first-time watches of 2025:
welcome to my collection of films. what you will find here are favorite watches of 2022 - 2025, as well as favorites and special recommendations. xx
looking for mr. goodbar
(1977), dir. richard brooks
"Raised in a strict Catholic family, Theresa (Diane Keaton) teaches deaf children during the day and cruises singles bars and discos at night. Theresa pursues the likes of Tony (Richard Gere), whose threatening knife and swagger excite her."
an incredible and dare i say must-see performance by diane keaton. i watched this on youtube in okay-quality, but
i think this actually got a bluray remaster and i've been thinking about buying it ever since i watched this, because
i love this film from the 70s about a woman of her time trying to defy societal expectations, ect.
probably not the best movie you'll see about this topic or in general, but very much worth a watch.
this also comes with a brilliant soundtrack.
donkey skin
(1970), dir. jacques demy
highly entertaining and dreamy, beautiful fairy tale. i've been meaning to watch more catherine deneuve, which is how i got here. but i really didn't think i'd like it this much. the production design is veryy fun. kind of makes me think of 'the last unicorn' in a way.
lisa frankenstein
(2024), dir. zelda williams
a fun watch. i laughed a lot. if you like what diablo cody has done (juno, jennifer's body) i'm sure you'll have a good time with this too.
all the boys love many lane
(2009), dir. jonathan levine
sun drenched. high school horror. early 2000s scumbag boys and their dangers.
very much a disliked movie by many, and initially i didn't like it much either, but then i rewatched it, and thought
'what the hell was i thinking disliking this?'
i think the 3rd act bangs, and i can't help but wonder what this would have been like had it been directed by a woman.
the last showgirl
(2024), dir. gia coppola
saw it twice with my girl friends. realistically, i think it could have been a lot more than what it ended up being, but i still loved so much about it. i think it's a very intimate little film, and should just be enjoyed for what it is. the story of the last showgirl.
donnie darko
(2001), dir. richard kelly
i think i put watching this film off in part because i watched southland tales first, lol. and that's not to say that i didn't like southland tales, but you know... that film's an experience. and so yeah, this one took me a while. but i did instantly like it. the entire vibe is very good. i love all this dread and sadness.
requiem for a dream
(2000), darren aronofsky
not sure i should even recommend this to anyone, because it depressed the hell out of me. truely dreary. but if you want something to make you sad, and feel violated(?), let's gooo.
belly
(1998), dir. hype williams
music video aesthetic. soundtrack bangs. good, good, good.
sex, lies, and videotape
(1989), dir. steven soderbergh
a total gem. small, and really well written. very much about talking and listening; therapy. there's not all that much going on, but personally, i was totally drawn to the screen. james spader does something really great here. and peter gallagher is hot, despite being the bad guy (i blame sandy cohen).
first-time watches of 2024:
things i saw in 2024, which i think was a good year for me, film wise. thanks go out to my letterboxd account for sponsering this.
adventureland
(2009), dir. greg mottola
one of those good coming of age films. i remember that i watched it, i think at my parents house. maybe while i was house-sitting. and then i think i watched it again the next day, because it resonated so much with me.
aloners
(2021), dir. hong sung-eun
personally, i thought this was a great take not just on urban loneliness, but also on loneliness in general.
boogie nights
(1997), dir. paul thomas anderson
i randomly got this on dvd at a thrift store for only 5 bucks, and really liked it. recommended and gave it to a bunch of friends and they all liked it too. and now i'm virtually giving it to you.
happy together
(1997), wong kar-wai
destroyed me. reminded me of clouds of sils maria, which is over there in my favorites. watch at your own risk.
favorites:
millennium mambo
(2001), dir. hou hsiao-hsien
dreamy, neon-soaked, dimly lit (in a good way). it almost feels nostalgic, regardless of whether or not you remember 2001. probably atmosphere over action to some people, but if you like that, you should def check this out.
light sleeper
(1992), dir. paul schrader
Willem Dafoe plays John LeTour, a high-class drug dealer in New York, who's tormented by his past. wrapped in a haze of late-night city lights, we get existential crises and neon-lit soul searching. Susan Sarandon kills it as his world-weary boss.
fallen angels
(1995), dir. wong kar-wai
nocturnal fever dream about hitmen. messy, and surreal. my personal favorite by wong kar-wai.
hackers
(1995), dir. iain softley
bit of cyberpunk cheese, but in the best way possible.
