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Being a huge Bong Joon Ho fan, I wanted to like this movie more than I did. I think this is a perfect example of a film that has a fantastic premise, but gets lost in the execution by being too caught up in making sure the broader "themes" and "message" are coming across clearly.

I don't like comparing movies from directors, as every movie is kind of an island, but the easiest comparison to draw is to Bong Joon Ho's previous film, Parasite, which I think is a top to bottom masterclass in filmmaking.
Where Parasite handled it's themes with grace and subtlety, Mickey 17 bashes you over the head for the better part of 2 hours. What started as a film with a great premise that I was immediately bought into, turned into scene-slog where every scene and sequence felt like it was saying "See?? Don't you get it???"

It's not all gloom though. The cast did a fantastic job and held this ship together. Robert Pattinson put on an absolute clinic. That man is one of the strongest working actors right now. Mark Ruffalo and Toni Collete have the perfect chemistry for their respective roles.

Ultimately, I think my disappointment comes from the fact that I feel like Mickey 17 always made the safe choice. They always chose to turn left, when turning right would have made for a more interesting, challenging, or compelling story. And why do we engage with stories if not to be challenged or compelled outside of our comfort zone and approach new horizons of ideas or truths that we previously left unexplored?

This was a recommendation from Italian grandmother, my Nonie, and boy did she come through with this one. I never really got on the Katherine Hepburn train- and don't get me wrong I LOVE my old Hollywood actresses-- she's just an under-explored one for me. But I joyously it that I was whole-heartedly in the wrong. This is the OG quarantine family drama where a dis-functional group of brilliant actors all go bat shit over a 2 hour beautifully written Shakespearean style epic where everyone argues about who will take over the throne. Think 'Succession' meets 'Macbeth' (2019) with groundbreaking performances from a young Anthony Hopkins (I didn't know he was ever under 80), Katherine Hepburn and ol' blue eyes Peter O'Toole. I cannot recommend this film enough. Shoutout Nonie <3

This film is so solid. It definitely is beyond cancellable today but still wildly entertaining. Martin McDonagh is a mastermind of writing stage to screen, crafting tight storylines with interesting and unpredictable characters. I most recently watched 'Banshees of Inisherin' and in returning to this film, can see so many similarities. From a screenwriting perspective, this is a wonderful film to return to. Each moment is so intentional, small and revealed piecemeal just in the right timeline. I highly recommend a rewatch of this movie with newer eyes.

This movie is a bit of ride—and, sitting at a whopping 3 hours 35 minute runtime, a long one at that (thank God for intermissions). The first half has that special quality to it that you can only find in true visionary and artistic indie filmmaking. The vibes are ~immaculate~ and Brady Corbet knows how to make a montage more compelling than it has any right to be. I was so easily sucked into the world, even if I wasn’t sure where it was going.

It tried to tackle a lot of complex issue like turn of the century immigration, finding community and purpose in the face of extreme hardship, and facing down one’s lost past with the gaze of stoic resilience that’s unique to those dealing with full scale emigration. While based in fiction, these themes ring true to a lot of the stories of families in America. But the second half (post 15 minute intermission) struggles to stick the landing and complete the narrative conversation on these subjects.

That said, I can confidently say this movie is unlike anything else you’ll see this year, and is worth working into your schedule if you can find the time. I love when a movie makes a film an event, and seeing The Brutalist in 70mm, as an experience, manages to mimic the same core at the heart of the brutalism movement—it’s simple, striking, and impossible to ignore.

I was entertained. I will say, I had very low expectations for this film and was pleasantly surprised. I enjoyed a look at a middle-aged woman asking the question of: am I allowed to have sexual pleasure too? The second act gets lost and much of the film relies on the dynamic between the two lead actors, but the base exploration of a 50-something year-old woman in power searching for sexual pleasure is definitely worth exploring-- even if that means makes every man in the audience violently uncomfortable. Worth the watch.

This review may contain spoilers.

The fourth film in the Eggers filmography. Let's get into it. First, I had high expectations going into this as Eggers has always been a favorite director-- but that might have been a mistake going into this one. Lots of people may disagree on this, but I wasn't crazy about this film. By all s, this is a cinematic masterpiece of a film. It is inarguable shot with incredible mastery, with some moments take your breath away. But tonally, I was quite left out to dry. This film somewhere walked the line between gothic horror, camp, actual horror, fairytale and whimsical drama that never found itself. The story itself is extremely linear-- something that simply isn't the case in Eggers first two films (the Witch and the Lighthouse), which left me with so much to be desired. I wanted ambiguity, a deeper sense of uncertainty of the madness that Lily-Rose Depp was suffering. But ultimately, Eggers delivers a beautifully shot gothic fairytale wrapped up a bow. It's wonderfully executed, just not the atmospheric horror director we came to know in his earlier works. But hey, just one indie film lover's opinion.

