Last Year's Film Diary

Taking movie-watching reeal slow this year.

In the past I've been really focused on horror but that doesn't seem to be where I'm at lately. I'm trying to experience more comedies at the moment.

4/15/2025

Best in Show (2000)

Another successful first watch for me! What's not to love about this movie? The dogs are precious and it's all improvised around 16 pages of narrative structure. Another new fave for me!

4/14/2025

Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999)

First time watching this absolute diva convention but it is now one of my new favorite movies. Everyone should watch it!!!! It's on Tubi right now! Don't listen to the bad reviews they're all by misogynists. I wish I had watched it earlier in life. Better late than never!

4/13/2025

Falling Down (1993)

Watched this for the first time because 90's "my stable job is the worst thing in the world" movies have been a topic of conversation in my house.

I'm really not sure how to feel about this movie. It was really interesting and compelling in a lot of ways. To be honest, it was too sympathetic to this entitled, racist old white man for my personal taste. I know the movie acknowledges that he's "the bad guy" by the end, but I don't get the sense that we understand why to the fullest extent. Michael Douglas' performance was really excellent.

What's bothering me is that a lot of the discourse surrounding this movie asserts that the main character is reacting to "social ills" and I think that is only partly and incidentally true. He doesn't really care about social justice, he just feels entitled to things going his way, as in his mind he earned that by doing the "right" (ahem white) things.

Ultimately, anyone who thinks of this as a vigilante movie is misunderstanding it in a dangerous way.

4/4/2025

Death of a Unicorn (2025)

Went into this movie blind since we had a couple free passes to the cinema, so I wasn't expecting much. I was pleasantly surprised! Really fun monster horror with cool imagery and a genuinely funny script. Seemed to harken a lot to Jurassic Park, which is always a plus for me. I'm always so impressed by Jenna Ortega. This was a really chill way to spend friday night.

3/8/2025

The Pianist (2002)

Boooooo Roman Polanski hisss tomato tomato. May you never experience joy.

That said, this movie was really good and a gigantic bummer. Not exactly a fun way to spend my Saturday but enriching and sobering nonetheless. Reminded me that actually, not shit is funny. Not then and not now.

2/14/2025

Wild at Heart (1990)

Seeing this in the theater made a great Valentine's date. My first time seeing it and I adored it. I'm such a sucker for Wizard of Oz motifs. As you can see I'm really off my game movie-watching wise. Seems the only way I can sit through one is if I physically go to the cinema. That's just where I'm at right now. It's okay.

1/24/2025

Eraserhead (1977)

Got to see this in the theater which was spectacular. David Lynch I miss you dearly.

1/1/2025

The Northman (2022)

Rewatch continuing the theme of appreciating Robert Eggers in light of the triumph that was Nosferatu. This movie is so crazy I and love it.

Juror #2 (2024)

My partner and I keep calling this the rural juror. I wasn't planning to watch this when he put it on but old Clint can still do his thing so it drew me in and I watched the whole thing. It caught me at a good time, where I'm inexplicably softer than usual to a courtroom drama and its adjacent subgenres. Clint Eastwood is suchhhh an edgelord and always has been. It was satisfying to see Nicholas Hoult again after so enjoying his performance in Nosferatu. I was SICK for him in this movie SICK I tell you!