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Didn't love it as much as people seem to here, but I totally get the praise. Pulpy fun with an excellent ensemble cast, great visuals and score, memorable sequences (that transcending-time-musical-dance scene indeed, the aspect ratio changes), and the threat of vampires as a social commentary on cultural appropriation and racism works well.
You can easily see how inspired it is by Rodriguez's films such as "From Dusk till Dawn" of even "The Faculty" in its tone, and yet the film manages to stand out, having a clear voice and identity. Also the best film about Blues so far imo!

One of those films about Hollywood's harsh and even nightmarish reality. Specifically having writers' block and what it means to truly write something of value among many other themes.
A Coen Bro film through and through thanks to their trademark use of dark humor that still manages to stand out in their filmography; thanks to its almost horror like approach at times. Always intriguing thanks to its use of symbolism. While I didn't love it, I get why it's one of their most acclaimed works. Great cast as usual.

"Mr Janning, to be sure, is a tragic figure. We believe he *loathed* the evil he did. But comion for the present torture of his soul must not beget forgetfulness of the torture and death of millions by the government of which he was a part. Janning's record and his fate illuminate the most shattering truth that has emerged from this trial. If he and the other defendants were all depraved perverts - if the leaders of the Third Reich were sadistic monsters and maniacs - these events would have no more moral significance than an earthquake or other natural catastrophes. But this trial has shown that under the stress of a national crisis, men - even able and extraordinary men - can delude themselves into the commission of crimes and atrocities so vast and heinous as to stagger the imagination."

One of the most important films in dealing with the aftermath of the Holocaust. A nuanced observation on justice, morality and responsibility.
Essential viewing.

Lovely little film. Warm and tender. Easy to see why it's a staple of lesbian cinema. Deserves its reputation as a pre-Carol.
Love the cinematography. Love the hair and outfits always reminding you that this is an 80's flick even though it's supposed to be in the 50's.

One of the most visually gorgeous films ever made for sure. The use of colors in its storytelling is wonderful and the martial art choreography is stunning. Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung are some of the most beautiful people to ever exist and are once again perfect together as doomed lovers.
Wasn't initially thrilled by its Rashomon structure but it ends up working well for this story on the nature of sacrifice and heroism.
I do get critics who were made uncomfortable by "Its greater good aspect and what must be done to achieve unity" message but everything is so heightened and stylized that I see it more as a case of "legend/fairytale logic" than any realistic political statement.

Fun and stylish. Felt like a mix of early Guy Ritchie and Martin McDonagh. Never would have thought this was Glazer's debut giving the rest of his filmography! Ray Winstone is very good in the lead role and Ben Kingsley and Ian McShane are memorable psychopaths.
Also has one of the most original heist ever put to film; probably the second most notable Giant creepy rabbit man after the one in Donnie Darko and most importantly the second best boulder after Shrek's.

Disappointing imo. Starts promising and creative enough but then leads to nothing particularly interesting. Whether it's the political satire or the dying on repeat premise, felt like I've seen all of these themes and ideas better executed elsewhere. Still, very nice to have a double dose of Pattinson.

Short and sweet indeed. And sad. The Butterfly Effect poster (yes, The Ashton Kutcher film) made me go ugh? and then tragedy strikes. Perhaps a bit too abruptly for me to be really moved. Still, a lovely and moving little story on the power of friendship, art, creativity; and sharing said artistic ion with someone.

Early De Palma is another nice combination of Hitchcock homage and exploitation thrills, complete with some already great use of split screen.
You can easily see how its plot and style would influence other movies and Tv shows.
Jennifer Salt was great as the plucky reporter determined to uncover the truth about the murder she witnessed. Would have been nice to see her in more movies. Also pleasantly surprised to see an exploitation flick still address some social issues! Nothing deep and the movie knows its being a B-movie but still! Entertaining and worth seeing for De Palma fans.

Could have stayed in that first taxi with glamorous Hollywood executive Gena Rowlands and Taxi Driver Winona Ryder in another iconic 90's look ngl! Easily my favorite story of the bunch.
The first two stories set in the U.S are by far the best ones imo. Liked the 3rd and 5th one well enough and didn't care at all about the 4th one.
Not the biggest Jarmusch fan and of the Anthology format so I was still pleasantly surprised by how much I ended up enjoying this.

Well what do you know, I'm not a complete Godard hater after all... maybe?! Guess I'll have to explore more of his filmography to see if this one was an exception kinda!

I didn't find the typical pretentiousness to be that grating, finding this tale of a doomed couple on the run to be mostly fun to watch, unlike Breathless. Maybe because I thought that Anna Karina's character is allowed to exist just as much as Belmondo's, in all their "unconventional rebellious bullshit" glory. And the style over substance dialogue was much better here. And needless to say, you get why Karina was such an icon. Her outfits; her cuddly toy, her singing, her boredom, her feelings. Have to acknowledge one of the earliest and one of the "most" Chaotic Poetic cinema indeed.
Great cinematography as well indeed and the avant garde style with the early use of characters breaking the fourth wall or the intertwined dialogue/narration works well in giving it its unique and recognizable style associated with French New Wave.

No shades of grey here as the good cops (the Prohibitions Avengers one might say indeed as I've seen in other reviews :p) fight De Niro's cartoonishly evil Al Capone! Not De Palma's best but mostly entertaining, with nice production design, some stand out action sequences and especially a great Ennio Morricone score.

Her son wearing Mark's iconic sweater in the final scene, a New Year's Eve scene of course 🥺
Nothing really new or groundbreaking for this franchise (and I didn't care at all about the Leo Woodall subplot) but it remains a sweet and melancholic epilogue for Bridget and her loved ones with the nice addition of Chiwetel Ejiofor going back to his Love Actually roots, and most importantly bringing Hugh Grant back to remind us that he will always be that bitch. A very dirty bitch.

