Truly a work of art. Like if Minding the Gap was written by Nathan Fielder and produced by Jeff Tremaine and Spike Jonze. The balance of pure sincerity towards the story being told and pure unhinged sensibilities telling said story is honestly really impressive.

Watched on Friday June 21, 2024.

Maybe one of the single most important, emotionally honest, incredibly acted, soulfully beautiful movies ever made? Definitely one of the best, most heartfelt, infinitely significant films and pieces of art I've ever taken in.

What is the process? The process of shaping and owning behavior, the process and nature of performance and acceptance, the process of healing and realizing that this one existence we have needs a foundation of love and compassion, even when those things seem out of reach or impossible.

Everybody in this delivered on another level, but I am so impressed by the depth of Coleman Domingo's skill and dedication to this particular role. And then there's everything else that just came together like magic: the way the light was captured so angelically; the sound design and score alternatively disturbing the peace and reinforcing the quiet; the way the raw aesthetics of the prison contrasted against the beauty of the people in it and the work they do together.

I really think Sing Sing deserves to be known as one of the greatest examples of authentic cinematic storytelling, and one of the most perfectly realized meditations on the American justice system, the power of art, and the magic of community.

Every single time I watch this, I find myself in growing awe of Robert Eggers' accomplishment. The Lighthouse is a complete masterclass in filmmaking with intention, and a downright masterpiece of visual storytelling. Dafoe and Pattinson operate at such an insanely high level here too. The bird scene actually gets me every time.

Fuck this movie, I love it so much deep down in my soul

This must've been my fifth or sixth time watching this, and honestly Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is the masterpiece of sad boi teen movies. The best one.

What a way to start 2025. This is possibly the best made worst movie ever. Like, if I died and Megalopolis was dedicated to me, I would kill myself

One full star for the utter talent of this cast to sell absolutely nothing

Watched on Sunday December 29, 2024.

Watched on Sunday December 29, 2024.

Okay, first off, this might be the most beautiful horror film I've ever seen, but also the most visually haunting? Like, there's this incredible balance of chillingly dark atmosphere, striking gothic compositions, and a fantastic sense of aesthetically satisfying art design. It's just so enthralling to look at, I often got lost in the power of the movie magic. But that brings me to my second point: Eggers understands the truest power of the cinematic experience is to show you the magic without losing focus of the craft and narrative, and he channels that brilliantly into showing us the darkness of this story and its deathly, toxic core. It's also just amazing to see Eggers pull it all together on such an incredible scale, with some of the best performances and most thrilling visual language I've seen this year. Nosferatu is truly such a creepy, winding tale of good and evil, lust and obsession, but I love that this version is also dedicated to being a gothic monster movie too. It really lets Bill Skarsgård shine, because this Orlac/Nosferatu is just so completely inhuman, we never forget he's the bad guy, and the tragic ending is all the more bittersweet for it. I'm really loving this big budget Robert Eggers era!

They actually made this a real movie instead of just a string of jokes and references? Honestly, mad respect for making Sonic the Hedgehog 3 the best film of the series, like by a mile 🤣

For real, this movie did not need to have such a good emotional core about love and family, OR that incredible anime style boss fight, OR weirdly some of the best vfx I've seen all year. OMG I didn't even know Keanu Reeves voiced Shadow, and my king honestly makes the whole thing worth it 💜

Desperately needed a comfort movie tonight, and The Big Lebowski really delivered. This used to be my favorite movie for like a decade, but I actually forgot how much of a masterpiece it truly is. Joel and Ethan are absolute mad geniuses

Watched on Wednesday December 25, 2024.

Oh, Halina, I didn't know you had this in you!

What a film, what an experience, what a work of thoughtful and thrilling art! Truly doing justice to the Dogme 5 gang with this one, in all its wrenching, bodily glory and deep, honest meditations on love, sex, and social connections.

Such a provocative, visceral, heart pounding, emotionally complex vision of the enigma we call the human heart - and yes, watch out, this is steamy as fuck.

I am so happy that Nicole Kidman got to add one more masterpiece to her name. She truly deserved this movie, even if we don't deserve how perfect she is. Makes for a brilliant, full circle double feature with Eyes Wide Shut if you can make it out the other side!

Everybody should check this one out. No fucking notes in sight

Honestly, I think White Christmas might be one of the crowning jewels of Black Mirror. Like, this is maybe the best use of anthology storytelling I've ever seen, and it is so brilliantly anchored by Jon Hamm's dark, palpable charisma. This framing story is seriously just used so well, I get bodied by the ending every time.

