6u532b

Watched on Thursday June 12, 2025.

while it tends to be a bit formulaic at times, i tend to never get tired of Wes’ films, this one is no exception.  it started off a bit slow for me but it had a great payoff.  personally i felt it was stylistically similar to Moonrise Kingdom (2012) and shares some of the heart and personality of that film.  i wasn’t expecting God and faith to be such heavy subjects of the film, but it was very welcomed.  the Heaven sequences are probably some of his best work, i would adore a full film in that style, it reminded me of Dreyer’s The ion of Joan of Arc (1928), unsure if that was intentional or not

Michael Cera is fantastic, i hope he gets put in more of his movies, i kind of felt like he was like a substitution or replacement for the types of roles that Adrien Brody usually plays in Wes’ films.  this also has an incredible ensemble, the basketball scene is hilarious, Hanks and Cranston play off of each other so well, i’m hoping they both get put in future films, i was very happy that they both returned after Asteroid City (2023). 

people comment on Wes Anderson being too similar or just making the same film everytime (something i heavily disagree with) and i’ve seen people say the same about this, but i truly think that he is always evolving and is now making films not just for us as fans, but for himself.  i can’t wait to see what his next outing is

i can’t believe they let the horse in the hospital again

Watched on Monday June 2, 2025.

this was an incredible experience in the theater, and a pretty solid wrap up to the series, i will miss these movies coming out but everything has to end somewhere.  submarine sequence for best picture please

Watched on Sunday May 25, 2025.

Watched on Thursday May 8, 2025.

Watched on Tuesday April 22, 2025.

best picture count: 16/97

great movie, classic

the 16th academy awards were held in 1944, honoring the films of 1943.  this was the first ceremony to be held for the public at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, and it was also broadcast on shortwave radio.  while honoring the films of 1943, Casablanca technically released in 1942, before getting a wide release in 1943.  hence why it counted for this year

it was rushed to release to take advantage of the allied invasion of North Africa.  it took a while for the film to actually come to fruition and Warner Bros. had to be convinced for the film to be made.  it exceeded expectations whenever it finally released and has since climbed the charts and cult status and has become the film we all know and love today

this is one of my favorite movies, i don’t get tired of watching it, it is such a heartbreaking and entertaining film, it’s not hard to tell why this is so loved

next is Going My Way (1944).  i am indifferent to it

best picture count: 15/97

the 15th academy awards were held in 1943, honoring the films of 1942.  Bob Hope hosted, again.  this was the last ceremony to include a banquet with the ceremony due to increased attendance and because of World War II.  the Oscar statues were also made with painted plaster instead of gold because of supplies being needed for the war.  Mrs. Miniver was nominated for 12 awards and took home 6.  it was the second film to get nominations in all 4 acting categories and the first to receive 5 acting nominations (two for best ing actress)

Greer Garson won best actress and broke a record for the longest Oscar acceptance speech, she spoke for 5 and a half minutes.  she was recently beaten by Adrien Brody for his best actor win in The Brutalist (2024) which ran for 10 seconds longer

i didn’t have high hopes going into Mrs. Miniver, i thought it was just going to be boring or uninteresting, instead i enjoyed watching it, it’s a nice family story and gives perspective on the atmosphere the world had during the war.  it does lean a bit towards propaganda at points (the film ends with a message telling you to buy war bonds) but it’s still very well directed.  i probably wouldn’t ever come back to it

next up is Casablanca (1942), which is one of the goats, i love that movie

best picture count: 14/97

the 14th academy awards were held in 1942, honoring the films of 1941.  the ceremony was delayed due to the attack on Pearl Harbor.  Bob Hope hosted once again.  this year became notable as being the year that Citizen Kane (1941) lost best picture, which is commonly referred to as one of, if not the greatest film of all time.  i happen to agree, the fact that it was nominated for 10 awards but only won one is pretty crazy.  John Ford won his third Oscar for best director this year and he was the first to win consecutively 

this was a very heartfelt and sincere look at a working class family in the late victorian age, it is beautifully directed and there are so many wonderful and emotional moments, it really pulled on my heartstrings at points.  i do think the middle section is a bit slow but the end makes up for it.  i need to check out more of John Ford’s movies

