Watched on Saturday December 14, 2024.

Watched on Friday December 13, 2024.

Watched on Friday December 13, 2024.

Watched on Thursday December 12, 2024.

Watched on Wednesday December 11, 2024.

Watched on Monday December 9, 2024.

Watched on Monday December 9, 2024.

I’ve been watching some festive movies at the cinema, to get me in the Christmas spirit.

A film centred around three key protagonists, I found the dialogues between them fascinating, the philosophical conversations stimulating.

The direction was functional but not outstanding, shot in black and white which complemented the thematic explorations of the work.

An anthropological study of individuals within their environment and the complexities of love.

The main takeaway I got, was that the bourgeoisie live empty lives and possess a stubbornness toward making the right choices.

The psychology of love is not so easy to decipher, no matter how many intellectual discourses.

Watched on Thursday December 5, 2024.

Watched on Thursday December 5, 2024.

Watched on Wednesday December 4, 2024.

Watched on Tuesday December 3, 2024.

Watched on Tuesday December 3, 2024.

Watched on Monday December 2, 2024.

Watched on Monday December 2, 2024.

Watched on Monday December 2, 2024.

Watched on Sunday December 1, 2024.

Watched on Sunday December 1, 2024.

Watched on Sunday December 1, 2024.

Watched on Sunday December 1, 2024.

Watched on Sunday December 1, 2024.

Watched on Sunday December 1, 2024.

Watched on Friday November 29, 2024.

Watched on Wednesday November 27, 2024.

Watched on Tuesday November 26, 2024.

Watched on Tuesday November 26, 2024.

Watched on Monday November 25, 2024.

Watched on Monday November 25, 2024.

Watched on Sunday November 24, 2024.

Watched on Sunday November 24, 2024.

Watched on Sunday November 24, 2024.

Watched on Sunday November 24, 2024.

Watched on Saturday November 23, 2024.

Watched on Friday November 22, 2024.

The conclusion to the Harry Potter saga. It was entertaining, but due to consisting mainly of (albeit well executed) action scenes, rarely felt emotionally impactful - save for the Snape revelation.

Similar to the original Star Wars trilogy, there are the good guys and the bad guys, the main protagonist realises the good guys aren’t to be trusted either, but by the end restores “order” again.

This series had a very similar concept, which can be seen as an allegory of sorts to how capitalism breeds fascism. How liberal democracy gives rise to and even fosters far right reaction. Ultimately, by the end advocates for a return to a more “respectable” capitalist status quo.

Even without these parallels, the ending felt off and not really what the franchise was building towards. Plus, the moments of fan service really didn’t hold up and I found them cringeworthy. Seeing a little Voldemort curled up was a cool visual, I’ll give it that.

Overall, these films held up better than I thought and it was fun going back and revisiting the franchise I enjoyed as a child. There were highlights and things to enjoy in each entry.

Ranking:
1. The Prisoner of Azkaban
2. The Goblet of Fire
3. The Deathly Hallows Part 1
4. The Half-Blood Prince
5. The Order of the Phoenix
6. The Philosopher’s Stone
7. The Deathly Hallows Part 2
8. The Chamber of Secrets

This was better than I remembered. Delving into the psychology of the central trio with their friendship put to the test - this wasn’t simply the film dedicating a section to watch some relatable antics in between the action, but a core part of the main story.

The course they faced took a toll and taking the time to properly explore these changing dynamics brought a necessary gravitas, where moments of tension were balanced with levity throughout.

Aided by creative direction, which adequately handled the tone and pacing of the scenes, this included a neat animated sequence that added to the world’s mythos.

The climatic battle and what followed felt very weird to me, knowing the story would continue in the next movie. However, the ending scene with Voldemort excited me to watch the finale (and Luna was adorable).

Watched on Sunday November 17, 2024.

Back when these films first released, The Half-Blood Prince was my least favourite. How surprised to find myself 30 minutes in really digging it.

The slower pace meant someone told the editor not to cut so often and I was treated to some fun gliding camerawork reminiscent of the third entry. There was a lot more care taken in the style, not only for the dialogue scenes but also the fight sequences.

All this to say, while I enjoyed the slower approach which focused more on teen drama than the central mystery of the half-blood Prince, it meant when it eventually tied back to that it had little impact.

In fact, the script generally was rather weak and it made me wonder whether making all these films with a similar runtime was helpful or just for the sake of it. Especially when the previous entry was so convoluted and this one simply plodded along until the final 30 minutes.

More Luna Lovegood though!

