#thank you everything from Robert Eggers

[mightymizora]

It feels like such an unpopular opinion these days but I'd much rather a story take a big swing and miss than just be a tepid, lightly-tread path. I'd much rather writers take big risks, play with expectations, subvert tropes and ultimately maybe fail a little bit than have this constant stream of content that can be summed up in trite soundbites or carved up into 30 second clips.

[leonardcohenofficial]

i watched 120 new-to-me films this year; here are the posters from a few of my favorites in no particular order!!

faults (riley stearns, 2014) out of the blue (dennis hopper, 1980) wake in fright (ted kotcheff, 1971) entergalactic (fletcher moules, 2022) histoires d'amérique: food, family and philosophy (chantal akerman, 1989) the woman king (gina prince-bythewood, 2022) waking life (richard linklater, 2001) on the count of three (jerrod carmichael, 2021)  thank you and good night (jan oxenberg, 1991)

i’ll tag @lesbiancolumbo / @draftdodgerag / @localpubliclibrary / @calicoskiesacoustic / @jerrylandis / @columbosunday / @harrierdoobie  / @sightofsea and anyone else who’d like to do this!! 🌟

entire watchlist from 2022 is below the cut:

the world to come (mona fastvold, 2020)

nancy (christina choe, 2018)

la bouche de jean-pierre (lucile hadžihalilović, 1996)

run (aneesh chaganty, 2020)

the mosquito coast (peter weir, 1986)

mass (fran kanz, 2021) 

a field in england (ben wheatley, 2014) 

angels wear white (vivian qu, 2017)

a cape cod christmas (john stimpson, 2021) 

shook (jennifer harrington, 2021)

outing riley (pete jones, 2004)

love & mercy (bill pohlad, 2014) 

small engine repair (john pollono, 2021) 

the fallout (megan park, 2021) 

clemency (chinonye chukwu, 2019)

red elvis (thomas latter, 2022) 

calendar girls (nigel cole, 2003) 

the little hours (jeff baena, 2017)

out of the blue (dennis hopper, 1980) 

aya of yop city (marguerite abouet and clement oubrerie, 2013) 

fresh (mimi cave, 2022)

jesus camp (rachel grady, 2006) 

bamboozled (spike lee, 2000)

master (mariama diallo, 2022)

the world of us (yoon ga-eun, 2016) 

jezebel (numa perrier, 2019)

the cat, the reverend and the slave (alain della negra and kaori kinoshita, 2009)

cohabitation (lauren barker, 2022)

the queen of versailles (lauren greenfield, 2012)

secret ceremony (joseph losey, 1968)

the northman (robert eggers, 2022)

the silent partner (daryl duke, 1978)

in secret (charlie stratton, 2013)

the ground beneath my feet (marie kreutzer, 2019)

the man who haunted himself (basil dearden, 1970)

woodlands dark and days bewitched: a history of folk horror (kier-la janisse, 2021)

the miseducation of cameron post (desiree akhavan, 2018)

roadrunner: a film about anthony bourdain (morgan neville, 2021) 

karen dalton: in my own time (richard peete and robert yapkowitz, 2020) 

fire music (tom surgal, 2018)

histoires d'amérique: food, family and philosophy (chantal akerman, 1989)

fruit of paradise (věra chytilová, 1969)

a different image (alile sharon larkin, 1982)

preparations to be together for an unknown period of time (lili horvát, 2020) 

candyman (nia dacosta, 2021)

fan girl (antoinette jadaone, 2020)

chicago 10 (brett morgen, 2007)

pray away (kristine stolakis, 2021)

mavis! (jessica edwards, 2015)

M (yolande zauberman, 2018)

wake in fright (ted kotcheff, 1971)

thomasine & bushrod (gordon parks, 1974)

desire me (released uncredited; jack conway, george cukor, mervyn le roy, and victor saville, 1947)

faults (riley stearns, 2014)

premature (rashaad ernesto green, 2019) 

mother joan of the angels (jerzy kawalerowicz, 1961) 

the loft (erik van looy, 2014)

the black phone (scott derrickson, 2022) 

no exit (damien power, 2022)

nope (jordan peele, 2022)

paprika (satoshi kon, 2006)

our eternal summer (émilie aussel, 2021)

playground (laura wandel, 2021) 

not okay (quinn shephard, 2022) 

everything everywhere all at once (daniel kwan and daniel scheinert, 2022)

pressure point (hubert cornfield, 1962)

sharp stick (lena dunham, 2022) 

on the count of three (jerrod carmichael, 2021) 

martha marcy may marlene (sean durkin, 2011)

waking life (richard linklater, 2001)

sicaro (denis villeneuve, 2015)

arrival (denis villeneuve, 2016)

this magnificent cake! (emma de swaef and marc james roels, 2018) 

chevalier (athina rachel tsangari, 2015)

young and wild (marialy rivas, 2012)

alice (krystin ver linden, 2022)

shame (steve mcqueen, 2011)

good madam (jenna cato bass, 2022) 

black bear (lawrence michael levine, 2020)

speak no evil (christian tafdrup, 2022)

wet sand (elene naveriani, 2021)

the catholic school (stefano mordini, 2021)

poly styrene: i am a cliché (celeste bell and paul sng, 2021)

the violators (helen walsh, 2015)

the woman king (gina prince-bythewood, 2022)

the killing kind (curtis harrington, 1973)

oleanna (david mamet, 1994)

entergalactic (fletcher moules, 2022)

the more the merrier (george stevens, 1943)

primrose path (gregory la cava, 1940)

watcher (chloe okuno, 2022)

enemy (dennis villenueve, 2013)

darlin' (pollyanna mcintosh, 2019)

sissy (kane senes and hannah barlow, 2022)

till (chinonye chukwu, 2022)

black panther: wakanda forever (ryan coogler, 2022)

the hunt (thomas vinterberg, 2012)

the other side of the underneath (jane arden, 1972)

barbarian (zach cregger, 2022) 

the intervention (clea duvall, 2016)

sorry to bother you (boots riley, 2018)

the silent twins (agnieszka smoczyńska, 2022)

tahara (olivia peace, 2020)

arranged (diane crespo and stefan schaefer, 2007)

swimming (luzie loose, 2018)

#like (sarah pirozek, 2019)

babysitter (monia chokri, 2022)

chico and rita (tono errando, fernando trueba, and javier mariscal, 2010)

pleasure (ninja thyberg, 2021)

john the violent (tonia marketaki, 1967)

fat girl (catherine breillat, 2001)

lemon (janicza bravo, 2017)

thank you and good night (jan oxenberg, 1991)

what about me (rachel amodeo, 1993)

the KKK boutique ain’t just rednecks (camille billops and james hatch, 1994)

sun don’t shine (amy seimetz, 2012)

zero fucks given (emmanuel marre and julie lecoustre, 2021)

piggy (carlota pereda, 2022)

ladyworld (amanda kramer, 2018)

wolf's hole (věra chytilová, 1987)

[peregrination-studies]

23 books in 2023

Thank you for the tag @the---hermit !! I did this challenge last year (available here), and finished all the books on my main list just in the nick of time! I’ve been planning this list out since about July of last year, and I’m really excited to get started on it! I’m also doing a few additional lists (ocean-themed, seasonally themed, etc.) that I might post throughout the year. We shall see!

Environmental science/ecology

1) Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold (also recommended by friends) (read Dec 2023)

2) The Lost Art of Reading Nature’s Signs: Use Outdoor Clues to Find Your Way, Predict the Weather, Locate Water, Track Animals — And Other Forgotten Skills by Tristan Gooley (read December 2023)

3) Listening to Whales by Alexandra Morton (read April 2023)

4) The World is Blue by Sylvia Earle (read August 2023)

5) Being Salmon Being Human by Martin Lee Mueller (read May 2023)

Classics/Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge

6) Timeline by Michael Crichton (read Jan 2023)

7) The Awakening by Kate Chopin (read Nov 2023)

8) Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen (read Nov 2023)

9) A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers (read Nov 2023)

10) Outlander by Diana Gabaldon (read March 2023)

Reading around the world

11) The Lost City of The Monkey God by Douglas Preston (Honduras) (read Nov 2023)

12) Alone on the Ice: The Greatest Survival Story in the History of Exploration by David Roberts (Antarctica) (read July 2023)

13) Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela (South Africa) (read Nov 2023)

14) Beyond the Last Oasis by Ted Edwards (Western Sahara) (read December 2023)

15) The Blue Sky by Galsan Tschinag and Katharina Rout (translator) (Mongolia) (read Nov 2023)

Architecture and Design

16) The New Carbon Architecture by Bruce King (read Feb 2023)

17) Design with Life: Biotech Architecture and Resilient Cities by Mitchell Joachim and Maria Aiolova (read Feb 2023)

18) The Alchemy of Architecture: Memories and Insights from Ken Tate by Ken Tate and Duke Tate (read Nov 2023)

19) Houses that Can Save the World by Courtenay Smith and Sean Topham (read Jan 2023)

20) Speculative Everything: Design, Fiction, and Social Dreaming by Anthony Dunne and Fiona Raby (read Dec 2023)

Books recommended by friends

21) The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood (Read Jun 2023)

22) O Pioneers! by Willa Cather (Read Dec 2023)

23) Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir (Read Jan 2023)

BONUS

24) Saving Fish from Drowning by Amy Tan

25) Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand

26) Defenceless: Gli Ultimi Romantici by Giulia Vola (second year of this on my list bc I think I’ll FINALLY be able to have access to my copy again!! Woohoo!!)

27) Prisoners of Geography by Tim Marshall

28) Backpacked: A Reluctant Trip Across Central America by Catherine Ryan Howard

I really love this challenge, so I want to share it far and wide with the world, BUT I also know not everyone wants to do this, so absolutely no pressure tagging: @contre-qui @daydreaming-optimist @sweetlikehoneysteve @notetaeker @humble-boness @silhouette-of-sarah @willowstea @cheshire-castle-library @deirdredoodle @a-students-lifebuoy @phd-on-fire @amareteur @frithams @carefortheearth @ckmstudies @theskittlemuffin and anyone else who wants to!

[twenty-words-or-less]

Top 5 Best Films of 2022

After the bitter screed that was my Worst list, now comes my Best list! Told you I wanted to end the year on a positive note. Well, end January 2023, since that's when I ended up making this list. OK! Let's go!

5. Good Luck To You, Leo Grande

One of two 2022 films in which a middle-aged white lady and half-naked black man sit in a hotel room talking about everything, weirdly. This one is a nuanced take on sex, age, and sex work, topics typically considered taboo. It could have easily slipped into stereotypes and/or being mean-spirited, but is a heartwarming two-hander that flies by.

4. Barbarian

One of two mind-fucking 2022 horror films in which the basic message is 'men are Terrible', weirdly. Unlike the other one (Alex Garland's Men), Barbarian is enjoyable, elaborates on that message more, and gives more work to Bill Skarsgard, which is something I'm always up for. Plus, the end credits song is the best one since Edge of Tomorrow's. Fight me.

