Favorite films

Recent reviews

• 

  Moulin Rouge! 2001

  ★★★ Watched 26 Jan 2025

  lots of good stuff in here. nicole kidman is hilarious. ultimately it’s just not my thing.

• 

  The Brutalist 2024

  ★★★★ Watched 25 Jan 2025

  visually magnificent, which made it easier to forgive some clunky scenes and distractingly anachronistic dialogue. those issues really started accumulating for me in the second part- when the intermission hit at the end of part one i was still completely entranced not only by the visual majesty but by the story and its construction. toth is a great character- generally decent if never exactly a chill guy, but in part two he devolves so suddenly into furious megalomania that i…

Popular reviews

• 

  The Substance 2024

  ★★★ Watched 22 Sep 2024

  spent most of the first two acts of this movie having fun and being freaked and grossed out. nagging at me though was how the movie’s clear disdain for demi moore’s character  seemed to undercut its own message about beauty standards and self-worth. who are we rooting for here? i did like the scene though where she’s getting ready for a date but then can’t get out the door for nitpicking her own appearance. the movie actually grounds itself for…

• 

  Conclave 2024

  ★★★★ Watched 06 Nov 2024

  best political thriller i’ve seen in a minute. a tight, gripping two hours. well-made across the board. was sold on going to see this by the dynamite premise of fiennes, tucci and lithgow as quarreling cardinals -they don’t disappoint! the lesser known performers absolutely hold their weight too. thought i knew where it was going for a second- i was wrong!

  one of those wonderful times when i can say “i guess they still do make ‘em like this.”