Quite an achievement, for 2 hours and 20 minutes of story to feel rushed. This wasn’t helped by the choppy quick cut editing - particularly egregious during the action sequences.

While I did enjoy the visual flair and set design, so much happened plot-wise without having much impact as it skipped past each moment as quickly as it could. When showing this dark and magical world, it became a problem that I wasn’t able to really take it in.

What this entry did do right, was introduce my favourite character Luna Lovegood. The essence of someone ‘just vibing’ whilst everyone was fighting wizards (to be fair, she also got involved in the wizard fighting). Luna was really cool and I wish she was in it more.

I loved that this was essentially setpieces and teen drama the movie. Following on from The Prisoner of Azkaban, this effort felt very different as it plunged the audience into the scariest tournament imaginable.

I have to give credit to the director, who brought a more grounded and realist approach to the fantasy, as the audience was planted with the characters looking up at the magnitude of each deadly challenge they faced.

The action was much improved over the previous films in the series and the third act showdown really opened the doors to the rest of the saga, igniting a war of the light wizards and witches against the dark.

The only major drawback, being a lack of focus on the development of the main cast and their individual arcs. I did somewhat forgive it, as we have eight films to do that and this one worked well at advancing the overall story and setting up what was to come.

Watched on Sunday November 17, 2024.

Here it is, the one everyone says is the best of the bunch. Well… I wouldn’t be surprised if it ends up my favourite too.

Compared to the previous two entries, the screenplay was much stronger. The character arcs, the narrative throughlines, how it all weaved together.

The pacing really worked here, slowing down at the right times to allow for character growth, plot development and to take in the moment.

This was elevated by some wonderful direction, moody atmospheres and genuinely terrifying sequences (particularly those featuring the chilling Dementors). Parts of the film were awe-inspiring.

The only limitation for me, was the need for generic action to interrupt the film. I know this is part and parcel of such a series and accept it wouldn’t be any other way. However, I would be lying to say it wasn’t everything else the movie offered I enjoyed much more.

Overall, a step-up and a more mature work than The Philosopher’s Stone and The Chamber of Secrets. I’m interested to see how I find the rest of the saga.

Continuing my rewatch of the series, the second entry felt very similar to the first, almost copying it beat for beat. Some of the scenes were unnecessary, which made it a drag to watch.

Fortunately, there were aspects in which The Chamber of Secrets improved over its predecessor. The camerawork was a lot more dynamic, as well as the use of music and sound design. The plot was more developed and the final showdown was pretty memorable.

I would have appreciated these improvements more, if I hadn’t have watched it immediately after The Philosopher’s Stone. Ultimately, I was struggling to pay attention for large parts of the film and really felt the runtime.

I have decided to rewatch all the Harry Potter movies, as a celebration of bleaching my hair blonde - like my favourite character Luna Lovegood. (It will take five 2hr30min movies before I see her, but still.)

These films were my childhood and I wanted to revisit them out of curiosity to see if they held up and generally felt in the mood to enter the wizarding world.

What an immense production, I was spellbound by the sheer scale - most impressive was the marvellous art direction, giving a tactility to what felt like a living breathing universe - aided by the music I was transported to the land of Hogwarts.

As the first in the saga, it did well setting up the lore which would be expanded upon throughout the series. I also appreciated how dark it got and this is sorely lacking from childrens’ films today.

However, it did falter in the third act where its uninspired cinematic choices caught up with itself, especially the final showdown and reveal which was shot and staged rather poorly, falling flat like the filmmaking generally which held back the entire movie.

I’m excited to continue delving into the franchise, as I can already see the potential of these films (weird to say having already seen them, just not for many a year). As disappointing as this one was by the end, I suspect the films will have likely improved from this shaky beginning.

Watched on Friday November 15, 2024.

Watched on Sunday November 10, 2024.

Watched on Sunday November 10, 2024.

Watched on Wednesday November 6, 2024.

Watched on Tuesday November 5, 2024.

Watched on Sunday November 3, 2024.

(Under construction)

The country of each film’s production is in the notes section.