3. The Northman

An intense slow-burner that is absolutely NOT for everyone (and I'm still waiting on the BBFC's justification for giving it a 15 and not an 18). Gutted that it bombed, but fair play to everyone involved for giving it their all. A passion project for director Robert Eggers and lead Alexander Skarsgard, and a scene-stealing Bjork, whose lines were also probably advice she gave to her son before he started university.

2. X

The first film from Ti "I See What's Going On Over There, And I Am Absolutely Going To Make It My Business" West that I can genuinely say I liked. Really liked, in fact. Far more than I expected to. The editing is brilliant, and the gore is not restricted, which is the kind of thing I'd want from a '70s slasher throwback. This is how you do homage.

Honourable Mentions

Scream V: Honestly, this is mostly here because it used an Alkaline Trio song, and as a fan of the band, that's not something I'm used to and would like more of. Also, between this and X, Jenna Ortega has a promising career in film, and I look forward to seeing her in more things.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness: Yeah, this surprised me too. The music fight is great, the body horror (when it gets there) is insane, and I overall enjoyed it. It was a blast.

The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent: Don't look at me like that.

The Feast (Gwledd): Always happy to support local talent, always happy to watch a folk horror. Social commentary and an 18 rating also helps. And how often do you see a Welsh-language film being shown in largely-English-speaking metropolitan areas??

And now, my top pick of the year...

1. Hatching (Pahanhautoja)

I was very lucky in that I didn't grow up with a fraction of the shit poor Tinja endures from her family, especially at an age where puberty is just around the corner. Still, this one hit me on a deeply personal level, and I still can't explain why. Maybe I don't need to explain why. What I do know is that this is a tight ninety-minute coming-of-age horror with a satirical take on influencer culture that is way better than any directorial debut has any right to be. And again, it's in a language that isn't widely spoken in Anglophone countries, so it being shown near me was a miracle, to be frank.

Thank you for reading and for your support this year! To read up on everything I've seen this year, click here. If you want to support me monetarily, there's the option to tip me or there's a Ko-fi link in my bio. If not, thank you for supporting me anyway!

Here's to the rest of 2023.

Love,

Mikey

[caranoirs]

was tagged by @sybilius ages ago (thank you bab), sorry it took so long to get round to it <3

what book are you currently reading?

not reading a book actually, but as part of research for my current uni project i've starting reading a CDA (Critical Discourse Analysis) called In the Hands of Morpheus: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Sleep, written by Eva Triebl.

not to bore anyone, but if you're curious it essentially discusses: Sleep as a public health issue, the exploitation of Sleep as a business opportunity (for example: the countless self-help books that are published; employers integrating workshops on Efficient Sleep (eg: Tom De Luca's "Power Napping For Less Stress") as a way to boost productivity from employees; etc), and how Sleep has been slowly reconceptualised as a lifestyle feature/commodity. riveting stuff.

what's your favourite film you saw in a cinema this year?

i haven't been to the cinema yet this year ngl, tho we might be seeing something for Mother’s Day? not sure yet, and honestly i don’t wanna think about having to travel home three weekends in a row lmao.

i haven’t seen anything yet mostly because i don't watch tv or listen to the radio so i'm very unaware of any new and upcoming films unless i hear them by Word of Mouth, but I also just don't actively enjoy going to the cinema either.

recently however, i semi-watched The Northman (2022; dir. Robert Eggers) and All Quiet On The Western Front (2022; dir. Edward Berger) at home with my brother. and as for things i do actually wanna watch at some point, i plan on watching Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022; dir. Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert), Glass Onion (2022; dir. Rian Johnson), and The Banshees of Inisherin (2022; dir. Martin McDonagh).

what do you usually wear?

my glasses, probably. nah, i'm usually always wearing my brother's old air squadron (RAF Air Cadets) hoodie. i nicked it at first bc the one i have is very worn out, but now he just lets me keep it lol.

how tall are you?

ach, 5' 2.something"

do you share your birthday with a celebrity or historical event?

the ones i can remember, from when everybody searched up their birthdays in high school, are Kanye West, Bonnie Tyler, and Nancy Sinatra. and only recently i found out i share a birthday with Liv Morgan.

and as for events, (assuming the question doesn't mean birthyear too) the 2004 Transit of Venus occurred on my birthday! it’s an astronomical event where Venus moves directly between Earth and the Sun, and to us it shows up as a small black dot that passes the face of the Sun.

personally i think it's fucking awesome because the last pair of Venus Transits took places in 1874 and 1882 ⁠— more than a century ago! ⁠— meaning the people that witnessed it saw an event that no other living person at the time had ever seen!

do you go by your name or a nickname

i go by a nickname online, exclusively... i hope. generally i dislike my real name, but i feel a bit silly asking people to instead call me by my (irl) nickname more often.

did you grow up to be what you wanted to be as a child?

ngl i don't remember ever actively wanting to be something when i younger, so i can't really answer this one. and as for what as i wanna be now? i am still as bloody clueless and aimless as the next guy :)

are you in a relationship? if not, who is your crush?

nah

what's something you're good at versus something you're bad at?

uhhh i'm good at Language Analysis, maybe? i studied english language in college, and as taxing and exhausting as it was it's just stuck with me.

generally i'm bad a Multitasking. in the sense that i try and continuously fail to work through a list of tasks one at a time. i'll start on something, see something else and convince myself that i can, “Just Quickly Do This On The Way,” out of convenience or something…but then it repeats and repeats and i get distracted and diverted even more…and before i know it, i've started on ten tasks and am yet to finish any one of them!

it bleeds into my essay writing too. i waffle and ramble on a lot (which is why answering this tag game is taking so damn long tbh), my writing is too “flowery” as my (prick of an) English Teacher used to say. so it takes a lotta effort to redraft and refine absolutely everything i write lmao.

dogs or cats?

dragons and rabbits (yeah, and cats, shut up)

what's something you'd like to create content for?

not entirely sure how to interpret this question but oh well. i think i'd like to be a Ringside Photographer for indy wrestling shows around the uk? or just an events photographer in general. but honestly that all feels very idealistic right now.

what's something you're currently obsessed with?

i think Obsessed is too heavy a term to put anything into. i can't answer this with "wrestling" at the moment either because i've fallen out of love with it all again. saying that tho, i’ve been absolutely fascinated by cara noir for the longest time now so he's always in the back of my mind :))

i can answer this with music actually. dear Syb recommended me lent, by autoheart and sisyphus, by andrew bird, and i've had them circulating my playlists ever since

i can answer this with music! dear Syb recommended me lent, by autoheart a while ago and also sisyphus, by andrew bird, and i’ve had them circulating my playlists ever since. i'll rattle off a few others i've had on repeat lately too:

おつかれsummer, by halicali (rec'd by @highvisibility!)

damaged goods, by idles

touched, by vast

company, sir chloe (rec'd by @dunkzilladaddy!)

nobody knows (ladas road), by loyle carner

time, by timbaland & she wants revenge

what's up?, by 4 non blondes

i’m very aware how Wildly random these songs are lol, but people should believe me when i say i'm a sponge for new music… i do listen to your music recs, you silly fools <3

what's something you were excited about that turned out to be disappointing this year?

so much. i don't mean to be vague about it but yeah, a lot. 2023 has been complete and utter shite.

what's a hidden talent of yours?

it's so fucking childish of me lmao, and i think i mentioned it ages ago? but i have a habit of making sound fx with my mouth? water drops, engine sounds, a trumpet, bird sounds, etc...

honestly i can't think of anything apart from that :')

are you religious?

nah. but i believe that the culture and the genuine values and teachings religions can bring people can be important.

what's something you wish to have at this moment?

generally, a lot. but for the last six months or something, a pet.

i used to have a rabbit when i was younger but i don't remember him very much (i don't remember much of being a kid tbh). since then, i've never felt such an overwhelming need for company as i do right now. sincerely, i am sooo pet-starved and i would die to have a Little Creature to look after, but my Circumstances mean i can't have one.

this was long overdue getting around to this so i'll leave it open to anybody that fancies it, free to tag me if you do x

[skateamini]

Oh, I've never watched Nosferatu, do you recommend it? I know Robert Eggers is working on a remake and I love his films (I recommend The Witch and The Lighthouse). And, wow, the first link you typed is very close to what I imagined when I read Villa Di Bestiarii. I see the vampire playing the piano, desolate and heartbroken (does he have a heart?) The music is full of emotions, I don't know what to feel.

And I have to say: I love cannibalism as a metaphor for love, and even though it's not just a metaphor, Hoseok swallowing Taehyung's heart was… Everything.

What about All Of Them Dreams? I have to admit, I'm a little scared of the idea of ghosts. There is a very good film about grief and it involves the presence of a "ghost" full of meanings, maybe you should check it out, the name is A Ghost Story.

I actually did not see the remake I shared, as it was recommended by a lecturer of mine from college. The original is a classic! I am looking forward to the remake, Robert Eggers is incredible. Every single film he has made has inspired me! The pacing and hidden horror of the VVitch and the Lighthouse somewhat inspired Villa di Bestiarii. The Northman influenced some of my latter writing of Howl.

Your point about cannibalism as a metaphor...so true. Hannibal in the TV show and movies come to mind. Have you seen "Bones and All"? Genuinely one of my favourite horror romance films ever now. If you have any recommendations along these themes, send them my way. It's a weirdly specific kind of genre. I hate that sometimes I feel like Villa di Bestiarii is so niche that it's hard finding a real book with as many tropes rolled together.

The swallowing heart concept I hold very dear to me. I'm not sure where my idea came from exactly, but carnal love always has vaguely cannibalistic metaphors in music. In particular, I was influenced by the 80's new wave band Echo and the Bunnymen's songs "The Killing Moon" and "Nocturnal Me". The former is like a gay vampire story and the latter of which yearns for an all-consuming eternal romance that includes the lines "Take me Internally". Both songs are so weirdly gothic and queer despite the band having no intention of making it that way. (Too bad!). It's an aspect of the story I think about still as I think about their future together - the power Hoseok now holds, and over Taehyung, something that will remain until one or both of them dies. Until then, Taehyung now "worships" Hoseok. His actions of cutting out the heart of a demon/god/alien with immense power cultivated over thousands of years of sacrifices and eating it means that he now holds all bindings within his fragile human body. Yet, by taking possession of Taehyung's soul, he can actually set him free. It's very dark yet their undying love for each other counteracts the terrifying aspect of this. Fun!

I also incorporated cannibalism into "Howl" - due to food scarcity the animal hybrids are not above eating dead human soldiers. Very different approach. This culminates in a kind of weird and fucked up twist later.

Thank you for the film recommendation! I will check it out.

I will be honest about "All of Them Dreams" - it's very grim, and features my somewhat more agnostic take on the afterlife as something beyond our understanding, rather than dictated by comforts. It is inspired by traditional folk and pagan rituals too in its depiction. It's grim, and about unfulfilled dreams, but at the same time the ending will be hopeful. It might be best to read it once it is completed for this reason, or if it is not your cup of tea not to read it at all, I understand!

[bereft-of-frogs]

Ok, I have done books, now for films/tv!