Honestly? There's some genuinely cringey 90s humor in here that is really not okay, but the rest of the movie truly makes up for it. Jingle All the Way is one of the most unhinged family films I've ever seen, and one of the most absurdly entertaining visions of Christmas-based madness I've still ever experienced. I've now pretty much been watching it every season since 2020, and I honestly like it more every time. (I just wish it didn't have to make Sinbad the bad guy in the end, but then I guess we wouldn't get to see Arnold sweep his shitty parenting under the rug by simply becoming a literal superhero...)

Oh, yo, and am I crazy or does Jake Lloyd REALLY EAT as Jamie?

Does anybody really know what time it is? Does anybody really care (about time)?

We all exist in the world, thinking and believing that we know why we're here, that we know what we're doing. But the truth is, time and space and what we think is real before our eyes, it's all at the mercy of the universe, the natural flow of order and chaos we like to call fate. It's that energy that moves between us that calls us and puts it all together, whether we know it or not, like or not. But don't disparage, and don't turn away, especially when things get out of control. Even if it seems like you're out of place, out of time, out of love, it'll work out. Just go for the ride and in the end, see if you don't still find what you're looking for. It's out there, somewhere in all the madness.

Man, this is one good fucking movie. I mean, I can get it out of the way and point out the incredible sense for serious tonal thrills, the heart racing editing and sound design, the perfect use of character and regional dynamics, and of course the incredible performances from the main ensemble (especially Jeremy Renner's turn as a lovable but efficient empathic king). But what really struck me this time was the way Mr. Sheridan dances around the web of mistrust and hatred and bubbling violence all brewing together in a space forgotten and ignored by the rest of society, all for the purpose of confronting the roles held by those in power and those at their mercy. We follow two white feds into reservation troubles and trauma because they're the ones who need to own up to the horrors enacted. We witness the visceral brutality of this life, the tragic ends innocent people meet, and the hope we can still strive for all at once because that's an honest representation of the complexities of our problems as a species. Too many people act like animals and too many of us have stood by. But let's all be like Cory Lambert and actually give a shit, actually care, and actually do our part in helping those who suffer. I feel like I shouldn't even have to say it.

Christmastime war drama, or wartime Christmas fable?

Either way, only Billy Wilder would give us a film like this, and boy did he deliver. I mean, even for a Wilder movie, Stalag 17 presents one of the most complex tonal balancing acts I've ever witnessed, with so much heart, soul, and humor injected into such a sober, mature, enraging tale about the tragic nature of war, the toxic mentality of mob justice, and what it truly means to do something for others around you. It's got action, gags, provocative commentary, horrible imagery, and a cast of the most entertaining, divisive, understandable characters in maybe any WWII film, at least especially of those focusing on POWs. In times like these, it's important to remember that we can lean on one another and rely on our shared experiences to bring us closer, even if it all seems downhill.

Just make sure you can trust whoever you need the most...

Hey what movie was Mary Elizabeth Winstead acting in?

Also, how the fuck did they get away with making an arthouse Final Destination entry?

I bet Wes Craven would approve

Honestly one of Kubrick's best movies! It's so intensely abrasive and psychological, yet so endearing about getting to the heart of human relationships and sexuality. It's like an erotic thriller twisted into a nightmare fairytale opera, only designed as the best looking Christmas movie ever. And maybe that's the truth about Eyes Wide Shut: it might look, sound, and feel like arthouse mindfuck storytelling, but it's kind of a Christmastime fable Joseph Conrad style meets 90s Sundance movie nerd sensibilities. Love, love, love, the aesthetic shifts between gorgeous sets and lighting, and just the most hauntingly gothic images and patterns. There's something very Lynchian here about searching the other side of society and reality as we know it, but to make this so horny as hell was honestly a wild and effective choice. Nicole Kidman absolutely steals the show, and rightfully so because this is my queen's movie!

Watched on Saturday December 14, 2024.

Wow wow wow...I mean, maybe a masterpiece?

Definitely a perfect example of the kind of surreal, beautiful, deranged, unexpectedly emotional filmmaking and storytelling I've really come to love. Daniel Craig gives a career high performance, and Luca really goes all in for his blend of transgressive queer cinema, erotic body horror, and lovelorn romantic drama. I honestly ate up every second.

I can't express this enough, Queer (and Daniel Craig's performance in particular) have been living rent free in the old noggin for going on two days now. The heartbreaking romance, the jarring surrealism, the incredible music, all strung together by breathtaking, creative cinematography, and amazing editing. It really does justice to William S. Burroughs and the multitude of outside influences Luca is clearly drawing on; I see you Cronenberg, Lynch, and Araki.

