Sleeping with Other People 2015 ★★★½
This honestly blew me away a little. I knew from the actors and the premise that I'd probably enjoy this, but I'm glad got around to watching it because it's a gem. Good soundtrack, great story, some incredible lines.
Some chats I sent while watching the movie over vc:
the things id do if i was in new york again
IBM THINKPADSS\
I dont think i like me enough to introduce him to other people
strong vocabulary, look dynamite in a tank top
jason sudekis date me
Sing Street 2016 ★★★½
John Carney makes such good Irish music movies about yearning.
I kinda feel like he's made the same movie three times just different ways, but
- that's a gross reduction, each story Carney has written has unique characters and ideas, and they're all good
- in this one it is painfully obvious when they switch to the dubbed voice of another dude for the singer
- the main cast looks wildly different ages, some look close to 15 others look mid twenties
I love that they each have sorta ambiguous endings, looking towards the future. I love coming of age movies, especially set in the 80s. Also, is Lucy Boynton the most beautiful women ever?
Banger songs. More movies where people hang out and make music please.
Don’t Look Up 2021 ★★★½
Wow... I surprisingly really liked this. Maybe Jennifer Lawrence's best performance? Solid acting by the rest of the cast as well. The story did not stray into cringey satire and surface-level-liberal nods nearly as much as I thought it would.
I get why people didn't like this. Yes it's too long, the social media and pop culture bits feel ancient or out of touch- but it didn't totally detract from the thing. It just works, even if it's stupid.
The movie could have been more powerful if real names of companies, news organizations, and people were used as much as possible. Another creative decision that could have been interesting would be to end the movie right after the President asks the CEO how many drones are needed for it to work. I like the idea of leaving it uncertain. The ending they went with was still solid, but the end credit scenes progressively made it more absurd and soured my opinion.
I like the bombastic score, Adam McKay's directing style, and I think they handled the large starry cast decently.
Of course, this big budget mega corporation movie proves its own message- that individual people have no power, and that those in power are the elite who are incompetent with misaligned interests. I think that irony is kinda sweet and funny.
maybe I was just in a good mood. maybe the alcohol started hitting by the time the movie got shittier. idk. it's just a movie.
EDIT: I just recalled the dumbest fucking scene with the maga ppl looking up literally to the sky and saying "they lied" ... McKay why did you have to make the "Dont Look Up" catchphrase literal? Anyway Jonah Hill got on my nerves too which was the point I know but. minus 1/2 star.
Charli XCX: Alone Together 2021 ★★★½
This was really illuminating and cute. Making the album and documentary clearly took a toll on Charli, but she couldn't have done it any other way. In 2020, she needed her people and her people needed her.
The beautiful thing about the internet is how small it makes the world feel. There is really nothing like a healthy artist-fan community. Having experienced online fan communities firsthand during the pandemmy, I appreciate how well this captures the unique aspects, the positives and the negatives of being extremely online. As I reflect now, the person I am and the people I care about today were extensively shaped by quarantine. Most notably Album Listening Club and Bleachers online communities being brought back into the real world was the best experience of my whole life. Pre-covid me would have never have hosted a Zoom call for Jack Antonoff, flown to NJ for people I'd never met, or made so many new friends in college.
Anyway, my point here is the fan footage really gives this documentary context. The relatability and casual vibes were right for this. It does kinda drag and isn't put together well but idc. Her whole process continues to highlight the genius of her collaboration with AG Cook.
Punch-Drunk Love 2002 ★★★★★
He needs me, he needs me
He needs me, he needs me...
I... think I love this movie. Upon a rewatch this is insane. I feel this movie within my chest. The anxiety, the frantic score, the flashes of color, the pudding coupons, the harmonium, the raw conversations.
I feel the need to mention, Adam Sandler has made half a dozen amazing movies and a dozen decent ones- he's truly the best. This performance is evidence, especially if you like artsy shit. All you out there saying "I don't like Adam Sandler but Uncut Gems was pretty good" shut the fuck up. Maybe Paul Thomas Anderson can make a good movie after all.