I have to say, I don’t think this was a very good year for me with film and TV. Especially film. It ended up being kind of hard to come up with a list, but here goes:

1. Come and See (1985) dir. Elem Klimov - I did not initially think this was going to make the list and I originally gave it 4 stars but I’ve found I simply cannot stop thinking about this film. It’s currently sitting at #1 on Letterboxd top 250 of all time and for good reason. I love the motif of photography. It’s brutal and heartbreaking and so stressful but yeah. Can’t stop thinking about it.

2. Harakiri (1962) dir. Masaki Kobayashi - So good, probably my current favorite samurai film.

3. The Northman (2022) dir. Robert Eggers - VIBES. I saw this 2.5 times in theaters (the .5 is because uh teenagers threw trash on our heads. So that was an experience. We had to leave halfway through but we got a bunch of free tickets out of it from the very nice manager of the theater so thank you for that.)

4. [REC] (2007) dir. Jaume Balaguero and Paco Plaza - Um, why have I waited this long to watch this movie? Watched it because I was writing a ‘found footage’ inspired fic and looking for inspiration and it was so good!!

5. Top Gun: Maverick (2022) dir. Joseph Kosinski - Look. Look. Here me out: plane go fast. Plane go fast and the climax was essentially beat-for-beat Star Wars: A New Hope. Don’t @ me with any discussion of propaganda, I know, okay, I know, but this movie was so entertaining and as an aviation enthusiast I had so much fun and I think this is probably the most successful unnecessary sequel I’ve ever watched. Like did anyone ask for this? No. Did it totally work? Heck yeah.

Honorable Mention: Everything Everywhere All at Once (emotional, chaotic), Raw (#OrganicCannibalism), The Cremator (um pretty fucked but really, really good), NOPE (whenever I think about the ‘eating’ scene I get a bit of anxiety, 10/10)

TV:

1. What We Do In The Shadows (Fx, 2019- ) - VAMPIRE PHASE. ACTIVATE. What else is there to say? Style icons, decor inspiration. Never did I think the American TV show version of one of my favorite films would end up actually so good. It’s funny and heartfelt at all the right moments. I’ve been rewatching it because it’s one of the few things I actually had saved to my computer (so the only thing I could watch in our 2 week internet-less hellscape) and it remains so delightful.

2. Westworld specifically season 1 (HBO) - I haven’t quite finished watching this one, and APPARENTLY now might never (except you know, flying the pirate flag), and though I disagree with popular opinion on season 2 (I liked it), I see where season 3 is really taking a downturn…but season 1 remains some of the best television storytelling and you can’t take that away. It was utterly brilliant as a standalone, truly some of the top tier television.

3. Tabula Rasa (Een/Netflix, 2017) - Speaking of twists, this had a bunch of really fun twists, the first of which I saw coming. That one lulled me into a false sense of confidence and the other two took me completely by surprise. Also had really fun fall/spooky vibes.

4. Chestnut Man (Netflix, 2021) - Also had really fun fall/spooky vibes, and good characters. Only docked points because one of the main characters gets his glasses knocked off in a fight during the climax and then not only manages to accurately fire a gun (?) but then voluntarily drives a car in the epilogue. Without glasses!!! Were they just for the #aesthetic or something? Anyway, I have not been able to stop thinking about this.

5. Yakamoz S-245 (Netflix, 2022- ) - God I love the ‘Sun’s Fucked Up’ Cinematic Universe. It’s just so fun.

Honorable Mentions: House of the Dragon (???? HOW DID I END UP BACK HERE?), Brand New Cherry Flavor (watched because people on tiktok were talking about that one sex scene and I wanted to see what the fuss was about and ended up really enjoying the series as a whole), Cracow Monsters (I have mixed feelings about the direction the series took and feel like it should have been paced better, but the vibes were pretty great), Girls (I rewatched Girls this year don’t @ me, still such a guilty pleasure)

And now. The #Salt:

:readmore:

Films:

1. Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness (2022, dir. Sam Raimi) - Yeah. I hated it. I already dug into why, you can go back and find a bunch of salty explanation posts and I probably shouldn’t drag this back up but it has to be said. This was definitely my most disappointing film of 2022. Haven’t watched a MCU movie since.

2. Ghosts of War (2020, dir Eric Bress) - This was such a bad bait-and-switch. I was promised a genre meld of war film + ghosts I got a sci-fi, pretty racist mess. Terrible. Don’t watch it.

3. Aftermath (2021, dir Peter Winther) - Another terrible ghost-but-not film. Just let ghosts be ghosts people!

4. Titane (2021, dir. Julia Ducournau) - So disappointing considering Raw made it onto my honorable mentions above! This just felt like it was trying to be two different movies at the same time and spiralled off. I actually liked one of the movies - the machine-obsessed murderer part - but when we spiralled off into the faking being a missing person/pregnancy/weird fire station stuff it completely lost me.

5. The After movies - EXCEPT the second one. Except the second one?’ You ask. Yes. Because the second one is perfect. The second one is exactly what it is like reading those 100 chapter romance fanfics on wattpad. (Though, lol, no I’ve never actually read anything on wattpad. But it’s been the same on ffn, ao3…just the After series was produced by wattpad.) Anyway, the others were terrible, but the second one was probably the most ‘successful’ fanfic movie adaptation I’ve ever seen. It is perfect. But no also so awful. XD

Dishonorable Mentions: Cats (we watched Cats but honestly I don’t remember any of it because I fully blacked out)

The list is a incomplete and a little more complicated for TV because I honestly just stop watching most shows if they don’t hold my attention, so really they’re most just unmemorable.

1. The Sandman (Netflix, 2022- ) - Unpopular opinion, but oof I could not get through this and it started putting me in an actual bad mood whenever I watched it.

2. Moon Knight (Disney+, 2022- ) - This was sort of the canary in the coal mine. Presaged my breakup with the MCU. Just couldn’t hold my attention. Showed a lot of the cracks that I’d been trying to ignore re: Marvel’s pacing and plot issues in their TV series.

3. Andor (Disney+, 2022- ) - Extreme unpopular opinion. This one isn’t very fair, because I do want to give it another shot. I stopped around episode 4 and apparently it gets better from here, but the episodes I watched were not good. I hate to say this but I feel like a lot of the praise is based solely on the cinematography and dialogue writing, both of which are admittedly very good, but the plot is all over the place. Making the first episode so flashback heavy was a huge mistake. Plot threads are introduced and then dropped. Scenes are just dropped in with no connection to what else was going on. I’ll give it another shot, but just having artful cinematography and a few impassioned speeches does not make for great television.

4. Obi-Wan Kenobi (Disney+, 2022) - I feel like people might be surprised to find this on the list because I was posting positively about it as it was coming out. And it’s true, I had fun watching it. But the longer it’s gone on just…the more obvious the cracks have become. First off, it was clearly written as a film and then stretched out into a television show. Which should not be how TV writing works. You can’t just take a long movie and put episode breaks in it. I also over time grew more and more put off but how they copy-and-pasted Fallen Order and then…didn’t mention it at all. It felt…weird. It was just a really weird decision. But like I said, I did really enjoy watching it and I think it’s better than the alternative. Because I keep seeing those early drafts go around and I’m like oh god that would have been so much worse. I think at the time too I was just really relieved that it didn’t go in the direction that I feared and so I initially reacted more favorably. I’m glad they stuck to more of the prequel film canon/vibes, and didn’t pull in too much of TCW stuff. (I know that’s an unpopular opinion, but I really don’t like TCW and I’m always glad for prequel era stuff that is independent of that. Hot take of the post.)

I really mostly feel a bit meh about most of the things I’ve watched this year. Hopefully next year is a much better viewing year!

[themosleyreview]

The Mosley Review: The Northman

Gladiator, Braveheart, 300 and The 13th Warrior are in the pantheon of the greatest sword and shield films. Even if one of them is more stylized than the others, you still get the impact of not only the action, but the eloquence of their storytelling. In every shot you can feel the grit of the sand between your hands and toes, you can feel the sloshy texture of the mud, you can smell the grass and you can taste the blood splatter across the air. Those films have nailed all aspects of placing you in the boots or sandals the character walks in and this film evolves that quality. The amount of attention to detail and mythology behind everything on screen was astounding. I loved that amidst the carnage, their was a heartfelt family drama that had a predictable element, but it quickly goes a direction that was even darker than expected. I loved the character growth and visual storytelling the most. It was uncompromising and pure.

Oscar Novak was excellent as the younger Amleth and he delivers a powerful performance as Amleth witnesses the tragedy that propels his future. Ethan Hawke was excellent as his father King Aurvandill War-Raven. I loved their scenes together and it showcased the traditions of a father teaching his son the ways of becoming a strong man. Alexander Skarsgard was powerful, terrifying and a beast as Amleth grown up. You are with him as his journey for bloody vengeance begins and you thirst for him to succeed. He brings to life a character that is almost beyond humanity and is purely fueled by vengeance. As the film progresses, Alexander brings out the inner goodness of the character as he hunts, but also remembers that he can love as well. Nicole Kidman was outstanding as his mother Queen Gudrún. I loved that there were so many layers to her and a level of fearless passion. Claes Bang was awesome as Fjölnir, brother of King Aurvandill. He goes on a journey of torment and it was great to see him slowly come apart mentally. Willem Dafoe was fun as Heimir the Fool and he commits as you'd expect. Bjork was cool and frightening as Seeress. She may only be in one scene, but man was it mythic and compelling. Anya Taylor-Joy continues to be amazing and as Olga of the Birch Forest, she comes out the gate as one of the most powerful characters. Not because of her sorcery, but because of her will.

The score by composers Robin Carolan and Sebastian Gainsborough was the chef's kiss to the entire film. It is thunderous, powerful, scary and fueled by the Viking spirit. It's beauty knows no bounds and it will fill your heart with pulse pounding adrenaline. Visually this film was one of the most beautiful films I've seen this year so far. From the lushes greens to the warm amber light of the many torches that naturally light the many rooms and woods, it was wondrous to behold. I loved the many ties to Slovik folk lore and tales of Valhalla and how they are visually portrayed. Director Robert Eggers has made yet another masterpiece that is pure of all the standard story tropes and is absolutely an experience that shall not be missed. I loved this film and this definitely my number 1 favorite film of 2022 so far. Let me know what you thought of the film or my review in the comments below. Thanks for reading!

[favescandis]

New Q&A with Alexander Skarsgård and Esquire Middle East

‘Alexander Skarsgård on pro wrestling, death metal, the joys of Godzilla vs Kong’ - by William Mullally, March 25, 2021

The Swedish star speaks to Esquire Middle East about his latest film, being home in Stockholm, and staying ripped for The Northman during quarantine

Alexander Skarsgård did not have the 2020 the rest of us did. There was no quiet quarantine, no tubs of ice cream devoured at three in the morning, no existential boredom, no staring out the window as we wondered if we’d ever be able to start doing things again.

No, Skarsgård had to spend the year staying in the best shape of his life to play an honest-to-god Viking warrior and Nordic prince Amleth in Robert Eggers’ upcoming epic The Northman. Not that he minded, of course.

