"We're mortal men. We serve an ideal. We cannot always be ideal."

A bit disappointed. I felt it was rather cheesy and predictable that we ended up being swayed by A Big Speech™, albeit this is exactly the sort of movie where Big Speeches thrive. I think it's because I would've loved to see a more compelling Second Act, but despite the (very potent and attractive) score, I was always emotionally detached from it all. The final plot development—you know the one—salvaged things somewhat but... Idk. Maybe if Isabella Rossellini weren't so underused.

Visually stunning, of course, from the cinematography that did wonderfully in showing the architecture of Rome itself and the production design of the movie, to all the costumes and materials we were shown.

Last but not least, omg Merab Ninidze hiii

"Yeah? You had fun?"

The people are correct—she is a force. Get them recognition girl!!! I've watched a handful of Mikey Madison's interviews and on top of being intelligent and dedicated, she is also truly the sweetest. Everyone else in the cast was great also! Though I especially enjoyed our Road Trip Quartet causing scenes and property damage everywhere they go 💕

Tonally, this felt like three movies in one but in a good way... so I suppose that means it's still one movie? You know what I mean.

I don't really give a shit about the Oscars anymore but I'm glad to have watched this beforehand regardless.

This review may contain spoilers.

"Naming is a difficult and time-consuming process; it concerns essences, and it means power. But on the wild nights who can call you home? Only the one who knows your name." — Jeanette Winterson

Holds up and then some, even after more than two decades. Haku—I mean, Nigihayama Kohakunushi—is literally an angel, and Chihiro is such a darling girl with her clumsy limbs and kind, innocent heart that's far stronger than it first appeared. What I also appreciated about this rewatch was how seamlessly moments of lightness and comedy were weaved into the fabric of the story, in a way that never took you out of the immersive foreign land before you, but instead made it more relatable, more human and believable.

I've never had the chance to see Ghibli on the big screens before, I haven't even touched Spirited Away in years. Couldn't be happier that this is how I get to rewatch it.

"I'm not sad anymore."

the loris: 🥺🥺🥺
me: 🥺🥺🥺
the loris: 🥺🥺🥺
me: 🥺🥺🥺

Gorgeous cinematography, a few compelling moments, and a couple of genuinely, unexpectedly hilarious scenes. The film is mostly vibes with just enough plot and deals with themes of loneliness, regrets, familial conflicts, and that feeling of uncertainty that plagues all of its characters. It also touches on the topic of disability in a way that felt very natural instead of on-the-nose like most things usually are in Vietnamese cinema.

I find myself more drawn to the young couple's story and every time we focused on just Mrs. Nguyen for too long (like in the second half) the film felt interminable, despite only being 93 minutes in runtime. The performances were... fine. Kieu Trinh and Ha Phuong were definitely the highlights, but overall I just can't get over the slow, stilted way most Vietnamese actors recite their lines, an example of which is sadly the leading lady herself, Minh Chau, and her sparkly-dressed companion, Hoang Ha, who was as stiff as a plank in his performance.

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🎬 2023 Movie Challenge (58/78): Released this year
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"Anybody?"

Christ, people who care too much are so sad to watch (<- person who also cares too much).

They're all so dislikeable and not in a good nor compelling way. Paul's sweet, of course. But dull. And, um, it's nice to see lesbians winning, I guess? As you can see I'm struggling to say positive things. And then there's also the poster. What was the thought process here? And does anyone else think she looks freakishly like Drew Barrymore / Kate Hudson here or is that just me?

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🎬 2023 Movie Challenge (57/78): 5th item in your (re)watchlist (shuffled)
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"You shine like new."

It's not just about motherhood, it's also about feeling like you're not doing what you're meant to be doing, about trying and trying but not feeling like you belong, about being alone, and isolated, and tired, so tired, but not enough to stop trying. It's about finding something to live for.

Indeed reminiscent of WALL-E and The Story of the Seagull and the Cat Who Taught Her to Fly, The Wild Robot was far better than the all-style-and-subpar-substance movie that I expected. All the emotional beats landed, albeit a bit on the nose at times (I feel like the story in general would be better if Roz spoke less), but hey it's a kid's movie, and by God did my tears flow. The second half, I think, was where the story really shined—an extended exploration of this universe and its characters in a way that felt natural and thoughtful, instead of some forced conflict to strengthen the runtime. The central trio aren't particularly interesting (and certainly not as endearing as their ing cast), but their journeys are more than compelling enough to make up for it.

Script-wise, it's only okay, but the writers made many a good decisions, such as leaving a lot of questions unanswered (absolutely loved that tantalizing shot the submerged bridge), and not squeezing in that much humor (which at best only got a snort from me).

In of visuals, they were truly cinema-worthy, accentuated by the dynamic camerawork that made me even more bummed that my local cinemas aren't showing this in IMAX. The score and soundtrack are frankly quite bland, but they're in no way a deal-breaker.

One of the weakest aspects of the movie is mostly likely the performances. Not bad, just... mundane? In fact, Lupita's initial robot-voice was by far my biggest gripe with the movie. It felt too stiff, and I believe it'd benefit from some subtle audio distortion. The rest was fine, if not wasted (like Pedro Pascal). When it comes to it I suspect it's bc they didn't have that much to work with. Stephanie Hsu seemed like she had the most fun with it.

All in all, it was definitely more pros than cons. I had a great time, and I loved it even more when I realized we did not see a single speaking human character!

"My whole life was theirs, but my death will be mine."

More serious in tone compared to its predecessor, and even though this was adequately executed, I still prefer the lighter moments, like the B-plot with Mathilde. Another flaw was the sheer quantity of the cast of characters. Aside from a handful of faces, it was not easy keeping track of who's who, let alone their alliances which, as per political dramas, aren't always clearly presented. There are still things to enjoy, like the superb production design, the occasional (?) one-takes, the fairly-consistent quality of the performances, and the fact that the film did not hand-feed us a cheesy HEA. But all in all I think we'd get more from this universe and these characters had this been a limited series bc once again, I am seeing TOO LITTLE Aramis and Portos.

As for d'Artagnan... smh, bro, smh. Constance, you're STILL better off.

"They're not bad kids. Just busy."

Well that was certainly.......... something. To my surprise there were genuinely laugh-out-loud moments, as well as truly depressing ones, but everything else in-between? Baffling and infuriating. I wanted to murder the parents several time. The score really helped me got through it all. ERW might be the wrong person for this role? Or maybe I'm just so deeply uncomfortable by how clearly traumatized and not-socialized-enough-as-a-puppy her character is. But Gina Rodriguez was perfectly cast. Never seen anything by Miranda July before and I'm guessing this is just her style? If so, ok. I won't be there next time bc this is essentially a feel-uncomfortable movie for me but you do you.

"We're all of us ing for something or other."

Came away largely unaffected. Second half let me down, though I wasn't that invested in the first half, either, regardless of Ruth Negga's alluring presence. Perhaps there were too many themes and topics they wanted to explore, so I was often left hanging. That homoerotic aspect though... well done 👌 Same goes for Irene's class-consciousness when it comes to her own household and maid. Other than that, I don't have many more positive notes to give.

That jazz tune.... really took me out, and often.

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🎬 2023 Movie Challenge (56/78): Title has no letter 'e'
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"I grew up there, it's my house. I should care."
"Then why don't you?"

A slow burn. Things didn't really affect me emotionally until the last 40-ish minutes, but I did feel like it was really consistently written, directed, and acted, throughout. Sometimes the "naturally" overlapping conversations irked me more than it was meant to, and there were more montages than I thought I would've preferred. Nevertheless, everything came together quite well, and the central relationships were still very well-built. I felt for each and every one of the sibling—they all had their little moments that made my heart twists just so, like when Danny explained why he'd quit music. As for the family's patriarch, Harold was written with a certain charm and vulnerability that made it very hard to just simply hate and/or resent him. Or perhaps we have Dustin Hoffman's performance to thank for that. Any who, I think that if I rewatch this at a right time, it's very possible that I'll cry. For now, though, just a little ache.