personally, i don’t think this ever truly rises to the level of greatness to beat out Citizen Kane (1941) or The Maltese Falcon (1941) but i can understand why it won.  next up is Mrs. Miniver (1942) which i know absolutely nothing about

best picture count: 13/97

the 13th Academy Awards were held in 1941, honoring the films of 1940.  President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave an address over the radio to the attendees, and it was the first time that a President was ever involved in the ceremony.  this was the first year that the winners names were kept secret and kept in an envelope, the same thing they do today.  it’s kind of weird to me, does that mean they just read the nominations and also the winner for that category?  idk lol

best original screenplay was introduced with this ceremony, along with best screenplay which would eventually change into best adapted screenplay.  David O. Selznick produced this and also produced the previous year’s winner, Gone with the Wind (1939), which makes him the first producer to win best picture back to back.  this was also the only film that Alfred Hitchcock directed that won best picture, which is also very interesting to me considering how legendary his career was

however, for me, while i did enjoy this movie, i didn’t like it or get into it as much as some of his other films, it takes quite a while to build up and the twists it takes are a bit predictable for me, i know that’s probably a bit of a base critique but that’s just my opinion.  Olivier’s performance is fantastic and the use of shadows and music is superb, which is par for the course when it comes to Hitchcock

next up is John Ford’s How Green Was My Valley (1941) which i am certainly looking forward to, considering it beat out Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane (1941) which is one of my favorite movies ever (very original opinion)

(this does not count for the best picture challenge)

very good film, excellent filmmaking, Mikey Madison definitely deserved her best actress oscar for this

this is one of those films that i have so many things to say that i don’t know where to start, so i can really only say that the ending was very good and very sad, but the film contrasts this with having some of the funniest moments in any movie i’ve seen

gf rating: 4/5

best picture count: 12/97

the 12th academy awards were held in 1940, honoring 1939 in film.  Bob Hope hosted and it was his first time, going on to host 18 more times afterwards.  this was the first year that best visual effects became a competitive category, it had previously only been a special achievement award.  best cinematography was also split into two separate categories, one for black and white films, and one for color films.  this was also the first year that multiple films received more than 10 nominations, with Frank Capra’s Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) receiving 10, and Gone with the Wind receiving 13.  

something that was pretty awesome to me is that Hattie McDaniel became the first black person to win an Oscar, winning for her performance as Mammy, she absolutely deserved it.  i watched this back in 2022 and i was very critical of it, i’ve since taken my old review down, due to me being unhappy with not just that review in general, but because i’m unhappy with that version of me and it doesn’t represent my actual thoughts, and after watching this again, i can just say that this is a spectacular film

the technical quality is superb, the costumes are so beautiful, the motif throughout the film of separating major events with the shot of Tara and that gorgeous sunset gave me chills every single time.  Clark Gable gives an incredible performance, Rhett Butler is so likable even if he can be a terrible person but he is just so charming.  Vivian Leigh’s performance is also insanely good, she plays Scarlett with so much authenticity, there is pure venom in her eyes, one of the finest performances i’ve ever seen, even if it can be a little over the top sometimes

the thing that is a shame however, is that it hasn’t aged well in some aspects regarding black stereotypes and the confederacy, with some even saying that this film changed the way that black people are portrayed in film, and honestly, i’m inclined to agree.  however, another critique is that it glorifies slavery, i’m honestly not sure how i feel, i think when put in the historical context of the film, and understanding that it’s telling a story of the deep south, it tracks for these characters to be so pro slavery and pro confederacy, but i am not a historian, so i cannot speak much on that

the length can be overdrawn but i think it makes good use of it, for the most part, it takes a bit for the movie to really get going, i started to really lock in after about the first hour.  overall, Gone with the Wind was a spectacle, and i’m glad i’ve given it a rewatch.  next is Rebecca (1940), and i’m looking forward to that very much