Skarsgård is in a very good place. Before The Northman, he filmed Godzilla vs. Kong, which was one of the most joyful experiences of his career. It’s a film that is much better than anyone could have hoped, that fixes the flaws of the previous outings of the franchise in Kong: Skull Island and Godzilla: King of Monsters by making its supporting characters actually interesting to follow—including Skarsgård’s turn as a conspiracy-loving mad scientist named Nathan Lind—and making the battle between the legendary behemoths the stuff of Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant.

Esquire Middle East caught up with the 44-year-old Swedish actor, who is aging like a vampire, fittingly enough, over Zoom ahead of the film’s release.

Read the full ESQ&A with Alexander Skarsgård below:

Alex, it’s great to see you again. How are you?

I’m pretty good. You’re in Dubai, right? I’m in Stockholm, Sweden at the moment.

How long have you been home?

I’ve been here for two months now since I wrapped The Northman.

How’s that been?

Yeah, it's been really nice. I mean, it's obviously a difficult time, but considering everything, I'm lucky, because everyone is doing alright. It's a nice opportunity for me, as I'm constantly on the road normally. It’s great to just be home, and not just for a week around Christmas or weekend over summer. I actually get to be here and spend some real time with my family.

You didn’t have any downtime in 2020?

Well, I was actually shooting for most of 2020. When the pandemic hit, I was in Belfast about to start filming the Northman, then we shut down for three months, and during that I had to train basically. It's a very physical role, so I had to keep working out. I was still in work mode for the whole lockdown. Then in July, we started shooting till the end of the year.

Did you prefer it that way?

I was very grateful to be able to work. It was definitely different from the normal set because we were completely isolated. We got tested three times a week and I basically lived in a bubble up in the hills of Northern Ireland and didn't see anyone didn't do anything for six months other than work and sleep and train.

I have a friend Adlai who lives in that village in Northern Ireland and I kept trying to get him to go break into your set because I needed to know more about this movie.

It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. The most amazing experience.

You’ve been making a habit of working with great horror filmmakers, with Robert Eggers (The Witch) on the Northman, and Adam Wingard (You’re Next) on Godzilla vs. Kong.

What’s interesting about all these guys like Adam and Rob Eggers is they produce these really dark and twisted movies but they are two of the nicest human beings I've ever met. They're so sweet and genuine.

What do you and Adam like to talk about?

Death metal, probably. He's a big metal fan.

Are death metal people sweethearts, generally speaking?

Yeah, actually. Sometimes I feel like that's sometimes the case when you meet musicians in death metal bands they're like the sweetest, loveliest people who talk about their grandmothers and stuff.

Why do you think that is?

Maybe it's cathartic. It's a way to get out all that dark energy onto the big screen or as a musician onto an album.

Did you and Adam click immediately?

I met him years ago for another project. We didn’t end up working together on that but it was such a memorable meeting that we stayed in touch over the years. He’s not only a wonderful guy but so intelligent, such a film buff who knew everything about not only the horror genre, but even just films in general. When Godzilla vs Kong came up, I was just really excited to get an opportunity to work with him.

Were the words ‘Godzilla’ and ‘Kong’ enough for you, or did something specific draw you to this one?

I think it was a combination. I had just come off of a couple of really dark intense projects. I did the Little Drummer Girl, which is a limited series based on the John le Carré novel about conflicts in the Middle East, and I just come off Big Little Lies, two seasons of domestic abuse.

Did you just need something different?

It was just really two of the most rewarding experiences of my career but also really, really draining really intense experiences. I was just craving something fun and exciting. I hadn't done any big tent pole matinee-style movies and since Tarzan.

But you said it was a combination—are you also a Godzilla nerd?

Oh man, I was like a little boy. I just got giddy when I saw the renderings, the drawings, the storyboards, like the world that they wanted to create. I thought tonally they were the right people to make this kind of movie because I thought they had the balls to go all the way and make it as big and crazy and fun as it as I think it deserves to be, with the right amount of sarcasm and irony, but while still taking the topic seriously, and the characters seriously, and really caring about both Kong and Godzilla.

Did you and Adam share a lot creatively back and forth?

Oh, yeah. He would run up to me and ask what if they run into a creature that almost looks like an owl and start explaining how it works. And then you start sketching something on a piece of tissue. And then a week later, he would come back with something amazing that the visual artists have created. To be part of that from an early stage is so exciting to me.

As a pro wrestling fan, that balance of ironic and serious you mentioned sounds awfully familiar to me. Did you guys make a pro wrestling movie on purpose?

It’s a lot like pro wrestling. Like, you want the fights to be big spectacular, fun, and entertaining. But you want to care about the wrestlers, right? You want to root for them. I think Adam did such a great job in finding that tone. They beat the sh*t out of each other on an aircraft carrier, but you also want to connect with these creatures and care about them. The movie asks, what does Kong really wants other than beat up Godzilla? What is he longing for in life?

That’s exactly what I think when I watch the Undertaker throw Mankind off Hell in a Cell.

Absolutely!

Godzilla vs. Kong is in theaters now across the Middle East

https://www.esquireme.com/content/51448-alexander-skarsgard-on-pro-wrestling-death-metal-the-joys-of-godzilla-vs-kong-the-northman-interview

Photo from WarnerBros. Entertainment. Thanks to SophTop on Delish for the find!

[smokeybrandreviews]

Smokey brand Movie Reviews: Super Green

The Green Knight s finally out and i can see it without having to wait a month and a half! I thank A24 for this rather quick turnaround because this thing has been on my radar fr what seems like forever! I’ve written about this before but A24 is my favorite studio releasing content. Neon is a close second and Netflix is making a real charge, but A24 releases classics. Some of my all-time favorite films are A24 products. Ex Machina, Hereditary, Under the Skin, The VVitch, Uncut Gems, Zola, Midsommar, Lady Bird, Eighth Grade, The Lighthouse, High Life, The Monster, Enemy, Climax, Room, The Killing of a Sacred Deer, The Disaster Artist, and Under the Silver Lake have all impressed in one for or another, all of them A24 offerings. This studio is f*cking amazing and i cannot sing it’s praises enough. They’ve been around for less than a decade, A24 was founded in August of 2012, and they’re brought this level of quality consistently. The Green Knight has all of the workings to slide right into my all-time list, just like Ex Machina and Hereditary did before it. Let’s see if i really love it as much as i think i will.

The Exceptional

The first thing that hits you is how f*cking gorgeous this film is. Seriously, i was immediately captivated by that opening scene with Gawain rushing for Mass. It definitely opens up as the film progresses and you are treated to one of the most visually striking films of the year. This movie could give Denis Villeneuve, Ari Aster, or Robert Eggers a run for their money. Seriously, you can frame several shots in a museum and no one would know the difference between that and the Van Gophs on display.

I r0aely mention this but it’s absolutely necessary that i do in this particular review because it was just that memorable. The sound design made this film. I’m not talking about music choice or score, but the actual sound effects for specific scenes. That sh*t was some of the tightest I've ever hear on a film and it really added to the overall experience. Just the way the Green Knight creaked and popped as he moved was more than enough to get this mention but there is so much  ore than just that. I hate that i had to see this at home because, f*ck, this thing would have sounded like god in a proper theater.

I mentioned that you can frame these shots in a museum before and a lot of that shine belongs to the cinematography. The shots chosen for this film are breathtaking. I imagine a lot of that has to do with location but even the scenes filmed in dank castles and murky bogs popped with that same, meticulous, shot composition and it really gave those scenes life. The were ties when my jaw dropped at the majesty of a scene. The one with the giants immediately comes to mind. Like, f*ck, was that beautiful to witness.

In that same breath, you have to know when to pull back. Editing is just as important to a film as anything else and The Green Knight is cut with a precision I've rarely seen. This thing has no fat whatsoever. It presents to you exactly what you need and little else. I love that. I love that this film has a story to tell and it tells it with extreme prejudice. These cuts were made with intent. That’s rare nowadays.

I also have to give a nod to the use of color and lighting. Again, it’s not something i ever really focus on but goddamn is it necessary for this review. Light plays a very important role in how this story was told. Certain scenes absolutely need it and others are perfectly accentuated by it. It takes a deft hand to juggle such a nuanced aspect of film and The Green Knight has done that the best this year. So far.

This film has a very real, very potent, atmosphere. It’s not tension, not like Uncut Gems of Good Times, but there is this unrelenting sense of dread that runs through this entire film. It’s measured and restrained but it’s always there. I appreciate that. For a film to illicit such emotion out of me is testament to the mastery of it’s visionary.

All of the praise I've given to the technical aspects of this film would be for naught if i didn’t recognize the director, David Lowery. This dude is fast climbing the list of my favorite directors. I actually listed  bunch above but, after seeing what he’s gone with this film, dude is really making a case for himself. He did the Pete’s Dragon remake which i hear as pretty good, and A Ghost Story but i haven’t seen either. Not really my cup of tea. But if they’re as good as The Green Knight, i might have to revisit that thought because, holy sh*t, this dude can direct the f*ck out of a film.

The writing is on point. I legit hesitated to put this on here because it is the weakest aspect of  everything else in this film but that is misleading. The writing is exceptional. There is no way this film could be as good as it is, if the script was dog sh*t. The material given to these performers had to the top tier in order for them to give the performances they did and and they definitely f*cking did that!

This whole cast really f*cking delivered. Sarita Choudhury as Mother and Sean Harris as the King were easily the best of the supporting cast but everyone else brought that same energy. Joel Edgerton, Kate Dickie, and  Barry Keoghan, all deliver powerful performances. Hell, this is the best I've ever seen Erin Kellyman act and i have to give a lot of credit to the overall quality of this cast delivered. That said, there are three individuals who put everyone else to shame and i say that knowing exactly how much praise i just heaped upon them all.

Alicia Vikander comes in and delivers on two roles, Essel and the Lady. This isn’t surprising at all because she always delivers. I’m never disappointed by her performances. Admittedly, i haven’t seen many but that’s because she is very particular about the characters she signs on to portray. That said, it’s weird the two performances she’s done that immediately jump out to me, are both with A24 films. Her Eva in Ex Machina, and that film in general, is what made me even take notice of both her and A24 as a studio. Here we are, seven years later, and she’s still blowing my mind. F*cking exceptional.

Ralph Ineson is almost unrecognizable in the Green Knight make-up but the second he opens his mouth, you immediately recognize that gravitas. There is a weight to this character and you f*cking feel it with every move Ineson makes. Dude isn’t in it much but the scenes he does appear in are absolutely stolen by this big, green, maestro of his craft.

More than anyone, this is Dev Patel’s film. This dude is a great actor but it’s rare someone gets a part where they can really bite into the content but that is not the case with this role. No, sir, this sh*t was tailor made for Patel and he definitely digs right the f*ck in. His Sir Gawain is just as good as his Jamal Malik from Slumdog, if not better. Seriously, this film would be nothing without Patel. As outstanding as every other aspect that i gushed about in this brilliant goddamn film, the very best is Dev Patel’s performance. Seriously, that sh*t, alone, is worth the watch.

