As you probably know, I am very distracted these last couple of months. I’m not really into the idea of this post, but I wanted to get it done before I potentially lose adequate internet access for a while. Similarly, I’ve watched less movies in the last month or two both because of the things I’ve had to focus on in life and because I’ve been trying to do some fiction writing – which, by the way, is not going well right now. This feels like a dumb detour, but so it goes. It’s all dumb.

platoon
i’ve had this movie on vhs since i was a kid and never once tried to watch it. just as well. it’s not a kids movie. it currently has an 8 on imdb, which would suggest quality, but 2-3 months later, i’m not remembering its details to say whether or not it was more than watchable. i feel like i had something more interesting to say just after seeing it, but… lost. to the ether. i really should keep on top of these things.

cube 2021
that would be the japanese version of cube. have you seen the original cube? then you don’t need to watch this. if you’ve never seen cube and you’re into horror or dark sci fi, it’s worth seeing the original for sure. as things go, this was like a reimagining with eastern asian sensibilities. people cry and have feelings they don’t have in the original. it feels different. but, in essence, it’s the same movie, so if you’re not interested in a not-that-unique take on the franchise, you really should stick to the first movie.

shut in
thriller about a lady whose abusive drug addict boyfriend locks her in a closet while she freaks out about the fate of her kid. it’s totally watchable but doesn’t provide much in the way of novelty.

foe
slow burn sci fi about a near-apocalypse future focused on the love life of a lonely wife whose husband is replaced by a clone. might be a solid movie watch for someone dealing with a love triangle situation.

pollen
weird girl gets abused, assaulted, and bullied movie, both by real people and the supernatural. this has some interesting takes in it for horror but feels lower budget. i remember laughing at the bathroom scene, but i would, i need a brain cleanse.

millers girl
bored rich high school girl has a thing for her teacher who is obviously an idiot despite being well-read. things go to the dark place and don’t recover well at the end. felt like a fuck you to men, which is fine, but execution needs work. i bind you, nancy.

iss
the usual russia vs us thing. will we survive in space while the world hates itself? no.

the brood
i realized i’d seen this before towards the end, likely when i was very young. this movie bored the shit out of me as an adult. can’t win ’em all.

sick of myself
essentially about social media narcissism. if that’s what you’re feeling like exploring today, have at it.

wonka
this was way better than expected, but my expectations were super low. it’s a clean, good feeling musical. the uncomfortable darkness you’d expect from the willy wonka character is not there as this guy has more of a shire/hobbit energy.

poor things
10/10 would furious jump again. one of the better takes on feminism in a while. very stylish, too.

the zone of interest
this felt like a dull home movie on the surface, but context makes this one come alive. definitely not for everyone, here, but if you have enough historical education and present-day political/social awareness, it has value.

frankenstein 1931
this one took me ages to get through. i know the story in essence so i didn’t think i needed to see the movie and, basically knowing what was going to happen, made sitting through the movie difficult. still, it was worth doing to see a 90 year old movie so smoothly echo onward into the future.

all of us strangers
a sad, depressive movie about a guy grieving while falling for a neighbor. the ending is emotionally cruel, so plenty of emo 20 year olds who’ve never had a real thing happen in their lives will love this. fucking phantoms, yo.

society of the snow
story about barely surviving a plane crash, et al. it hits all the marks these movies do.

nyad
bio about swimming despite all. ya like sports movies? you’ll like this.

american fiction
a dive into racism permeating cultural appreciation. if you’re familiar with my old fiction writing style and it doesn’t piss you off, you’ll like the “lol fuck you” ending. since you’re probably not and don’t care, this movie is self-referential and plays with the audience.

memory 2023
holy boundaries, batman. this movie is fucked up and it plays off like it’s a totally normal love story. lady ends up taking on the care of a man and they have feelings for each other… except he doesn’t really have that much ability to consent, huh.

seoul station
i don’t know why i thought this was going to be live action, but alas, it was animated. it did the zombie thing. ya like zombies? you’ll like this. this doesn’t have the intense energy that train to busan does, but it would suit back-to-back with that. was interesting that the lead character here was a prostitute before the movie plot starts, something i’m not sure would happen in american animation outside of something like cool world. but what do i know? she was just drawn that way.

sunrise
“very slow” says the notes. i love ravenous and was excited to see a new guy pearce movie. he plays the villain here and eesh. this is what i get.

spaceman
…destroy, mega asteroid. certain time and place. floating out into space. yep, it gave me a fu manchu earworm. it also made me think a lot about how it sucks that another sci-fi movie featuring a man alone in space with a “spider” isn’t out yet, but at least now it has a chance to breathe apart from this one. that said, this was more about feelings and love and relationships and psychotherapy than the cool part of sci fi, so expect to be disappointed if you’re into lasers and aliens.

dune 2
it was a quality movie. what else do i say? the first left me feeling like i’d been dropped off suddenly, having had its sound and story become part of my thoughts until, suddenly, quiet. this was not as effective. but the story continued. they did stuff, went places, learned things. and now we wait, unsatisfied, for a true ending. reminded me of game of thrones. hopefully movie three arrives sooner and watching those probable 9 hours has the same effect as watching LOTR all in one go like a fucking masochist.

I’m mostly just looking forward to getting through the next month of my life unscathed, so thoughts of movies I want to see have taken a backseat. Last time I moved I was in the middle of a horror movie-watching project. How the fuck did I manage that? Maybe I’ll get a few random ones out of the way in whichever week I end up moving, but so far my only promise is exhaustion.