A GORGEOUS movie through and through. It is SO fun to see practical sets, incredible costumes, beautiful singing and SO much production value all come together with a well written script with such a high budget film. This is such a beloved franchise with so many fans and this film does NOT disappoint. I saw it with my little sister and it was just such a wonderful experience. The casting could not be more perfect IMO-- and the theatre was full even on a Thursday at 9:30pm! Grab a friend and go give this one a watch. It's a feel good blockbuster that is reminiscent of old times.

What a sweet indie find! We saw this film at the Cordillera Film Festival in Reno where we met the filmmakers-- two guys from Brooklyn who initially screened at Tribeca. This is a hilarious dark comedy set against the backdrop of over. It's got a solid cast, great writing and nice biting sense of humor. Highly recommend it once it comes onto streaming.

Do not get me started. This film had SO much potential. Stacked cast, built in audience, massive budget, and it made NO sense to me. The story was pandering, the first act was WAY too long. The whole thing was shockingly boring and I did not care about any of the characters. This is the WAY worse version of Dune. This is when big budget movies get way out of hand and there is no attention to detail with the script. What a shame for Anya.

I appreciated the effort of this piece as a directorial debut from Zoe Kravitz but was honestly pretty disappointed in it. SO many of the major plot points felt quite ridiculous and happenstance. SPOILERS: I'm sorry but, there is a magical perfume that makes people forget things and there just so happens to be snakes somehow on the island that these girls are staying on and the snake venom makes them they are being sexually assaulted? That seems like a massive oversight on the part of Channing Tatum IMO. But hey, still kind of entertaining.

I saw this film twice I like it so much. The cinematography, the score, the costuming-- everything is so precise, so well executed. This is the same director as "All Quiet on the Western Front" -- which I also adore, and I was so pleased to see him come back with such a deliberate commentary on the Catholic church. This piece has something for everyone-- and some outstanding monologues by none other than he who shall not be named himself. I highly recommend this, and I do not doubt it's presence across categories during Awards season.

I’m sure you’ve seen the same flood of trailers, posters, and social media spots as I have for this movie. It’s seemingly everywhere, which makes it a bit of an outlier—a summer blockbuster spot taken up by the alleged “scariest movie of the decade.” It’s safe to say that big claims create big expectations.

Unfortunately, the claims fell incredibly flat. The movie felt like it wanted to tell three different stories without every really committing to one, so it ended up being a bit mediocre at all three.

That said, the atmosphere and overall filmmaking of Longlegs can’t be shrugged off. The strongest piece of the puzzle was ultimately, to nobody’s surprise, Nicholas Cage, if only for how bizarre and memorable he was in such a strange strange role.

If you’re a big fan of horror, it might be worth a watch for the novelty of an extreme horror movie in the summer. Otherwise, you can wait for it to hit your favorite streamer.

Perhaps I am finally on the Sean Baker train. For the final five minutes of this film alone-- it is a masterpiece. I haven't seen an indie film in a long time with this level of talent across the board. The casting is perfect, the pacing is incredible. Apart from a little lag during the incredible long 'chase' scene in Act 2, this might be a perfect film. It's a film about a young woman on the brink of adulthood given an seemingly magical 'fairytale' opportunity, only to realize that not everything is as it seems in the movies. Sean Baker gives us something real, raw yet still wrapped up in glitz, dark humor and glamour, just the way we want it. What a gem.

This is what a blockbuster film is meant to be. The way Villeneuve to so seamlessly able to create a world of this size while still managing to find intimate scenes, explore deep character arcs and let us find the humanity in this foreign world is truly an art that deserves to be studied. This film has something for everyone, and I cannot wait to see the next one.

This is SUCH a fall gem to return to. I highly recommend grabbing a blanket and snuggling up on the couch with your favorite person to give this one a watch. This is so reminiscent of other Burton films, namely "The Nightmare Before Christmas." It itches that stop motion absurdity of the 2000s that few things have returned to since-- and the songs are just so delightfully bizarre. Take a trip down memory lane and enjoy the last few days of Spooky Season with this!

This is Francis Ford Coppola's "The Room" and no one can tell me otherwise. Was I entertained, yes? Was I deeply confused, yes?

I recommend going to see this film with the following drinking game parameters in place:

If you hear the following, TAKE A SHOT

- references to siblings being incestuous
- so GO BaCK to THe ClUbbBB
- every time there are Greek statues on screen for some reason

Stand UP in your SEAT and FREEZE

- every time 'time' stops
- every time Shakespeare is quoted

And please enjoy not ing this film at all

xoxo

What's that?