(fun fact: this is STILL the highest grossing movie of all time when adjusted for inflation, which is insane for a 1939 film)

best picture count: 11/97

the 11th academy awards were held in 1939, with Frank Capra hosting, radio coverage was banned for the ceremony, i’m unsure why.  You Can’t Take it With You held the most nominations this year with 7, and winning 2, one of them being Best Director making it Frank Capra’s third Oscar, putting him up with John Ford and William Wyler for most Oscars for a director

this was also the first time that 3 of the 4 acting winners had already won an Oscar, the only other time it’s happened was in 1994.  You Can’t Take It With You is also one of only two best picture winners that were adapted from plays that won the Pulitzer Prize 

this was just a beautiful film. it has a fantastic message behind it: the importance of looking at people's true nature instead of whether or not they're rich and successful. the importance of friends over fortune—knowing we all come from different backgrounds but that doesn't make us bad people. one cannot feel unhappy when watching a Frank Capra picture—especially one so delightful and fun like this. i very much enjoyed this and it absolutely deserved its best picture win

next is Gone with the Wind (1939) which i have seen before but it’s been a while, so it for sure needs a reevaluation

Watched on Sunday March 16, 2025.

James Gunn needs to make every superhero movie i think

very very glad that these characters got a proper and accurate portrayal in a live action format, this was such a blast to watch and i didn’t want it to end

gf rating: 4/5

Watched on Thursday March 13, 2025.

fun romp, Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn is probably the most perfect casting ever, she is just incredible, i really hope that Gunn will keep her going into the DCU

the plot struggles at points but the film goes by so quickly that you don’t really even notice, i just had fun watching it

gf rating: 4/5

best picture count: 10/97 

the 10th academy awards were held in 1938, honoring 1937.  the ceremony was postponed because of the floods happening in LA at the time.  this was the first year that every Best Picture nominee was nominated for multiple awards, and The Life of Emile Zola became the first film to reach double digit nominations, receiving 10.  this would be broken 2 years later with Gone with the Wind (1939) receiving 13 nominations 

The Life of Emile Zola was produced in the middle of the Depression and after the rise of the Nazis, which what makes that so interesting is because the topic of the film (despite being called the Life and not the one specific part of this guy’s life) is about the Dreyfus affair which involved a Jewish officer in .  the film does not even say the word “Jew” at all, and a good number of films with an anti-Nazi message were cancelled.  it seems that America has always had a tendency for tolerating fascism..

i thought the film was good, i went in expecting it to be boring but it was a lot better than i thought it’d be, i love me a good courtroom drama.  it’s just a bit meandering at points and it doesn’t do a lot to truly keep you engaged at times in my opinion.  not something i’d come back to but certainly not a bad film 

next is Frank Capra’s You Can’t Take It With You (1938) and i am very much looking forward to that, i love both James Stewart and Frank Capra

best picture count: 9/97

the 9th academy awards were held in March of 1937, honoring the films of 1936.  this year marked the first year that the categories of best directing and best actor/actress being fixed at 5 nominees, along with introducing the new categories of best ing actor and actress

The Great Ziegfeld was not a popular choice for best picture because the voters felt like audiences had been “brainwashed” by its spectacle and gaudiness, and you know, i happen to agree.  it still won best picture though somehow

this was yet another snoozefest for best picture, it did not need to be 3 hours, i could not stand any of the characters, there is some weird sexual predator stuff in it along with blatant blackface/racism, it is just not a good time.  the only positive thing i can say is that the Follies are fantastic, the costumes are beautiful, the choreography is insane, just crazy stuff for a 1936 film, and it was apparently incredibly expensive as well, with this kind of feeling like a flex from MGM of how much money they had

i’m glad that i’m past this film now, next is The Life of Emile Zola (1937)

i didn’t get it 🤷‍♀️

i’m probably not the audience for this film but i just found it to be okay.  the cinematography and costume design is brilliant though, absolutely beautiful stuff

i don’t think i fully got this the way a lot of people do and i already knew the twist going in (which how can you not when all of the top reviews on letterboxd are about it?) but it’s still wildly inventive, great cinematography and LaKeith Stanfield gives a fantastic performance in this.  i liked how absurdly funny and insane it can be at times and how it manages to keep you engaged the entire time, even if i didn’t get into it as much as most people, i still had a great time with it

Watched on Sunday March 9, 2025.

i did not care for John DiMaggio’s Joker in this movie but i could very well be biased because Mark Hamill is the true Joker to me.  i loved the animation and storyline in this, very emotionally grounded and it explores Batman’s feelings of guilt very well

