THE BRUTALIST

2024 • Live Action • Drama

I am very embarassed to admit that I watched this entire long-ass movie under the assumption that it was a biopic based on a true story, sort of like Oppenheimer. Everything that happened in the movie, I found myself asking "how accurate is this to the real thing?". I remember feeling excited to look up information about the structure that was being built throughout the film after the movie was over. That's how I found out that this was a work of fiction, by googling a building that doesn't exist. So, I guess I have to give the film credit for being written in a way that felt very believable. But that's not what the purpose of the movie was, is it? It was a movie meant to delve into the drama surrounding a construction project gone off the rails, inspired by real-world history. And at that, it certainly succeeds. But I'm still sad that that underground room with the pillars and the water isn't real. That would've been a cool place to visit.

THE SUBSTANCE

2024 • Live Action • Horror

I wasn't planning on seeing this movie originally, but I heard so much praise for it that I figured I'd see what all the fuss was about. I went into it having never seen a single second of footage, I only knew the basic premise of the film. I was immediately surprised (pleasantly) by the crazy editing style of the movie. Bright, saturated colors and super quick cuts all the time, shots rarely last more than a few seconds. And an overall frantic tone. The whole movie, even in calm scenes where nothing bad is happening, all feels like a panic attack. And then there's all the body horror stuff, handled very well and it felt very novel. The practical makeup effects were great. And it's not just a spectacle, the whole movie explores the uncomfortable truth about how our appearance shapes our life experience - a theme that anyone can relate too. This really is an all-timer, it's unhinged and smart and I totally understand the hype surrounding it. I think this will be seen as a classic for years to come.

THE LIGHTHOUSE

2019 • Live Action • Thriller

My only prior knowledge of this movie was that it was about two lighthouse keepers slowly going insane, and of course the famous "HAAAARK!" scene. While I really liked the movie overall, for some reason the thing that caught me off guard the most was how, I guess, gross it was? All the farting and poop imagery and cum and puke and whatnot. For some reason I didn't expect all that. Now it's the first thing I think of when I remember the movie, it was nasty. But if you look past that, of course, you get all the great stuff that everybody always talks about whenever the movie is brought up online. It's a genuinely inspired piece of media, drawing from strong historic and folkloric roots, presented in a cool style, and with great acting and writing. I get why people hold this film so highly now. I feel like I need to rewatch it, there were a lot of moments that felt left up to interpretation, maybe I can figure out what was really going on if I watch it again.

EXISTENZ

1999 • Live Action • Sci-Fi

This really was a spiritual successor to Videodrome, and not just because it had weird fleshy technology in it. Both of the movies were about how technology can obfuscate reality and start to make you question if anything you're seeing is even real. Which, uh, is more relevant today than ever before. Between this one and Videodrome, I think I liked this one more. It just felt more creative and weird, and you know me, I love weird imagery in film. The 90s videogame theming was cool too.

STALKER

1979 • Live Action • Sci-Fi, Drama

I had heard a lot about this movie and knew that it was considered to be 'one of the greats' by many people. And I have to agree. Watching it was quite an experience for me, I don't think I've felt this way watching any other movie. It was sort of meditative, the slow pace and quiet tone kind of lulled me into a certain state of mind, a state of mind that allowed me to really soak in the thoughts and ideas spoken by the characters. And I loved the sort of "urban exploration" aspect of the movie too, it was kind of like watching a Proper People video with a plot. Really amazing movie, but maybe not the most accessible, some people probably wouldn't be able to tolerate the slow pace or the vague nature of some scenes.

CLERKS

1994 • Live Action • Comedy

A crude comedy movie about being stuck working at a convenience store. I myself spent a good few years stuck in a cashier position so I rented this movie expecting it to tap into that same feeling of frustration you feel when you're stuck at one of those shitty jobs. And while the comedy elements took the front seat, Clerks still did explore that sort of frustration. I mean, it was made by somebody who worked at a convenience store. And filmed at the store he worked at, and produced using his own pocket money. So it was really coming from somewhere real. I know there's a ton more movies in this series, but I don't really care to watch them, they seem like stereotypical early 2000s adult comedies. There's something about Clerks that just seems more raw. It's, like, angsty or something. I liked it.

VIVARIUM

2019 • Live Action • Horror

This movie is about a young couple looking to buy their first house. On their way to see a showhome, they end up in a very strange suburban area where all the houses are identical and their real estate agent is acting so strangely one might wonder if he's even human. Soon the real estate agent disappears and they realize they're trapped there, not able to escape no matter how far they drive. And then a baby shows up in a box on their doorstep, with instructions printed on it saying "raise the child and you will be released". It's a very surreal setup and the movie really drew me in. I was surprised to see most reviews for it online were mixed or negative, I thought it was pretty great. Aside from some pacing issues, I didn't have any major problems with it. Though I did find the ending to be really depressing, I still feel kind of sad when I think of it and that doesn't happen for me with most movies. It's a creative sci-fi horror movie with a dark story and I recommend it.

GHOST IN THE SHELL

1995 • Animated • Sci-fi

I'll admit I had pretty high expectations going in to this one, after all people treat it like it's one of the best animes of all time. I definitely enjoyed it, but it also didn't quite reach the lofty heights I thought it would. The ending especially felt very abrupt, and I know there's a lot more Ghost in the Shell movies and series, so I'm assuming this movie was just trying to set up the beginning of the story more than anything. They still coulda wrapped it up a bit more neatly I think. Aside from that, though, the vibes of this movie are great. My favorite parts were the sort of interlude scenes where it was just a bunch of long shots of different parts of the city with that fantastic OST playing overtop. Those scenes alone really sell the movie for me. Not sure if I'll check out the rest of this series, but maybe one day.

EVENT HORIZON

1997 • Live Action • Horror, Sci-fi

I already knew this movie's main twist long before I ever planned on watching it, but that didn't detract from my enjoyment at all. The art direction is really good, on par with the first Alien, and of course the premise of the movie is super cool and inspiring. Two things I didn't like though. One, I found it pretty baffling that they decided to include a comic relief character in such a serious movie, even having him intrude on the climactic scene to yell out some wacky funny lines. That was probably the result of some executive meddling or something. Two, the ending felt abrupt. But from the sounds of it, that was because of tight production deadlines. Also it was an interesting choice to put some upbeat 90s techno music over the ending credits, a bit of tonal whiplash but I respect the decision. So yeah, some odd choices here and there but overall a fantastic movie.

DAVE MADE A MAZE

2017 • Live Action • Adventure, Comedy

A fun, strange little movie. It's about a guy who builds a cardboard maze in his living room and then gets lost in it. And then his friends have to save him. It feels like the setup for a PG rated family comedy movie but then you have characters saying "fuck" and people getting their heads cut off, so it's kind of an interesting mix of tones. It has a lot of really cool cardboard environments that were all built physically, and for what I'm assuming was a lower budget movie, it looks really great. It's a refreshingly creative film and a fun watch.

VIDEODROME

1983 • Live Action • Horror, Sci-fi

A movie I had known about for a long time, but hadn't gotten around to watching until now. It certainly lived up to its reputation of "being weird", that's for sure. But beyond that shallow first observation, I have to say I really fuck with its premise. Tuning into a signal from a random pirate satellite broadcast only to find some disturbing obscure snuff film, and then trying to find out where that signal came from, and then getting wrapped up in some incomprehensible crazy shit... it's extremely interesting. And this is all from a movie made in 1983, but I feel like the themes it explores are a lot more modern, more "internet-y". So it really was ahead of its time in my opinion. Cool stuff.