P.S: cannot imagine showing something like that to my entire family, what the hell was even the point of that?

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🎬 2023 Movie Challenge (55/78): A fall movie 🍁 (2)
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Those gorgeous toilets...... what.

Quiet and (mostly) content. The core message is essentially like that of Soul, but presented in a softer and more mature package. I can't quite connect with it emotionally, I was perhaps hoping for a few more pay-offs. But then again, if there had been more pay-offs, it would stop being Perfect Days and start becoming Midnight Diner.

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"I like to think I'm still who I was. Pretend I am."

Adequately-made, albeit rather flimsy. Doesn't ask much of you, and is self-serious enough to successfully land a few tense, genuinely poignant moments towards the end. So overall a great pick for a chill movie night, which is exactly what I did.

Cumberbatch delivers a worthy lead performance, as per the norm, but Merab Ninidze is my personal highlight in this lowkey, softcore spy thriller. He has that much-needed presence and gravitas to play someone like Penkovsky, and I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of his screen time.

As for the other MI6/CIA characters, they're essentially useless, merely serving as a perfunctory stepping stone and not much else. There was, however, this one scene where Brosnahan's character was making a dig about the British Intelligence services, which I felt could've added a really tasteful layer of politics to the story, but alas, no.

Last but not least, Jessie Buckley hiiiiiii girllllllll it's so nice to see you why can't you be in more movies that are in my lane.

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🎬 2023 Movie Challenge (53/78): Centers around a historical event
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This review may contain spoilers.

"How will I laugh?"

My girl Menowarawa guarding her mistress with a spear and then later leading the children's choir 😭😭😭

Beautiful, gentle, melancholic, with great (Japanese) voice-acting and an amazing score, but I can't say I love it. Kaguya's behavior was needlessly strange and illogical at times, and her theatrical laughs and cries always took me out of the story. Her parent's behaviors were strange too, especially her father who doesn't seem to realize how much he's actively making her depressed? (Stark contrast to the original folktale, from what I've read.) I loved her mother a lot more, but then she also seem blasé abt her daughter's increasing unhappiness. Even Sutemaru was ready to abandon his wife and child at the drop of a hat... Homeboy, what. But of course all that pales in comparison to that douche bag emperor grabbing Kaguya from behind.

The story itself is very compelling, with a tender but ardent love of mortal human life. Personally I'd want to trim the runtime a bit—most likely during the first 20 minutes—but I totally get wanting to get lost in these lovely artworks so much you just want it to go on forever and ever.

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🎬 2023 Movie Challenge (52/78): Letterboxd's Top 250 Narrative Features
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said snack shack didnt even open until like an hour in.

really disappointing. was excited to have an original, stand-alone movie with unknown leads for once, and the trailer did look fairly good, but this turned out to be so.... artificial? (i did not, even for a single second, believe this was 1991.) didnt even enjoy the central friendship, they're physically natural with each other but there was no real chemistry, tho i did get a bit more from LaBelle than Sherry. took me a while to recognize Nick Robinson! his was the only vibe i liked out of all of these people so. um. yeah.

none of the emotional beat landed for me, even when That happened i was like "what? what's this? what's this even about? WHAT??"

"shit pig" is a terrible, terrible nickname.

"We get our ending."

Was it a good time? Sure.
Is the MCU back? Hell, no.

Reynolds still retains enough of his Deadpool charm, no matter how increasingly dull I find him irl. Hugh Jackman is the key figure here. His presence and genuine, deep love for the character of Wolverine gave the film a certain dignity that I do actually respect. In of the movie itself as a whole, it does get better after that hackneyed first act. And sometimes—usually when the folks in my cinema were reacting positively to whatever was on-screen, or when That after-credit played—it was truly fun enough that I was able to completely forget the political and social shithole that we're collectively stuck in, and just feel the simple, precious joy of watching an entertaining movie. Except, the moments can't last. Not with what the corporate, decision-making people behind this movie are getting up to. I wish I could just simply enjoy things, without any caveats, any internal conflict, but I can't. It's too late to go back now, but maybe we can still make it through.

"Very much like using a hog to find truffles."

It didn't occur to me, until two thirds of the movie had ed, that all my familiarity with the scenes and lines weren't because of my history with Sherlock, but because (I'm fairly sure) I've actually watched this before 🤦🏻‍♀️ Doesn't really affect the watch, per se, but I am a bit peeved by apparently having forgotten watching this.

Anyway. Not my favorite depiction of Holmes, and my feelings for this Watson, at best, rarely exceed the amusement he was designed for. Nonetheless it was an enjoyable time and I had several chuckles throughout thanks to the witty script. But I must disagree with Mark Gatiss—Holmes and Watson's relationship here is far from the angsty gay yearning he seems to think it is, specially in the second half of the film where Watson is effectively useless.

"I'll be waiting."

Started really strong but kinda went downhill from there? The fight with O-Ren, for example, was really disappointing. Some truly disgusting plot details which ittedly isn't at all surprising coming from a Tarantino. O-Ren and Sofie's relationship is interesting to me but it's a pity there was virtually none of it. Uma Thurman amazing. And if you came for Lucy Liu I'd personally steer you to Charlie's Angels instead.

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🎬 2023 Movie Challenge (51/78): 9th item on your watchlist (shuffled)
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"Just this little space in between."

Some good lines. Good chemistry, I just didn't like (Jesse) or care (Celine) about them. They'd better pay that guy back. That poem was lovely. I, too, wanted to see the cow play. I even suspect it'd be a better time than this one. End of review.

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"I could smell that honeysuckle again."

An excellent thriller noir. The graceful script established the characters of the two leads right away—he's a horny asshole and she knows a pawn when she sees one. They're gonna try and fuck the other up one way or another, that much was clear, you just don't know exactly how, and the pair is competent enough in their treachery that it's interesting simply to watch them do their thing. Fantastic performances from all of the main trio; great chemistry between MacMurray and Stanwych, and it's undeniable that this film wouldn't be the same without Robinson and his little man. The Hays Code is clearly visible throughout, but it did not tamper with my enjoyment one bit, and neither did the typically weird face-smashing kisses because let's be real, this ain't no romance and we're all just playing along.

Stunning cinematography. So happy it wasn't all a waste like, say, The Apartment.

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🎬 2023 Movie Challenge (49/78): Nominated for 4+ Oscars but didn't win any
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"It's so late in life."

That was nice! Made me laugh out loud quite a few times, with some resonating moments about that terrible, terrible feeling of falling behind in life, and being overwhelmed just by thinking of all the stuff you're supposed to be doing—the stuff you're supposed to have done already. Formulaic, maybe, but it seems well-intentioned.

Sonoya Mizuno was so great. Dakota Johnson was a bit too laid-back with her performance for my liking, but she fits the role really well and it helped—except for when she wears a beanie. That first one looked aggressively weird and stuck out like a sore thumb. Real chemistry between the female leads, but again, I got most of it from Sonoya. Jermaine Fowler felt rather out of place, and the way his story line ended was one of the story's weaker points. I blame the execution, mind, not the idea. The idea was good. Ben was sweet, though. His very last scene was genuinely heartfelt in its simplicity.

Wasn't planning on watching this due to the bad poster, but I'm glad I changed my mind.

Anyway, happy fake 1000th LB movies to me!

This review may contain spoilers.

WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT WHILE DRIVING A CHILD. WHY WOULD YOU DRIVE A CHILD IN THAT WEATHER IN THE FIRST PLACE. EVEN IN GOOD WEATHER SHE WAS DRIVING LIKE A MANIAC, AND ON MOUNTAIN ROADS NO LESS??? AND THEN SHE LEAVES THE CHILDREN IN HER CARE ALONE. THAT'S CHILD ENDANGERMENT LISA. I HATE WHEN CARTOON LOGIC JUST STRAIGHT UP CAREENS INTO INSANITY.

Sadly another miss from Ghibli—these movies really are a coin toss for me.

