So, recently I've gotten more into films, so I decided to have a page where I can talk about these films and what I liked or disliked about them. I have my all-time favourites in the sidebar, and then recent films are in the main body. Here is my Letterboxd if you want real-time, cutting-edge updates as they come.
This film hurt a lot. While there's no defined climax or anything, something about the way the narrative unfolded over the course of Sophie's holiday really drew me in. Instead of feeling like I was watching a movie, it felt like I was peeking into a moment of someone's life and trying to decipher what was going on . The movie follows the memories of Sophie during a holiday with her father, and reflects on what Sophie saw, and didn't see in her interactions with her father. I would really recommend watching this blind, and then reading up on some of the context afterward. All in all, an amazing film, and an amazing directorial debut by Charlotte Wells. Side-note, that Under Pressure scene killed me.
I really love the premise of this film. Cillian Murphy, as always, delivers an incredible performance as a tired and overworked headteacher of a reform school, trying to balance the needs of those around him with his own mental struggles. In some ways, it reminded me of Boiling Point. In this sense, I feel that this is where it should've followed Boiling Point a bit more closely by first releasing as a short film and then taking more time before becoming a polished feature length film. The aspects I had issues with were that towards the end it felts like events were just happening one after another, without as much flow between them. Additionally, the presence of the film crew doesn't really do anything except serve as an arbitrary pressure and create some stylistic footage interludes between the scenes, which is fine, but it would've been nice to see them sustain their role through to the end. Also, I wasn't a huge fan of the cinematography, it just felt a bit choppy in my opinion, and I think the colour-grading could've been better. Overall, this film could've been incredibly strong, but I feel like it was slightly let down by technical aspects that could've been avoided.
I've been avoiding Wes Anderson for a while, largely due to being incredibly hyped up for Asteroid City, and then not understanding a lick of it. However, watching this film made me realise what the hype was about. The plot was engaging, it was a pretty film, and the characters were likeable and funny. Overall a really good film.
Zombie movies terrify the heck out of me because like, actually what would I do in that situation even? I'd like to think I could survive with my natural wits & intelligence (or alternatively by hiding under a sofa every night until they go away), but I'm not really sure. Anyway, I really liked this film. It wasn't necessarily scary in the way people may expect it to be, but it deals with some horrifying themes in a unique and interesting way. My one gripe with it? The fact that it looks like it was filmed in 1644.
I'll be honest, the teen movie type of format really does not work for this sort of film. There's something about the way it was filmed that reminds me of a PSHCE video, or one of those RSE videos that showed us how babies are made (spoiler alert: it has not do with the birds and the bees). Quite frankly, the portrayal of self-harm in this film did nothing to destigmatise it and, if it had reached a larger audience, would probably only serve to stigmatise it more. Overall a kind of bleh film I would say.
I generally liked this film, it's given me a lot to think about. There's something about the way this film depicts masculinity which is really interesting to think about. Also, the yearning and need to be loved can literally be felt through the screen.
This film was amazing. I can appreciate everything about this film, the visuals, the soundtrack, the acting. I personally couldn't relate to it, but I wouldn't call it an issue purely because this film wasn't made for me, and I can respect a film knowing its audience and being impactful and meaningful to that audience. Initially I disliked this film being marketed as a horror, but over the last day or so since I've watched it, I feel like it's become scarier to me when I think back on it. It does body horror really well and I loved some of the scenes which were a blend of animation and reality. Also, who doesn't love a Buffy reference. I'll definitely rewatch this film in the future.
This was okay. I suppose my main issue with this film is that it couldn't decide if it wanted to be horror or action/adventure. Deep sea exploration has the potential to be such a cool sub-genre (and often is), but this film really butchered it. I'd rather see Kristen Stewart play Iron Lung for two hours than watch this again. There was an opportunity for real creativity regarding the monsters in this film since we know so little about the sea, and instead we got a half-baked Lovecraft reference. I will say that some of the death scenes were done really well, and the final scenes with Kristen Stewart's character were incredibly beautiful.