“average day in Memphis” - my uncle

a very disappointing and drawn out conclusion to the trilogy, where The Dark Knight is almost perfectly paced, The Dark Knight Rises feels every single minute of its length, Batman doesn’t even show up until 50 minutes in and probably has 30 minutes of screentime

very disappointed in how Bane is portrayed, i feel like it could’ve been much much better and i HATE the Talia al Ghul twist, it is so beyond stupid.  the fight scenes are a struggle to watch and the audio mixing is probably the worst in this movie

i think i could easily say this is my least favorite Christopher Nolan movie, wild that he made this between his second best and his best film

realizing as i get older that i tend to grow off of Nolan’s interpretation of Batman more and more, The Dark Knight is not a masterpiece to me, i don’t think it’s even the best Nolan or Batman movie, but i understand to a certain degree why people think it is

Gary Oldman and Heath Ledger are just wonderful in this, Heath Ledger is, of course, fantastic and his performance will always be ed.  there are some brilliant scenes in this, the opening sequence is masterful, especially as someone who’s held Michael Mann’s Heat (1995) as one of my favorite movies for years, the inspiration Nolan draws from it is pretty fantastically done, the SWAT chase up to the interrogation scene is great, and the pacing is very well done but one of my issues is that i really don’t think the movie truly becomes great until almost an hour in

Two-Face is a great villain but he’s ok in this, never really been a fan of how he’s portrayed in this, and honestly the story really doesn’t feel like Batman to me, but more like a mob movie that happens to have Batman in it, and as great as Heath’s performance is, i wish the Joker was done better, the Joker and Batman have been arch enemies for decades and everyone knows this, i think Batman dealing with the Joker for the first time could’ve been done much better, but i digress, i’m starting to nitpick now

it has been years since i watched this and after recently finishing the Arkham series for the first time, i had an itch to rewatch the Nolan trilogy.  i think it holds up really well, probably my second or third favorite Batman movie, although i think that the villains could’ve been better executed, i wish they stuck fully to Scarecrow and having Ra’s Al Ghul show up again kind of out of nowhere is a bit annoying 

overall, i still really love this movie and so many of the scenes are incredibly fun to watch, especially the predator sequences which are brilliantly shot

finally watched this before it inevitably wins (or doesn’t) best picture tonight.  insulting to mexican people, to trans people, to filmmakers, to musicals, and to the viewers.  it has nothing of substance to say about any of the very real issues in the real world and is overall a very boring film.  the musical numbers are shallow and uninteresting, none of these songs are good and the acting is genuinely so terrible at times

the first half is better than the second but i think it’s because the first half is just less bad

update: it didnt win

best picture count: 8/97

there were zero pirates in this movie, i feel betrayed for foolishly seeing the word mutiny and thinking it’d have pirates

the 8th academy awards were held in 1936 honoring the films of 1935, it was the first year that the academy awards were referred to as “the Oscars”, Frank Capra hosted for the first time.  Mutiny on the Bounty became the 3rd and last film to win Best Picture and nothing else despite receiving the most nominations for the ceremony 

this was truly boring to me, i thought maybe after the snoozefest that Cavalcade (1933) was that Frank Lloyd would redeem himself but no, both of his best picture wins are snooefests.  the cinematography is impressive for its time at points and i found the last 15 minutes entertaining with the trial but other than that i just kept checking the runtime.  i didn’t even recognize Clark Gable without his mustache 😭

next is The Great Ziegfeld (1936), hoping it’s not as divisive as people make it out to be but a 3 hour epic in 1936 certainly doesn’t give me hope

best picture count: 7/97

only 90 more to go..

the 7th academy awards were held in 1935 and this was the first year that the ceremony lined up with the calendar year and this is how they’ve done it since, excluding the ceremonies during the pandemic.  this was also the last film to win best picture before the enforcement of the Hays Code in 1934, which was so incredibly stupid 