The only parts I liked were Sosuke's family communicating to each other with the signal lights (incredibly sweet), and I really enjoyed Fujimoto as a character as well. Guy was hilarious. The same unfortunately can't be said about Ponyo herself, I don't find her endearing like Sosuke, just really overwhelming and a little scary with her manic grins. And loud. Partly due to her voice actress, I think. Also if some strange girl I've just met suddenly smashed her face into that of my crying infant child I'd be super freaked out???

As for the animation, the wave spirits/fish were actually really creepy to look at??? The dark colors make them look like slime. Even when Ponyo's sisters surrounded her bubble to help her out it was a bit unsettling to look at. I kept thinking of worms and leeches and other unpleasant bugs.

Might even lower this to 1.5 given the amount of discomfort it gave me. Sorry.

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🎬 2023 Movie Challenge (48/78): A summer movie ☀️
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"This is like the worst rave."

Pretty proud of myself for noticing the sidewalk getting worse and worse throughout Season 12. And pretty ashamed for not realizing HJB voices not only Bob but alo Jimmy Jr. AND Ms. Labonz.

This was DARK. They literally all need therapy after this, Louise especially. I'm surprised Tina actually let her do The Thing. Gene was sidelined so much. Plot-wise it was fairly color-by-number. I was spoiled abt the emotional climax scene (the family inside the car) but I still teared up a lil! That being said, there are plenty of episodes in the series that are better than this one, so I can't say I'm very satisfied. The last extra half star is out of sheer fidelity.

Last but not least: did not care for the changes in the animation. Too uncanny. Linda dancing during the first number was really creepy.

"I sense I'm being taken."

Too long. Very messy story-wise but sometimes manages to hide it. I enjoyed Michelle Williams' performance at first, then it became way too one-note and at times her Strained Voice™ was frankly annoying. Christopher Plummer was great. Gail's lawyer was cool, I'd want him on my team. Flat ending.

"I'm starting to think that we may grow apart."

Richard Ayoade gets it! Great direction paired with a great cast and a great script whose snappy wit made me laugh out loud multiple times. Very naturally charming with just the right dash of melancholy.

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This review may contain spoilers.

"game changers" "which one's which?" "he was talking about this girl and so i thought about her too" "what makes you think i want someone to be in love with me?" [patrick pulls art's chair closer to his own] "honestly im proud of you id be doing the same thing" "are the two of us still playing for your number? i thought i won" "you always think you've won before the match is over" "are we talking about tennis?" "we're always talking about tennis" "can we not?" "what do you think you need from me?" "you're not a member of my fan club?" "i'm your peer i'm not your fucking groupie" "i think you'd beat him now if you guys played" "who wouldn't be?" "i'm afraid if i try you'll think I'm the worst friend in the world" "to who?" "it's gonna make you angry" "then how come you hate him?" "he's ready to be dead. and you're starting to realize you might not want to be buried with him 'cause who is he to you if he's not playing tennis?" "it'll break him, you know it will" "it won't make you" "that's not what i was for" "what were you for?" "we both know you have considerably more at stake here than i do" "do i?" "i'm just stopping by, man. this is where you live" "i don't matter?" "tell me it doesn't matter" "what am i, jesus?" "yeah" "how are you gonna look at me if i still can't beat patrick zweig?" "just like this" "it's probably gonna make you angry" "you don't need my permission" "does that help you?" "he needs this?" "but this? this is unforgivable" "i'm taking such good care of my little white boys" "are you sure this is what you want?" "what else could i want?"

but really. it's actually:

"for about 15 seconds there, we were actually playing tennis, and we understood each other completely. so did everyone watching. it was like we were in love. or like we didn't exist. we went somewhere really beautiful together."

and

"but what do you want?" "i want to watch some good fucking tennis"

and maybe

"what? you think i was going to, like, kill myself after the injury?"

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they both love her, sometimes in the way she wants, sometimes in the way she needs, probably never both at the same time

start off really toxic but by the end they have a good shot of actually being in a healthy poly relationship. tho i don't think it'd get them off as much, but who's to say.

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mike faist is distractingly, heartbreakingly beatutiful.

"You might wanna close your eyes."

With such a runtime the story should've been much, much tighter. Time-skips were rather overused, but I must it the thing that irked me the most whenever a title card shows up was them using a different font for the numbers.

Watches, at times, like The Dark Knight, with its seemingly-escalating stakes and conflicts. I suspect this is down to the score, and hopefully its not sacrilegious to say Hemsworth's Dementus gave me a few Joker-esque moments. Anya Taylor-Joy was a better Furiosa than I expected, and praises must be sung for Alyla Browne, whose young age caused me to be on edge the entire time, fearing some sort of assault. Chris Hemsworth had some acutely funny moments—I wonder if that's why I didn't really take him seriously as a villain. His relationship was Furiosa was a bit too flat for my liking, thus making the revenge aspect of the story ineffective for me.

All in all not too shabby an experience, the action was stellar and I loveeeeee when characters are visibly competent. There's something so very earnest about the movie, too, which is always a plus in my book.

"You're always looking for love, and I'm here!"

Both are unlikable, and maybe that could've stilled worked if their *refuses to use a hot new meme* unlikableness could match or at least compliment one another, but they don't.

I started skimming about 30min in bc I honestly don't give a crap. Nothing about this was interesting or charming or funny to me, though it wasn't as aggressively maddening as, IDK, Upgrade, either.

Ben and Alice, Paul and Marissa, Dave and Julia, Lily and Jordan........ this movie's name game is so weak..... like I legit felt like sinking into a coma listening to all these names, probably bc of the fact that they're mostly plot-fillers. It's like the writers went on a some lame name-generator and just called it a day. I don't want something like fucking Krystl or Jasmynne but damn find an in-between.

Maya looked really good though. I've only seen her in Mr. & Mrs. Smith and this but damn she got some amazing styling in both.

This review may contain spoilers.

"It wouldn't matter."
"Yes, it would."
"No."

1. None of this is real, we're inside Karen's head as she tries to convince herself not to commit suicide. She eventually succeeds by realizing the guilt and terror of having killed herself, in all ways but physical, "eight times" before, and by making peace with being "okay" instead of "great".

2. Emma Thompson gives what has got to be one of my favorite performances from her ever, and Dustin Hoffman was my second favorite of the cast. Queen Latifah was much appreciated, albeit underused. Will Ferrell as Harold, however, inspires not much sympathy nor fondness, his blandness as a character and the formulaic romance is one of the weakest aspects of this otherwise original, meta story.

3. Somebody should write an essay about the sets and, indeed, all the production design of this film, about how they're all just this side of stilted and off, and how effectively they add to the magical surrealism of it all. Of course, chances are, somebody already has.

4. "Death and Taxes" is a shit title, and all of the excerpts we got to hear from it were supremely quotidian, if not outright trite at times. In no way do I see it piecing into "the most amazing piece of English literature in several years" like Hilbert had suggested. But oh, well.

TL;DR: loved the concept, loved Thompson and Hoffman, wrong leading man, uninteresting romance, needs better fake-novels. Was that too curt? I'm sorry I don't have a lot of spare words lately, I'm writing something on the side. I enjoyed this a lot, I just wished it'd made me cry.

"He seems to know how to find the good ones."

AMAZING decision to see this again but in big screens. The dream sequences played out beautifully and the first scenery of life on land seen through Luca's eyes were simply gorgeous, with a tender for Being Alive akin to that of the Ghibli movies themselves.

I still don't like Alberto very much, but I blame it mostly on his design more than anything else lmao. Picturing Jack Dylan Grazer's face helped. Giulia was really adorable—she didn't leave much of an impression on me first time 'round but I'm quite fond of her after this. Loooooooved Massimo, so much. Ugo legit creeped me out but was also unbearably funny (thank you, Sacha Baron Cohen!!) so that was great.

Just a lovely, lovely trip time at the cinemas all around.

P.S: Can Luca even read?? I'm worried for him, like, academically.

"No, thank you."

Watches slower than I , but still very charming, funny, and delightfully capricious. Didn't even bother to keep up with all the stuff that's happening, was just there for the vibes. Tim Curry has such a great, endlessly fascinating face.

"I'm impossible to forget, but I'm hard to ."