This review may contain spoilers.

Another predictable-yet still very fun and creative enough- addition to the kinda overcrowded right now "Good for Her/ Men are trash sub-genre.
Nothing new or super deep regarding what it says on toxic masculinity and relationships through the use of A.I but it's very entertaining and doesn't overstay its welcome; and Iris (wonderfully played by new Scream Queen Sophie Thatcher following her roles in Heretic and Yellowjackets) easily s the ranks of memorable female robots on screen. Really liked the way it establishes how she's created and what she can and can't do for ex (And that needle drop was genius, you know the one). Also confirms that ever since Scream 5 Jack Quaid has become the go to guy when it comes to obvious douchebags/ toxic boyfriends!

A lovely, quiet and evocative slice of life drama about three nurses living in Mumbai. Exploring love, friendship and loneliness, there's nothing really new in the genre but it remains a compelling watch thanks to its sweet and melancholic atmosphere; the way it captures one of the most populated cities in the world, and nice performances.

It can feel a bit like Miyazaki is playing his greatest hits at times and it's definitely not the easiest one to understand plot wise; but if this one proves to really be his final film this time!, then his magic truly would have been there till the end.
I'm once again letting myself being gently carried away by the gorgeous visuals and strong and nuanced themes of legacy, grief and acceptance. Still, I found the main character to be way more emotionally closed off (intentionally so though, given what he's going through) than most Miyazaki protagonists, making his coming of age journey way less emotional for me. The film struggles a bit emotion wise compared to other Ghibli flicks in general imo.
That being said, it remains a definitely beautiful and interesting watch for Miyazaki fans even if I personally don't consider it one of his best.

Also the cute Warawara creatures immediately reminded me of the Adipose, the cute fat creatures from that episode of Doctor Who ... anyone else? :p

As a 90's kid, I did grow up with Williams' music so count me among those Europeans surprised to discover that he's pretty much unknown in the US!?
Anyway "Rocketman" proved that Musical Biopics could be creative even as it tells the classic overdone story of an artist' rise and fame including your typical scenes of family drama, euphoric success on stage and drug addiction.
Robbie Williams' biopic "Better Man" goes even further by depicting him as a monkey. And with an excellent use of CGI. And proving that all biopics would be largely improved if they depicted celebrities as apes.

Seriously though: This has memorable, creative and beautiful musical sequences and a tone that is both honest and tongue in cheek (hence Williams choosing to represent himself as a chimpanzee); making it stand out as one of the best musical biopics films. Even more so when the genre is overcrowded. Perhaps the second most overcrowded genre after super-heroes right now.
Sure, it's a little long, a little over-indulgent and it can get repetitive with one too many cocaine snorting scene at the end but the creativity on display as a whole really makes up for it.
So yeah, The Greatest Showman's Michael Gracey confirms that he's very good at doing fun musicals numbers. And it's a shame it's not doing well commercially, because this is hands down one of the better biopics movie wise.

I was a little worried going into this as The Northman honestly mostly bored me; and this is the 3rd remake based on an unofficial adaptation of one of the most adapted novels /stories of all time.
Thankfully, as unsurprising as it is most of the time given how familiar this story is, it still has enough personality imo to stand out and thankfully not be considered an unnecessary remake.
First of all, as usual with Eggers, it is visually striking. The psychosexual vibes are there. The Gothic imagery is on point indeed (That final shot!). Second of all and certainly the most surprising aspect for me, I didn't find the Jonathan Harker character equivalent to be completely boring in this version! Hoult is really having an excellent year between this and
Juror #2. He sells the genuine love the character has in the novel for his wife really well that I wasn't only interested in how this version would develop the characters of the Count and Mina/Ellen and their "bond".
Speaking of which, in this version The Count is a personification of Death and essentially a metaphor of the fear, shame, repressed sexuality and all around dark desires of the good-hearted heroine; everything that would be considered ugly and sinful, especially in Victorian society. He's also pure evil and not a lonely creature that can be capable of love as seen in other versions. Hence the much talked about mustache. lol
It's not the most interesting nor my favorite take on the character but it's a completely valid one! And Bill Skarsgård handles the heavy make up well. First time seeing Lily-Rose Depp in anything and she was pretty good too, selling both Ellen's attraction and terror/repulsion in a convincing way.
And of course I can't end reviewing a film starring Dafoe by not saying he was once again one of the best things about it obviously. Really liked how his Van Helsing character connected with Ellen for ex.
So while it's no Coppola's Dracula for me, it's still good enough and we can add this one to the "good remakes, it's possible actually" list.

This review may contain spoilers.

And a real good little film! And we can add Eisenberg to the list of actors who can also be good directors and writers!
A lovely character study with the bond between the two main characters; Jewish cousins with opposing personalities being particularly well written. Eisenberg and Culkin compliment each other perfectly and both give excellent performances. Sure if you're familiar with their work it's not that different from what they both usually do, but they're so good at it that it doesn't matter.
A sincere exploration of pain in its different forms, such as depression, anxiety or guilt and what it really means to honor those who came before you and acknowledge what they had to go through. The scene in which Culkin honestly criticizes the tour guide at the Old Jewish Cemetery in Lublin with the latter not reacting defensively and being genuinely affected by his comments really hits imo. Would have been nice if they had follow through that by having Polish people talk about their experience though for ex.
Still, a sweet, funny and moving little film with a great cast. (Nice to see Jennifer Grey again!)