I mean, this is like if All of Us Strangers morphed into an acid-fueled, gay Hunter S. Thompson epic, in the very best way possible.

Five star Michael Caine performance in a decent story, backed by really good music.

This time I really fell in love with the entire model aesthetic

Watched on Thursday December 12, 2024.

Wait wait wait, I just didn't review 8 1/2 a third time? I mean, another re-watch showed me that my favorite Fellini is in fact Nights of Cabiria. But man, this one here is still a dense, hilarious, heartbreaking, gorgeous, energetic, and most importantly, self-conscious masterpiece about self-exploration, radical honesty, the therapeutic power of art, and the ways men will go to the craziest lengths to fuck around. Like, yeah is Guido kind of a fuck? Sure! But to be able to peel away the layers of a complicated artist revered in his world yet confronting failure and uncontrollable obstacles clashing with interpersonal drama of his own doing...this shit is more like an opera than a movie in its story mechanics, use of music, and visual compositions. In a sense, even the surreal nature of Fellini seamlessly guiding us through reality, fantasy, dream, and memory is akin to the otherworldly yet familiar tones of a darkly dramatic opera. Idk, this movie is really fucking crazy and I truly did enjoy it again on top of genuinely noticing more this time. It just ain't got my girl Cabiria 🤷‍♂️

Watched on Monday December 9, 2024.

Okay, but Cindy Lou Who is kinda the best character ever?

Finally had my first theatrical Ghibli experience, and honestly I'm really glad it was this movie!

For being such an iconic and popular film, I genuinely understand why My Neighbor Totoro might not be for everyone. It's a simple story on the surface with not a whole lot of conventional plot. The characters simply exist more than anything else. And as whimsical as it can be, this is a much more slowly paced and opaque type of movie from Miyazaki.

But I really have to say, My Neighbor Totoro feels made for me. It's such a beautiful film to watch. It's maybe the best cinematic attempt ever at capturing the perspective of children. It's a contemplative animated film about nature, human behavior, and the power of belief. And in my opinion, it's a movie that wants to remind us to slow down and make the most of what the universe sends our way.

I was also really taken by the writing this time around too; I truly felt every emotion of this rollercoaster journey, and I deeply love the way Miyazaki explores the relationships between reality, fantasy, and dreams. Extra shout outs for the ways My Neighbor Totoro depicts parenthood, sisterhood, empathy, sorrow, guilt, love, and connection.

Sometimes when the world is a bit too much, the unexpected comes along just in time.

First time watch, what a wild ride! I never knew this was a very 80s, very unhinged missing link between 50s monster movies and Krampus...

I was also today years old when I found out Mogwai was named after this little dude

Thank god for Wes Anderson's love of Japanese Cinema and dogs. I hope I love anything half as much one day

I've always really liked this one, but I guess third time's the charm because Wes has me wrecked tonight. This is honestly one of the best animated movies I've ever seen, but also just one of the best films I think I've ever watched in general. The music, the art design, the voice cast, the love of storytelling and humanity rooted in this wildly creative and whimsical narrative that also isn't afraid to be violent and morbid and angry; everything comes together in such a perfect way.

But what really got me this time was Wes's ability to instill his extreme levels of artistry and unique individual vision with such beautiful, gut-wrenching emotional drama. There's this thread in Isle of Dogs about listening, and a motif regarding chosen family and connection and faith in other people, that bring this film's cold yet inviting aesthetic and hyper-detailed craft into harmony with its story's focus on authentically exploring empathy, respect, and love as layers of connection all living things need to feel alive.

And I'm gonna be so real, receiving everything funneled through Wes Anderson's deep admiration for Japanese culture and media (with his usual hints of Kubrick and Godard), as well as his utter worship of the art and craft of film as the medium for storytelling, is just honestly amazing to experience and witness.

Whatever happened
To man's best friend
Falling spring blossom

Still a work of magic ✨

Still one of the absolute most incredible pieces of art I've ever experienced. Truly hits like nothing else, and I'm so excited to be starting this journey of spiritual wreckage once again.

Tis the season 🎄🖥️ ✝️

(In the words of my girlfriend, "I know some people have bad luck, but that is fucked")

I was really hesitant to watch this one again, but you know it actually was better the second time 🤣

This is kinda like remaking My Bloody Valentine as a Stephen King and Wes Craven inspired contemporary slasher, with the sensibilities of Texas Chain Saw and The Menu. Is it a great movie? Probably not. But it's fun to be reminded that Eli Roth is still out there getting paid to make his special little unhinged treats.