Hashtag there's a good movie in here somewhere.

Paused like 200 times while watching this, not bc it was shit but bc my focus was shot to hell tonight. Still, pretty certain that this watched a little messy. Far better than my expectations, however, mainly because it was as much about grief as it was about the romance. The love that the townspeople had for Mitch was really sweet, which helped built and maintain the emotional core of the story. As for the romance—yeah she's (one of) the OG manic pixie dream girl alright, but it wasn't TOO bad, all in all. Neither of the leads was as obnoxious as they could've been, and there was genuine chemistry between them! So it's truly unfortunate how hard the last 25min dropped the ball. Great scrap-booking skills girl but what.

Susan Sarandon was awesome.

"She misspelled 'courage'."

Really enjoyed this and I'm surprised there's not more love for it? Shouldn't describe a literal gay conversion camp as cozy but damn, that's what it looks like.

The Miseducation of Cameron Post is a simple story that's quite well-executed, thanks to its calm and capable direction and script, as well as a collection of very believable young performances. The writing of Cameron's interior life leaves something to be desired, but the way the story was framed, plus the genuine tenderness and vulnerability with which Moretz handled her role, will help you look past that. Many great moments of dry comedy here, and the mood still manages to gracefully shift towards the darker, heavier final act. Jennifer Ehle was a great casting choice, and I'm glad the writers thought better than to reduce her to a "Disney villain". Forrest Goodluck lowkey stole the show ("Oh my God, did you guys come here to save me?" => legit laugh-out-loud moment), and the understated chemistry between the main trio is not one to be taken for granted.

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"You can never have enough of what you want."

No one told me this was so Catholicism-heavy.

This and The Talented Mr. Ripley and [REDACTED] make up a complete diagram but I can't figure out what the diagram is about.

All these people are quite unlikable and also uninteresting. Ben Wishaw's Sebastian is by far the most sympathetic character of the story, and the less screen time he has the less invested I am in the whole affair, especially when the "forbidden love" aspect turned out to be a literal (heterosexual) affair. As if I wasn't annoyed by the bland love triangle already. Thanks for the great Oxford vibes?

"As written."

Live-action adaptation of the Bible of a future religion.

I wonder how many of the cast were obnoxiously method during filming. *COUGH* Austin Butler? *COUGH*. Denis Villeneuve might legit have a God complex after this (if he doesn't already).

There's a creeping—but very persistent—feeling of powerlessness and hopelessness as I watch this epic saga unravel on the big screen. I'm not familiar with the source material, but from what I've seen of these two installments, their slow-burning central message seems to be thoroughly tragic. Is Fate greater than Free Will? Is all power destined to be plagued by corruption and darkness? As powerful as certain figures of the story may appear, they also seem acutely powerless (or deeply immoral) in the grand scheme of things. There's not much to root for, it seems. Not much to hope for. You're on the sidelines watching something terrible unfold. Like a slow-motion car crash. It's not a pleasant feeling. I left the cinema pondering about anarchism. And Lord of the Rings.

Good to great performances, however the narrative itself is so grand and audacious that it sort of, not unlike a sandworm, consumes everything else, even the extremely competent technical aspects. I feel like a lot of people will be into that (this is probably what it felt like when The Empire Strikes Back was released), but for reasons I can't quite articulate, I am not. It's visually more engaging than Part One, about that I'm fairly certain, at least.

"I don't know why it is that I find it so very difficult just being here on this earth, but... I can say with absolute certainty that you have made it much, much better."

At its best, The Electrical Life of Louis Wain is near-bursting with warmth, love, and comion. Fully committed in its pursuit of capturing the strange, frantic, and vivid mind of its protagonist, the film is a visual marvel that tells its story with almost unbearable earnestness. Even in its bleakest moments, when Louis is propelled forward by nothing but grief and hardship, the film's innate tenderness, paired with Arthur Sharpe's deeply poignant and wistful score, helps alleviate the heartache. You may very well cry, but you'll never quite feel like you're all alone.

Now for the bad stuff. The story soon falls apart after You-Know-What, with much of the third act being excessively tragic to the point of monotony. The time skips causes further emotional detachment, and thus I feel like the runtime would benefit from further trimming.

See also: Vinvent Van Gogh, Little Women (2019) (especially during the chaotic family scenes), and Up.

.

🎬 2023 Movie Challenge (45/78): "The ______ of _______"
⏪ Prev: Favorite poster in your rewatchlist
⏩ Next: LGBTQIA+ protagonist

"Yes, girlie!"

Every time Snow White sings or laugh all the glass around me shatters.

Jokes aside though... this was actually pretty good! And ngl the third act got to me a little!! It's the way the last thing Snow White had been doing before being poisoned was making a pie especially for Grumpy, bc she wanted him to like her, so much so that she'd prayed for it. It's the way the dwarfs chased after the Queen in fury, without any hesitation, despite having been shown as not brave at all when faced w the possibility of an intruder in their house. It's the way the color palette of the vultures matched perfectly with the old hag, making us think they were on her side, only to see their sinister smiles as she falls to her death (I didn't even this was how she died!). They weren't her evil entourage so much as they were actually Death itself. And it's the way the glass coffin had Snow White's name engraved on it, the same way the dwarfs' names were engraved on their beds. Imagine them making it for her, most likely in tears...... Idk bro. I think it all makes for a great fairy tale. Even the token presence of this lame-ass prince wasn't a deal-breaker for me.

Doesn't mean the second act wasn't wayyyyyy too long though.

"This is why we march."

If Crazy Rich Asians weren't—excuse my French—dogshit. There's even a mahjong-like (read: dominoes) scene and a cover of a well known pop classic playing over the credits.

Can't help but feel like the story is pulling its punches. Not just because it had all the elements to create a genuinely compelling drama (especially with the conflict between the parents) yet sadly didn't go there, but also bc it's rather tame with what it does explore. Or maybe Adan is just soooooo lame that his blandness sort of bleeds into everything else. Still, by romcoms standards, this is still one of the good ones (shout out to that one-take in the third act), albeit overlong (and with too little Isabela Merced).

p.s: Anyone notice the strange way Adria Adjorna talks? The way her mouth moves, like she's trying not to open her mouth too wide or something... It's much less noticeable here but it was really distracting in both Irma Vep and Andor.

"Flowers, chocolates, promises you don't intend to keep..."

Wow this was really melodramatic. Has it always been this melodramatic? Belle is definitely not my favorite Disney princess, mostly because I really don't appreciate people going through my stuff. Beast was literally 11 years old when he was cursed btw, talk about a drastic enchantress. The background art is incredible. The foreground art.... not so much—I'm more of a Sleeping Beauty kinda gal. The central love story is deep and symbolic and all that jazz, but since I cared very little for the main couple, I was actually more emotionally affected by the mob scene in the third act. To have seen this as a child really was Baby's First Lesson on Xenophobia.

The additional number, "Human Again", is nice, but I'm not mad that it was originally cut either. That being said, the castle staff was definitely one of the best parts about this movie for me.

Belle specifically, explicitly said she wanted a life of "adventure". Are we sure she got what she wanted in the end? Because I feel like it'd be much more of an adventure living in an enchanted castle than an unenchanted one........

.

🎬 2023 Movie Challenge (44/78): Favorite poster in your rewatchlist
⏪ Prev: Title includes "love" but is not a romance
⏩ Next: "The ______ of _______"

"We were together, so... it didn't matter."

Sadly very disappointing. An even more emotionally detached watch than Aftersun which, in comparison, is a much more cohesive and moving story. Still better than Columbus, thank god. Scott and Mescal are both great actors, but they did not have any chemistry. The heart of the movie lies with Adam's parents, and maybe this would've turned out differently, maybe this would've turned out better, had the story explored that aspect more. Quite gorgeous cinematography and production, but other than that (and Claire Foy) there's not much I can enjoy here. Yet another addition to my "cannot" list.

"I have given my all in life, there is very little for death to take back."