Obviously a little repetitive given its premise and I'm simply not a fan of the "playstation like-very early 2000's" animation style; but this was a very nice little watch. Stressful whenever the cute animals are in peril and sweet/relaxing whenever the cute animals are NOT in peril. Simple and effective with a lovely final scene. And proves once again that you don't necessarily need anthropomorphism when it comes to animated films about animals. Nice music as well. Don't think i'll ever revisit it but it's worth checking out once imo.

Didn't particularly moved me but it's definitely one of the year's most creative films and a confirmation that Sebastian Stan is having a good year and is once again one of the best things to come out of the MCU.
Seeing Adam Pearson again in a leading role after his debut in Under the Skin is also great, and he's excellent and charming, a very good contrast to Stan's character and performance.
As others have said, it can evoke Kauffman's work due to its surreal atmosphere at times and themes such as the power of fiction, but it feels unique in how it approaches its main subject matter: How we see and carry ourselves and how that can determine how others see us complete with a nice Beauty and the Beast analogy/comparison that ends us being cheekily turned on its head.
And yes it can definitely work as a double feature with The Substance since it's also about self hatred regarding one's looks.

Happy New Year Letterboxd!
And what better way to start 2025 than by watching a new Wallace and Gromit adventure while enjoying a cup of tea? ☕

Happy to say that after the mostly pointless Chicken Run sequel, this one absolutely slaps! No Curse of the Were Rabbit perfection but still an excellent new entry in the Wallace and Gromit canon with new iconic moments and jokes and a climatic action sequence that puts the last Mission Impossible to shame. And most importantly it brings one of the greatest and most fearsome villains of all time, the infamous Feathers McGraw back, and what a come back!

Gromit remains the most adorable and PATIENT King with the greatest book collection ever (need all of these). Because sure Wallace's stupid behavior this time is necessary to warns us about the danger of A.I but still!!

First of all, Merry Christmas everyone! 🎄 🎁 ❤️

Catching up on the 2024 movies I've missed, this was very nice.
A well made and well acted coming of age drama that also works as a nostalgic trip down memory lane as I'm only one year older than the eponymous protagonist, taking us back to 2008 in all its (sometimes) cringy glory, marked by the beginning of social media. (Aaaah Paramore <3)
Touching, funny (Didi's mum eating at McDonald's :p) and realistic (as far as I can imagine what being a 13 year old middle class Taiwanese American boy must have been like in 2008); a very good debut.

Yeah I don't think Sean Baker is for me.
I wasn't interested in its R rated Pretty Woman premise to begin with (to be clear I never cared for/liked the Pretty Woman fantasy) but given the praise I was still curious and....this felt mostly shallow?
As a main character Anora feels pretty underdeveloped. Like why would she so want to stay with an immature boring idiot like Ivan (which we can tell sucks from the start) except for his money? We're supposed to think her love for him is real at least in some way and it's just not believable imo? She seems to be satisfied and in control regarding her job at the beginning of the film so her desperation to stay married to him doesn't really work for me. And that's pretty much all there is to her character. No hobbies or any real info on her family or other interpersonal relationships for ex. Also she's your typical hooker with a heart of gold, who's obviously tough and loud mouthed but deep down just wants to be loved and be taking care of-preferably by a rich guy...? Not cliche? How is that so different from other portrayals of prostitutes/sex workers in films/tv shows? Anyway
Once it starts to be a screwball comedy with the least threatening Russian goons ever, I thought I was going to enjoy it more but the comedy is ... fine? Amusing sure but it gets repetitive and too noisy pretty quickly and there's nothing lough out loud funny to me.
The final scene is touching and memorable in depicting a true moment of vulnerability. Feels like the film could/would have been more interesting if it explored that aspect more. A shame it only happens at the end.
Still, Mikey Madison (and her glitter hair) is very good indeed, Take That and t.A.T.u needle drops are always cool, I was mostly entertained and that Igor guy was cute. But yeah, really overrated imo.

Movie wise, it does have problems: Yes, Crazy Rich Asians director is no Spielberg. Yes, the lightning and color grading do leave a lot to be desired; as does a lot of the visuals effects with the cgi, especially regarding the animals for ex really going too much into uncanny valley at times. And I need to see Part 2 to see if the split completely works. I would tend to say yes for now though. Sets and costumes are absolutely gorgeous tho!
Yes, I do see these problems and yet, as many Broadway fans seem to be, I'm completely swept away by the generous spectacle of it all.
This is a sincere love letter to the beloved Musical, perhaps faithful to a fault, (there are very few surprises if you know the show) and as flawed as it is as a film; it works because of the naive and uncynical charm of its source material which includes its wonderful and iconic characters and memorable songs of course; with the direction even occasionally bursting with energy when it comes to the musical numbers; and most especially because of the performances.
Ariana Grande is perfect as Glinda, being really funny while also finding her humanity in her fake activism and facade. Jonathan Bailey is indeed swoon worthy as Fiyero (Can't wait for his rendition of As Long as You're Mine with Erivo in Part 2 <3), and of course there's Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba. An absolute powerhouse, who Defies Gravity in the best way possible and really is that Girl. And she better be Popular during Awards season. 😉
And needless to say, Wicked would be nothing without the chemistry between the actresses portraying Elphaba and Glinda, and Erivo and Grande are wonderful successors to Menzel and Chenoweth, (Who do have perfect cameos, as does Stephan Schwartz), being a perfect duo together on screen. Pink really does go good with Green 💚 💗

An excellent courtroom drama/legal thriller with a great moral dilemma at its center; along with a nice Collette/Hoult reunion with both giving some of the best performances of their careers. The definition of a movie you recommend to your parents and it's guaranteed to be a hit, and I mean that in a good old fashioned complimentary way. Feels like it's going to be snubbed at this years' Oscars when it definitely should be acknowledged, at the very least in the original screenplay category.
Dare I say one of Eastwood's best? If it's his last one, he's definitely going out with a bang.