Most selected directors:

8 entries - Andrei Tarkovsky

6 entries - John Carpenter // Lucio Fulci

5 entries - Rouzbeh Rashidi // King Hu // Béla Tarr // Humberto Solás // Mikhail Kalatozov

4 entries - Ingmar Bergman // Robert Bresson // Kiyoshi Kurosawa // Claudio Caldini // David Cronenberg // Fernando Pérez // Leida Laius // Theo Angelopoulos// Stanley Kubrick // Terence Fisher // Ali Khamraev // Sandy Ding // Jean-Luc Godard // Michelangelo Antonioni

Most films by country (minimum of 3 per country by at least 2 different directors):

115 entries - USSR
63 entries - US
47 entries - Cuba
27 entries - France
26 entries - China
25 entries - Japan
24 entries - Italy
14 entries - Britain
11 entries - Hungary // Vietnam
10 entries - Argentina // Canada // Poland // India
9 entries - Czechoslovakia
8 entries - Ireland // East Germany
7 entries - Mexico // Yugoslavia
5 entries - Australia // Greece
4 entries - Brazil // Chile // Venezuela // Palestine // Germany
3 entries - Colombia // South Korea // West Germany // Denmark // Portugal // New Zealand // Singapore // Iran

Films by decade:

1920s - 13 entries
1930s - 9 entries
1940s - 13 entries
1950s - 26 entries
1960s - 93 entries
1970s - 95 entries
1980s - 89 entries
1990s - 40 entries
2000s - 51 entries
2010s - 86 entries
2020s - 35 entries

TV Canon:
The Twilight Zone, Eternal Call, Twin Peaks, Serial Experiments Lain, Mononoke, American Horror Story, Hunter x Hunter, Attack on Titan, Devilman Crybaby, Squid Game.

Painting Canon:
Sand Mandalas by Tibetan Monks, Cosmic Mandala Thangkas by Nepali Monks, Yantras by Hindu Monks, Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci, Black Square by Kazimir Malevich, Altarpiece by Hilma af Klint, Setting Sun by Tarsila do Amaral, Marxism Will Heal the Sick by Frida Kahlo.

Literature Canon:
Brocade River Poems by Xue Tao, The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Noli Me Tángere by José Rizal, Ulysses by James Joyce, The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran, The Garden Party and Other Stories by Katherine Mansfield, Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair by Pablo Neruda, And Quiet Flows the Don by Mikhail Sholokhov, Olive Leaves by Mahmoud Darwish, One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez, El Apando by José Revueltas, The Book of Questions by Pablo Neruda, Beauty is a Wound by Eka Kurniawan, Crónica de los fuegos celestes by Carlos Noguera.

Music Canon:
Gayaneh by Aram Khachaturian, India’s Master Musician by Ravi Shankar, Call of the Valley by Shivkumar Sharma, Hariprasad Chaurasia & Brijbrushan Kabra, Cronología musical de la Revolución Cubana by Carlos Puebla, Join Inn by Ash Ra Tempel, Shahen-Shah by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Ecstatic Computation by Caterina Barbieri.

Theatre Canon:
Tarelkin’s Death by Vsevolod Meyerhold, The Threepenny Opera by Bertolt Brecht, The Drunken Concubine by Mei Lanfang.

Photography Canon:
Workers by Sebastião Salgado, Chasing Shadows by Santu Mofokeng.

• Battleship Potemkin

  USSR

• By the Law

  USSR

• Mother

  USSR

• A Sixth Part of the World

  USSR

• Amoki

  USSR

• Metropolis

  Germany

• The Peasant Women of Ryazan

  USSR

• The Passion of Joan of Arc

  France

• Storm Over Asia

  USSR

• Man with a Movie Camera

  USSR

...plus 541 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Thanks to essie, for making her list and bringing the community together once again. A fabulous idea, if I do say so myself. These are my favourite movies of the year 2020. I will likely add or change in time, which is part of the fun.

1. An Unusual Summer

   Palestine

2. there is a willow grows aslant a brook,

   Mexico

3. To the Moon

   Ireland

4. Gretel & Hansel

   US

5. The Metamorphosis of Birds

   Portugal

6. Moffie

   South Africa

7. Notturno

   Italy

8. Floating in the River of Time

   Cuba

9. Last and First Men

   Iceland

10. Days

    China

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

My favourites of the year! Selection may change over time.

1. Skin Shade Night Day

   Australia

2. Broken Spectre

   Brazil

3. The Newest Olds

   Argentina

4. Barbarian

   US

5. Octopus Skin

   Ecuador

6. Godland

   Iceland

7. Joyland

   Pakistan

8. The Kings of the World

   Colombia

9. Dashcam

   US

10. Myanmar Diaries

    Myanmar

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

¡Viva américa latina!

1. Tonalli

   Mexico

2. Alone Sleeps the Water, Frozen She Awakes

   Argentina

3. A Night of Knowing Nothing

   India

4. On Floating Bodies

   India

5. History of the Occult

   Argentina

6. Invisible Demons

   India

7. Memoria

   Colombia

8. The Great Movement

   Bolivia

9. Impossible to Find Something by Looking

   Honduras

10. Night of the Kings

    Ivory Coast

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

My favourite movies of 2023. Films which are not yet released in my area, mean there may be changes to the current selection in the future.