Lavish, immersive, and with a great (and beautiful 😌😌😌) cast. A posh popcorn flick that's, yes, not without its faults, but what the film lacks in characterizations and story—and Athos. and Porthos. and Aramis—it makes up for in atmosphere and, most importantly, lack of self-awareness. It feels like it's been ages since I was able to watch a recent release with this type of story that wasn't trying to shock me with its plot-twists or subversion of tropes, or to wink at me with its politically-relevant remarks or meta commentaries. You understand. Cheesy stuff can be good, too. This specific film wasn't cheesy, per se, but it is pleasantly trope-y, which is exactly what I came for.

"Well, let me finish, Dimitri."

Rather conflicted abt this. Certain scenes, like the phone calls, were amazing, but most of the rest was really putting me to sleep, despite the fact that I knew it was a slow-burn, and a short one at that. The direction is sure and steady, the acting superb (Peter Sellers, sir, you will forever be famous), but overall this wasn't a particularly memorable or exciting experience. Just pleasant. I initially gave this 4 stars but it was probably more out of shock (and joy) that my wet-behind-the-ears 20yo self had got a critically acclaimed political satire, rather than actual enjoyment. Even now, the final .5 star is mostly out of respect.

.

🎬 2023 Movie Challenge (43/78): Title includes "love" but is not a romance
⏪ Prev: A spring movie 🌿 (2)
⏩ Next: Favorite poster in your rewatchlist

Makes me wish I was watching The Devil Wears Prada or Set It Up or My Cousin Vinny (for Marisa) instead. Camila Mendes and Archie Renaux are both very attractive people who sadly have no chemistry whatsoever, with the former also being a miscast. ANYWAY. I don't really have to explain why it's bad, right? Ok cool.

Hi drunk, gay Anthony Head 👋👋

"Now, look here, Dennis. We all have strong opinions on the theater..."

High-budget, star-studded, direct-to-video Disney Channel Original Movie. An adequate whodunnit, but there's nothing unique, bold, or even interesting about the affair. They try to be quirky and stylish (the amount of split-screens, good God...) but nothing lands. In fact, it's actually a bit annoying how incredibly flat this was. I guess these people were just friends who were bored??

very obviously a korean version of Love, Actually / New Year's Eve, and just as bad. the psyche of some of these people............. imcant. han ji min doing That Hissing Thing will forever haunt me. cho jun young was cute but only sometimes. that flashback scene of the middle-aged couple was truly potent comedy, though sadly i cant even tell if it was meant to be funny or not. i know for a fact that mainstream korean cinema is better than this but damn

"Excuse me, sir. I don't know your signal."

Yeah it's super corny. But Julie Andrews' charm and the great soundtrack will help you get over the fact that life with 8 children—whose generic characterizations are essentially interchangeable, btw—is nowhere near as pleasant as this movie made it. Beautifully shot, though. When Maria and the Captain were in the gazebo........ that's romance. Will I be rewatching this any time soon? Absolutely not. Like the line up of the von Trapp children, it's just too long.

.

🎬 2023 Movie Challenge (42/78): A spring movie 🌿 (2)
⏪ Prev: Protagonist with an unusual profession
⏩ Next: Title includes "love" but is not a romance

"It's our voices, that's true. But that's not who we are."

Finally some good food.

Great performances across the board. The story and script is tight, the dialogues are excellent, especially the fight. I'm glad they didn't try to fuck us the way these movies tend to do. Unfortunately, I wasn't very emotionally invested—I cared, yes, but I wasn't moved. And the shifting POV of the camerawork definitely distracted and confused me quite a bit. Still, this is leagues better than certain, unnamed Best Picture nominees. (Barbie. I'm mostly talking about Barbie.)

"Do you kill yourself after fighting for time and self-esteem? Do you kill yourself after pleading so fiercely and energetically for balance and justice in your relationship?"

Um. Yes? What's not clicking.

"I am not benevolent. I like the sea."

Objectively really good, but I find myself very emotionally detached from the whole thing. One of those "them film majors are gonna have a field day but I ain't one of 'em" movies, y'know?

Very reminiscent of Vertigo, but in a good way (I hate Vertigo). The neo-noir atmosphere is exquisite, and the stylized, often-dizzying camerawork was used expertly. Amazing direction and editing—the latter probably my favorite aspect of the movie, in fact. The score is... odd. At times, it reminded me of Isle of Dogs which is, yes, completely irrelevant. Certain scenes felt extremely comedic but also in a good way. The story itself is an intelligent, gripping one, made even more solid by the strong performances of Park and Tang. All in all, like I said, it's good. Great, even. Just not my thing.

i rarely watch trailers since they mostly suck now but sometimes they get it right (or at the very least actually makes me want to watch the movie), sometimes they're even better than the movies themselves...

(specific links are in the notes)

NOT ON LETTERBOXD

— The Crown: www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hJ5CwsphdQ
— Ripley: www.youtube.com/watch?v=UE0byWSKp0E

• Mountainhead

  www.youtube.com/watch?v=27cN2_k0JF0

• Mickey 17

  www.youtube.com/watch?v=osYpGSz_0i4

• The Wild Robot

  www.youtube.com/watch?v=67vbA5ZJdKQ

• The Brutalist

  www.youtube.com/watch?v=6d7yU379Ur0

• Conclave

  www.youtube.com/watch?v=JX9jasdi3ic

• Anora

  www.youtube.com/watch?v=rN6SW5HUNEw
  www.youtube.com/watch?v=8m6UrWMl18M

• A Real Pain

  www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYPJIOF0ys4

• Napoleon

  www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAZWXUkrjPc

• Foe

  www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAh-xgggcfI

• Society of the Snow

  www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDak4qLyF4Q

...plus 79 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

aka the perfunctory "a film for every year I've been alive" list

less about the rating it got, more about the impact it left

(see Notes for Honorable Mentions)

1. Hercules

   RocketMan

2. The Parent Trap

   Mulan

3. The Matrix

   The Talented Mr. Ripley

4. The Emperor's New Groove

   Billy Elliot, Memento

5. Spirited Away
6. Lilo & Stitch

   Chicago

7. Freaky Friday

   Memories of Murder

8. Mean Girls

   The Incredibles

9. Batman Begins
10. The Devil Wears Prada

    Last Holiday, The Prestige, Dreamgirls

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

this list was created solely because of MAEATDG but has since evolved to include:

– unexpected cameos / appearances of well-known(-ish?) actors
– cameos / appearances of actors that I know (think Ashley Tisdale in Donnie Darko, Joe Lo Truglio in Pitch Perfect, or Natalia Dyer in Hannah Montana: The Movie), bc im that annoying IMDB friend who keeps track of these things for fun

note: I will only tag the cameos as spoilers if their roles in the movie are significant enough

1. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl

   Hugh Jackman as the Wolverine poster in Rachel's room

2. Ralph Breaks the Internet

   > Colleen Ballinger/Miranda Sings as Random Avatar That Got Crushed By The Ad Ralph Threw
   > STAN LEE (!!! RIP) as Random Avatar Ralph & Venellope Bumped Into

3. The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement

   Stan Lee as Three Stooges Wedding Guest

4. Thor: Ragnarok

   > Matt Damon as Loki's actor
   > Sam Neil as Odin's actor

5. High School Musical 2

   Miley Cyrus as.... idk, random dancing girl? you know the one

6. Date Night

   > Gal Gadot as Natanya/Random Foreigner Hottie
   > John Bernthal as Phil's client / Spain kiteboarding guy

7. The Big Lebowski

   Mark Pellegrino (Supernatural's Lucifer) as Blond Treehorn Thug
   (and David Thewlis as Knox Harrington)

8. Avengers: Endgame

   Joe Russo as Man in Group / MCU's first ever openly gay character

9. Zombieland

   Bill Murray as Himself

10. Rachel Getting Married

    Sebastian Stan as Walter / Random Junkie

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

• The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
• Captain America: The Winter Soldier
• Everything Everywhere All at Once
• Suicide Squad
• The Grand Budapest Hotel
• Avengers: Endgame
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
• The Assistant
• The Apartment

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

therapists, counselors, psychiatrists, etc. in movies, semi-ranked by how much i want to be their client. and by semi-ranked i mean just push my fav ones to the top and call it a day.