I think this might officially be a new tradition

My fucking god this movie is incredible. People talk about the way Kurosawa shot rain? How about we discuss the way Lynch shoots smoke?

Anyway, I can't believe I didn't use to love this, how stupid of me. This is top shelf Lynch serving up the most visceral commentary on Hollywood possibly ever, but simply packed with cunty women, evil outlandish men, and deeply nightmarish everyday spaces.

By the end Mulholland Drive morphs itself into a living portrait of the very underbelly of society via some truly fantastical feats, but it's all an illusion anyway, a story to experience and pass on.

One day maybe Diane and Camilla will be free.

Honestly, as a revisionist Hitchcockian thriller, I think Blink Twice totally works. It seems it wasn't a huge hit, but from start to finish I found this movie visually engaging, extremely well-crafted in its writing, sly in its casting and awareness of its audience and place in cinema history. It feels to me like the kind of movie a film nerd like me would want to make as someone who sees the potential for play and change in cinema as an artform but also the utter terrors of the human species and the society we exist in. Only, it's Zoe Kravitz and she wants to talk to us about fucked up men, women learning to survive, and salacious revenge, all in the form of a cheeky, twisted, highly detailed reconstruction of the thriller genre. Maybe it doesn't work one hundred percent, but they can't all be Get Out. I'll take a strong B+/A- movie that actually feels exciting any day, and just like I felt after seeing Anna Kendrick taking on true crime, I can't wait to see more from this filmmaker.

Wow. For my money, this one deserves to be up there with the best thrillers, murder mysteries, film noirs, pretty much any and all psychological dramas in general. From start to finish, The Big Clock is such an intriguing, meticulous, character-driven suspense yarn fully utilizing every image, angle, object, person, performance, and line of dialogue conjured for its production. It's a story about truth, greed, corruption, and power, funneled through a seemingly infinite web of information and dynamics, locations and personalities. It's like a survey of modern life in the throws of toxic relationships, life-sucking jobs, unchecked privilege, and the illusion of knowledge. But for as deep as we wade into abyss, The Big Clock finds a way to some kind of relief in the end with a thrilling climactic sequence and resolution to save our complicated wrong man protagonist without sacrificing the ideas at play throughout. What an incredible film, and such a brilliant example of cinema at its most compellingly controlled yet seemingly fierce and freewheeling. Oh, and course Ray Milland and Charles Laughton both hit it out of the park again as usual, truly my forever kings.

An unconventional noirvember pick for sure, but I'm so glad I finally watched this masterful piece of storytelling and filmmaking. I've never even read the book, and absolutely nothing here was as expected. The visualization of the child perspective, the moody production design and cinematography, the mix of wholesome sensibility with the evils of humanity in such a genuine way; every piece of the film really comes together to support the symbolism along the way, and every narrative thread ultimately serves a greater purpose. Of course, it also helps that I think what this story is about and how this movie strives for it in the end is such a great, timeless example of cinema's ability to bring to life significant discourse, in this case, messages about society, morality, corruption, revenge, and truly just the spectrum of human behavior as we can observe it and hopefully learn from it. Harper Lee obviously gave us the story to work with, but this is one adaption that really got me with its style and craft, doing a great job of presenting its ideas in a thrilling, provocative way.

Honestly, the symbolism really pays off in the end. What an unhinged movie that also manages to have so much to say about war, politics, and human behavior, presented to us like a nightmarish journey through anxious thrills and paranoid suspense. I forgot how explicitly critical this was in its political views and ideas, but it really comes together in such a smart way to feel equally absurd and terrifying, with unexpectedly shocking violence.

God damn. Consider me absolutely gagged 🤯

The Penguin has got to be one the darkest, most emotional, genuinely surprising crime shows I've seen. Episode 4 definitely earned its top IMDB spot, but this saga altogether is a masterpiece.

Wow, I am absolutely stunned. What a nail-biting, fantastically psychological, emotionally visceral journey through a maelstrom of chaos and terror. Robert Ryan's performance is simply incredible and so meticulously layered. Ida Lupino eats as the unsuspecting foil and victim. The cinematography captures the entire narrative in such engaging, creative ways, presenting changes in mood and mental states with a real expertise. And the writing? I mean, from the beginning this whole downward spiral of a domestic thriller is full of intrigue and ambiguity, building through sheer suspense and turns of character towards one of the most unexpectedly perfect Old Hollywood endings I've ever come across. This whole movie feels like it's playing out in real time as you watch every detail of unfolding twists and changes, fully toying with expectations and realistic drama until the resolution hits like a ton of bricks. One could argue that Mr. Wilton will be picked up and taken away to either rot in a cell or get the help he needs...but after 75 minutes of shocks and fear-inducing, claustrophobic action, is there anything scarier than feeling like this man could come back and do it all over again?

