Favorite films

Recent reviews

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  Le Trou 1960

  ★★★★ Watched 10 Mar 2025

  Crazy how much physical labour there is in this — long shots of them digging or hammering away at the hole, I was transfixed. A lot to be said for how the inmates resist the surveillance of the panopticon through the device they fashion. I think I prefer this to A Man Escaped because the relationships between the characters are more developed and nuanced— plus, one of the actors is a real-life inmate whose planned escape from La Santé in 1947 this story is based on.

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  Anora 2024

  ★★★★ Watched 03 Mar 2025

  I had a good time! Am not 100% sold on Sean Baker’s portrayal of (and fascination with?) sex workers, or the flatness he affords Ani’s personality/experience, although I loved Mikey Maddison’s performance. For me the unsung hero has to be Karren Karagulian as Toros; I, too, have an Armenian godfather who takes his pastoral role to the utmost degree 💗

Popular reviews

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  Before Sunrise 1995

  ★★ Watched 22 Dec 2019 3

  Not even the excellent cinematography and idyllic shots of Viennese summer can salvage the near vomit-inducing meanderings of two pretentious twits who spend almost every waking moment congratulating themselves on the futile conclusions of their endless pseudo-intellectual repartee. Watching this truly is an exercise in discerning which of the two characters you hate the most - just when you think you've decided that Ethan Hawke is the most repulsive, needy, sweaty-haired man on planet Earth, Julie Delpy hits you with a wave of whiny self-indulgence that leaves you forever wavering in your animosity. They deserve each other.

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  Medusa Deluxe 2022

  ★★★ Watched 05 Jun 2023

  Great on paper, less so in practice. So much of this has incredible potential — great cast, sound, and beautiful one-shot take (which although impressive does start to irritate once it becomes clear that it’s in lieu of a genuine plotline). But there’s just not enough content to keep the narrative or the tongue-in-cheek dialogue going. Felt like this never went beyond the elevator pitch of “wouldn’t it be hilarious if someone got scalped at an amateur hairdressing competition”? Would also have loved to have seen more hair or an appreciation thereof.