It Happened One Night is already a legendary film due to how many romantic comedy tropes it created that are still used in modern films today but also because of its direction and the fact that it was the first film to sweep the awards, those being best picture, best director, best actor/actress, and best adapted screenplay.  only 3 films have done this in academy history, so you can see why it’s a big deal.  it was also the first romcom to win best picture and the first film to win two acting oscars

i think this is a wonderful film, it’s a fun romp to watch, so many hilarious moments, the acting is fantastic, it’s just fantastic, highly recommend watching this

next is Mutiny on the Bounty (1935), i think there needs to be more pirate movies so im looking forward to it

best picture count: 6/97

the 6th academy awards were held in 1934, and introduced a slight change in the eligibility, to where the nominees would be lined up with their respective year.  Will Rogers hosted and whenever Frank Lloyd won best director, he said “come up Frank” and supposedly, Frank Capra who was confident he had won, went up on stage.  i think i would die from second hand embarrassment if i were there

this was the only year that no film other than the best picture nominees received multiple nominations, this stuff is just absolutely crazy for me to think about.  Cavalcade was also the 4th film to win best picture without getting a writing nomination.  allegedly, this was Hitler’s favorite film but i’m not sure how true that is, other reports say that Metropolis (1927) was his favorite, but most sources ive seen online say that King Kong (1933) was his all time favorite.  along with winning best picture and director, the film also won best art direction and i must say, it’s kind of deserved, some of the sets here are super impressive.  

i will say, this isn’t as bad as others are saying it is, it is just terribly boring, the acting is subpar, i genuinely could not get myself to care about these characters.  i think the concept of following people’s lives throughout history could be fantastic, we have come so far even just from 1899, through multiple wars, many political and societal issues, advancements in technology, natural disasters, acts of terrorism, and so much more that could be named but instead we get whiny people and not much else. i am so glad that i’m finally past this

going to try and get back on this soon, things have been super hectic in my personal life lately.  next, i’ll be rewatching It Happened One Night (1934), most definitely looking forward to that!

Watched on Saturday February 15, 2025.

Watched on Wednesday February 5, 2025.

Watched on Sunday February 2, 2025.

best picture count: 5/97

the 5th academy awards honored films that came out in 1931 and 1932, being hosted in November of 1932, this was the first ceremony to introduce the category of best animated short film with Walt Disney taking home the award

Grand Hotel to this day is the only film to win Best Picture and be nominated for nothing else.  it’s also the first of five movies that won without getting a best director nomination as well as being the third of only seven movies to win without a screenwriting nomination (Wings (1927) and The Broadway Melody (1929) being the first and second, respectively)

Wallace Beery also starred in this film and won best actor, but not for Grand Hotel, making him the only actor to win an acting award for a different best picture nominee while also being in the winning film

i’m honestly really surprised i’d hadn’t watched Grand Hotel yet, it’s incredibly well made for its time, the set design is crazy, the connected character storytelling is insanely influential and it gets pretty intense/handles some subjects you wouldn’t expect from the 1930s, this being made smack in the middle of the depression is pretty obvious and it even carries over to the film itself, it’s honestly just a really great movie that i definitely enjoyed and recommend 

next is Cavalcade (1933) which seems to be another divisive winner

Watched on Tuesday January 28, 2025.

Best Picture count: 4/97

the 4th Academy Awards were presented in November of 1931 and celebrating and honoring 1930 and 1931 in film. Cimarron was nominated for 7 awards, a record for the academy at that time, and it went home with 3. Cimarron was also the first Western to win best picture and another Western would not win until Dances with Wolves (1990). 

Cimarron is overall a disaster, not only was the film made in the height of the Great Depression, with RKO dumping more than $1.5 million into it, and not even recovering or breaking even, most likely due to the Depression happening.  $1.5 million in 1931 is equivalent to about $30-$31 million today, yikes

this movie was such a slog for me to watch, it’s only 2 hours but it felt like an eternity, i genuinely don’t know what the academy was thinking, apparently it was pretty highly praised when it released but as you can see today, it’s considered one of the worst best picture winners, which is a deserved title.  it’s racist, (there’s a scene where a black character gets excited because the town has watermelon) it’s terribly boring, the sound mixing is atrocious, there isn’t a lot i can say that hasn’t already been said, this would genuinely be a ½ star if it weren’t for the opening scene which does have some pretty beautiful and impressive cinematography.  i also think it’s pretty gross that there’s a major plot point about being on Osage land during the oil boom and references to the Osage being rich whenever the film came out only about 10 years after the Osage murders 

overall, i am glad to finally be past this because i was dreading even having to watch it.  next is Grand Hotel (1932) which i am most definitely looking forward to

Watched on Sunday January 26, 2025.

already left my review, here’s things katie said throughout the movie

“i don’t this in the book”

“did they say Jarvis?”