The Verdict

The Green Knight is f*cking exceptional and exceeded all of my expectations. This year long wait was more than worth. It's the best film of the year so far, leap-frogging into my top twenty all-time and I've seen thousands of films. This thing is a masterpiece on all levels. Narrative, plot, lighting, performances, sound design, composition, editing, score; It's the closest thing to a technically perfect film I've seen in quite some time. If Dev Patel doesn't get an Oscar nod for this, there is no justice in the world because he f*cking carries this movie. Patel is easily the strongest force driving this incredibly compelling watch, but Alicia Vikander, Erin Kellyman, Sarita Choudhury, Ralph Ineson, Sean Harris, Kate Dickie, and Barry Keoghan all match that energy with f*cking gusto. I was absolutely mesmerized by the way these absolute masters in their craft, embodied and gave their respective characters life, particularly Vikander. She never disappoints.

The only issue I see that would hinder someone actually getting into this film is the fact that it's a little long in the tooth. You never really feel it, as long as you buy into the fact it's a character study and not a high concept fantasy film filled with dragons and sh*t. If you think Michael Bay and Zack Snyder are the pinnacle of cinematic excellence, pass on this. You won't make past the first tn minutes. Also, make better life choices. No, this is about Gawain and it never deviates from that core drive. Weird sh*t happens, sure, but it's nothing as fantastical as Smaug or a Balrog. Even so, this f*cking movie kept me glued to the edge of my seat. I loved every second of it and cannot sing it's praises enough. My only regret is that I didn't get to see it in a proper theater. This f*cker would have been a real experience to see on a proper cinema screen, especially that shot with the giants. The Green Knight is outstanding and deserves all of the praise it's gotten and so much more.

[letterboxd]

Making Waves.

“I live in Florida, my cat’s in the movie. It is incredibly personal.” Waves writer and director Trey Edward Shults opens up about his filmmaking process, reveals the movies that made him fall in love with cinema, and gushes about fellow A24 alum Robert Eggers.

Trey Edward Shults doesn’t want to spoil Waves. We don’t want to spoil Waves either. To even begin to describe its unconventional structure would be a spoiler. We’ve said too much already. Just know it’s a sweeping melodrama that solidifies Shults as one of the defining American voices of the decade.

The coming-of-age family drama centers on brother Tyler (Shults regular and breakout star Kelvin Harrison Jr., pictured above) and sister Emily (Taylor Russell), their relationships and struggles with each other, their parents (Sterling K. Brown and Renée Elise Goldsberry), and first loves (Alexa Demie and Lucas Hedges). This is Shults’ third collaboration with A24 after his DIY debut Krisha (set in the same family house as Waves, and similarly playful with its aspect ratio), and the polarizing horror It Came At Night.

While its structure hasn’t worked for everyone, Waves has captured the enthusiasm of many Letterboxd members in a profound way. “This is the coming-of-age movie to end coming-of-age,” writes ActionTomasello. “The less you know of it, the better it is going into this one.” It’s been added to the popular ‘You’re not the same person once the film has finished’ list, and the film’s soundtrack, collected into this Spotify playlist by Letterboxd member Ella, is one of the most-mentioned contributing factors to its success. Writes Nick: “A soundtrack that’s meant for a specific group of people that I’m a part of. It feels too perfect how someone made a film filled with songs from Kanye, Frank Ocean, Radiohead and many others. It feels like one long, sad, fucked-up music video.”

But no Letterboxd review currently beats Jack’s heartfelt letter to Shults: “Your film has moved me to better myself, to love, and to meet my emotions head on. Thank you.” (He also put it in his top five of all time.)

We caught up with Shults to learn how Waves was conceived and executed, and investigate which films have hit him the hardest.

Taylor Russel as Emily in ‘Waves’.

You often draw your films from your personal experiences and you’ve described Waves as autobiographical. Can you go into some detail about which life experiences fed into this film? Trey Edward Shults: Where to start? In broad strokes, I was a wrestler and tore my shoulder in the same way as Tyler. The relationships between Tyler and Alexis and also Emily and Luke are inspired by my girlfriend and [me] in the good moments, bad moments, and everything in between. Their parents are inspired by my parents. I live in Florida, my cat’s in the movie. It is incredibly personal, but I had a huge collaboration with Kelvin, and then as more actors came on it got more collaborative, so it really started from this personal place and grew out of that.

How do you reconcile your relationship to your own suffering with the fact it’s become your livelihood and commodity? It’s very strange. When we recreated events in Missouri I think that was the furthest I’ve ever gone. That shoot was an all-consuming dread and I broke down, it was very hard. I would question: “Is this healthy? Is this right?”, but I came out the other side happy I did it. It was cathartic. My mom and my step-dad are therapists and I would be a total mess without them, though I’m not in therapy right now. Working through these movies is a bit of therapy.

I’m trying to make personal things that I hope connect with other people, especially this movie. Going through life and getting to the other side of it and having perspective informed me a lot. Whether it’s just tonally or pacing-wise, I wanted the film to spiritually feel that way.

The film’s photography is remarkable, especially the first act, when you have your fullest frame. Can you take us inside how you executed some of those spinning 360-degree shots? For the car shots we took out the middle console of the truck and put a slider that went from the backseat to the front. Basically, the dolly grip and I were crammed down hiding behind the car seats and the grip pushed the camera from the back to the front. Drew [Daniels, the director of photography] was in the car behind us with a remote, so he’s operating the spinning and I have a monitor in the back. That way I could talk to the kids in the car and I also had a walkie so I could talk to Drew.

A lot of the dynamic camera stuff was a case-by-case scenario, sometimes it was just running behind our steadicam operator or just hiding and letting them go and play. We wanted the camera to be purely motivated by where our main character’s emotional state of mind was, so it’s all coming from them, but then we also wanted to figure out the technical shit and make it feel to the actors that the camera disappeared and we’re not even there. So it was an interesting balance getting there. It’s a second skin for us and we know exactly what we’re after visually, but let’s disappear and let the kids play and we’ll adapt to them.

Since our name is ‘Letterboxd’, I feel obligated to ask you an aspect-ratio question. Can you share with us how you built this intuition to change at will—did you have films you saw that you feel did this well? That’s a good question, because this one really felt like it was building off what I did with Krisha and pushing it further. I do remember The Grand Budapest Hotel came out right before I started Krisha and it had the three aspect ratios to separate [its] time periods, which was really cool to me. I think I got really excited about using aspect ratio to echo the character’s state of mind. That was the goal with that, especially for Tyler’s trajectory.

The soundtrack is getting some acclaim. Do you have any songs you wanted to fit in but couldn’t find the room, or couldn’t clear the rights for? I realized there were so many songs I wanted in it, but the movie told you what works. If you tried to force it on, it didn’t work. It started with the writing and it worked its way organically. The final soundtrack is pretty close to what was in the script though I think a few changed along the way. We got incredibly lucky that we got everything we wanted. I don’t know how we did it. It was a long process and our last song didn’t even clear until after Telluride and Toronto.

Trey Edward Shults and Sterling K. Brown on the set of ‘Waves’. / Photo: Monica Lek

There are shades of Chungking Express, Magnolia and Moonlight in the film’s DNA. What were some other films you watched or recommended to your cast and crew as preparation? Funny thing is we didn’t do a lot of movie-watching for preparation. Drew and I lived in the same house so we’d always have a movie on. We were watching The Story of Film a lot—the giant anthology series and study of the history of cinema, incredible. What we watched would totally range, it could be things like Ordinary People and Raging Bull, to The Tree of Life and I Am Cuba, to Boogie Nights and Punch-Drunk Love. We would take inspiration from anything, even a film like Yi Yi. It’s a completely different cinematic approach.

Yi Yi might just be the best film about family, so it’s a good start (Lulu Wang also mentioned it in our recent chat with her about The Farewell). That’s the thing exactly: even though Waves is made in such a different way, I think spiritually they’re sprawling tales of family. That’s one of my favorite movies. For the cast, we didn’t actually talk about movies that much. It was more about Florida, music and the character dynamics and all that good stuff.

Which movie scene makes you cry the hardest? One that just popped in my head is Dancer in the Dark. When Björk escapes in her head doing these musical numbers and it leads to the end, to the most devastating thing possible, it broke me. That movie’s rough, man. That’s not one I could watch and have good cries or something. I can’t rewatch it because it’s utterly traumatizing. I was probably crying for hours after it, I felt dead.

Which film makes you laugh the hardest? The most recent film that made me laugh the hardest is What We Do in the Shadows. I saw it for the first time on an airplane sitting next to a stranger and I think they thought something was wrong with me. Then I got home to Florida and showed it to my girlfriend, and her brother came home and we watched it again. It never got old.

Who was the most relatable coming-of-age film character for you? It’s hard because when I was a teen I was obsessed with sports and then it was music. I’m trying to think who I related to the most. Man, I don’t know. Nothing is coming to mind. Shocking.

What film do you wish you made? I’ll go with There Will Be Blood. It’s the first film that popped in my head.

What mind-fuck movies changed you for life and why? There were three that I saw pretty close together at a young age: Boogie Nights, A Clockwork Orange and Raging Bull. I had a digital cable box in my room, so I would sneak and watch a lot of things that my parents didn’t know I was watching. They just rocked my world. Until that point it was all Aliens and Terminator and every big action movie, so then when I saw those films it was like “this is what movies can be! What the hell is this?”.

I remember with Raging Bull I didn’t actually enjoy it. I was like, “This isn’t Rocky but I can’t stop watching.” It’s like a trainwreck and I’m fascinated but I don’t know if I like it, then I was obsessed with it and it’s one of my favorite movies now. Boogie Nights and A Clockwork Orange felt like a bigger vision was at work. It wasn’t just something made out in the ether, it was a specific singular vision and I cannot stop looking at it.

Sterling K. Brown in ‘Waves’.

What’s the most overlooked movie from A24? Shoot, I wish I could look at the catalogue right now. I’m just gonna go with The Spectacular Now because I just watched it again on the airplane and I thought it was really beautiful. It’s a good one, man.

Lastly, it’s time for best-of-decade lists. What’s the greatest film of the 2010s? When we interviewed Robert Eggers, Waves was his first choice. Shut up, come on! Oh my god, Rob’s the best. I will say that The Lighthouse is my favorite film of the year, without a doubt. I’m obsessed with it. I could gush about him for hours. He’s not just one of the greatest young filmmakers, he’s one of the great filmmakers working now. Honestly though, for my decade number one I gotta go with The Tree of Life. It’s one of my favorite movies of all time so I would put that at number one, and then The Lighthouse is close to it.

‘Waves’ is distributed by A24 and is playing in select US cinemas now. Photos courtesy A24.

[scottbrownmoviereviews]

THE LIGHTHOUSE FILM REVIEW

The Lighthouse, directed and co-written by Robert Eggers, finds two lighthouse caretakers (Robert Pattinson, Willem Dafoe) as they are stranded on the island due to a storm delaying their relief team.

I stayed from pretty much everything about this film beforehand. I wanted to go in as blind as possible because, as this is A24, it’s generally better not to view trailers for them beforehand. That said, I love Eggers’ previous film The Witch, so I was excited for this film. I had heard from friends that it was extremely weird, which pretty much is saying nothing. Once leaving the film though, I feel like I had watched a Hitchcock film which he made after using a ton of acid. I loved it.