Watched on Wednesday November 20, 2024.

Now I remember why this is my favorite Hitchcock, and really just one of my favorite movies.

Honestly, there's so much I have and want to say about this film, but as far as I'm concerned, Rear Window is nothing short of an exercise in perfection. This is cinema, pure and adventurous, creative and bold, intelligent and provocative, somehow equally dissecting itself, its audiences, its creators, and society at large all at once. Like, how are you gonna have Grace Kelly and Jimmy Stewart looking, talking, and acting that fucking good, the cinematography look and feel that fucking astounding, and commentary on true crime before it even blew up?

Accurate depiction of me constantly convincing myself of my own bullshit...

Without a doubt one of the Great Films though

Yo, wait, the internet is right! Bill Paxton was a screen god!

What a fucking masterpiece of cool, shocking, gritty, unhinged crime drama storytelling that truly manages to capture the feeling of noir. The level of darkness, the captivating dynamics between characters, the physical and emotional brutality of our fellow humankind, it's all there bursting at the seams both explicitly and out from under a facade of ignorance and weakness. This twisty, fucked up, darkly hilarious, reality-blurring journey through the soul of American-brand racism, drug-fueled insanity, and home-grown turmoil is equal parts strangely affecting, powerfully visceral, and authentically thrilling. Carl Franklin seriously put together some of the most incredible, heart-poundingly tense sequences I've ever watched, but every step of the way also showcases this filmmaker's desire to recreate something so iconic as classic film noir and turn it just enough on its head to remain familiar yet utterly fresh.

I think I knew about thirty minutes in that I would love One False Move, but this turned out to be one of the greatest things I've ever experienced.

Oh boy, I'm loving these early Fassbinder movies. Talk about a crazy, arthouse euro-noir, complete with flavors of road movie shenanigans, violent gangster action, and emotionally touching romantic drama (refreshingly crafted through both a gay lens and an empathetic understanding of the ways women suffer for assholes who don't deserve them).

I can see my rating may baffle some people, but I really fucked with Gods of the Plague! The way it looks and sounds, the way characters are used and presented, the absurd nature of the seemingly pointless journey undertaken, and so many tidbits of real socio-cultural observations along the way, all leading to an explosive climactic sequence to tie everything together.

Watched on Friday November 15, 2024.

The greatest thing about classic film noir tends to be how real and gritty it is as a genre, unafraid to show viewers how the less fortunate and marginalized often get caught in viscous downward cycles of choices, tragedy, and bad luck. And then there's a film like Pitfall, made in the heyday of noir, and it does something so beautifully perfect I never would've expected.

Instead of reflecting the streets and the all the violence of modern life to get at something existential and moody, this wonderful film sets up characters that are shockingly real and grounded to slowly peel away at their emotional and psychological layers just as the darkness of happenstance seems to be closing in. Here is a movie that understands people, their messy desires and complicated behavior, concerned with the darkness of reality only when it applies to true, authentic strife giving way to a bubbling torrent of action and feelings both perfectly tuned to the pulpy nature of noir and the story's mature, elevated sensibilities around presenting authentic, provocative, and careful domestic drama.

I wish Mona didn't have to pay in the end, but I know I can't do anything about that silly Hays-enforced resolution. Everything else was honestly so believable, interesting, and thoroughly detailed with all kinds of great character, mood, and somber visual expertise. It seems like this de Toth joint doesn't work for everybody, but if you couldn't already tell, I really loved this!

Finally watched this tonight and I liked it a lot! I feel like it's maybe Schrader's most hopeful movie?

Definitely not what I expected, but I was in it from start to finish, and it really surprised me in a lot of ways. This might not pack the punch of or check the same boxes as the last two "lonely man" films, but I like this more sober and mature side of Paul.

He really did Pickpocket yet again and made it about as fresh and modern as you can while taking up real social and cultural discourse relevant to the world today in a productive and effective fashion. Mad respect for that.

It's taken me a week to shake off the residual psychological scarring I received from watching this movie, but I'm pretty sure Affliction is one of the best things I've ever seen. It's certainly in the running to be the darkest, bleakest, most miserable film I've ever experienced, but I think I also truly found it cathartic, and that emotional duality really shook me. Kudos for also making this immensely psychological character study an amazing, engaging abstracted crime drama.

Watched on Wednesday November 13, 2024.