That's my pussy

-Francis Ford Coppola

This review may contain spoilers.

What a ride. Honestly, I had a lot of expectations going into this film as I'd heard SO many things going into it-- and it did fulfill a lot of them (spoilers ahead). First, I think the world building is incredible. There is a Kubrickesque/Alice in Wonderland feel to the first 30 minutes of the film that is magical. As Demi Moore decides to take the plunge into the experiment, the 'other world' behind the seedy alleyways of Los Angeles becomes magically elucidated right under our noses in an amazing way. The cinematography is nothing short of brilliant--with a constant whimsical cycle between swaying palm trees, stark jiggling butt cheeks (from the picturesque Margaret Qualley) and tight oners of Demi Moore giving a career-defining performance. This movie had a choke hold on me until about 2/3rds of the way in when it decided to take a completely brilliant dark comedy that made an amazing commentary on American obsession with youth and turned it into something almost farcical, Carrie-adjacent and almost, well silly. While I respect a movie going 'all the way', I thought this film went all the way already without having to get ridiculous, but hey-- still an amazingly original portrayal of body dysmorphia, the male gaze and American obsession with fame.

Fight me. I watch it every year and it only gets sexier every single time. This year I watched it with all my pumpkin spice candles lit while eating hand-baked chocolate chip pumpkin spice bread that my boyfriend surprised me with. So yeah, it is in fact the greatest movie ever made and I will not be answering any questions at this time.

We had the pleasure of stumbling upon this movie at Cordillera-- a Reno based film festival last week. The director's recently took home a grand prize at TIFF with the movie and rightfully so. It is heartfelt, quippy, deeply personal and smartly sardonic-- with that stuffy New York holiday-time backdrop we all love. Give this one a chance once it comes to streaming. And these director's are ones to watch.

This is truly such an incredible film and one that I consistently come back to. Talk about a well executed slow burn and a film that truly makes you hate a protagonist. "Gone Girl" is to the psychological thriller what Coca-Cola is to Soda-- it did it early and it did it so well that countless iterations have taken it's format in hopes of finding that secret sauce that took it to stardom. I'm sure you've all seen it, but to the four of you reading this that keep smiling and nodding in conversation but haven't actually taken the time to watch this movie all the way through. Do it, for God's sake. Do it for Tyler Perry alone.

Watched on Friday September 27, 2024.

Alright this is going to be controversial, but this is a movie that I had lied about having seen for a long time. I finally watched it on the airplane and I DID NOT LIKE IT. I do not think this film holds up and it felt so painfully 90s that it was distracting, in ways that many older films of the era do not. BUT, the performances were wonderful, eclectic, heartfelt and interesting. I have never seen so much airplane montage and the second act seems to go on for three hours, but the twist is great and I can see why it defined many tropes that were ceaselessly copied. FINE it was FINE.

I did not expect to like this movie as much as I did, but then learning that it was actually written by David Mamet made SO much sense. The dialogue and character dynamics are amazing, and it plays out as a well-structured play with the backdrop of the Alaskan wilderness with Anthony Freaking Hopkins as an eccentric millionaire genius who everyone is trying to murder--including the 14 foot Kodiak bear. If you want a snappy thriller with some fun dialogue, give it a watch.

I had never seen this movie, and what a sweet coming of age film that still stands up in a lot of ways. Great performances, snappy writing and wonderful chemistry. A reflective look at post college life and all the confusing relationships, money struggles and dynamics that come with it. I watched it on the plane and would definitely recommend to all my other 20-somethings struggling to make sense of what's going on at all times.

We had the absolute pleasure of watching this film at the Bentonville Film Festival in June and getting to meet the filmmakers. What a beautiful representation of early adulthood for a young differently abled person, and a breakout performance for Phoebe-Rae Taylor. This wonderfully inspiring piece will be coming to Disney + later this year, and is a much watch, feel good film for the whole family!

Now this is the Yorgos I . That strange sense of incredible uncertainty he created while sitting in the theatre. Should I laugh or should I cry? Am I now the best of friends with this stranger next to me since we both don't know how to handle this level of nudity, body horror and general discomfort? If you love Dogtooth, The Lobster, and The Killing of a Sacred Deer-- boy are we back bitches.

Watch your favorite actors flounder around in a three-part mini-episodic psycho-fable that gets wonderfully weirder by the minute. Also, watch Willem Dafoe leading cults and fuckin bitches in all his glory.

Please. Do it. -- You won't !

A kick-ass, hilarious, family-fun Mission Impossible-style action/comedy with a 90-year-old lovable June Squibb at the helm. This is an assured directorial debut from Josh Margolin, and we can't wait to see what's next. Walk, run, or take a driveable scooter and get your butt to see this film!