Tries to tell an outrageous telenovela cartel storyline in a (perhaps way too) serious and realistic way; and while certainly ambitious in trying to mix different genres, it just doesn't really work imo and I never really believed in or was moved by this story.
And I thought the musical numbers were pretty forgettable except for one.
Very nice to see Zoe Saldaña showing off her talents while NOT being blue or green though.

Everything you've heard about Megalopolis is true.😆
The "Sure grandpa, let's get you to bed" energy is so strong.
From the Star Wars prequels/Batman Forever/Spy Kids aesthetic to the editing and certain line deliveries, choices were definitely made indeed.

It's kinda frustrating because there's some legit good ideas here and there to make it a fun futuristic Roman Empire inspired soap opera that wants to talk about modern America in a positive and uncynical way, but it never comes together, resulting mostly in a ridiculous yet still mostly entertaining mess.
The earnestness is charming at times but it's also sooo outdated in its approach of themes or characters, and with dialogue that range from pretentious silly to just silly but- in-a memorable-way thanks to most of the actors either being lost or hamming it up that it's just not good.
Still, I got to see Adam Driver as some kind of bullshit sexy tortured genius reciting Shakespeare and twirling his cape; and Aubrey Plaza wowing 😏 me with fabulous costumes (also I'm not crazy she definitely did/had an unintentional Parks and Rec reference at some point right? which is always a win). So yeah selling that vineyard was definitely worth it in the end.

This review may contain spoilers.

Finally able to see this in theaters because obviously a film made by a French director is gonna have its FINAL release date be in , RIGHT? 🙃 Anyway

Rating could get higher on a rewatch. This was very good indeed... But also a little overhyped for me?
It's intentionally unsubtle as hell, and there are a lot of powerful moments and creative imagery in order to comment on the absurd beauty standards expected of women especially in the entertainment industry; along with the pressure of having to stay eternally young in order to be relevant.
The many obvious influences, from The Portrait Of Dorian Gray to The Shining; Elephant Man; Carrie and so much of Cronenberg' work of course among others make for a unique mix rather than feeling like, well, another yOunGer vErsiOn of these if you get what I mean.😏

What really keeps me from loving it as much as everyone else seems to is its satirical aspect, which is again one hundred percent intentional but also made me feel as if the film was kinda sacrificing its sense of empathy/humanity for the sake of (gory) spectacle. But that's obviously a metaphor for what the main character Elizabeth (played by Demi Moore in a fearless and brave "meta-come-back" performance indeed) is going through! True but most people agree that the best moment from the film (except maybe its finale of course) is the scene in which Elizabeth prepares herself to go on a date before finally giving up and staying miserable in her apartment alone as she finds herself too ugly and thus worthless when she isn't being "Sue" her other "better self" created by The Substance. Her distress is displayed in a complete earnest way in that moment and isn't a source of ridicule and I wish we got more of that. There are some truly amusing moments that make for great satire but there are few and far between imo.

The Grand Guignol finale perfectly represents my mixed-but-still-mostly positive-feelings in-a way. We're supposed to laugh because it's so over the top and grotesque but it's also really tragic and imo the film sometimes struggles with that ... balance. I promise it's the last one 😆
Still, it's definitely memorable and props to the make up and prosthetics people who better get nominated for their work at this year's Oscars.

It is also a bit too long and repetitive and I agree with those saying that it can feel a bit like a stretched out Black Mirror episode at times.
Lots of very good ideas but it can sometimes be too surface level.

The film really shines in the way it depicts self hatred and how the lack of empathy between women (wish we got a more complex dynamic between Elizabeth and Sue), and human beings in general, is what leads to true monstrosity.
Edit: Still, very powerful indeed in a funny, gory and mostly... depressing way for me. So there you go 4 stars!

Welp. Is this my hottest take so far on Lb? Because I liked it. Didn't looove it but definitely liked it. A lot.

I completely agree that the first one works completely fine on its own, whether you liked it or not and that ultimately using Harley Quinn's character as simply another way to say that people don't really care about broken, abused and mentally ill people like Arthur, and are only here for the excitement and sensationalism his Joker persona represents, is a waste of her character who could have been so much more. Especially in a version where the Joker isn't abusive towards her. Here you could almost say it's a switch but it's not a particularly compelling one. A shame, because I thought Phoenix and Gaga had nice chemistry. He's still very good and she once again confirms she's a very good actress as much as she's a great singer.

Now for the Jukebox musical aspect. One could argue the numbers mostly rely on vibes but I guess I liked the vibes then! Either way love the song choices. Some numbers work better than others but when they work, they really work imo (Phoenix's cover of Jacques Brel's Ne me quitte pas/ If you go away really got to me if you must know). It's a very easy way to show Arthur's fantasies and disillusions and it makes perfect sense for the character in these films and for the classic DC canon one, who always loves to put on a show.

And here's one of the reasons why I think these films ultimately work for me. I'm completely ok with them using the Joker as a symbol more than it being a true origin story. I get the frustration given the way more overt Batman references in the first one but thankfully for me I don't mind.
We already have soooo much classic Batman facing the Joker content that I can't help-especially in the context of never ending superheroes movies- but find these ones, crazy as this sounds, honestly mostly refreshing.

And yes it's not the greatest thing ever depicting mental illness but I think some of the criticism are too harsh. At the end of the day it's really the character study of a doomed and tragic character who shares as much similarities to Carrie White as he does with Travis Bickle kinda? And I do find Arthur Fleck's character touching. And I was never bored.

I honestly think the film "hating its own audience" aspect is blown out of proportion. (I also think the word incel has just become another buzzword we use way too much even when it shouldn't apply like words have meaning!! but I digress).