1. The Substance
2. Queer
3. Memoir of a Snail
4. Sing Sing

   "2024"

5. Nosferatu
6. Babygirl
7. Love Lies Bleeding
8. A Different Man
9. I Saw the TV Glow
10. Alien: Romulus

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

My attempt at ranking the A24 films I've seen (an ever-evolving venture)

1. Everything Everywhere All at Once
2. The Lighthouse
3. First Reformed
4. The Whale
5. Good Time
6. The Iron Claw
7. Midsommar
8. After Yang

   "2022"

9. Under the Skin
10. Hereditary

...plus 76 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

My ongoing list of the best films ever made (which I've actually seen). Listed chronologically

• The Vampires or, The Arch Criminals of Paris

  Serial Film/Miniseries

• Häxan
• The Last Laugh
• Sherlock Jr.

  Short Film

• The Passion of Joan of Arc
• Man with a Movie Camera
• Un Chien Andalou

  Short Film

• M
• Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
• Freaks

...plus 379 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Recent (great) horror films with deeper, metaphorical meanings

• The Babadook
• Raw
• Under the Shadow
• Get Out
• Hereditary
• Hair Wolf

  Short Film

• Saint Maud
• Midsommar
• Swallow
• The Vigil

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

Movies that really had something to say when you wouldn't have expected it

• The Last Laugh
• Battleship Potemkin
• Master of the House
• The Unknown
• The Passion of Joan of Arc
• All Quiet on the Western Front
• That Night's Wife
• Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
• M
• Freaks

...plus 182 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

#1 - Eraserhead
#2-10 ranked alphabetically
#11-50 ranked alphabetically
#51-100 ranked alphabetically

1. Eraserhead

   #1

2. Andrei Rublev

   #2-10 (alphabetical)

3. Le Bonheur

   #2-10 (alphabetical)

4. Close-Up

   #2-10 (alphabetical)

5. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb

   #2-10 (alphabetical)

6. In the Mood for Love

   #2-10 (alphabetical)

7. Parasite

   #2-10 (alphabetical)

8. The Passion of Joan of Arc

   #2-10 (alphabetical)

9. Persona

   #2-10 (alphabetical)

10. Videodrome

    #2-10 (alphabetical)

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

• The Doll
• Master of the House
• The Unknown
• Underworld
• The Cameraman
• Morocco
• Dishonored
• Baby Face
• Bed of Roses
• Death Takes a Holiday

...plus 192 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Holier than thou protagonists getting psychologically and morally broken down to the point of becoming the exact opposite of what they believe in or say they are

• Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
• The Most Dangerous Game
• The Face Behind the Mask
• Detour
• The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
• Pitfall
• House by the River
• 3:10 to Yuma
• Woman in the Dunes
• By a Man's Face Shall You Know Him

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

• A Fugitive from the Past
• Persona
• La Collectionneuse
• Woman in Chains
• My Night at Maud's
• Blind Beast
• The Honeymoon Killers
• Harold and Maude
• Minnie and Moskowitz
• Daughters of Darkness

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

• Howl's Moving Castle
• The Matrix
• Doctor Strange
• A Matter of Life and Death
• The Green Knight
• Saint Maud
• Snowpiercer
• Kingsman: The Secret Service
• Spirited Away
• In the Mood for Love

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

• Destry Rides Again
• I Shot Jesse James
• The Gunfighter
• High Noon
• The Lusty Men
• The Searchers
• 3:10 to Yuma
• The Tall T
• Forty Guns
• Decision at Sundown

...plus 28 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

The Best Animated Films I've Watched

• Johnny Corncob
• Fantastic Planet
• Son of the White Mare
• The Snowman

  Short Film

• Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind
• Akira
• My Neighbor Totoro
• Grave of the Fireflies
• Porco Rosso
• Ghost in the Shell

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

Last night I realized many of my favorite movies by women directors and filmmakers tend to be some of the most potent cinematic experiences I've had, whether they lean surreal, transcendent, cerebral, visceral, or just flat out artsy.

This got me thinking about a double standard I often find: that cinema has obviously been male-dominated and male-oriented throughout its history, but it often seems or feels like women have to prove they can be just as strange or provocative or transgressive as men when it comes to making movies, like it's somehow a more inherent quality in male creators to be able to push the envelope of what can be shown or done in cinema. By that logic, women have often been relegated to some kind of lesser status of filmmaking with less room for experimentation, provocative subject matter, risque imagery, or elements that are just generally associated with male creativity.

Now, I absolutely acknowledge there have always been incredible, important women in cinema who bucked that trend, and it's been amazing to see more and more women getting to make awesome, wild, crazy, artistic movies in contemporary film, but just by way of statistics, those filmmakers are few and far between compared to the guys. With that in mind, I made a little list of some of my favorite movies made by women that are just as saucy, heady, trippy, uncomfortable, physical, meditative, and spiritual as anything any man has made; these have in different ways changed the way I look at movies and the world.