the soundtrack of this film is really, really good. full of trip-hoppy songs. the fashion is also wonderful. you should google it regardless of whether or not you're gonna watch this gem. a lot of people talk about how the fifth element has fun sci-fi fashion, but this baby came out two years prior and not enough people talk about it. when i rewatched it for the first time in years in 2024, i immediately had to own it on dvd and got it for like 3 bucks too. that's a steal.
clouds of sils maria
(2014), dir. olivier assayas
it's been a while since i've watched it, but while i had access to it, i used to watch it every other day. if you're sapphic, give this a try.
jennifer's body
(2009), dir. karyn kusama
"You're totally lesbi-gay."
if you made me watch this film on loop for 2000 years, i would be okay.
first-time watches of 2023
here are some movies i watched in 2023.
the most dangerous game
(1932), dir. irving pichel, ernest b. schoedsack
“Here on my island, I hunt the most dangerous game.” “The most dangerous game? You mean tigers?” “Tigers? No. Tiger has nothing but his claws and his fangs.” “I heard some queer beast howling back there along the water. Was that it?” “My one secret. I keep it as a surprise for my guests, against the rainy days of boredom.”
i feel like i listened to an audioplay of this once. (i listen to old audioplays when i can't sleep). but it works even better as a film. this is on youtube, by the way. or at least it was when i watched it.
total recall
(1990), dir. paul verhoeven
had loads of fun with this one. watched it a little hungover with a few friends. good stuff. i loved everything i've seen by paul verhoeven so far.
the big blue
(1988), dir. luc besson
visually very stunning. feels like a vacation or summer during childhood.
permanent midnight
(1998), dir. david veloz
okay so as a kid, i loved king of queens, and one of my favorite characters was old man arthur, aka jerry stiller. then, i also loved ben stiller movies. like the dodgeball one. naturally, i started checking out what else he had done before all those funny movies i liked as a kid. so in 2023, i watched this. and it's really good.
wild at heart
(1990), dir. david lynch
i'm so glad real love is alive and well.
rest in peace david lynch.
boys on the side
(1995), dir. herbert ross
not a lot of queerness in this queer film, but i still liked it so much.
film recommendations: harris savides (cinematographer)
harris savides (1957 - 2012) was a cinematographer, who made beautiful beautiful art and worked with interesting filmmakers.
i have yet to see most of his films, and i'm especially looking forward to seeing birth (2004) dir. jonathan glazer in which he is involved
and in which nicole kidman plays the starring role. anyway, but the films i did see were insanely beautiful.
(info): images in this section will not be dithered, since that would take from the subject of cinematography in my opinion.
elephant
(2003), dir. gus van sant
(!!!) trigger warning: gun violence in schools.
dreamlike and unsettling while it's completely set in reality, even playing in what's basically real-time.
unbroken tracking shots. hallways, fields, classrooms. you observe this day eerily closely. it feels very weightless even though it deals with this heavy heavy topic.
milk
(2008), dir. gus van sant
the cinematography has this realism to it, which i think can be credited to the mix of 16mm film grain, suuuper natural lighting, and a fluid camera style that sometimes gives you documentary vibes. really immerses you in the 1970s setting and gives the film an intimate quality.
the bling ring
(2013), dir. sofia coppola
hi sofia's girls.
this film is a lot colder-looking than others i've seen by him. but that lends itself well to the detached, fame-obsessed teenagers
in it.
savides sadly passed during the making of this film.
zodiac
(2007), dir. david fincher
just wanted to let yall know that he was involved in making this film look as spectecular as it did too.
film recommendations: nicole kidman
the others
(2001), dir. alejandro amenábar
gothic atmosphere so thick you can almost taste the candle wax in this 2001 gothic supernatural psychological horror film. my favorite in her filmography.
synopsis: Kidman plays an overprotective mother living in a remote, fog-covered mansion with her two children, who suffer from a rare condition that makes them extremely sensitive to light. as she waits for her husband to return from war, unsettling events begin to unfold—mysterious noises, vanished servants, and an eerie feeling that they are not alone.
to die for
(1995), dir. gus van sant
my god what a film.
for a long time THIS was my favorite of hers.
she plays her character to perfection. the supporting cast is also insane. beautifully stylish.
eyes wide shut
(1999), dir. stanley kubrick
hypnotic, and dreamlike, and Nicole Kidman delivers one of her most quietly devastating performances. it's a shame you have to look at tom cruz for so much of the film to see her work.
