4o3v2h

Very very average! Gets points for having like gnarly singing for gnarly moments. Overlong and unbalanced.

I am in love with the pair of them

Incredibly moving and well executed final third.

Nearly minused half a star because of the weird britishness festishisation that I noticed particularly this watch, but decided not to as the opening sequence cancels it out.

Watched on Friday September 13, 2024.

These two stars are for Julianne Moore and the costume designer only- I did not connect to this film at all. It felt like characters made to act out a thought experiment, with very little thought put into the script. Weirdly I found the Carmelites to be an affecting and convincing aside, but other than that it was just lacking.

Both boring somehow and politically mixed up but you know, watched it in the afternoon with a friend so that was nice

Much preferred the suicide section to the yearning section, I found the imagery + dialogue really effective there. But I think the first section does serve to contextualise the section section in some way, and both grew on me as they were happening.

Not my favourite. I was not necessarily chilled when I should have been chilled. But the ending sequence for sure made up for it.

Very good on many things that aren't the construction-of-narrative stuff that's at the forefront. The nature of life-splitting accidents, and complete renegotiation of the past in their wake. The way none of our lives would stand up to trial. The powerlessness of children in the wake of the situations of adults.

Aesthetically excellent and less cruel than some lanthimosses.

still good

The way in which they drew out the minutes before the bucket fell- absolutely incredible. Sissy Spacek is SO beautiful and so talented- the way she moved post-bucket, halfway between hare and hound, was astonishing. Amy Irving also more than carried her role. Plays beautifully with high school genre (maybe arguably creates high school genre) and carries off frightening scenes just as well. I'm so pleased it was as good as I'd gathered it would be!

this film disarmed me. I am disarmed! like if a london romcom was good and real

Actually not dissimilar in plot to Stepmom (1998), which I watched earlier- and despite the more exaggerated circumstances I believed in the characters much more, particularly the excellent Janet Leigh, and a rather decent small boy. I enjoyed the implication that if your life is any fun at all it becomes incomprehensible to a policeman.

There's such a specific flavour to American media about divorce.

I couldn't see myself in Margaret in the way I felt like the film needed me to, and so I struggled to make it work. Maybe I am too English and self-conscious.

This is an incredible film. Trauma is bright, and pale pink. Benni needs love and no-one is able, or safe, or legally allowed to give it to her. She's unbearable but we want to be around her. We have empathy with every adult involved, but with no-one more than her. Many scenes stand out, and every performance is spot-on.

Thus continues my season of girls having a difficult time growing up.

incredible to be done as sensitively as this. characters other than dalva were well drawn too.

This film beautifully demonstrated what a truly welcoming and loving atmosphere. It also showed us what it is to live under an atmosphere that is hostile and oppressive. I pray that one day noone will have to know how that feels. Also, Rosy McEwen was astonishing.

Supremely touching and lovely, well-sketched characters portrayed very well. I did not feel the need for most of the quirky to-camera sections- I could understand those relationships perfectly well from what we were shown, and we already know Georgie has a sparky perspective- but they did not take away from it too much.

it may have had nothing to say about class but it certainly had some killer lines

Lovely without oversweetening. The acting wasn't always convincing enough but it really had its moments.

Watched on Tuesday January 2, 2024.

Watched on Tuesday December 26, 2023.

Watched on Tuesday December 19, 2023.

Dad and I paused this to discuss it about every thirty seconds

Fully entertained, love the themes, delightfully silly

Poor. But did what I needed it to do.

Watched on Monday November 6, 2023.

We start with an amusing observation about visitors to the ballet, and then move through some fairly standard party scenes and behind the scenes antics (although I am a sucker for behind the scenes antics).

And then- the ballet.

I adored the filming of the ballet- the glorious colours, and the revelation of all these behind the scenes characters into marvellous artists and grotesques. The sheets of purple cellophane! The newspaper dress! I thought I would scream when they did the flowers and birds and clouds. We see enough straight on to appreciate it as a theatre audience, while also having the incredible shots straight into Vicky's face, the ballerina pov shots, and all manner of remarkable tracking things that someone with a film education could name. We understand the theatre show, but film techniques show what is possible on screen- and elevate it to a dream.

And then- forty minutes left? What will it be?