It’s really hard to talk about this film without getting into spoilers, so all I’ll say is that its weird. It’s really weird. Like, so freaking weird. And I love what it was essentially a story about, which you don’t really understand until the end when it becomes really apparent. I don’t want to say what it is because it will shape you watching it if you know beforehand, but I will say that it’s done so well and so different that you won’t realize what it is until the end. Seriously, it’s so good.

The technical side is a lot easier to talk about though as you can’t really spoil that. As mentioned this really does feel like a Hitchcock film. So much of the film feels like it could’ve been made in the 1950s and 1960s down to the shot choices, camera movements, and 4:3 aspect ratio. It takes a minute or two to adjust, but once you adjust, it’s not even noticeable. And really, because it is shot this, it makes everything, the performances, the oddities, the horror, pop even more. There’s often a long time between cuts which lets the scene play out and thus, this helps bring out some excellent performances from Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe.

The Lighthouse is an excellent film that somehow feels like a film from a bygone era and a film as odd, if not odder than any other film on the market today.

9.5/10

Thanks for reading!

[jebediah19950814-blog]

0 on the season as they beat Manchester 11

0 on the season as they beat manchester 11 "They gave a good account of themselves and I don't think previously they would have made the quarter finals because the other teams were that strong." "We were dwarfed by what we could select in terms of players," van Gamert said. Denmark often kept the ball for longer spells in the opposition half and they looked calm, but their game could have used more incisive passes as the lack of Eriksen as their most creative player stuck out sometimes painfully. Defensive tackle Montravius Adams, linebacker Oren Burks and safety Darnell Savage Jr. Women Handbags of the 1900 to 1910Design innovations of carrying bags started at this time with the term "carrying bags" used extensively to describe what we now call handbags today. "The team is capable of great things like tonight. NEW YORK Major League Soccer's talented roster is set for the 2019 MLS Homegrown Game presented by Energizer, as players from the youth national teams of the United States and Canada will represent the league in the annual showcase. I think that by not, we are," McQueen says. Along with that she has a competitive fire where she absolutely hates to lose. In the 35th minute, midfielder Saphir Tader found full back Zachary Brault Guillard on the right flank. In its final road game before opening Allianz Field on April 13, Minnesota United traveled to the East Coast to face a perennial powerhouse on their home turf without two key pieces of its attack: midfielders Darwin Quintero and Miguel Ibarra. The best players from NSW ACT and Tasmania will then combine to form the Eastern Allies for round 2 of the championships on the Gold Coast in July. Because she was SUPER not hot, is how. They just lacked the polish to find an equaliser. 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Top row from left, head coach Dan Salmon, Nicolaas Vermaat, Hunter Sides, Michael coach factory outlet online Johnson, Jackson Holdwick, Elijah Shevy, Tommie Carey, Erik Salminen, Trevor Salmon, Aidan Pascoe, Drew Wyble and assistant coach Maarten Vermaat. Gates to Publix Field will open one hour prior to the start of each game. This sees the Eagles as one of the main threats to the premiership. This also means that there are numerous certification programs available that vary in quality.[7]. However, these same magnets are only $1.50 each if you buy more than 100 favors. Before actually becoming a parent, it is difficult to understand what this parent is thinking. Its a three point game. Mitchell averaged 15.9 points on a remarkable 68% behind the arc over the team's last 10 games; unfortunately, he also put up just 2.7 assists per game as the team's point guard during that span. Reno 1868 FC has acquired Cuban forward Luis Javier Paradela Diaz to a 2019 loan contract. The pressure on Nathan should Ivan join Penrith would be enormous. "No way are we going into this game thinking this is the game we can get our confidence back. I just focus up and when my name gets called I give my best.". Off the miss hulser with the strong board. Anyway, that is good news for us fashionistas!. Green lost for the seventh time in eight games and head into another offseason unsure about new jordan shoes the future of longtime head coach Marvin Lewis.. Enrollment at the school has tripled over the past 15 years, and many of the runners are too exhausted to concentrate. "Colby is a smooth, smart right handed defenseman. The additions on the defensive front are probably the most significant. On the pitch, France failed to advance to the knockout stage at the 2002 World Cup; four years later, Les Blues reached the final against Italy, but Zinedine Zidane headbutt of Italy Marco Materazzi in that game overshadowed the accomplishment. Chances are some coach somewhere is going to get fired before the season ends and one of those schools is going to want to talk to Joe Moorhead. He believed the competition would be very tight. Even after they scored the goal, [Michael] Boxall has a free header from eight yards out, nine yards out and Mason [Toye] had a couple. But it is still baseball season of course. (By the way, thanks for reading this far into this column. Everything you focus on always improves. After grabbing a loose ball, Reyer went coast to coast for a layup that cut the Viking lead to 62 60. The tournament, which held its 26th edition last Friday to Sunday, is named in memory of longtime BMHA treasurer and coach Roger Ladouceur who dedicated more than 20 years of his time to minor hockey. When we come back. "What really stands out for me are the defensive linemen we signed from high schools," he said.

[smokeybrand]

Smokey brand Movie Reviews: Super Green

The Green Knight s finally out and i can see it without having to wait a month and a half! I thank A24 for this rather quick turnaround because this thing has been on my radar fr what seems like forever! I’ve written about this before but A24 is my favorite studio releasing content. Neon is a close second and Netflix is making a real charge, but A24 releases classics. Some of my all-time favorite films are A24 products. Ex Machina, Hereditary, Under the Skin, The VVitch, Uncut Gems, Zola, Midsommar, Lady Bird, Eighth Grade, The Lighthouse, High Life, The Monster, Enemy, Climax, Room, The Killing of a Sacred Deer, The Disaster Artist, and Under the Silver Lake have all impressed in one for or another, all of them A24 offerings. This studio is f*cking amazing and i cannot sing it’s praises enough. They’ve been around for less than a decade, A24 was founded in August of 2012, and they’re brought this level of quality consistently. The Green Knight has all of the workings to slide right into my all-time list, just like Ex Machina and Hereditary did before it. Let’s see if i really love it as much as i think i will.

The Exceptional

The first thing that hits you is how f*cking gorgeous this film is. Seriously, i was immediately captivated by that opening scene with Gawain rushing for Mass. It definitely opens up as the film progresses and you are treated to one of the most visually striking films of the year. This movie could give Denis Villeneuve, Ari Aster, or Robert Eggers a run for their money. Seriously, you can frame several shots in a museum and no one would know the difference between that and the Van Gophs on display.

I r0aely mention this but it’s absolutely necessary that i do in this particular review because it was just that memorable. The sound design made this film. I’m not talking about music choice or score, but the actual sound effects for specific scenes. That sh*t was some of the tightest I've ever hear on a film and it really added to the overall experience. Just the way the Green Knight creaked and popped as he moved was more than enough to get this mention but there is so much  ore than just that. I hate that i had to see this at home because, f*ck, this thing would have sounded like god in a proper theater.

I mentioned that you can frame these shots in a museum before and a lot of that shine belongs to the cinematography. The shots chosen for this film are breathtaking. I imagine a lot of that has to do with location but even the scenes filmed in dank castles and murky bogs popped with that same, meticulous, shot composition and it really gave those scenes life. The were ties when my jaw dropped at the majesty of a scene. The one with the giants immediately comes to mind. Like, f*ck, was that beautiful to witness.

In that same breath, you have to know when to pull back. Editing is just as important to a film as anything else and The Green Knight is cut with a precision I've rarely seen. This thing has no fat whatsoever. It presents to you exactly what you need and little else. I love that. I love that this film has a story to tell and it tells it with extreme prejudice. These cuts were made with intent. That’s rare nowadays.

I also have to give a nod to the use of color and lighting. Again, it’s not something i ever really focus on but goddamn is it necessary for this review. Light plays a very important role in how this story was told. Certain scenes absolutely need it and others are perfectly accentuated by it. It takes a deft hand to juggle such a nuanced aspect of film and The Green Knight has done that the best this year. So far.

This film has a very real, very potent, atmosphere. It’s not tension, not like Uncut Gems of Good Times, but there is this unrelenting sense of dread that runs through this entire film. It’s measured and restrained but it’s always there. I appreciate that. For a film to illicit such emotion out of me is testament to the mastery of it’s visionary.

All of the praise I've given to the technical aspects of this film would be for naught if i didn’t recognize the director, David Lowery. This dude is fast climbing the list of my favorite directors. I actually listed  bunch above but, after seeing what he’s gone with this film, dude is really making a case for himself. He did the Pete’s Dragon remake which i hear as pretty good, and A Ghost Story but i haven’t seen either. Not really my cup of tea. But if they’re as good as The Green Knight, i might have to revisit that thought because, holy sh*t, this dude can direct the f*ck out of a film.

The writing is on point. I legit hesitated to put this on here because it is the weakest aspect of everything else in this film but that is misleading. The writing is exceptional. There is no way this film could be as good as it is, if the script was dog sh*t. The material given to these performers had to the top tier in order for them to give the performances they did and and they definitely f*cking did that!

This whole cast really f*cking delivered. Sarita Choudhury as Mother and Sean Harris as the King were easily the best of the supporting cast but everyone else brought that same energy. Joel Edgerton, Kate Dickie, and  Barry Keoghan, all deliver powerful performances. Hell, this is the best I've ever seen Erin Kellyman act and i have to give a lot of credit to the overall quality of this cast delivered. That said, there are three individuals who put everyone else to shame and i say that knowing exactly how much praise i just heaped upon them all.

Alicia Vikander comes in and delivers on two roles, Essel and the Lady. This isn’t surprising at all because she always delivers. I’m never disappointed by her performances. Admittedly, i haven’t seen many but that’s because she is very particular about the characters she signs on to portray. That said, it’s weird the two performances she’s done that immediately jump out to me, are both with A24 films. Her Eva in Ex Machina, and that film in general, is what made me even take notice of both her and A24 as a studio. Here we are, seven years later, and she’s still blowing my mind. F*cking exceptional.

Ralph Ineson is almost unrecognizable in the Green Knight make-up but the second he opens his mouth, you immediately recognize that gravitas. There is a weight to this character and you f*cking feel it with every move Ineson makes. Dude isn’t in it much but the scenes he does appear in are absolutely stolen by this big, green, maestro of his craft.

More than anyone, this is Dev Patel’s film. This dude is a great actor but it’s rare someone gets a part where they can really bite into the content but that is not the case with this role. No, sir, this sh*t was tailor made for Patel and he definitely digs right the f*ck in. His Sir Gawain is just as good as his Jamal Malik from Slumdog, if not better. Seriously, this film would be nothing without Patel. As outstanding as every other aspect that i gushed about in this brilliant goddamn film, the very best is Dev Patel’s performance. Seriously, that sh*t, alone, is worth the watch.

The Verdict

The Green Knight is f*cking exceptional and exceeded all of my expectations. This year long wait was more than worth. It's the best film of the year so far, leap-frogging into my top twenty all-time and I've seen thousands of films. This thing is a masterpiece on all levels. Narrative, plot, lighting, performances, sound design, composition, editing, score; It's the closest thing to a technically perfect film I've seen in quite some time. If Dev Patel doesn't get an Oscar nod for this, there is no justice in the world because he f*cking carries this movie. Patel is easily the strongest force driving this incredibly compelling watch, but Alicia Vikander, Erin Kellyman, Sarita Choudhury, Ralph Ineson, Sean Harris, Kate Dickie, and Barry Keoghan all match that energy with f*cking gusto. I was absolutely mesmerized by the way these absolute masters in their craft, embodied and gave their respective characters life, particularly Vikander. She never disappoints.