If you'd like to suggest some more films that might fit this bill, or just discuss what I've said here, please drop a comment 😊

• Meshes of the Afternoon
• At Land
• Never Fear
• Outrage
• The Bigamist
• The Hitch-Hiker
• Cléo from 5 to 7
• Le Bonheur
• Daisies
• The Creatures

...plus 66 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

• Blonde Venus
• Baby Face
• Bed of Roses
• Theodora Goes Wild
• Angel
• The Lady Eve
• Meshes of the Afternoon
• Detour
• Secret Beyond the Door
• The Red Shoes

...plus 112 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Great, artistically-crafted movies to keep you thinking for days on end...

• The Vampires or, The Arch Criminals of Paris
• The Doll
• The Golem: How He Came Into the World
• Häxan
• Sherlock Jr.

  Short Film

• Seven Chances
• The Unknown
• Metropolis
• The Passion of Joan of Arc
• Man with a Movie Camera

...plus 596 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

This list is more of a vibe than anything else. Mileage may vary with individual titles.

• Blonde Venus
• Shanghai Express
• Baby Face
• The Scarlet Empress
• Twentieth Century
• Bed of Roses
• Death Takes a Holiday
• The Devil Is a Woman
• Theodora Goes Wild
• Angel

...plus 222 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

1. Eraserhead
2. Videodrome
3. Come and See
4. Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me
5. Le Bonheur
6. Inland Empire
7. Freaks
8. Peeping Tom
9. Targets
10. The Vanishing

...plus 62 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Ranking the French New Wave movies I've seen...(Left Bank films and FNW-adjacent directors also included)

1. Le Bonheur
2. Day for Night
3. The Young Girls of Rochefort
4. Last Year at Marienbad
5. Le Samouraï
6. Hiroshima Mon Amour
7. One Sings, the Other Doesn't
8. My Night at Maud's
9. The Soft Skin
10. Love in the Afternoon

...plus 75 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Some of the best, most intense, and most realistic films I've seen about childhood, growing up, or the experience of being a kid in the world of adults (age appropriateness will vary)

• I Was Born, But...
• Record of a Tenement Gentleman
• The Fallen Idol
• Summer with Monika
• The Night of the Hunter
• The 400 Blows
• Good Morning
• Street of Love and Hope
• Peeping Tom
• The Steamroller and the Violin

  Short Film

...plus 142 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

A ranking of the Japanese New Wave films I've seen so far...

1. Woman in the Dunes
2. Death by Hanging
3. In the Realm of the Senses
4. A Fugitive from the Past
5. Onibaba
6. The Naked Island
7. Youth of the Beast
8. The Ghost of Yotsuya
9. Giants and Toys
10. Irezumi

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

My favorite Science Fiction films released since 2000

• Pitch Black
• Donnie Darko
• Vanilla Sky
• Solaris
• 28 Days Later
• Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
• Primer
• The Chronicles of Riddick
• The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
• Children of Men

...plus 65 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Ranking the New Hollywood films I've seen...

1. Eraserhead
2. Raging Bull
3. Dog Day Afternoon
4. The Long Goodbye
5. Love Streams
6. The Conversation
7. Being There
8. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
9. They Shoot Horses, Don't They?
10. Network

...plus 102 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

• Twentieth Century
• Stage Door
• Dance, Girl, Dance
• The Red Shoes
• All About Eve
• Sunset Boulevard
• Lola Montès
• Imitation of Life
• What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
• Opening Night

...plus 22 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

• Call Northside 777
• The Hitch-Hiker
• The Wrong Man
• Robbery
• In Cold Blood
• Targets
• The Boston Strangler
• The Honeymoon Killers
• 10 Rillington Place
• Badlands

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

• The Passion of Joan of Arc
• Heaven Can Wait
• It's a Wonderful Life
• The Silence
• The Gospel According to Matthew
• Andrei Rublev
• Theorem
• My Night at Maud's
• Witchhammer
• Nostalgia

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

The best, most important, and overall my favorite short films I've seen

• I Don't Want to Be a Man
• One Week
• The Scarecrow
• Convict 13
• The High Sign
• The Goat
• The Boat
• Hard Luck
• The Electric House
• The Frozen North

...plus 129 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Films from the 1960s and 70s that I feel belong to a sort of "new wave" of Italian Cinema following the mainstream decline of neorealism. Much like other, official New Waves of the time, these movies embraced: sexuality; violence; leftist political discourse; surreal narrative frames; unconventional artisitic styles and techniques; the reconciliation of older customs and modernity; the discourse of exposing past governments for the problematic systems that they were; or often some kind of combination of these elements.