Cinematography and direction are still excellent. It's risky. Which doesn't necessarily means it's good, but in this case, yes I think it is. It genuinely tries. It definitely fails in some aspects but it tries. And since we're stuck in IP hell most of the time I can only rejoice when anything Ip related tries to be at the very least a little creative and starts with an animated Looney Tunes inspired opening number for ex! Just the fact that it's a musical is a huge win for me.
That's all folks!

This is not a masterpiece as far as I'm concerned, as it clearly lacks originality and doesn't transcend kid movies' trappings like the best ones do, being mostly too kid friendly in its writing and how it handles its themes; but this is indeed very cute and sweet, and does what it wants to do rather well: Being adorable, warm and moving enough for a nice family viewing.
Roz, wonderfully voiced by Lupita Nyong'o (it's a very good year for her forming a duo with cute animals!) easily s the ranks of lovable cinematic robots before her, having enough personality to stand among them. The other characters are all very nice as well but you've seen all of them before and none of them truly stood out to me. (Always nice to add another sassy fox to the animated fox canon tho and there's one line of his at the end that did get me-tear wise).
So no, Dreamworks isn't completely back for me yet (and I'm not super enthusiastic about this one having a sequel) but I'm glad this can exist in between pointless sequels.

Ngl What really got me curious about this unnecessary sequel was Winona wanting Lydia and Beetlejuice to be endgame (such a Queen) despite/ in all their problematic glory lol

Lots of side plots get resolved too quickly and it does feel all over the place at times ...- but the first one also had the same issues and while I've always liked it, I was never super attached to it in the first place- aka what I'm trying to say is that it was exactly what I expected: Just a lot of Spooky Fun!
Sure it could have been better (Tim, you're dating Belluci, don't "just" give her a cool intro/Brava inspired backstory/ Evil Sally-Emily aesthetic, give her even more fun to do! She sadly feels almost as wasted as in literally all the other blockbusters she has participated in! Not Cool! - I'm counting on you for your next film together!); but it also could have been way worse.
This is easily Burton's best since Sweeney Todd, with enough creativity in the set pieces/practical effects to prevent it from feeling too much like fan service complete with a nice soundtrack (some excellent needle drops indeed) and the characters are still fun to watch. Ortega fits nicely with the rest of the gang and Dafoe once again confirms that nobody is having more fun in Hollywood than him.

(Oh and seeing BBC Merlin's Lancelot as Lydia's deceased husband was a nice surprise 🥰)

Netflix once again proving it can give us very nice indie gems once in a while!
Thought Elizabeth Olsen' acting was a bit exaggerated at some points as the more emotional of the three sisters (she's still very good thought, don't get me wrong); and it can feel a bit stagey given its premise, but other than these two nitpicks, this is indeed a very well written drama on family dynamics and dealing with the impending loss of a parent.
Each sister character feels real as does their estranged bond and their eventual coming together. Worth a watch.

Kinda getting a little tired of Lanthimos' weird bullshit lately, not gonna lie.
An anthology about power and submission and the extremes we do to get love and validation, Lanthimos' latest feels mostly vapid instead of being truly challenging, as was The Killing of a Sacred Deer which remains his best imo. It's never boring but a little too repetitive.
The first story, by far the most standard one, has really good ideas but feels a bit too half baked.
The second one - trying to be the more provocative out of the 3 along with the 3rd one - is empty trash. Like I get the point but the execution doesn't work for me.
Third one is the most intriguing and creative out of the 3 but by that point I was getting pretty sick of the cruelty on display. (And unsurprisingly mostly directed towards women ...)

Very stupid...but in a cute "dad joke way " if you get what I mean ?
Fun in the beginning but it really starts to wear off its charm by the end which is when Hartnett gets a pointless and very much needed shirtless scene to maintain my attention. Thirst Trap indeed. Needless to say, he's the main reason to watch this and I'm as glad as others of his comeback.
And seriously this movie is just Shyamalan really wanting us to know he's a girl dad.

So far, Oz Perkins sadly doesn't do it for me as a director.
Nicely shot and Maika Monroe once again confirms her status as a modern Scream Queen. But it really doesn't do anything special in mixing supernatural elements with the crime procedural genre imo and I found the film mostly boring and silly; and that includes Cage's performance as well. Nice make up though.

Thought "Clouds of Sils Maria" was pretty boring but decided to give a chance to the second Assayas/K-Stew collaboration as I found its premise interesting.
While a bit too meandering and not entirely compelling, I still found it better than "Clouds (...)". An intriguing and just a little spooky atmosphere for what is essentially a character study of a young woman trying to overcome her grief of losing her twin brother disguised as a ghost story. More questions than answers but that's not necessarily a bad thing here.
Rests almost entirely of Kristen Stewart's shoulders. As others have said, she really nails these types of roles.

Watched the too long director's cut.
Messy, dated and beautiful all at once. Very french in a good and bad way.
Some lovely moments of ion and intimacy but it also feels very much like a male fantasy at times (Betty only exists for Zorg, Clementine Célarié's character). Add to that some strange but memorable moments (Zorg's cross dressing spree, the policemen) and a clumsy portrayal of mental illness. And yet while very flawed, there's something undeniably powerful about this doomed romance nevertheless. Beautiful soundtrack and cinematography as well.

Wasn't really planning to watch this one as I expected it to be too similar to the previous two films given its gimmicky concept -which it is when it comes to creating tension- BUT one of the main characters is a cat and I was told he survived, so I had to give it a watch.