It's a love story, of course. And it's a story of jealousy versus art. And ah! We find the first act had it's purpose, because we trust the company of artists enough to see Lermontov's folly. I couldn't look him in the eye in the scene where he approaches the mirror/the camera- he was too terrifying.

The film is not about making the choice art and love, or art and life. It turns out to be about two men fighting over who gets to control a beautiful and talented woman. Julian makes quite the transformation, from a sweet if ambitious young man who is Vicky's equal when they are both ingenues, to a maestro controlling both her life and ability to create when they marry. She took the only route of agency she had, and died happy- without the red shoes.

Had me in its grip throughout. Depraved.

so cute and fun i want to be rabbi rebecca when i grow up

I was experiencing so many resonances, as I'm sure was every viewer who has ever met another person. The beauty of each character absolutely shone.

The main thing this documentary demonstrated was just how deep the self-hatred goes for many of us. Glad David was doing a bit better by the end it would seem. It's not really a conversation we've heard much of in the wider cultural sphere I guess. Lo-fi little piece but nice. I had no need of the horse head scenes though. Either use performance art or don't.

Watched on Sunday September 17, 2023.

the older the actors get the better it gets. they really felt like characters here

back on it. this one really felt like a film nice one

This film kept surprising me. As a person with mysterious post-viral illness and a mixed appreciator of Oliver Sachs's work I knew this would be an interesting watch. It was very much a film of two halves, the first being a Genius Male Scientist film and the second a sentimental attempt to think about what it would be like to lose years of your life to a catatonia.

In the first half, I enjoyed several departures from the style such as William's character working with academics from previous generations and even an intelligent woman. Good to see a vague acknowledgement of the fact every almost every discovery comes from a legacy of prior work. It also was just fluently and nicely made with notes of humour that I found mostly blended well.

The second half of the film was much less interesting for me. Obviously the subject matter is fascinating but it was such a shallow examination and the change in protagonist and vibe kind of jarred. The love story element was far and away the most unnecessary part of the film, just a truly tiresome way to talk about what is important in life.

I flipped back and forth in my mind between whether the film managed to treat its disabled subjects with empathy and respect or not, and making Leonard the focus in the second half could have been a positive step but I guess in of the narrative they were always going to be objects of pity and sentimentality. The clear autistic coding of Dr Sayer is extremely interesting, not because it's unusual for this type of character but because in this film it amounts to disabled people being liberated by another disabled person. I'm sure no-one was thinking about that particularly in the writing of the character but it was an interesting element.

Anyway, I hope people know that when Leonard was saying that the staff are scared of the ill and disabled because they represent a problem they can't solve, he was completely correct.

This film understands what low level hating yourself for a long time can do. It was funny, characterful, and hugely empathetic. I loved it, and star turns all round.

Watched on Friday September 8, 2023.

This review may contain spoilers.

Back to something that is a bit average! Some sequences, thinking about the quidditch world cup and the disaster it becomes, are fab. The films sacrifice some of the delight of learning New Wizard Lore for the sake of peril or vibes, which I respect but in some ways I would rather be delighted. The child acting is starting to become less child at this point which is helpful.

This one is just straight up good! The vibe shift between it and the first two is insane. A lot of shrunken heads in this film which was a choice, and a lot of the whole disabled people represent darkness/dark magic which I could do without. Couldn't do without Ron's hair though.

severely average and the charm of it being just like the novels has worn off so it is just long
obviously has it's iconic moments
watched under the jolly roger for obvious reasons

this film is too long but bless it for being essentially the novel straight

A REALLY FUN TIME b u t d o n ' t t h i n k t o o h a r d

Slightly middling film but with good moments. The portrayal of the evils of certain women-targeted health and wellness podcasts was a highlight.

Real, fun and extremely accurate about brass band culture: my kind of film. It makes me so happy seeing people from Yorkshire being adventurous, creative and slightly scummy. Twenty six years later and it's still a decent primer on male body issues, and women don't even come out of it that badly. It was a little slow in the first half and a little insubstantial over all but truly good natured. Also the child actor was really solid.

Watched this with my mum and step mum, none of us realising the amount of s and m content but we all got a lot out of it from our different lesbian backstories! I'm so glad this history exists and it was brilliant to see what people were up to now, and know how that time felt! Might have better thoughts later.

She's everything. He's just Bruce.

• Kimi

• Another Earth
• The Endless
• The Vast of Night
• The Man from Earth

• I Know Where I'm Going!
• Local Hero