Favorite films

Recent reviews

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  Hyenas 1992

  Watched 20 Feb 2025

  A masterpiece; Shakespearean, at times Lynchian, Machiavellian, Mansa Musa-n, and shot beautifully through Mambéty’s distinct style. Has lots to say about Trust, Community, Virtue, and so on and so on. Good performances, good costumes, good score that is entirely different than Touki Bouki, many characters that add much but are never truly acknowledged which is always a fun touch, and a message with evergreen importance.

  Also shoutout to Mambéty for not just putting himself in the movie but deciding that he would be the most stylin’ m*********** in it. Baudelairean, yes, but more fun than anything.

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  Black Dynamite 2009

  Watched 12 Feb 2025

  Absolute shame that this doesn’t have the same cultural significance as Anchorman: just as funny, just as quotable, and more clearly makes its political thesis statement.

  +1 for a Some Rap Songs vocal sample in the wild.

Popular reviews

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  The Red Shoes 1948

  ★★★★★ Watched 24 Jul 2023

  Sight & Sound rank: tied for 67th

  The ballet sequences alone are worth your time and attention. Add onto them the context, which boils down to Whiplash with more moving parts (and in my opinion more interesting decisions), and you have a compelling story beautifully rendered on film. Less than a decade into the color film era and they were already doing incredible things with their Technicolor tactics. And don’t forget a score that is thematically interesting as well as decadent and just plain good.

  I’ll be glad to rewatch this.

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  Once Upon a Time in America 1984

  Watched 08 Aug 2022 1

  The length was a double edged sword for me because I often have moments in movies where I wish a cut would last longer than it does. I love a long cut, and the scene where the kid eats the cake was crushing; I don’t know if this movie needed to be four hours long. The writing had some issues, but overall a good movie and I’m glad a Leone/De Niro movie exists.

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