Okay I watched like a bajillion things this month. Did a lot of sewing and that’s usually when I do that shiii.
Girlfriends (1978) - 7/10
Watched this after Lena Dunham suggested it in her criterion closet picks! She says it’s like her show Girls but made decades earlier, but I actually argue it’s basically a 70’s version of Frances Ha.
It’s a sweet movie, the characters are a joy to watch. The pacing is a little funny but it’s worth it to see such cutie moments and Christopher Guest and Bob Balaban as very young chaps.
The Long Goodbye (1973) - 7.5/10
Interesting character study, honestly I never have seen a movie with someone quite like private detective Marlowe …
The man loves talkin to himself, bein a smart ass and his cat.
I really like Robert Altman’s film Nashville, so I wanted to try anotha! I thought this one didn’t quite measure up but it was a fun watch!
There’s no twist really that surprises you as you might think with a crime thriller… the point is just letting Marlowe smoke a damn cigarette.
I rewatched Easy Rider (1969) with a friend. A romp as always. I love Jack Nicholson in this.
I covet the sunglasses that Peter Fonda wears in this movie….. I wonder if I can find a similar pair
Bully (2001) - 3/10
Not a huge Larry Clark fan… I thought KIDS was fine enough but I thought I’d try another one of his movies just because!
I came away thinking that guy is a fucking creep…. !
The story is compelling… the acting is mostly great considering how young all the actors are and I think the way teens behaved after murdering someone is definitely accurate. Immediately freaking out, returning to the scene of the crime multiple times, and bragging about it to like 50 people is so likely.
Larry Clark makes some pretty disturbing decisions though based on the age of the actors in this movie…. and that seems to be the general consensus online too.
Cure - 1997 - 10/10 visuals 7/10 overall
this seems to be a theme this month
I love a mystery, I love a psycho killer, I love J-horror from this time over all!
I don’t however love when I have to google what a movie is suppposed to imply by it’s ending… and the answer is that it’s alllll subjective
like gimme a lil somethin to gratify the mystery!!
Idk… maybe I’ll come around more to that
GORGEOUS movie though visually…. quite possibly the most gorgeous
6/10 - Saw this in theaters with some buddies. Thought it was entertaining but I think the moments they were going for something emotional fell pretty short. In a movie covered in death it’s hard to feel much when there is another death that is supposed to weigh heavier than the rest for some reason.
The best part of the movie is when the soldier is showing the young boy photos of his girlfriend on his phone.
I also really hate when a movie is secretly a bait and switch for a sequel…. just like…. tell a complete story ??? Idk maybe the follow ups will be good but like, in the moment I just felt betrayed.
Crumb (1994) - 9/10
I loved this documentary. I love a slice of life, especially one that focuses on a misunderstood artist and his wacky family (see: American Movie)
R. Crumb is a cartoonist and obviously a total bastard. I loved learning more about his life and career.
Point Break (1991) - 6/10
Goofy ass movie…. I love when hyper macho shit is gay as hell.
First 30 minutes were fun but after that I was like… I get the idea… dunno if I need to b seein much more of this.
Part of my journey to try to love Swayze… still not convinced.
The Fisher King - 1991 - 7/10
This is such a random ass movie. Jeff Bridges is a radio host who kinda fuels a hate crime… then befriends a homeless guy who is Robin Williams…. some other stuff?
I highly dislike the way Bridges character treats his GF who wears cheetah print pants and is wayyy too fuckin good for him.
Some good bits of dialogue and generally poetic shit happening throughout.
Robin Williams is a joy to watch even though this movie is so goofy and weird. He’s got his ding-a-ling out in Central Park in this movie.
Random Tom Waits cameo.
Heavenly Creatures - 1994 - 7/10
Some really iconic early CGI and practical effects!
Melanie Lynsky and Kate Winslet’s acting debut!
lil gay movie about girls who are obsessed with an opera singer and writing a novel together.
They kill somebody??
I’m really obsessed with Meg fr though… Like Lena I think she’s a freakin genius.