The only issue I see that would hinder someone actually getting into this film is the fact that it's a little long in the tooth. You never really feel it, as long as you buy into the fact it's a character study and not a high concept fantasy film filled with dragons and sh*t. If you think Michael Bay and Zack Snyder are the pinnacle of cinematic excellence, pass on this. You won't make past the first tn minutes. Also, make better life choices. No, this is about Gawain and it never deviates from that core drive. Weird sh*t happens, sure, but it's nothing as fantastical as Smaug or a Balrog. Even so, this f*cking movie kept me glued to the edge of my seat. I loved every second of it and cannot sing it's praises enough. My only regret is that I didn't get to see it in a proper theater. This f*cker would have been a real experience to see on a proper cinema screen, especially that shot with the giants. The Green Knight is outstanding and deserves all of the praise it's gotten and so much more.

[the-domestication-of-the-dog]

The 10th Annual L.A.O.K. Awards

Wow. Ten years of the Layokies. What a trip. I would like to give my heartfelt thanks to all five of my faithful fans for your readership over the years. In my first ever Layokies post, I named it the “1st (Possibly) Annual L.A.O.K. Awards.” I had no idea how long I’d be working at the Academy, let alone living in LA, but here we are. I bragged about seeing 180 movies that year. I just checked my Letterboxd stats for this year and it turns out I watched...180 movies. However, this year I hit a new personal best for new releases: 125. While this is about half as many as some people I know, some of the first Layokies were based on a field of 60 or 70 movies, so I’ve doubled up on my old self. Funny thing is, I can still look on other year-end lists and find many films I haven’t seen, and even some I haven’t heard of, so the field of films I’ve added are probably in the middle to bottom range of the pack. But someone out there has to watch Tolkien, Gemini Man, The Goldfinch, and Where’d You Go, Bernadette?, so it might as well be me.

In all honesty, my absolute favorite thing about living in Los Angeles and working at the Academy is access to watching movies and being around the general cinephile community, and even a bad couple of hours in a movie theater beats a lot else. Over Christmas break I saw Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker in Shawnee, OK’s own Cinema Center 8. 

It was quite a trip going back to this theater after so many years and to think of the love of film that was fostered there. Alas, the picture was pretty muddy, and I’m almost positive they showed it in 2k. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

Now, in penance for naming The King’s Speech Best Picture in my first year (lol), I give you five real good’uns for 2019:

Best Film The Farewell The King Little Women Parasite Uncut Gems

Sometimes I touch on a year being good or bad for film in general. Not sure about the whole, but I’ll call 2019 a real SEC year (aka stacked at the top and mediocre to poor the rest of the way down). While I would probably only give one title on this list must-see status (Parasite), these are all definite should-sees. The Farewell made me laugh and cry and cringe. One might even go so far as to say it “gave me all the feels.” The King gave me actual siege warfare and period-accurate haircuts. Little Women hit me with that structure, and at first I was all “hol up,” but then I was all “OK I see you.” Little Women also made me cry because I cry in movies now. (A quick aside, because while I absolutely loved Little Women, it’s not really going to come up again. If you liked the movie and haven’t read the book, please do yourself a favor and make it the next one on your list. You can’t know how great this movie is unless you know how good Beth is. Beth kind of got lost in this one, and you need to know Beth.) Parasite blew me away through its normality (who, having seen The Host, Snowpiercer, and Okja could have guessed that it wasn’t about some actual alien parasite??). And Uncut Gems was exactly as perfect as I expected it to be. And the Layokie goes to... The King

Faithful readers will know that one of my absolute favorite genres is ‘discreet conversation behind castle walls,’ and The King absolutely nailed it. It has everything: leadership position foisted on a worthy but flawed character who doesn’t want it, conversations in tents about battle tactics, love built on almost nothing but mutual respect, and most of all, Robert Pattinson doing a funny accent (it’s just a French accent, but he makes it quite funny). I would have already watched this again five times on Netflix, but I’m hoping and praying for an Oscar nomination that will never ever in a million years come in hopes that I can see it again in the theater during nominations screenings.

The Next Five Six 1917 Honey Boy The Laundromat The Lighthouse Marriage Story Portrait of a Lady on Fire

Best Actor Timothée Chalamet - The King Adam Driver - Marriage Story Paul Walter Hauser - Richard Jewell Joaquin Phoenix - Joker Adam Sandler - Uncut Gems

Another super stacked category this year. You might even say they’re *puts on sunglasses*...Stacked Actors. (<-- This is a really good joke for anyone whose favorite band from 7th-8th grade was The Foo Fighters.) These are all kind of obvious, so I’ll take a second to comment on Paul Walter Hauser and the fact that I gave out a very specific award last year titled “Refuse to Watch - Any More Clint Eastwood Movies” after trying and failing to watch The 15:17 to Paris on a plane (one of the worst pieces of filmmaking I’ve ever witnessed). Then this year Richard Jewell was getting such good buzz, and it seemed like such a good cast, and it was such a low-risk watch (on my second screen at work while doing spreadsheets), that I decided to shamefully renege on my earlier pronouncement and give it a shot. And...it was great pretty good! What is the deeal with Clint Eastwood?? He’s made some of my least favorite movies of the decade (Gran Torino, Invictus, Hereafter was a particularly awful stretch, Sully was pointless, and even parts of American Sniper, which was otherwise tolerable, were absolute cringefests). Anywho, I was very impressed by Paul Walter Hauser’s understated but perfect performance, in which he gets one good chance to blow up and yell at people--which you know I love. I hope he gets nominated, because it would be a great Oscar clip. (My ultimate dream job would be to pick the acting Oscars clips and I would be very very good at it.)

And the Layokie goes to... The Sandman (love that everyone is calling him the Sandman again)

I touched on Adam Sandler “A” in the Best Supporting Actor section of my 2018 Layokies post regarding his performance in The Meyerowitz Stories, lamenting that he hadn’t taken more dramatic roles after Punch-Drunk Love and hoping that good writer/directors would keep casting him. One more wish granted by the Safdie brothers. Adam Sandler’s talent is undeniable. He is truly one of the Great Actors of his generation. I really hope this is a respected-actor-making turn for him, but the upcoming roles on his IMDd--Hubie Halloween and Hotel Transylvania 4--don’t give much hope for the immediate future. 

Honorable Mentions Taron Egerton - Rocketman (but only for the phone booth scene) Shia LaBeouf - The Peanut Butter Falcon Noah Jupe - Honey Boy Robert Pattinson - The Lighthouse Jonathan Pryce - The Two Popes

Best Actress Ana de Armas - Knives Out Scarlett Johansson - Marriage Story Elisabeth Moss - Her Smell Florence Pugh - Midsommar Saoirse Ronan - Little Women

Found out last night from my resident celebrity expert Bridgette Smith that Florence Pugh is dating Zach Braff and it absolutely crushed me. 

And the Layokie goes to... Elisabeth Moss - Her Smell

Her Smell was the last 2019 film I watched before writing this post, and I was really just looking for something to pass the time. I had been wanting to see it for a long time and noticed it was on HBO, so I pressed play and planned to work on this post while I watched. I couldn’t. I was riveted. The writing, score, and sound design are incredible, but it’s all tied together by Elisabeth Moss’s performance. She’s excellent at being revolting but still has all of those qualities that made her Peggy. You can’t not like her, even though you fairly hate her. 

Honorable Mentions Awkwafina - The Farewell Cynthia Erivo - Harriet Lupita Nyong’o - Us (You know I love weird voices, you know I love actors doing weird voices and faces, but this was a bit much even for me. Reflective of Us on the whole, which I thought was interesting but really missed the mark.) Charlize Theron - Bombshell

Best Director Ari Aster - Midsommar Bong Joon Ho - Parasite David Michôd - The King Benny and Josh Safdie - Uncut Gems Céline Sciamma - Portrait of a Lady on Fire

And the Layokie goes to... Benny and Josh Safdie - Uncut Gems

Wired: New directors Tired: Old directors

Boy do I not understand the love for The Irishman and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. I’m not totally against boring movies if there’s a good reason for it (Midsommar was actually quite boring), but these were some of the least compelling films I watched all year. On the other hand, you have these young directors coming out of prestige horror, Ari Aster, Robert Eggers, and to a lesser extent David Robert Mitchell and Trey Edwards Shults, making some of the most dynamic films out there. Reminds me of Roger Ebert talking about early Scorsese in Life Itself (which I can’t find a clip of). Then you have Benny and Josh Safdie doing Scorsese better than Scorsese with literally breathtaking shots like the one below. How they construct such amazing edits out of such disparate takes as the one in the still above is a wonder. They’ll go from five extreme close-ups in a row to a jaw-dropping shot of the inside of a jewelry store zoomed in from across the street. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg on what makes them the best filmmakers working right now. 

Honorable Mentions Noah Baumbach - Marriage Story Robert Eggers - The Lighthouse Claire Denis - High Life Greta Gerwig - Little Women Alejandro Landes - Monos Sam Mendes - 1917 Alex Ross Perry - Her Smell Joe Talbot - The Last Black Man in San Francisco Lulu Wang - The Farewell

Best Supporting Actress Laura Dern - Marriage Story Lena Headey - Fighting with My Family Lee Jung Eun - Parasite (The housekeeper) Meryl Streep - The Laundromat Shuzhen Zhao - The Farewell (Nai Nai)

And the Layokie goes to... Laura Dern - Marriage Story

Here’s one for the Laura Dern stan accounts: There’s no question that Noah Baumbach is a talented director of actors, but Laura Dern makes so much out of seemingly not a lot in this role. She truly embodies a wholly unique and three-dimensional character that could have extremely easily been one-note.

Honorable Mentions Lily-Rose Depp - The King Florence Pugh - Little Women Margot Robbie - Bombshell

Best Supporting Actor Timothée Chalamet - Little Women Willem Dafoe - The Lighthouse Shia LaBeouf - Honey Boy Al Pacino - The Irishman Robert Pattinson - The King

And the Layokie goes to... Willem Dafoe - The Lighthouse

For being all: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xT7uR4wNMJs

Honorable Mentions Bill Hader - It Chapter Two Tim Heidecker - Us Sam Rockwell - Richard Jewell Song Kang Ho - Parasite (the dad) Lakeith Stanfield - Uncut Gems

Best Original Screenplay The Farewell - Lulu Wang Her Smell - Alex Ross Perry Marriage Story - Noah Baumbach Parasite - Bong Joon Ho Uncut Gems - Benny and Josh Safdie

And the Layokie goes to... Parasite - Bong Joon Ho

Another genre we don’t get nearly enough of: comedies of errors. A script like this is as sophisticated as any mystery, political thriller, or...some other sophisticated type of script, like uh, I don’t know, they usually just say Chinatown or Witness. I did think it lagged a bit in the third act, but everything that came before it was so tight. Twist after turn after twist, so funny, so shocking. This is such a rare prestige crowd-pleaser that it really does harken back to Hitchcock; if a wide audience can get over watching subtitles, this has to have one of the lowest barriers for entry of any foreign film in a long time. Here’s hoping for a Best Picture Oscar nomination and a wide release. Uncut Gems played at Shawnee’s other theater (titled simply Movies 6), so it’s not that far out of the realm of possibility. But I know people in LA, even that work at the Academy, who won’t watch subtitled films, so getting people to actually go see it is another question. 