“i want cheesecake”

“why would they tease me with the wormies in the beginning?”

“stop staring at her like a rat”

“bro thought he had rizz” 

“dang it mom, why you gotta be so mean to me :(“ 

“i wanna see a little baby wormie like wahh whahhhhhhh *unintelligible noise she made with her mouth* i never thought about it before but now i wanna see one”

“i have extra raising canes sauce”

“time to eat yummy cheesecake”

“i would purposely get in dangerous situations so you’d save me” 

“damn she don’t give a shit about Paul”

“why he built like that”

“not gonna lie i wouldve gave up like two seconds in” (referring to worm riding)

“hey i call them rats too, twinning” 

“the hand thump summons the baby worms”

“why’s he look like Justin Bieber?” (when Feyd-Rautha walks into the arena)

“why’d he kiss his uncle twice?”

“but the whole quote is fear is the mind killer, Paul did not watch the first movie”

“im the sub in this relationship, Gurney”

“THERES A BABY WORMIE” (she said a lot here and most of it was unintelligible)

“I TOLD YOU THE HAND THUMP SUMMONS THE BABY WORMIES”

“if you touch another baby worm i’m gonna kill you, bitch”

“they wouldnt like me as reverend mother, i’d the wormies”

“how was i supposed to know he wants Rabban to kiss his boots, he just kissed his uncle”

“imagine he doesnt wanna go south because he doesn’t know directions or where south is”

“jarvis, tell me where south is”

“the wormie empire beginth”

“do they have a tent on the wormie? oh my goodness need”

“i want the biggest wormie and then i want little baby ones following me”

“screw Paul being the Muad’dib, that’s me, bitch”

“if they kill another baby wormie im literally gonna lose it”

“we get it paul, youre basically the messiah but you don’t have to be saying one liners, do you think Jesus said one liners?”

“cringe dude, come up with your own line” (after Feyd-Rautha says may thy knife chip and shatter)

“bro did not get that victory royale”

gf rating: 4/5

best picture count: 3/97

the 3rd academy awards premiered in November of 1930 honoring the films of 1929 and 1930, only seven months after the 2nd ceremony, being the only year to have two ceremonies in the same year, to this day.  still being broadcast on radio only, this ceremony also had certain sections filmed, including the best actress and best screenwriting portions.  also being the first year to introduce best sound recording, a category still around today

All Quiet on the Western Front became the first film to win both best picture and best director, something that tends to be very common nowadays, including just in last years ceremony with Oppenheimer (2023) winning both awards, it’s interesting to see how much the awards have evolved

All Quiet on the Western Front is very well made, it’s honestly pretty crazy to think this is a film from 1930 sometimes, the cinematography and sound design are way ahead of their time, fantastic practical effects, and how the actual film looks is incredible, it’s got such a clean look to it that seems like something you’d see in the 1950s or 1960s

i’m not big on war movies so this did stutter for me a bit but the fact that a film like this not only came out in the time of Hitler and Nazi (it was banned in due to its anti-war message and was labeled a “Judenfilm” by Goebbels, translated to mean “Jewish film”) with World War 2 on the horizon, but also won the award for best picture is very impressive to me

next is Cimarron (1931) and to be honest i am not looking forward to it lol

still remains one of Fincher’s best, always a blast to watch and it’s so perfectly paced.  Fincher doesn’t get much better than this

gf rating: 4/5

Clint knows how to make a damn fine movie. love the camerawork, Kevin Bacon and Tim Robbins have great performances, and the movie was a lot more tense than i was expecting it to be.  really interesting study and take on trauma and hypermasculinity, especially from a director like Clint Eastwood, i really wanna explore his full filmography one day

Dave deserved better

Best Picture count: 2/97

the 2nd Academy Awards premiered a little less than a year after the first in 1930, and honoring the films of 1928 and 1929. it was the first ceremony to be broadcast on the radio and there were only 7 categories which to me is pretty insane considering how many there are now. another interesting fact, this is the only year where none of the films nominated won more than one Oscar, which might be due to the fact that there were so few categories, one of the biggest changes being that this was the first ceremony to have 5 nominations in most categories.

