Favorite films

Recent reviews

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  Medicine for Melancholy 2008

  ★★★ Watched 14 Mar 2025

  this film is very specific in its setting, addressing gentrification and issues concerning race. it’s an interesting attempt on mixing these with a love story as well. the conversations start to heat up during a certain part of the film although it takes quite a lot of time to get there which is frustrating. i didn’t really like the overall look of this film too. it had the visuals of an old, cheap music video but i guess i assumed to some extent that it would look good because i watched moonlight first.

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  Dahomey 2024

  ★★★½ Watched 12 Mar 2025

  the first quarter-half focuses on the “voices” of the pieces and how they are brought to benin, which is interesting to see. i especially enjoyed the score that matches with the ambient nights. however, i needed more of the segments of university students talking about the intricacies of bringing back stolen pieces from france. there are so many levels in this type of discussion; whether it be the significance of restoring one’s culture or the accessibility, hence i wish i could’ve seen more.

Popular reviews

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  The Brutalist 2024

  ★★★★ Watched 26 Feb 2025

  this experience will surely be a memorable one for me, as it was my first time to watch a movie with an intermission in a theater. but not only that, this will stick with me for a while because the film itself was breathtaking. the world building (the architecture, the cinematography, the music) had me in awe. the moments of both realizing and failing to grasp the "american dream" as well as being holocaust survivors finding their own ways in…

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  Dune: Part Two 2024

  ★★★★ Watched 01 Mar 2025

  experiencing this in imax definitely helped me immerse myself into the world that was created. i particularly enjoyed the aspects related to sound. it was exciting to be able to listen to more of the sand worm thumpers, they are oddly satisfying. imagery is also an important factor contributing to the film’s quality. there were some cool shots and production design exclusive to a film at this scale. although part of me is still underwhelmed in terms of character development (especially Paul, who is a center figure), i guess it’s okay to focus on the external parts of the film.