I have a love in my life, it makes me stronger than anything you can imagine.
Before Sunset 2004 ★★★★★
The way they glance at each other- I've never looked at anyone before. They way they speak- I've never had a conversation before.
I agree with my previous review. This flows impeccably and does not waste a moment of its runtime. I love the soft warm color, the lingering shots, the stairwell, the rawest conversation in the car, the both of them giving up on true love years ago, the way Céline goes to touch him and pulls back. I was gonna say this movie has one of the best endings I've ever seen, but I feel the same way about the beginning and middle too.
Linklater gets it, he really gets it. Jesse and Céline are my definition of romantic love. These movies are it.
Captain Ahab: The Story of Dave Stieb 2022 ★★★★½
In the past I have always prefaced my Jon Bois reviews by saying I don't even like baseball, I don't even watch football.
Long overdue, I can now say, yes, I do like baseball. Dave Stieb's struggle is universal, gut wrenching, and inspiring. Sport as a metaphor for life has been a common theme in Bois documentaries, and here it never is contrived. The quality was consistent all the way through, with Part 3 easily the best. Bois and Rubenstein are the greatest documentary makers, ever. They transform and uplift the medium in a way no one else does.
We all can learn a lot from Dave Stieb about patience, fulfillment, and passion. His story could not have been told with more care.
This is how the sport of baseball moves: not at all and then, all at once, with such terrifying speed the lines begin to bend, and then not at all…
Everything Everywhere All at Once 2022 ★★★★★
Some movies I feel in my chest, a weight that makes it feel more difficult to breathe. Some movies I tear up while watching. Some movies I marvel at the score, the choreography, the effects, the dialogue, or the acting.
Very few check all those boxes. Very few leave me speechless for minutes stuck in my seat after it has ended. This review is inadequate. Watch this movie.
I need to call my mom.
Springtime In Tempe ★★★★★
This little short has had a major effect on me. I think about it all the time. Being released right around the same time I graduate from ASU and plan on moving away from Tempe definitely played a role. I love the static shots and the soundtrack.
I love Tempe and Arizona so much, but more importantly, this made me realise I have all along.
Love Actually 2003 ★★★★
I put off watching this for so long. Same writer and director as About Time, Bill Nighy, Keira Knightley and all the rest- I knew I would like this. Tonight I needed a comfort movie.
Love, Actually reminded me of a few important things. I love falling in love, being in love, visiting airports, forging friendships, seeing other people go through the same process. That's what life is. It isn't always easy. We are most defined by our relationships to others- our partners, family, and friends. Without them I'm not me. I'm thankful for that. I'm still coming to grips with the fact that as the people around me change, I change too. I never am ready for it. But maybe someday I will be.
Lost in Translation 2003 ★★★★
Am I a bad person?
What do others really think of me?
What's the difference between friendship, love, and obsession?
How does language separate us and bring us together?
Did we lose something with the loss of fax machines?
Is there a right way to say goodbye?
Some of these questions were addressed by this movie. Others were just on my mind today.
The Terminal 2004 ★★★½
We’re all waiting in some way or other. “This too shall pass,” we tell each other, because without looking towards the future, what are we? The tough times make the good times mean something.
Tom Hanks does well here, as does Stanley Tucci. The movie drags a bit sometimes but I think that serves to emphasize the time spent waiting.
Seeking a Friend for the End of the World 2012 ★★★★
Keira Knightley is one of a kind.
Some movies you watch in the right place at the right time. This was not one of those for me. Still, so much of it resonated. I expected this one to leave me feeling defeated and alone, but I think in a small way I feel hopeful. I strongly believe that who we are is who we choose to spend time with. There's only so much of that time, and it goes by faster everyday.
It couldn’t have happened any other way. It had to happen now.
I could go on and on about how this movie distills ideas I hold close, but the big thing is finding meaning in what you've got. Beauty is all around us.
Penny saying "it isn't enough time" reminded me of a similar scene in the Angel episode "I Will Remember You." When you're with the right person, everything always feels too late.
Cha Cha Real Smooth 2022 ★★★★½
Your memories aren’t going anywhere.