The Broadway Melody is a very interesting film, it was the first talkie and musical to win Best Picture, and is one of only 7 films to win Best Picture without a writing nomination, which i can certainly say that it didn’t need one, this film is a real stinker

i will give it the benefit of the doubt and say that they were still figuring out how to make sound pictures but the audio mixing is terrible, the writing is horrendous, the acting is laughably bad, and the musical numbers aren’t even memorable, which whenever you’re watching a musical, you kind of hope the songs will be good. there’s really not a lot else i can say, The Broadway Melody is just kind of a flop of a film, i watched it on YouTube and i’ll link it here. next is All Quiet on the Western Front (1930), which i’m definitely looking forward to

literally the greatest thing ever in the world, so fantastic and entertaining, insanely energetic with everyone at their creative heights giving one of the most engaging and memorable concert films ever, Jonathan Demme uses unorthodox methods that arent typically used for concert films to create something like anything i’ve ever seen

Watched on Friday January 17, 2025.

Best Picture count: 1/97

doing a challenge for myself this year where i’m going to try and watch every film that’s won best picture, starting with this: Wings

the early Academy Awards were pretty interesting, they’re certainly a far cry from the Oscars we know today, they were held in the middle of the year and in the case of the first ceremony, which wasn’t even broadcast on television or radio, instead being a private ceremony in 1929 and honored 1927 and 1928 in cinema

Wings was interesting and entertaining, the dogfight sections were incredible and it’s insane how well made they are and how fantastic the effects were for the time, it is just stunning stuff.  i started watching this on Tubi and ended up switching to YouTube, Tubi’s version has a very annoying ragtime piano loop due to this being a silent film and that got grating after 30 minutes but thankfully this is a public domain film so i was able to find a version on YouTube with an actual soundtrack and sound effects, i’ll link it here

camera work was stunning, there’s one tracking shot that blew my mind, the story is gripping and the acting isn’t half bad, i just think the length of the film brings it down some and even with its charming technical limitations, that is a bit of a downside to it.  overall, i can definitely see why Wings won best picture and i’d say it deserved it.  next is The Broadway Melody (1930) which seems to be very divisive but we shall see

Watched on Wednesday January 15, 2025.

[DIRECTOR’S CUT]

incredible, reminds me of why i fell in love with movies in the first place, looking forward to seeing it again soon

• Se7en

  gf rating: 5/5

• Marriage Story

  gf rating: 4/5

• The Menu

  gf rating: 3.5/5

• Taxi Driver

  gf rating: 5/5

• Scream

  gf rating: 5/5

• Scream 2

  gf rating: 4/5

• Scream 3

  gf rating: 2/5

• Scream 4

  gf rating: 3/5

• Scream

  gf rating: 4/5

• Misery

  gf rating: 5/5

...plus 51 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

good shiz

1. No Country for Old Men
2. Blade Runner
3. GoodFellas
4. The Godfather Part II
5. The Thing
6. The Godfather
7. La La Land
8. Heat
9. The Lighthouse
10. Stalker

...plus 36 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

1. Killers of the Flower Moon
2. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
3. Beau Is Afraid
4. The Iron Claw
5. The Holdovers
6. John Wick: Chapter 4
7. Poor Things
8. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
9. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning
10. STILL: A Michael J. Fox Movie

...plus 24 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

• Eraserhead
• The Big Lebowski
• True Lies
• Tombstone
• Zoolander
• Reservoir Dogs
• Twin Peaks
• Fargo
• Nightcrawler
• Blade Runner

...plus 90 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

• Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
• Raiders of the Lost Ark
• The Fabelmans
• Schindler's List
• Jurassic Park
• Jaws
• Hook
• Close Encounters of the Third Kind
• Saving Private Ryan
• Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

...plus 15 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

1. GoodFellas
2. The Irishman
3. Taxi Driver
4. Silence
5. The Aviator
6. After Hours
7. Killers of the Flower Moon
8. Casino
9. Mean Streets
10. The King of Comedy