Joking aside, this prequel is short and sweet in a way. Has a touching trio in the always great but sadly underused Lupita Nyong' O; Stranger Things' last season fan favorite Eddie, and of course Frodo the cat. (And yes Nyong' O character is called Sam- yes i'm being emotionally manipulated I know)

Doesn't add anything new to this franchise (still not much info on these aliens) but that's besides the point. Its strength remains in showcasing moments of humanity amongst the chaos and destruction. And it's once again really nicely done here.
Doesn't overstay its welcome, a nice 90 minutes runtime with a moving finale, and it's nice to look at. Worth a watch if you liked the previous films in this series.

I never realized Micheal Bay produced these films... which is kinda hilarious if you think about it

This was sadly a little disappointing indeed. Felt too predictable, as it no longer has the element of surprise from X and it lacks Pearl's strong identity. Both of these films were already style over substance (especially X for me) tbh but still did what they set out to do mostly well. This one, less so.
Recreates 80's Hollywood sleazy era very well but what it has to say on fame, hypocrisy, puritanism feels too similar and even more half baked than in X. It's frustrating because there are some good ideas (that one makeup scene with Yellowjackets' Sophie Thatcher for ex) but also a lot of wasted potential ... as others have said, you have the Bates Motel and you don't do anything at all with it??? Strange. The ending attempts to tie all films together but isn't that memorable and feels a little too half baked as well.

Still, as with the others I was never bored and I had fun (Obvious Brian De Palma tribute, Douchebag Kevin Bacon, badass film director Elizabeth Debicki etc ...) and it remains pretty stylish but this is the series' weakest entry so far.

Feels distinctly 70's while being ahead of its time and also an hommage to 30's screwball comedies. A very amusing black comedy about a sociopath doing the bare minimum that would have been even darker in the original cut. Don't really know if the ending woks for me as it is both sweet and bleak/cynical. Elaine May really has a unique sensibility as an artist.

Such a nice little movie to watch before the Olympics!

It has every cliche found in the inspirational sports biopic subgenre and yet it's so wholesome and effective that it never bothered me.
You're always rooting for Ridley's Trudy Ederle whether she has to deal with her coach's misogyny or when she has to swim across a HUGE jellyfish swarm ... 😱

A solid and brutal period drama with some moving moments, a super evil villain and some very satisfying moments of revenge. Beautiful cinematography as well.

A classic from the silent era mainly worth seeing for its iconic and still very impressive stunt at the end. And it's always nice to see where some of the earliest gags came from. (the "Kick me" sign for ex). Nothing really special for me but it's undeniably charming, well made and impressive given the time period.

Very happy to say this isn't just a cash grab sequel indeed!
Easily Pixar's best since Toy Story 4 for me. Sure there isn't the element of surprise from the first film, but it's still creative as hell with lots of funny and moving moments. Actually funnier than the first one for me!
Obviously the messiness of puberty in all its complexity can't be addressed ... (That Lance guy was rad but don't be cowards Pixar, GIVE US horniness for the sequel!! Disney and Mainstream American blockbuster cinema needs it more than ever - Don't let Luca Guadagnino have all the fun lol-) but how they deal with it here especially through the appearance of Anxiety (wonderfully voiced by one of our current best Nepo Babies Maya Hawke) is still pretty well done, as Riley deals with social pressure typical of early adolescence. And sure, Turning Red was perhaps more upfront in its depiction but I thought the writing was better here.
New fave alongside Anxiety has to be Embarrassment. A shy King indeed <3
oh and reading all the relatable-literally me- reviews on Letterboxd for this one has been a real treat of course - keep it up guys :p

A well written and very touching character study and love story between two real ordinary people despite being a Hollywood production! And quite an overlooked one it seems even though it's one of the only 3 films to ever win both the Oscar for Best Picture and the Palme d'Or! And rightly so!
I agree it ends a bit too abruptly at the end though. Would have loved to see Clara's reaction when Marty finally gets to call her back as he should. Would have been nice to have more closure with Marty's mother as well.
And yes, the way it portrayed family expectation and society's pressure to get married and have kids remains sadly a bit too relevant indeed 😔

How cute is the tagline? And it perfectly sums up the vibe of this overlooked and charming Ghibli flick about a young women looking back on her childhood. Nothing new in the slice of life/coming of age genre and it's a bit long, but Ghibli movies have that special magic of being grounded and really sweet, making this familiar story (A Ghibli Dad that really sucks tho?!) still very enjoyable.
And it's the "you're dumb if you're not good at maths" moments that really hit for me ):
Oh and no pineapple slander but Bananas truly are the best 😌

Fun! Entertaining! Embraces sexy fun even! Nice chemistry! Parks and Recs' Donna!
But nothing really special either. Glen Powell is good and is rightfully having a moment but he's also just too much of a stereotypical movie star ™ to really do it for me so far ... Needs to get even more sillier and weirder to meet my very reasonable standards regarding actors and actresses lol
Also the ending didn't really work for me? Kinda glosses over the whole situation at the end in order to get the happy ending? But don't think too much about it, it's a black comedy/ quirky fun-yeah I know
And seriously though, WHAT happened to the cats??!!

Absolutely did NOT realize I was watching this on June 6th ... 😅
A huge surprise! Never found the original particularly interesting or scary (never bothered with the sequels); and yet this prequel is one of the most memorable horror flicks I've seen in a long time ... What can I say Damien is boring but his mom and how he came to be isn't! This villain literally origin story truly has some of the scariest/disgusting/batshit scenes I've seen in a while! Which is even more impressive coming from a first time director!

Sure, there's some silliness and the criticism of the Church ready to commit atrocities (usually including but not limited to mistreating the female body) as a way to stay in power is typical of the religious horror/ nunsploitation genre but it's done in a really entertaining and effective way. I understand people saying the final scene/callback to the og is unnecessary but I didn't mind it.