This list will likely overlap Italian subgenres such as giallo, spaghetti westerns, and poliziotteschi, along with dramas, comedies, horrors, and everything in between, as I feel like these varied categories were all headed by filmmakers working towards the common goal of shaping a new Italian film industry, whether through the avenues of pulpy b-movies or more arthouse fare. I'll be adding to this list as I continue my journey through the wonders of Italian Cinema.

• L'Avventura
• Black Sunday
• La Dolce Vita
• Accattone
• The Assassin
• Il Sorpasso
• Salvatore Giuliano
• 8½
• The Gospel According to Matthew
• Love Meetings

...plus 41 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

What I've seen so far...

• Cure
• Ring
• Audition
• Ju-on: The Curse
• Ju-On: The Curse 2
• Pulse
• Ichi the Killer
• Ju-on: The Grudge
• Dark Water

A ranking of Czech New Wave films I've seen...

1. Daisies
2. Closely Watched Trains
3. The Cremator
4. Carriage to Vienna
5. Marketa Lazarová
6. Witchhammer
7. Larks on a String
8. The Ear
9. The Hall of Lost Steps

   Short Film

10. Black Peter

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

1. Freaks
2. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
3. The Mummy
4. The Black Cat
5. Island of Lost Souls
6. The Most Dangerous Game
7. The Old Dark House
8. Supernatural
9. Mystery of the Wax Museum
10. The Invisible Man

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

Never been a huge fan of the decade, but these movies changed that

• All Quiet on the Western Front
• Morocco
• That Night's Wife
• M
• Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
• Dishonored
• Freaks
• I Was Born, But...
• Broken Lullaby
• Scarface

...plus 42 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

• Häxan
• Man with a Movie Camera
• Let There Be Light

  Short Film

• Blood of the Beasts

  Short Film

• Sea Countrymen

  Short Film

• Along the Coast

  Short Film

• The Cry of Jazz

  Short Film

• Hello Cubans

  Short Film

• The House Is Black

  Short Film

• Love Meetings

...plus 64 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Only the ones I've seen so far...

1. Howl's Moving Castle
2. My Neighbor Totoro
3. Spirited Away
4. Grave of the Fireflies
5. Princess Mononoke
6. The Boy and the Heron
7. Ponyo
8. From Up on Poppy Hill
9. Porco Rosso
10. The Wind Rises

...plus 7 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Ranked by personal rating

1. Bound
2. Mona Lisa
3. Mysterious Skin
4. Safe
5. My Beautiful Laundrette
6. Black Is… Black Ain’t
7. Totally F***ed Up
8. Show Me Love
9. My Own Private Idaho
10. But I'm a Cheerleader

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

A ranking of Australian New Wave films I've seen so far...

1. The Plumber
2. My Brilliant Career
3. The Cars That Ate Paris
4. Wake in Fright
5. Picnic at Hanging Rock
6. The Last Wave
7. Long Weekend
8. Walkabout
9. Puberty Blues
10. Storm Boy

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

• Merrily We Go to Hell
• Dance, Girl, Dance
• La Pointe Courte
• Along the Coast
• Cléo from 5 to 7
• Loving Couples
• Le Bonheur
• Daisies
• The Creatures
• Night Games

...plus 102 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

• Watermelon Man
• Top of the Heap
• Abar, the First Black Superman
• Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song
• Don't Play Us Cheap
• Three the Hard Way
• Petey Wheatstraw
• Super Fly
• Truck Turner
• Coonskin

...plus 9 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

1. Insiang

   World Cinema Project Vol. 2

2. Oh, Sun

   World Cinema Project Vol. 3

3. A Brighter Summer Day

   Standalone Criterion blu-ray

4. The Color of Pomegranates

   Standalone Criterion blu-ray

5. The Housemaid

   World Cinema Project Vol. 1

6. After the Curfew

   World Cinema Project Vol. 3

7. Redes

   World Cinema Project Vol. 1

8. Revenge

   World Cinema Project Vol. 2

9. Touki Bouki

   World Cinema Project Vol. 1

10. Downpour

    World Cinema Project Vol. 3

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

• The House Is Black

  Short Film

• The Bread and Alley

  Short Film

• Downpour
• Recess

  Short Film

• The Experience
• The Traveler
• Two Solutions for One Problem

  Short Film

• So Can I

  Short Film

• A Wedding Suit
• The Colours

  Short Film

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