(wip)

1. Tag
2. Good Will Hunting
3. Burnt
4. Silver Linings Playbook
5. 28 Days
6. Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure
7. Sound of Metal
8. It's Kind of a Funny Story
9. Love, Simon
10. No Reservations

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

aka you know whats sexy? competence

movies with my favorite scenes of pros being pros (and their plans going smoothly)

(wip)

• The Martian
• The Social Network
• Ferris Bueller's Day Off
• Ocean's Eleven
• Ocean's Twelve
• Ocean's Eight
• Ford v Ferrari
• Toy Story 2
• Parasite
• A Simple Favor

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

for inventory purposes

(wip)

1. Am I OK?
2. Submarine
3. Challengers
4. Stranger Than Fiction
5. Luca
6. Clue
7. The Miseducation of Cameron Post
8. The Electrical Life of Louis Wain
9. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
10. Father of the Bride

...plus 398 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

(this is half a list of small but delightful pay-offs and half me cracking jokes to amuse myself :'D)

• Tenet

  chekhov's 6'3'' elizabeth debicki

• Pitch Perfect

  chekhov's vomit

• The Suicide Squad

  chekhov's javelin

• Kung Fu Panda

  chekhov's goose feather
  chekhov's secret ingredient noodle soup

• Freaky Friday

  chekhov's ducati

• Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted

  chekhov's conditioner

• Life As We Know It

  chekhov's obstetrician

• High School Musical

  chekhov's creme brulee

• High School Musical 2

  chekhov's new lifeguard with first-aid training
  chekhov's italian shoes
  chekhov's vocal exercises
  chekhov's golf course sprinklers

• Skyfall

  chekhov's komodo dragon
  chekhov's ceramic bulldog

...plus 71 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

- I read the plot
- I had someone tell me everything
- I saw clips on youtube or important scenes on TV
- I got spoiled about a major plot point
- etc.

whatever it was, there's no way to tell how I'd truly react to them now

(movies without Notes are ones I read the plot myself)

• Annihilation
• The Shining
• Eyes Wide Shut
• Midsommar
• Hereditary
• A Clockwork Orange
• Se7en
• Y Tu Mamá También
• Malena

  read the plot + saw clips

• Get Out

...plus 171 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

because i cant anything, because it might be a nice trip down memory lane, because there's this scene i really miss, because i really hate it but can't recall why, because i really hate it but maybe i was too harsh, because i didn't like it so much but would love to, because i like it yet haven't reviewed it and im obsessed w completion, etc.

or just because

(numbered so i can randomize them if i want)

1. Amadeus
2. Mary Poppins
3. The Book Thief
4. I Am Sam
5. Heat
6. Heathers
7. Captain Fantastic
8. Kingsman: The Secret Service
9. Chef
10. The Hundred-Foot Journey

...plus 31 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

girl in pink or red

(wip)

TVTropes you almost put me out of a job so thanks for that

• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

  hermione and harry

• Ocean's Eight

  met gala seating chart

• Clueless

  cher and josh on the staircase

• Barbie as Rapunzel

  barbie and stefan

• The Brave Little Toaster
• Beauty and the Beast

  belle and beast

• Tangled

  rapunzel and flynn

• Turning Red

  mei and tyler

• Trolls

  poppy and branch

• The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl

  sharkboy and lavagirl

...plus 46 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

somebody's missing, somebody's here but they're unconscious, somebody should be here but they're not, somebody who's not here but their presence dominates the narrative, somebody's gone and we try to find them, somebody's gone and now we deal with the aftermath, somebody's dead and now we grieve, etc.

or, you know, something

• Gone Girl
• When a Wolf Falls in Love with a Sheep
• Searching
• Prisoners
• Rebecca
• The Big Sick
• Enola Holmes
• The Darjeeling Limited
• Captain Fantastic
• This Is Where I Leave You

...plus 68 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

movies that made me cry, some of which I'm not particularly proud of (at all) but there's no point in denying my status as a Sensitive Bitch now

• Partly Cloudy
• About Time
• Lilo & Stitch
• Interstellar
• Billy Elliot
• Tully
• Saving Mr. Banks
• The King's Speech
• Dunkirk
• This Is Where I Leave You

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

yes i count pools and other man-made ones

• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
• High School Musical 2
• Girls
• Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
• Little Women
• Spencer
• No Time to Die
• Casino Royale
• Dunkirk
• X-Men: The Last Stand

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

maybe it's just for that one (01) scene but...!!!

sometimes i leave movies out on purpose bc i hated them and couldnt be bothered

• Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
• Blade Runner 2049
• Inception
• WALL·E
• Dunkirk
• Life of Pi
• Interstellar
• Bohemian Rhapsody
• Incredibles 2
• Arrival

...plus 78 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

UP MY TOTAL TO 1000 MOVIES* BY THE END OF 2023** LET'S GOOOOOOOOO

⚠️ GROUND RULES

— watch in the correct order
— (preferably) maximum 3 unrelated movies in-between

📌 THE PROMPTS

1. Title includes a punctuation mark ✅
2. Starts with a death ✅
3. Favorite poster in your watchlist ✅
4. A sleeper hit ✅
5. A movie you haven't watched but if sb mentions it you'll be impressed ✅
6. A movie about movies ✅
7. A spring movie 🌿 ✅
8. Title includes a location ✅
9. One-word title ✅
10. A movie in the Criterion Collection ✅
11. A multilingual movie (min. 3 languages) ✅
12. Chosen by someone else for you ✅
13. Shorter than 90min ✅
14. Title includes a number ✅
15. Filmed in one location ✅
16. Title with at least 6 words ✅
17. Won an Oscar for Best Performance ✅
18. Included in the consensus of a Letterboxd Showdown (min. 130 participants) ✅
19. A directorial debut ✅
20. Takes place in Asia ✅
21. Prominent cross-sex friendship ✅
22. Won a BAFTA ✅
23. Won a Golden Globe ✅
24. A summer movie ☀️ ✅
25. Takes place in Europe (not England) ✅
26. The original of an remake ✅
27. Adapted into a play/musical ✅
28. Centers around an object ✅
29. Has very few characters ✅
30. Adapted from a play/musical ✅
31. Budget lower than $1m ✅
32. Poster includes a flammable object ✅
33. Actors playing their real-life relationship (siblings as siblings, spouses as spouses, etc.) ✅
34. A fall movie 🍁 ✅
35. A B&W movie made after 1970 ✅
36. One actor, multiple co-existing roles ✅
37. Based on an unconventional source material ✅
38. Based on mythology ✅
39. Features New Year's Eve 🎉 ✅
40.. Has multiple plots / An anthology ✅
41. Protagonist with an unusual profession ✅
42. A spring movie 🌿 (2) ✅
43. Title includes "love" but is not a romance ✅
44. Favorite poster in your rewatchlist ✅
45. "The ______ of _______" ✅
46. LGBTQIA+ protagonist ✅
47. Indie with an unknown lead actor ✅
48. A summer movie ☀️ (2) ✅
49. Nominated for 4+ Oscars but didn't win any ✅
50. Takes place within a day ✅
51. 9th item on your watchlist (shuffled) ✅
52. Letterboxd's Top 250 Narrative Features ✅
53. Centers around a historical event ✅
54. Has a gimmick / an unusual visual trait (1:1 aspect ratio, single-shot, 1st-person POV, etc.) ✅
55. A fall movie 🍁 (2) ✅
56. Title has no letter 'e' ✅
57. 5th item in your (re)watchlist (shuffled) ✅
58. Released this year ✅
59. Protagonist with a disability
60. Non-human protagonist
61. Trending on Letterboxd at any point this year
62. Oscar snub
63. Directed and written by women
64. A movie you've never seen but know the full plot
65. Title includes "death" but is not a mystery
66. Difficult / troubled production (unrelated to COVID-19)
67. Nature appreciation
68. Dewey Decimal System: Class 300
69. Takes place in what was then the future, but said future has ed
70. Split into chapters
71. Prominently features classical music / a classical instrument
72. Often recommended to your personality type (MBTI, astrology, Enneagram, etc.)
73. English-speaking live-action narrative feature nominated for only 1 Oscar but won
74. A teen movie released during your teens
75. Based on a book your family owns
76. Mentioned in another movie on this list
77. A cinematic first
78. Hated by member of its cast/crew
79. Has a narrator

