I grew up with parents who were struggeling financially for the longest time, but my mom always managed to make watching DVDs in the dark living room feel as wonderful as going to the movies. As soon as I hit the internet, I figured out streaming sites to devour as much video as I could, and eventually, I learned about fun havens for people like me...

...you know what I mean.
Films actually taught me english. My point is: films are the kind of art you can escape into no matter what's going on in your life. It's accessible, there's something for everyone and once you get started, you quickly find out it's a deep little rabbit hole. Please enjoy this glimpse into mine, and if you think of some suggestion that you think I'd like please share it in my chatbox?

updated: dec / 25
#films: 37

filters will be added soon and you can zoom in to see pictures more clearly

i wish seeing films could be a job.


overlooked

these deserve more love in my little opinion


looking for mr. goodbar (1977)

dir. richard brooks

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.

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may (2002)

dir. lucky mcKee

i know that this does have it's following, and people online have made the occassional video essay about this gem, but i still feel like it's worth mentioning here. it's such an interesting and creative study of loneliness and the effect your own loneliness has on the people who meet and surround you.

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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.
a hollywood writer struggles with his heroine addiction to keep up with his work while writing for a show that's eerily familiar to alf.

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belly (1998)

dir. hype williams

music video aesthetic. soundtrack bangs. good, good, good.

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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).

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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.

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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.

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favorites

i could watch these every single day, twice


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.

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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, it's all existential crises and neon-lit soul searching. Susan Sarandon kills it as his world-weary boss, looking perfectly hot.

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uptown girls (2003)

dir. boaz yakin

this one def shaped my relationship to grief as a child, and then made me yearn for an understanding adult like molly in my teens, and then as a grown-up it kind of influenced how i treat the children in my life.
to this day i rewatch it every year, keep introducing new friends to this masterpiece and it also counts as a comfort film.

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fallen angels (1995)

dir. wong kar-wai

nocturnal fever dream about hitmen. messy, and surreal. my personal favorite by wong kar-wai.

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hackers (1995)

dir. iain softley

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.

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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.

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jennifers'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.

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recently

a selection of things i've seen recently


underworld (2003)

dir. len wiseman

watched: dec / 2025

as an avid buffy the vampire slayer watcher and big fan of van helsing (2004) i ate this right up. i thought it was hella funny that one of the core inspirations for the script was romeo & juliet, which duh, but at the same time.. it just amused me.
there's just something about those late 90s / early 00s gothic supernatural shows/films that really scratches my brain.

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vampire hunter d: bloodlines (2000)

dir. yoshiaki kawajiri

watched: dec / 2025

somehow this felt older than 2000. the horse deign was so good. i know that there's another vampire hunter d film, and now I'm thinking that maybe I should have watched that one first? i think it came out before this one. anyway, i loved this heavily.

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thelma & louise (1991)

dir. ridley scott

watched: dec / 2025

this has been on my list for so long. i really liked it, and almost cried. which is big, because i'm not a cryer.

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all about my mother (1999)

dir. pedro almodóvar

watched: aug / 2025

penelope cruz was so fantastic in this. all her 90s films (i've seen so far), she slayed. another banger from 1999. i feel like this will become a favorite of mine very soon. it's not without it's problems, but generally speaking it's very very good.

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requiem for a dream (2000)

dir. darren aronofsky

watched: may / 2025

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.

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the last showgirl (2024)

dir. gia coppola

watched: march / 2025

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.

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donkey skin (1970)

dir. jacques demy

watched: 2025

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.

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lisa frankenstein (2024)

dir. zelda williams

watched: feb / 2025

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.

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all the boys love many lane (2009)

dir. jonathan levine

watched: 2025

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.

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adventureland (2009)

dir. greg mottola

watched: 2024

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.

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boogie nights (1997)

dir. paul thomas anderson

watched: 2024

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.

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total recall (1990)

dir. paul verhoeven

watched: 2023

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.

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the big blue (1988)

dir. luc besson

watched: 2023

visually very stunning. feels like a vacation or summer during childhood.

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h. savides

harris savides (1957 - 2012) cinematographer


he 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)

(!!!) trigger warning: gun violence in schools.

dir. gus van sant

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.

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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.

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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.
i know a lot of people think this is like fincher's best film ever, but personally, I'm more of a seven or gone girl-girl.

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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.

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queer

some more, some less...
some missing.


happy together (2003)

dir. wong kar-wai

destroyed me. watch at your own risk.
reminded me of clouds of sils maria, which is over there in my favorites.

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the children's hour (1961)

dir. william wyler

funny history with this one. i think many people involved in creating the story and the film didn't think they were making a queer movie per se, but to me, they did nail it regardless. if you spent time thinking about the closet, i feel like you might like this.

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boys on the side (1995)

dir. herbert ross

not a lot of queerness in this queer film, but i still liked it so much.

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watchlist

coming soon... to a place near you.


the chronology of water (2025)

dir. kristen stewart

excited to see what kristen stewart does with her debut feature.

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angel's egg (1985)

dir. mamoru oshii

i discovered this because of a trailer for a remaster and it looks so unbelievably stunning, i really hope i can watch it somewhere.

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demonlover (2002)

dir. olivier assayas

big fan of this directors work. i heard sonic youth is in this. must see.

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