Things
9. John Wick: Chapter 4
10. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning

...plus 69 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Every nominee for the 2024 Oscars

• 20 Days in Mariupol

  Documentary Feature Film

• The ABCs of Book Banning

  Documentary Short Film

• The After

  Live Action Short Film

• American Fiction

  Best Picture
  Actor in a Leading Role
  Actor in a ing Role
  Adapted Screenplay

• American Symphony

  Original Song

• Anatomy of a Fall

  Best Picture
  Directing
  Actress in a Leading Role
  Film Editing
  Original Screenplay

• The Barber of Little Rock

  Documentary Short Film

• Barbie

  Best Picture
  Actress in a ing Role
  Actor in a ing Role
  Adapted Screenplay
  Production Design
  Costume Design

• Bobi Wine: The People's President

  Documentary Feature Film

• The Boy and the Heron

  Animated Feature Film

...plus 43 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

• The Boy and the Heron
• Princess Mononoke
• Whisper of the Heart
• Spirited Away
• Howl's Moving Castle
• Kiki's Delivery Service
• My Neighbor Totoro

1. Dune
2. Luca
3. tick, tick... BOOM!
4. Judas and the Black Messiah
5. Spider-Man: No Way Home
6. Sing 2
7. The Power of the Dog
8. A Quiet Place Part II
9. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
10. The Mitchells vs. the Machines

...plus 6 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

• The Empire Strikes Back
• Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith
• Star Wars
• Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
• Star Wars: The Last Jedi
• Return of the Jedi
• Star Wars: The Force Awakens
• Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones
• Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace
• Solo: A Star Wars Story

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

• Barbie
• Oppenheimer
• Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
• Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
• Cocaine Bear
• Creed III
• Shazam! Fury of the Gods
• Pinball: The Man Who Saved the Game
• John Wick: Chapter 4
• A Good Person

...plus 16 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

1. Everything Everywhere All at Once
2. The Fabelmans
3. Close
4. Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio
5. The Banshees of Inisherin
6. Nope
7. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
8. The Batman
9. All Quiet on the Western Front
10. Aftersun

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

• Molly's Game
• Southpaw
• Logan Lucky
• I, Tonya
• Cedar Rapids
• Marriage Story
• Bombshell

  Could've been better but the story is still exciting.

• Mission: Impossible – Fallout
• Wonder Woman
• Hidden Figures

...plus 16 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.