📌 OCCASIONAL PROMPTS
aka Prompts That Have Deadlines & Thus Will Be Numbered Once I Get To Them

— A spring movie 🌿 (around the spring equinox i.e. 4/2/23 & 4/2/24) ✅ ✅ (#7 & #42)
— A summer movie ☀️ (around the summer solstice i.e. 6/5/23 & 21/6/24) ✅✅ (#24 & #48)
— A fall movie 🍁 (around the autumnal equinox i.e. 7/8/23 & 7/8/24) ✅✅ (#34 & #55)
— A winter movie ❄️ (around the winter solstice i.e. 22/12/23 & 21/12/24)
— Features a birthday 🎂
— Features New Year's Eve 🎉 ✅ (#39)

Thank you to Gregory Road whose Pick Your Poison book challenges were really fun and inspiring to read 👌

*: feature-lengths + standalone narrative shorts 🙃
**: life has, naturally, got in the way of my plans, and the "deadline" for this challenge has thus been extended to, like indefinitely. therefore the occasional prompts will be repeated!

📝 TO SUBTRACT FROM MY FILM TOTAL

TV Shows: 07
Non-standalone shorts: 07
Comedy specials: 05
=> SUBTRACT 19

1. Good Night, and Good Luck.
2. Charade
3. Little Fish
4. My Big Fat Greek Wedding
5. Mommy
6. Barton Fink
7. The Secret Garden
8. Howl's Moving Castle
9. TÁR
10. Personal Shopper

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

yet another collection of visually pleasing movies!! albeit production design, cinematography, or even just the credits

(generally I will only add movies I've watched)

• The Double

  cinematography, production design

• Blade Runner 2049
• Call Me by Your Name
• Dunkirk
• Judas and the Black Messiah
• Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
• England Is Mine
• La La Land
• The Grand Budapest Hotel
• Murder on the Orient Express

...plus 190 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

movies that are classics / hits / fan favorites / critical darlings but I just... cannot. that doesn't mean I hate all of them.

semi-ranked by how much its reputation baffles me.

1. Lady Bird
2. Barbie
3. Rear Window
4. Star Wars

   the entire trilogy

5. Carol
6. The Bourne Identity
7. The Edge of Seventeen
8. Frozen
9. Crazy Rich Asians
10. Despicable Me

...plus 99 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

well maybe i did BUT i was probably overestimating myself

• The Prestige
• Prisoners
• Predestination
• Mr. Nobody
• Nocturnal Animals
• Like Water for Chocolate
• Oldboy
• Synecdoche, New York
• Chinatown
• I Am Love

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

— didnt finish (but i tried) (usually once ive gotten through 30-60min)
— saw chunks of it on TV

• Napoleon
• Licorice Pizza
• tick, tick... BOOM!
• The Card Counter
• Love and Monsters
• Where'd You Go, Bernadette
• Kakegurui: The Movie
• Velvet Buzzsaw
• King Lear
• What Happened to Monday

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

preferably, mostly, #14 of course

• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

  room of requirement

• Hugo

  02:17, 07:49

• Sharp Objects

  E01, camille's apartment at the beginning

• Hail, Caesar!
• Twilight

  the chairs in the diner, right when Stephanie Meyer appeared

• Rebecca
• Julie & Julia
• Friends with Money
• Burrow
• Soul

...plus 70 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

stressed me out and/or annoyed me because certain characters had no concept of self-preservation

• Kiki's Delivery Service
• Paddington
• The Edge of Seventeen
• The Bourne Identity
• Uptown Girls
• All About Steve
• Paddington 2
• The New King of Comedy
• Spider-Man: Homecoming
• Up

...plus 49 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

ideally calling someone's bluff / changing your mind

• Avengers: Infinity War
• Step Up
• Pitch Perfect
• Burnt
• Ocean's Twelve
• The Green Knight
• Anastasia
• One Day
• Letters to Juliet
• Barbie: Fairytopia

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

favorite character introductions

(if not otherwise specified, the character is the protagonist)

• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

  Violet Beauregarde

• Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

  Capt. Jack Sparrow

• I Am Sam
• The Devil Wears Prada

  Miranda Priestly

• The Boat That Rocked

  Charlotte

• 50/50
• Pitch Perfect
• The Dark Knight

  The Joker

• Definitely, Maybe

  Hampton Roth

• Inglourious Basterds

  Hans Landa

...plus 51 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

novels, newspapers, libraries, bookstores, journals, letters, scrapbooks, maps, illustrations, notes, manuscripts, loose papers, blackboards, typewriters... I think you get it.

yes there's no Notting Hill but please, change my mind.

*notes will be added to the more obscure entries*

(wip)

• Inkheart
• The Sword in the Stone
• When a Wolf Falls in Love with a Sheep
• Jojo Rabbit
• American Animals

  The Birds of America - John James Audubon, among others

• Treasure Planet
• Bad Genius
• Definitely, Maybe

  Jane Eyre

• The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore
• You've Got Mail

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

quite a lot actually, william

aka A List of Movie Titles I Like

I can pretend there's some stable reasoning behind what would warrant a movie being in this list or not, but truly, honestly, I'm just vibin'

I haven't watched all of them, mind, but this isn't a purely superficial list, either—sometimes the title itself isn't all that noteworthy, but having seen the movie enhances my appreciation of it (ex. Arrival)

• Killers of the Flower Moon
• Babylon
• Don't Worry Darling
• Bones and All
• TÁR
• Bodies Bodies Bodies
• Everything Everywhere All at Once
• When You Finish Saving the World
• Licorice Pizza
• Last Night in Soho

...plus 87 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

**** & conditions may apply :)

• Call Me by Your Name
• Life As We Know It
• Kiki's Delivery Service
• Girls
• The Holiday
• Ratatouille
• The Grand Budapest Hotel
• Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
• Inception
• The Danish Girl

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

<not ranked, but numbered>

first impressions are really important even though sometimes they're just BLATANT LIES.

here are my favorite openings, though the way i go about it is very, very chaotic. sometimes all it took was the first 5 seconds (cough) Spider-verse (cough) but generally the chance is given to the first sequence / setting / 10 minutes.

1. The Intouchables
2. The Hunchback of Notre Dame
3. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
4. WALL·E
5. Billy Elliot
6. Beauty and the Beast
7. The Brothers Bloom
8. Incredibles 2
9. Ferris Bueller's Day Off
10. High School Musical 3: Senior Year

...plus 69 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

favorite soundtracks and/or scores

• Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
• The Intouchables
• Chicago
• Rushmore
• We Bought a Zoo
• Saving Mr. Banks
• Interstellar
• Sherlock Holmes
• Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
• Divergent

...plus 51 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

only includes movies i've watched, or if this theme is blatantly obvious from the premise itself

am also having deja vu

• Frankenstein
• Ex Machina
• Mean Girls
• Avengers: Age of Ultron
• The Truman Show
• Fight Club
• Clueless
• Her
• X-Men: First Class
• Kung Fu Panda

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

• Coco Before Chanel
• The Dressmaker
• The Devil Wears Prada
• The Bling Ring
• Ocean's Eight
• An Education
• The Favourite
• The Age of Adaline
• Titanic
• Clueless

...plus 17 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

yet another one of these, in yet another effort of procrastination

why do some changes?? confusing and annoying. not responsible for those.