Honorable Mentions Peterloo - Mike Leigh

Best Adapted Screenplay Jojo Rabbit - Taika Waititi Joker - Todd Philips & Scott Silver The King - David Michôd The Laundromat - Scott Z. Burns The Two Popes - Anthony McCarten

And the Layokie goes to... The King - Joel Edgerton and David Michôd

It wouldn’t be the Layokies without me championing one film that no one else cares about. I just really really liked The King. Timothée Chalamet is so hot right now! How did this get so overlooked?? 😭

Best Documentary Apollo 11 Honeyland It’s a Hard Truth Ain’t It Maiden Mike Wallace is Here

And the Layokie goes to... Maiden

As I’m in the process of producing a documentary right now, it pains me a bit that my top two picks in this category are almost entirely archival. I thought Mike Wallace is Here was so well done, and the director did some amazing things playing with aspect ratio. But Maiden came into port first. What is wrong with people who don’t appreciate sports? This xkcd comic (who I usually appreciate) makes me so angry. Tell the women who worked their asses off for years to claw their way into this male-dominated space and literally made the world a better place that their efforts were no more than a weighted random number generator on which to build narratives! Clearly the narratives are there, but it rarely has as much to do with the result of the competition as it does the effort that it took individual human beings to get there. See also: Undefeated (currently streaming on Netflix).

Honorable Mentions Fyre They Shall Not Grow Old Satan & Adam

Best Foreign Language Film Duh Parasite

Biggest Missed Opportunity Pokemon: Detective Pikachu (How the first live action Pokemon movie should have happened)

Not Even Close to Enough Monsters Godzilla: King of the Monsters

Most Unbelievable Cosplay Tom Hanks as Mr. Rogers

Absolutely Crushing the Sensitive Dad Roles Billy Crudup in After the Wedding and Where’d You Go, Bernadette?

Good in Everything Too obvious, but Florence Pugh - Fighting with My Family, Midsommar, Little Women Robert Pattinson - High Life, The Lighthouse, The King Adam Driver - The Dead Don’t Die, Marriage Story, The Report, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

Destigmatizing Fatness Award Dolemite is My Name The Laundromat Skin Almost Hustlers but then not (Lizzo got what, 30 seconds of screentime??)

#WasteYourAudience’sTime2019 The Souvenir The Proposal

Didn’t Actually Deserve to be Driven into the Ground Dark Phoenix The Kitchen

Just Plain Liked It Triple Frontier

Most Forgettable Tie: Tolkien and High Life (not for me, but it took me a full 10 minutes to convince Becca that she watched this, and I had to describe the masturbation chamber aka fuck box in a lot of detail before she got it, and I’m still not totally convinced she remembers it)

The Something Award Motherless Brooklyn

The Nothing Award Judy

Worst Movies 1. Rambo: Last Blood 2. Between Two Ferns: The Movie 3. Abominable 4. The Lion King 5. Godzilla: King of the Monsters 6. Wine Country 7. Jumanji: The Next Level 8. Frozen II 9. The Goldfinch 10. Pet Semetary

Best Scenes

Avengers: Endgame - The hammer, the portals, all the nerdy/normie BS, what can I say call me a basic bitch but there were some genuine holy schmoly moments in this that made it a really fun movie to experience in the theater

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood - When Mr. Rogers uses the puppets on Lloyd

Captain Marvel - When she went full shit on ‘em

Climax - The opening dance sequence (the only thing that made this movie worth watching)

The Farewell - Too many to choose from, but I think my favorite moment in this movie was when they were taking photos of the fiances and another couple stumbled in on them, claiming they were lost. That couple leaves and we never see them again. These are the kinds of details that make movies come alive. Absolutely brilliant.

Gemini Man - The motorcycle chase (a rare scene actually made better by the high frame rate)

John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum - The knife fight in the knife store

The King - The conversation between Hal and Catherine

Knock Down the House - When A.O.C. debated the incompetent proxy

The Last Black Man in San Francisco - Skateboarding into town

Little Women - The “break-up” scene between Jo and Laurie (not a spoiler)

Midsommar - The drug trip scene (not that I’ve ever done drugs but this was the most accurate drug trip scene of all time) and the Ättestupa ceremony. Also found out in the video linked above that Ari Aster pronounces it Mid-SO-mar?? I thought that was the dumb way to pronounce it but apparently I’m the dumb one. Also also, another amazing detail worth mentioning: I absolutely loved that every time they were in their community sleeping barn, there was a baby crying somewhere on the second floor that we never see. Such a perfect way to put the characters and the audience on edge and indicate that there’s something wrong here.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood - While I didn’t care for this movie, the scene where Brad Pitt went to the movie ranch and when he fantasized about going to the film set were absolutely dripping with tension, which made them as just as riveting as the rest of the movie wasn’t

Parasite - When the other family comes home early

The Peanut Butter Falcon - The scene after they come out of the corn field and share one of their first genuine moments

Uncut Gems - *Sarah Palin voice* All of ‘em, any of ‘em. But seriously the finale with the Celtics game

Us - The initial home invasion and the visit to the Tylers’ home (Tim Heidecker and Elisabeth Moss)

The A.V. Club also does a best scenes list at the end of the year, and I love writing mine first and then seeing what they came up with. I’m always surprised at how many we match on. Just goes to show that a good scene is universal. I also enjoyed some of theirs that I overlooked here, including from Her Smell, Bombshell, Ad Astra (I almost included the moon chase myself and thought the baboon scene was equally compelling), and Portrait of a Lady on Fire.

Stupidest Scenes Every other John Wick 3 scene

Deserves Discussion The Dead Don’t Die

This movie was a lot of fun. But then it also completely sucked? Not really a Jim Jarmusch fan in the first place, but this had so many awesome elements to it: a great cast, great soundtrack, really fun and unexpected ways of breaking the 4th wall, but then it was also pointless and boring. I would love for someone to tell me why this is a good movie after all, but judging by its complete absence from the end-of-the-year discussion (or any discussion), I’m guessing no one cares enough to mount that challenge.

Best Visuals Alita: Battle Angel Aquarella A Hidden Life Honeyland Midsommar Monos

Many LOLs It Chapter Two Jojo Rabbit Parasite

Best Song Ready or Not - The Hide and Seek Song (why was this not submitted?)

Best Soundtrack Waves - Never have I already known so many songs on a film’s soundtrack; it’s almost as if Trey Edwards Shults is another white guy around my age with the same interests as me...

Worst Accents Midway

Started But Never Finished Cats Cold Case Hammarskjold Genndy Tartakovsky’s ‘Primal’ - Tales of Savagery  The Highway Men High Flying Bird Queen and Slim Spies in Disguise

Didn’t See Ash is Purest White Atlantics The Beach Bum The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open (still really want to see this one) Clemency Diane Invisible Life Luce Shadow Synonyms Transit Woman at War

Absent on Purpose Pain & Glory Ford v Ferrari I think these are the only two contenders that I’ve seen and haven’t mentioned. I actually liked both of these movies quite a bit. Just didn’t stand out for me in any one category I suppose. But then also: Booksmart Brittany Runs a Marathon Just Mercy The Mustang

Hah!

[brentwatchesmovies]

Get Out

It seems like every year in recent memory, there's been another great new horror release from a first time director, and 2017 is no different. Last year I wrote about 'The Witch' from Robert Eggers and previously there was 'The Babadook' and 'It Follows'. We're in the middle of a modern resurgence of great, low-budget horror movies made by new auteur directors with a vision and a story they want to tell. Get Out, by first time director and actor/comedian Jordan Peele, is the best of the bunch. I don't say that lightly because The Witch is a modern classic. Not only is it incredibly tense, unnerving, and creepy, but it's amazingly well written and funny when it needs to be. Get Out is also an important film, one that represents a group of people and a perspective that has been given short shrift for decades. Get Out is a personal, and yet incredibly relatable and terrifying modern horror masterpiece.

The simple set up for Get Out involves a young man (Daniel Kaluuya as Chris) going to meet his new girlfriends parents. It's a relatable situation for most who have had to meet their significant others parents for the first time, but with a complication because Rose and Chris are an interracial couple, and she didn't tell her parents he was black. She assures him that it's fine, that they "would have voted for Obama for a third term", but as soon as they arrive, things seem a bit weird. Rose's parents (the always amazing Bradley Whitford and Catherine Keener) are definitely, totally not racist at all, but their subtle liberal racism peaks it's head through in these early interactions. From that point, the movie paces its reveals out perfectly as we slowly realize what's going on at this house, and it's incredibly gripping storytelling.

It's difficult to talk about this movie without spoiling anything, so I'll keep things non-specific. I wanted to talk about the script for this movie, because it's one of the best I've ever seen put to film in the horror genre. For me, one of the most frustrating things in these movies is that the writing just never comes together. Especially with supernatural horror movies (don't worry, this one isn't), I never understood the 'rules' for this world. How do the ghosts work in this movie? What are they even doing haunting this family? It rarely comes together for me, so I don't end up enjoying the experience. With Get Out, everything makes sense. Even if it doesn't the first time through, I guarantee it will on a rewatch. I was blown away by how everything tracks and makes sense in this movie after reading about it in the days after seeing it. It's truly a remarkable achievement in writing on Jordan Peele's part.

This movie would be nothing without believable performances, and everybody in this movie is perfect in their roles. Daniel Kaluuya, who was great in his 'Black Mirror' episode, is going to be a huge star, if this movie is any indication. Whitford and Keener are perfect as Rose's uncomfortably creepy parents, and Allison Williams plays into her woke-white girl persona that she carries over from Marnie in 'Girls'. I was surprised most by Betty Gabriel as Georgina, who has to do SO much in so few lines and scenes. The many conflicting emotions that she conveys, all at the same time, is impressive as hell, and I hope she gets a nice lead role after Get Out. All of these performances are just one part of the incredible piece of cinema that 'Get Out' turned out to be. It's absolutely required viewing for anyone who enjoyed movies like Rosemary's Baby, and The Stepford Wives, or really any fan of well-done horror movies. 'Get Out' of the house and see this movie as soon as possible (sorry).

That's going to do it for Get Out, and I really hope this convinces someone(s) to go see this movie if they were on the fence. It shouldn't be missed, and I'm sure will make it on the ol' top 8 at the end of the year (barring a serious flood of masterpieces over the next 9 months). If you had any thoughts you wanted to talk about, hit me up on here or Facebook! I love talking about great movies with people and this ones no different. Other than that, I'm actually seeing Beauty and the Beast tomorrow, and I'll probably be seeing Kong soon, so I might write about one or both of those. As usual, share this with anyone who might give a damn, and thanks for reading!