I’ve watched this segment of her on Colbert like 4 times.
Too Much (2025) - 7/10
We have a song in episode 2 of this show! Weeeee!!!
I love Megan Stalter so much, I think she is such a star.
“Too Much” is no Girls, I think it would be hard for Lena Dunham to recreate that particular lightning in a bottle… but it was a fun lil show :)
Midnight Mass (2021) - 8.5/10
I’m catching up on all the Mike Flanagan shows. I LOVED hill house and I thought Midnight Mass was pretty damn good!
Like Flanagans other shows tho the dialogue can get a bit…. hm…. like unrealistically deep. The monologues…. there needs to be about 50% less of em.
His shows are super trilling though and I’ve really enjoyed them so far!
I love that he reuses actors across different shows too, makes for fun little moments of like “yoooo I know that guy!”
Many Deaths of Laila Starr - Ram V and Filipe Andrade - 5/10
Got a big haul of graphic novels from Thriftbooks this month. This is one of em!
The death god is sent to Earth to kill the man who put her out of a job.
Didn’t totally blow my mind story/dialogue wise but the illustrations are gorgeous
Porcelain - Maria Llovet 4/10 story 10/10 illustrations
A pretty basic Alice in Wonderland inspired graphic novel! But gdddddd the illustrations are incredible.
Some of the fits in this story go sooo hard.
If you want something stylish and short to read in an evening this is the one!
The Lottery and Other Stories - Shirley Jackson - 7/10
Most of these stories are not what I’d call horror, which is what I kinda look for/prefer when I sit down to read Shirley Jackson.
These stories are mostly slice of life, often where the crux is some sort of misstep in polite decorum of the time (1940s/50s). I think they would’ve maybe been considered horror at the time??
If they are technically horror its a very quiet and subtle version of it.
The title story “The Lottery” is deeply iconic and so good!!! I highly suggest everyone reads it at least once and especially thinks on how innovative it would’ve been for a woman of the time to have written it.
As for the rest, unless you really love historical fiction and being kinda immersed in the banal of the mid 20th century, you might not get a ton out of this?
I enjoyed reading it but it wasn’t blowing my mind.
Still a Shirley Jackson stan for lyfe tho.
Ancient Hours - Michael Bible - 9/10
I didn’t want this to be over !!!!!! The second book of Michael Bible’s that I have read (wrote about Empire of Light last month) and I completely adored it.
Already have another of his books on the docket to read.
Soooo crazy to read a book that mentions my hometown??? I fucking love NC dudeeeeeee urgh
A crime/slice of life/small town history told in a way I have never experienced.
Ya’ll will like this one I guarantee
Teenager - Bud Smith - 6/10
Read his short stories collection last month and it was immediately added to my faves of all time. This novel was a really fun read but I couldn’t help but compare it to “Double Bird” which I loveddddd so much.
This is a road novel about two teenagers (hence the name). They go to Graceland, they kill some people, they live up high in a tree for a bit.
Really fun if you need something to tear through.
Beacon Pines - 2022 - 8/10
This game has some deeply adorable characters and a really innovative way of story telling I’ve never seen before!! It’s kinda just been a joy to play!
Story driven point and clicky mystery type thing: my fave genre of game since I was a kid :)
You’ll like this if you like Night in The Woods! Which is one of my fave games.
Minus a full point for how much I dislike the narrators voice…. eeeek!!! I love the sounds the animals make when they talk to each other in this game though.
Tell Me Why - 2020 - 5/10
I’m a “Life is Strange” lover, and this is by the same studio.
This is the story of two twins in Alaska that are delving into their shared memories to solve a mystery? Kinda?
It’s kind of a discombobulated mess…. none of the emotional moments really hit as they seem to be trying to. It kinda just wanders along til it’s over.
The setting is quite cool though!
I’m beginning to think it might be impossible for this studio to recapture what they got in Life is Strange and it’s prequel…. was just a perfect time capsule.
Someone on here suggested Lost Records though and I’ll give that one a try before I totally give up!