An assured and brilliant sophomore feature from Jane Schoenbrun. This is a film that will stick with you in all the right ways. I haven't seen a final scene this shocking in some time. Schoenbrun paints a solipsistic and suffocating world that her protagonist, Owen, suffers through in silence, and drags us in whether we want to -- or not. "I Saw the TV Glow" is a bleak, personal, and intimate look at what happens when we refuse the call to face ourselves, to look inside at who we are, and instead slowly slip into the most terrifying, tortuous cracks that society has to offer: the comforts of mediocrity.

We had the absolute pleasure of watching an original 35mm version of this film last night with Lynne Ramsay herself-- who flew out from Scotland to talk about the piece. This is, and has been, one of my favorite films of all time since I was about 14. When I was younger, I didn't understand the weight it had, or why it stuck with me, but as I've grown into the filmmaker I am, there are few films like it.

This is a visceral, tactile, frightening portrayal of the worst possible fear of every parent: to raise a monster. Lynne brilliantly weaves together 18 years of multiple timelines in an unbelievable feat of seamless editing to create a disturbingly tight indie with countless standout performances that I cannot stop returning to. This is and will continue to be one of the best psychological thrillers ever made, and a piece that paints motherhood at its rawest, finest and realest. Watch it and watch it again.

What an indie gem to stumble across! Think '12 Angry Men' meets 'No Country for Old Men.' This is an assured and beautifully thought out directorial debut for Francis Galluppi. Francis creates strong, enigmatic characters in a contained environment that never feels stale. With practical explosions, gun fights and quippy dialogue, this noir western comedy has something for everyone. Give it a watch!

If you want your heart rate to sit above 100 for 2 hours, this is the film for you. Alex Garland has meticulously crafted a topical, edgy, war movie that manages to nimbly walk both sides. The script throws you in mid-thought and rips you out before you can get too comfortable in the best way possible. Strong performances all around and a little too close to home.

Okay this film has single-handedly made me re-think the following topics: sweating, bananas, tennis, threesomes and white men. Please do yourself the favor and for the love of God watch it in IMAX. Thank you.

What a gem of film! It is so nice to see Anne Hathaway back in her Rom-Com element and as a sexy 40 year-old no less. This movie is doing SO much for older women dating younger men and their chemistry is on point. Sometimes it feels like a Subaru commercial, but it's worth it for Anne's outfits...

I was anxiously awaiting this movie since Saint Maud— Rose Glass has been one to watch. I actually got my hands on an early draft of the script and even got to audition for it during an early call. This film was everything I wanted it to be and more. It’s sexy, action packed, genre bending, 80s, queer, all wrapped up in a well written script with dynamic characters and Kristen Stewart looking effortlessly incredible in muscle tanks. Do yourself a favor and see it in theaters. So many standouts performances!

We were lucky enough to attend the LA premier of this and it was EVERYTHING I wanted and more. You can't go wrong with a film where Olivia Coleman plays a "beautiful, young Catholic woman." It's laugh out loud funny, so well-written and with a stellar female led cast of brilliant actors. Highly recommend.

Recently saw this in theaters-- really an unexpected gem. Makes sense that it's based on a play-- it's very contained and creates such a distinct world, like a more indie, loner, magical realism version of the Office. Daisy Ridley is a force to be reckoned with.

wow this movie is SO slept on. What an amazingly tight script, kickass fight sequences. Highly rec this one

One of the most beautiful films I've ever seen. The dream sequences so clearly inspire so many films that came later on: Black Swan, La la land, Mao's Last Dance. If you love ballet, films about artists pursuing their craft, dream sequences, then this is the film for you.

Worth it to watch Hugh Grant reluctantly dance the Oompa Loompa dance and I stand by that. Also, Mr. Chalamet going from this to the Dune tour is quite the turnaround. Hats off to his PR team. Y'all have it together.

What a gem to find. I love when I find something truly cross genre — a psychological thriller horror romance family drama period piece with so many incredible actors early in their career. Strong script, beautiful cinematography and a directorial debut. Highly recommend.

What an incredibly beautiful story, stark, shocking cinematography with grounded, true performances. This is a hard watch but definitely worth it. Hard to believe they filmed so much of this on a sound stage. Definitely don't watch when eating dinner like we did...

Watched on Saturday October 7, 2023.

Watched on Friday September 29, 2023.

A collection of the short films we cover in our series on Instagram and TikTok

• The Interview
• My Grandfather's Memory Book
• Fauve
• Naysayer
• Next Floor
• Portrait of God
• World of Tomorrow
• Whiplash
• Bottle Rocket
• Thunder Road

...plus 2 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.