• The Long Day Closes
• Bear
• The End of Summer
• Fauve
• Anima
• Bullitt County
• King of Thieves
• The Sisters Brothers
• The Old Man & the Gun
• The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

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

the objective: to watch at least 01 Best Original Screenplay nominee

includes: BOS noms i've seen + BOS noms i plan to see

• Good Will Hunting
• Shakespeare in Love
• Life Is Beautiful
• The Truman Show
• Being John Malkovich
• Magnolia
• Billy Elliot
• Almost Famous
• Memento
• The Royal Tenenbaums

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

the objective: to watch at least 01 Best Picture nominee for every year the limit was 5 movies (97-08) and 02 for every year the limit was 10 (09-present)

includes: BP noms i've seen + BP noms i plan to see

• Titanic
• Good Will Hunting
• Life Is Beautiful
• Shakespeare in Love
• Elizabeth
• The Green Mile
• Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
• Moulin Rouge!
• The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
• A Beautiful Mind

...plus 96 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

every movie referenced in B99. yeah yeah its been done before but NOT BY ME OKAY just let me have this

doing a second B99 marathon and will update as i go.

sometimes a title will be referred to but if the more popular mediums of it are books, comics, tv series, etc. then i won't include it.... or maybe i will, idk depends on my mood i guess...

i cant find Oprah Winfrey's Legends Ball : (

.

SEASON 1: 42 movies
SEASON 2: 30 movies (26 new)
SEASON 3: 31 movies (29 new)
SEASON 4: 44 movies (34 new)
SEASON 5: 51 movies (38 new)
SEASON 6: 43 movies (28 new)
SEASON 7: 39 movies (27 new)
SEASON 8: 20 movies (11 new)

bookmark: finished!

1. Donnie Brasco

   S01E01 — Jake's opening speech
   S03E17 — jake says pimento is like real life donnie brasco

2. Citizen Kane

   S01E01 — Charles invites Rosa to a film festival and suggests this film

3. North by Northwest

   S01E01 — Charles suggests he and Rosa see this film after Rosa got pissed at him

4. Training Day

   S01E03 — Amy's input re: best cop movies
   S01E08 — "I got some stories that'll make Training Day look like Super Troopers." (Jake to Jimmy Brogan at the bar)
   S05E02 - in the intro, Jake tells Romero and Tank the plot of this movie was based on his life

5. Lethal Weapon

   S01E03 — Amy's input re: best cop movies
   S07E12 — Holt tells Jake a movie was made about Holt, this is one of Jake's guesses

6. Fargo

   S01E03 — Amy's input re: best cop movies

7. Die Hard

   S01E03 — Jake's input re: best cop movies
   S01E08 — ending, Jake says "Welcome to the party, pal!"
   S01E12 — "Can't you read between the lines, man?!" (Jake insists he and Rosa send Judy in alone)
   S01E16 — Jake listing "classics" to Kevin
   S01E17 — Bernice loves it
   S02E06 — Jake tells Terry he and Sophia watched Die Hard 1, 2, 3
   S02E06 — Jake says him sleeping with a defense attorney is like if John McClane slept with Hans Gruber or "Jeremy Irons in the 3rd one"
   S02E06 — Sophia and Jake fight after she called him Hans Gruber
   S02E11 — Charles forbids Jake from talking about all 3 DH movies
   S02E13 — Jake suggests Terry name his kid "Nakatomi"
   S02E15 — Jake tells Kendrick his persona is John McClane's brother
   S02E15 — Kendrick got the gun-taped-to-back trick from DH
   S02E15 — Jake and Sophia at her apartment building
   S02E21
   S03E10 — Jake when he finds out the store is being robbed, "It's real life Die Hard!" + multiple other occasions in this ep
   S03E14 — Jake tells his mom he became a cop bc of DH
   S03E19 — Jake gave the kittens DH names
   S04E01 — Jake tells the marshal DH is his fav movie
   S04E03 — Jake tells Amy Speed is not as perfect as DH
   S04E08 — Terry reminds Jake that he once took a train to Toronto to get a Canadian VHS copy of DH
   S04E13 - Flashback, Jake and Amy talks about the villains of this franchise
   S04E15 — Charles reassures Jake that his new partner would know everything about DH
   S04E18 — Jake tries to DH off the roof while with Amy
   S04E20 — Hawkins recognizes Jake's "There won't be a four" line from DH
   S05E04 — While proposing, Jake tells Amy he loves how much she pretends to love DH
   S05E06 — Amy had a Nakatomi Plaza cake made for Jake and her wedding
   S05E09 — The gang visits Nakatomi Plaza for Jake
   S05E14 — "Kinda seems like a shot at me about DH, but okay" - Jake to Holt
   S05E17 — Jake asks Kate what her favorite scene in DH was
   S05E19 — Charles invited Reginald VelJohnson to Jake's bachelor party
   S05E22 — the Nakatomi Plaza cake arrives at the wedding venue
   S06E01 — Amy dressed up as Holly Gennaro
   S07E13 — Amy and Jake name their son after John McClane

8. Turner & Hooch

   S01E03 — Charles's input re: best cop movies

9. RoboCop

   S01E03 — Rosa's input re: best cop movies
   S02E08 — Danger
   S03E18 — Jake tells Charles he'll get Robocop sunglasses after the surgery

10. Bad Boys

    S01E03 — Gina's input re: best cop movies

...plus 227 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

#3 to #6 is essentially a tie

all shorts are at the bottom of the list, in their own separate ranking

1. The Darjeeling Limited
2. Rushmore
3. Isle of Dogs
4. The Grand Budapest Hotel
5. The French Dispatch
6. Fantastic Mr. Fox
7. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
8. Asteroid City
9. Moonrise Kingdom
10. The Royal Tenenbaums

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

great endings that made me go "!!!!!" or maybe just "........."

1. The Shawshank Redemption
2. First Man
3. Interstellar
4. Prisoners
5. The Dark Knight
6. The Hitman's Bodyguard
7. Inception
8. The Lunchbox
9. The Social Network
10. Whiplash

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

clearly this was made just so i can rank Tenet last. overall this is a not as objective as I can actually be.

1. Inception
2. The Prestige
3. Dunkirk
4. The Dark Knight
5. Interstellar
6. Memento
7. Insomnia
8. Batman Begins
9. Following
10. The Dark Knight Rises

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

movies you should definitely watch when you're hungry at 2am

— at the top: food movies
— the rest: movies with significant and/or delectable food scenes

• Chef
• The Hundred-Foot Journey
• Le Chef
• The Lunchbox
• No Reservations
• Burnt
• Jiro Dreams of Sushi
• Haute Cuisine
• Last Holiday
• Ratatouille

...plus 49 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

essentially feel-good movies to watch while eating lmao

1. Ferris Bueller's Day Off
2. The Parent Trap
3. About Time
4. Chef
5. 50 First Dates
6. Definitely, Maybe
7. Ocean's Twelve
8. The Emperor's New Groove
9. Last Holiday
10. Stardust

...plus 79 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

heists! cons! prison breaks! break-ins and infiltration but like with stealth...!! idk im still figuring this out.... just know that whatever this is it's my niche

• Ocean's Eight
• Ocean's Eleven
• Ocean's Twelve
• Ocean's Thirteen
• Now You See Me
• Now You See Me 2
• Logan Lucky
• The Town
• The Thomas Crown Affair
• Inception

...plus 31 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

• Captain Fantastic
• Little Miss Sunshine
• Hanna
• Silver Linings Playbook
• Blackbird
• Fighting with My Family
• Gosford Park

favorite cinematic (found) families

• About Time

  The Lakes

• Call Me by Your Name

  The Perlmans

• Logan Lucky

  The Logans

• The Shawshank Redemption

  Andy and Red's gang

• The Darjeeling Limited

  The Whitmans

• The Boat That Rocked

  Radio Rock

• Avengers: Infinity War

  The Avengers

• Billy Elliot

  The Elliots

• Captain America: Civil War

  The Avengers

• Girls

  The main trio

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

• Titanic

  Rose to Jack

• Captain America: The First Avenger

  Bucky to Steve

• Stonehearst Asylum
• Hugo

• Mamma Mia!
• The Boat That Rocked

• The Devil Wears Prada
• Julie & Julia

• Frank
• Donnie Darko

I also accidentally watched this back-to-back so imagine my surprise when he said the same line in both

• Ex Machina
• Frank

• Inception
• Midnight in Paris