Add to that a nice recreation of the 70's, an unsettling mood and a great lead actress and you've got one of the best horror movies of the year so far indeed. Liked Immaculate but this is hands down the better nun horror themed movie of 2024!

Oh and Peter Pan's Rachel-Hurd Wood as Damien's adoptive mother at the end but we can't see her face?! Shame.

First things first, as a Sofia Coppola fan it's obviously very nice to see Kirsten Dunst (perfect as usual) symbolically ing the torch to Cailee Spaeny.

This movie doesn't focus on its eponymous Civil War. There's an intentional lack of context as it actually deals with photojournalism and the iconography of war. It's not so much about America being politically divided as it is about America's obsession with violence ... and getting the perfect shot out of it... photo wise I mean of course.
Sure, maybe it's a bit too simple to say "Who cares about who's shooting who and why? What matters is getting the perfect pic out of this violent situation!" but it's still something. What does it mean to be a war photographer? "Capturing" the reality of a certain situation so other people make up their own mind about it? It's obviously not just about the aestheticization of violence isn't it? etc..
In that regard, it does what it wants to achieve. And there are some strong images, a pretty well made tense atmosphere and it doesn't overstay its welcome.
Still I thought these ideas a bit too thin, or at least too thinly executed for the film to really be impactful. While not the point, maybe it would have benefitted to have just a bit more of a political context. In the end I thought it was fine but it felt too much like "unfulfilled potential" to me.

And now for the boys!

• City Lights
• M
• The Great Dictator
• Casablanca
• It's a Wonderful Life
• Singin' in the Rain
• Ikiru
• The Night of the Hunter
• Rebel Without a Cause
• The King and I

...plus 95 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

All Time Fave ! Edit: Top 100 from any genre!

• Casablanca
• Brief Encounter
• Singin' in the Rain
• The Night of the Hunter
• 12 Angry Men
• Psycho
• Mary Poppins
• The Sound of Music
• The Graduate
• Harold and Maude

...plus 90 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Includes Mini-series and shorts!

• The Adventures of Prince Achmed
• Cléo from 5 to 7
• Le Bonheur
• Daisies
• A New Leaf
• The Heartbreak Kid
• Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles
• The Ascent
• Peppermint Soda
• The Snowman

...plus 168 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Singing scenes in non musical movies...usually guaranteed to be one of the best moments!

• Casablanca
• Gilda
• The Night of the Hunter
• Paths of Glory
• Pierrot le Fou
• Life of Brian
• Back to the Future
• Dirty Dancing
• Full Metal Jacket
• Beetlejuice

...plus 27 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Animation is Cinema!
Edit: Among all different forms of animation and including all genres.

• Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
• Cinderella
• Sleeping Beauty
• One Hundred and One Dalmatians
• The Jungle Book
• The Twelve Tasks of Asterix
• The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
• The Great Mouse Detective
• Grave of the Fireflies
• The Land Before Time

...plus 47 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Whether it's a main role or a secondary role, these ladies give Academy Award winning performances even if they didn't win/weren't even nominated!

• Stella Dallas
• Bringing Up Baby
• Now, Voyager
• Gaslight
• The Heiress
• Sunset Boulevard
• All About Eve
• Johnny Guitar
• Sissi
• Imitation of Life

...plus 97 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

That is set mostly in High school with school Holidays included!

• Carrie
• Grease
• The Breakfast Club
• Back to the Future
• Ferris Bueller's Day Off
• Dirty Dancing
• Heathers
• Dead Poets Society
• Back to the Future Part II
• A Goofy Movie

...plus 20 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

AKA the YES IM OLD list

• Aladdin
• The Nightmare Before Christmas
• Little Women
• The Bridges of Madison County
• Matilda
• Titanic
• Ever After
• The Mummy
• Billy Elliot
• Moulin Rouge!

...plus 23 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

• American Psycho
• Gladiator
• Yi Yi
• Billy Elliot
• Chicken Run
• The Emperor's New Groove
• Shrek
• Amélie
• Moulin Rouge!
• The Piano Teacher

...plus 54 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

• Nosferatu
• Diabolique
• Psycho
• The Innocents
• What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
• Don't Look Now
• The Exorcist
• Carrie
• Halloween
• The Fly

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

Whether they're iconic cute or iconic evil (or even sometimes both!). A very important list <3 🐱 🐈

• Pinocchio
• Cinderella
• Alice in Wonderland
• Lady and the Tramp
• One Hundred and One Dalmatians
• Breakfast at Tiffany's
• The Aristocats
• Alien
• Oliver & Company
• Kiki's Delivery Service

...plus 24 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

The most entertaining, memorable, complex, hilarious and/or of course sexiest bad boys/gals who most definitely did NOTHING WRONG! ThEY'Re bAbY! Or if they did, they're good at their job and I thank them for their service (includes Pure Evil that is genuinely menacing and not bland!)

Redeemed villains/antagonists included :)

• M
• Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
• Cinderella
• All About Eve
• Peter Pan
• The Night of the Hunter
• Sleeping Beauty
• Psycho
• One Hundred and One Dalmatians
• The Jungle Book

...plus 81 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

AKA oooooh this is gonna be good!
Can serve as a great intro to the film's universe and themes/can be visually inventive/be a reminder that all these talented people are involved in what you're about to watch!

• Psycho
• The Umbrellas of Cherbourg
• The Graduate
• Robin Hood
• Taxi Driver
• Grease
• Halloween
• Back to the Future
• The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!
• Heathers

...plus 38 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Only Live Action ones. From fairy tales to urban/high fantasy and everything in between!