1. Skinamarink

   Canada

2. Hidden

   Colombia

3. AM-PM

   Cuba

4. Celestial Bodies

   Australia

5. Once Upon A Time There Was A Mom

   Myanmar

6. The Secret Garden

   Lebanon

7. Shadow of Fire

   Japan

8. Nelsito's World

   Cuba

9. Undefined Things

   Argentina

10. The Settlers

    Chile

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

• Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace

  Some wonderful audiovisual storytelling, interrupted by characters then spelling it out through dialogue. Too much of a children’s film to fully work.

• Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones

  Same issue with the previous entry, though it feels as if there is less interference from executives.

• Star Wars: The Clone Wars

  Not bad for a glorified TV pilot.

• Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith

  Holy moly, fantastic exploration of the political and social landscape. Love the Eisenstein-esque edited sequences especially. The first two acts work well, with the worlds created through the effects (with the unintended side effect of looking flat when the human characters interact with their surroundings). I also enjoy the Shakespearean dialogue (with the unintended side effect of sounding stilted). A film of contradictions, but then the final section of the movie (from Anakin’s fight with Obi Wan onwards) is sublime.

• Solo: A Star Wars Story

  I think this is what George Lucas feared when handing the franchise over to Disney. So unengaging, so unmemorable. A safe studio film. Because of the change of directors, it feels like an SNL sketch played straight. Although, it features my two fun Star Wars characters: Lando and L3-37.

• Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

  90% of this film was re-shoots. You can tell. The poorly written ethnic stereotypes don't help its case either. Some good art direction doesn’t save it.

• Star Wars

  Fun though very silly and therefore difficult to get fully onboard with.

• The Empire Strikes Back

  Very interesting film, explores themes more directly in Return, but a very good sequel still.

• Return of the Jedi

  Very good philosophical blockbuster. We need more thought-provoking blockbusters these days.

• Star Wars: The Force Awakens

  Hollow, a b-rate A Touch of Zen.

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

This was my first time at the biggest horror festival in the country. Read notes below for brief thoughts on each film.

• Broken Bird

  Day 1 - The opening screening of the festival was quite underwhelming.

• Test Screening

  Day 1 - This was brilliant!!! Not simply a homage to 80s body horror, but explicitly pushes the genre forward.

• Carnage for Christmas

  Day 1 - Quite strange and rather bad at times, but it was fun. Reminded me of YouTube video art.

• The Daemon

  Day 2 - This was Lovecraftian greatness on screen. The ending went all the way and was especially impressive on a low budget.

• The Lonely Man with the Ghost Machine

  Day 2 - The third act was very good, but the first two were a slog. I did like how philosophical it got towards the end. Did not expect the direction it went in.

• Ghost Game

  Day 2 - Didn’t like it. None of the flair present in the director’s previous work.

• The Hitcher

  Day 2 - Enjoyed this. Rutger Hauer wonderful as usual! A film like this in lesser hands, would have a Psycho style explanation of why the killer did what he did, despite the film making it (subtly) clear.
  

• Hauntology

  Day 2 - Lacklustre. I did like how openly gay it was - not the first movie of the festival.

• Traumatika

  Day 3 - God that was fucking terrible. A standard lame “bang jump scare” type film with no creative kills or suspense. Straight from the basement.
  

• Strange Darling

  Day 3 - I have no idea why this took the twists and turns it did. The script felt as though it was getting bored with itself and had to change things up for no other reason than to wake up the audience. Very bland flat direction - the dialogue scenes, the action sequences - but it looked colourful with some interesting lens choices. A horrid film though, I thought this was going to be a highlight, but it was pretty poor.

...plus 5 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe.

• Iron Man
• The Incredible Hulk
• Iron Man 2
• Thor
• Captain America: The First Avenger
• The Avengers
• Iron Man 3
• Thor: The Dark World
• Captain America: The Winter Soldier
• Guardians of the Galaxy

...plus 26 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Thank you essie for bringing the community together and making experimental cinema a bigger conversation, that can draw in a wider audience. This list is chronicled in a rough order that I saw them, mainly to show the various stages of my journey into the realm of the avant-garde: From super8 films, to video art and multi-screen installations. Enjoy (:

1. Atman
2. Man with Mirror
3. Blue
4. Rapture
5. She Had Her Gun All Ready
6. Meshes of the Afternoon
7. The Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome
8. The World
9. Variations
10. Samadhi

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