...plus 8 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

movers i own on ze BluRay and 4K

• 10 Cloverfield Lane
• 2001: A Space Odyssey

  4K

• Alien
• Aliens
• Apocalypse Now

  4K + all cuts

• Army of Darkness
• The Aviator
• Barbie

  4K

• The Batman

  4K

• Blade Runner

  4K

...plus 51 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

1. Seven Samurai
2. Rashomon
3. High and Low
4. Ran

for when the day is a little too hard

• Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
• Hot Fuzz
• My Cousin Vinny
• La La Land
• Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island
• Spirited Away
• Beauty and the Beast
• Winnie the Pooh
• Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol
• Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

...plus 35 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

1. No Country for Old Men
2. The Big Lebowski
3. O Brother, Where Art Thou?
4. Fargo
5. Hail, Caesar!
6. Burn After Reading
7. Raising Arizona
8. Blood Simple
9. Inside Llewyn Davis
10. Miller's Crossing

...plus 3 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

1. The Terminator
2. The Abyss
3. Terminator 2: Judgment Day
4. Aliens
5. True Lies
6. Aliens of the Deep
7. Ghosts of the Abyss
8. Titanic
9. Avatar

• Christine
• Donnie Darko
• Thelma & Louise
• Lost Highway
• WALL·E
• Uncut Gems
• Stand by Me
• The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
• The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
• Halloween

...plus 3 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

• 10 Cloverfield Lane
• Alien
• Army of Darkness
• Inglourious Basterds
• La La Land
• Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

25 films i’d like to watch to extend my knowledge of foreign cinema

• Yojimbo
• Throne of Blood
• Cure
• In the Mood for Love
• The Handmaiden
• The Human Condition I: No Greater Love
• Chungking Express
• A Brighter Summer Day
• Shoplifters
• Ran

...plus 15 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

1. The Grand Budapest Hotel
2. Fantastic Mr. Fox
3. Moonrise Kingdom
4. The Royal Tenenbaums
5. Hotel Chevalier
6. Asteroid City
7. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
8. The Darjeeling Limited

1. Se7en
2. The Social Network
3. Fight Club
4. Gone Girl
5. Zodiac
6. Mank
7. Alien³

1. Pearl
2. The Batman
3. The Northman
4. Everything Everywhere All at Once
5. All Quiet on the Western Front
6. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
7. X
8. Glass Onion
9. RRR
10. The Fabelmans

...plus 22 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

• Interstellar
• Inception
• The Dark Knight
• Dunkirk
• Batman Begins
• Oppenheimer
• The Dark Knight Rises
• Memento
• The Prestige

1. Inglourious Basterds
2. Django Unchained
3. The Hateful Eight
4. Kill Bill: Vol. 2
5. Reservoir Dogs
6. Kill Bill: Vol. 1
7. Pulp Fiction
8. Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood
9. Jackie Brown

• Vertigo
• Strangers on a Train
• Rear Window
• Psycho
• North by Northwest

1. Batman
2. Batman Returns
3. Big Fish
4. Edward Scissorhands
5. Ed Wood
6. Frankenweenie
7. Beetlejuice
8. Mars Attacks!
9. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
10. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

...plus 5 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

movies your mom would LOVE

the same as dad movies, but for your mom, theres a chance you’ve either watched this with your mom or your mom has told you how much she loves it
source: i have a mom and took the s of multiple people with mothers

• 80 for Brady
• Fried Green Tomatoes
• Steel Magnolias
• The Sound of Music
• Mary Poppins
• Titanic
• Sleepless in Seattle
• You've Got Mail
• Groundhog Day
• What About Bob?

...plus 55 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

1. Twin Peaks
2. Blue Velvet
3. Twin Peaks: The Return
4. Mulholland Drive
5. The Straight Story
6. Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me
7. Eraserhead
8. Wild at Heart
9. The Elephant Man
10. Inland Empire

...plus 4 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

1. Casino Royale
2. GoldenEye
3. Goldfinger
4. Skyfall
5. From Russia with Love
6. Licence to Kill
7. The Spy Who Loved Me
8. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
9. Dr. No
10. The Living Daylights

...plus 14 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

1. The Thing
2. Halloween
3. Big Trouble in Little China
4. Escape from New York
5. They Live
6. Christine
7. Escape from L.A.