• Beauty and the Beast
• The Empire Strikes Back
• Labyrinth
• Edward Scissorhands
• Hook
• Hocus Pocus
• Jumanji
• Matilda
• The Mummy
• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

...plus 14 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Only Live Action ones. From Broadway/West end adaptations to musicals written for the screen.

• Singin' in the Rain
• West Side Story
• The Umbrellas of Cherbourg
• Mary Poppins
• The Sound of Music
• The Young Girls of Rochefort
• Phantom of the Paradise
• Grease
• Cinderella
• Moulin Rouge!

...plus 15 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

A collection of memorable movie adaptations and/or inspired/influenced by fairy tales

• Faust
• Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
• The Wizard of Oz
• Pinocchio
• The Thief of Bagdad
• Rebecca
• Ball of Fire
• I Walked with a Zombie
• Gaslight
• Beauty and the Beast

...plus 59 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Vive la ! 🥐 🇫🇷 🥖
Des films (non prétentieux ) de la Nouvelle Vague à des comédies (vraiment réussies, oui!) de nos jours. Parce que oui vraiment le cinéma français, ça peut être très bien et être apprécié par tout le monde :)
Had to do one for my own country. Some may more qualify as European (such as Haneke's films) but I'm including French language movies.

• Beauty and the Beast
• Forbidden Games
• Diabolique
• The 400 Blows
• Eyes Without a Face
• Cléo from 5 to 7
• The Umbrellas of Cherbourg
• The Young Girls of Rochefort
• Belle de Jour
• Le Samouraï

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

Films dealing with themes of childhood, from any genre, whether they're intended for kids or not

• The Wizard of Oz
• Pinocchio
• Alice in Wonderland
• Forbidden Games
• The Red Balloon
• The 400 Blows
• Zazie dans le Métro
• To Kill a Mockingbird
• Mary Poppins
• The Jungle Book

...plus 60 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Whether it's the whole movie or just a certain scene...If you make me cry movie, you're technically doing something good! :)

And yes there's a lot and since I love pain, I hope this list keeps on being updated!

• Forbidden Games
• Imitation of Life
• Carrie
• Ordinary People
• The Elephant Man
• The Fox and the Hound
• E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
• Sophie's Choice
• Grave of the Fireflies
• The Land Before Time

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

Instrumental Scores only. Not including Musicals and or Animated Musicals

• Psycho
• Carrie
• Star Wars
• The Empire Strikes Back
• E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
• Back to the Future
• The Land Before Time
• Dead Poets Society
• Kiki's Delivery Service
• Edward Scissorhands

...plus 52 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Favorite songs in non Disney/musical movie adaptations (except Mamma Mia cuz Abba's songs weren't created for the show/movies) used as a storytelling device and/or used to give the movie a great atmosphere which is almost always the point of a memorable soundtrack.

• The Graduate
• Harold and Maude
• The Breakfast Club
• Back to the Future
• Labyrinth
• Dirty Dancing
• Pulp Fiction
• Romeo + Juliet
• The Full Monty
• Cruel Intentions

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

• M
• Rebecca
• The Night of the Hunter
• Sweet Smell of Success
• Jaws
• Taxi Driver
• The Silence of the Lambs
• Léon: The Professional
• Se7en
• The Talented Mr. Ripley

...plus 13 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

• Toy Story 3
• Inception
• Black Swan
• Incendies
• Easy A
• The Social Network
• Megamind
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
• Tangled
• A Separation

...plus 53 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

from any genre but at it's heart romantic love between its characters!

• City Lights
• Now, Voyager
• Casablanca
• Brief Encounter
• Beauty and the Beast
• Singin' in the Rain
• Forbidden Games
• The Apartment
• The Sound of Music
• Harold and Maude

...plus 44 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Had to make a list since its the only existing movie genre nowadays

• Batman Returns
• Spider-Man
• Spider-Man 2
• The Incredibles
• Spider-Man 3
• The Dark Knight
• Megamind
• Thor
• X-Men: First Class
• The Avengers

...plus 4 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

• The Empire Strikes Back
• The Shining
• Airplane!
• Ordinary People
• The Elephant Man
• Raiders of the Lost Ark
• E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
• The King of Comedy
• Return of the Jedi
• Educating Rita

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

I just love this trope :)

• Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans
• It's a Wonderful Life
• The Red Shoes
• La Notte
• Cria!
• Carrie
• Airplane!
• The Breakfast Club
• Back to the Future
• Legend

...plus 52 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

• Metropolis
• Planet of the Apes
• A Clockwork Orange
• E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
• Back to the Future
• Back to the Future Part II
• Terminator 2: Judgment Day
• Jurassic Park
• A.I. Artificial Intelligence
• Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

...plus 13 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

• The Aristocats
• Donkey Skin
• Death in Venice
• The Go-Between
• A Clockwork Orange
• Harold and Maude
• The Godfather
• Sleuth
• The Heartbreak Kid
• Don't Look Now

...plus 37 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

• Ghost
• GoodFellas
• Edward Scissorhands
• The Silence of the Lambs
• Hook
• Thelma & Louise
• Terminator 2: Judgment Day
• Beauty and the Beast
• Batman Returns
• Unforgiven

...plus 50 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

that doesn't include teenagers whatsoever even though being a young adult is the definition of comedy

• Some Like It Hot
• Monty Python and the Holy Grail
• Airplane!
• The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!
• Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery
• George of the Jungle
• The Big Lebowski
• The Dinner Game
• Meet the Parents
• Miss Congeniality

...plus 13 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Movies happening during Christmas time or that i feel like watching during Christmas time!

• It's a Wonderful Life
• Home Alone
• Batman Returns
• Home Alone 2: Lost in New York
• The Muppet Christmas Carol
• The Nightmare Before Christmas
• Little Women
• How the Grinch Stole Christmas
• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
• Love Actually

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