Diary
April 2026
Incubus
I didn't really know what to expect going into this film, but it did catch my attention in its unusualness. A pre-Star Trek William Shatner in a black-and-white horror film speaking an obscure constructed language? I needed to see what this was all about. And the result was fine. It strangely reminded me of a film that I would have seen in my “Religion in Film” class I took when I was briefly in film school. It does have its moments of cool sets and pretty good cinematography. There are some really cool demonic ritual shots that just fit the black-and-white film aesthetic. The story is a bit thin, though, even for its short 78-minute run time. The Esperanto language was apparently chosen to create eeriness, but honestly it didn't sound much different to me, an English-only speaker, than other Romance languages that I don't understand. A neat novelty, but overall a pretty average movie.
Inside Man
The mid 00s seemed like the pinnacle of heist movies, and this one stands close to the top in that category. Denzel is really a generational actor, and his performance in this film, while not a true testament to his range, is a sleek, smartly calculated performance that is really a screen stealer. While it has more of a high-budget summer movie vibe to it, Spike Lee's DNA is still everywhere in this, and it's a really fun ride.
Repo Man
Orbit DVDs second mystery movie. This was a movie that I knew nothing about before. I had heard of it in name only and wrongly assumed that 2010 Jude Law movie was a remake of this. I'm glad I was wrong, because this movie was a blast! I have always thought that making a black comedy is a hard thing to do, especially one that would still hold up 40 years later, and this does just that. It's funny, and the cast is great in this. One thing that helps it is a killer soundtrack that complements it perfectly.
Night of the Comet
Orbit DVDs mystery movie at our local theater, and after a few technical difficulties later, ended up being a fun time on the big screen. Nothing too spectacular, but it gets the job done. That quirky 80s sci-fi aesthetic is always fun, and it was interesting to see this being an inspiration for Buffy, one of my favorite shows.
Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes
When I saw River last year, it was one of my favorite discoveries of recent memory. Watching the video essay that was included on the Terror Vision Blu-ray, it was revealed that it was the director's second foray into time manipulation cinema. It did take a little bit for this movie to kick in for me. I was worried by watching River first; maybe the magic was gone, but thankfully, after we meet several more of the main characters in this film, it really gets into its groove. Very cleverly written, and has that illusion of a one-shot take to keep you in real time throughout the film. The ending was an incredible moment that is both fun and endearing.
Master of the Flying Guillotine
A big improvement over One-Armed Boxer. Much better paced and more focused. The beginning of this movie reminded me a lot of the original Dragon Ball anime when they had the World Martial Arts Tournament arcs, with just the craziest characters.
Southland Tales
This one is tough to put into words. A very ambitious film that is very angry in nature. Though it was partially written in response to 9/11, the Bush administration, and the Patriot Act, it fits perfectly as a commentary in today's era as well. When the film opened talking about how the Strait of Hormuz was closed, I almost fell out of my chair. Not that it is necessarily prognosticating in nature, I feel that most foreign policy experts can predict disastrous outcomes in world politics, but nevertheless, it is surprising to see a film that came out 20 years ago (jesus) seem still relevant today. That being said, the movie does have a problem with pacing and some of its more unusual attributes mixing well. I could see why this would be a hard sell to some. I'm reviewing this a couple of weeks after watching it, and I feel that after watching it initially, I might have rated it lower if I had reviewed it in a timely manner. But since then, the movie has stuck with me in a very strange way. I'm not saying that alone makes it good, but I think there is some substance in it that it deserves its flowers for. The Arrow release of this comes with the original Cannes Cut, and I want to check that out sometime.
Heroes Shed No Tears
My first Asian made John Woo film. The story around this film is what drew me to it in the first place. I started with the most commonly released version of the film, which John Woo has stated that he is not happy with, to eventually watch the newly rediscovered Sunset Warriors cut, more in line with his original vision. And yeah, this is a mixed bag. Tonally all over the place and very sporadic in its storytelling. It has its moments occasionally. But I could never shake the feeling that this was one of the cheap martial arts films, like the many Bruceploitation movies, just with a competent director. The movie looks good. Excited to eventually check out the other verison and see if it siginficatly changes.
The Drama
A movie that took great strides in its marketing to create a mystery for its audience and asked you to accept an invitation to find out what it is. It worked on me. If not only for the cast alone, I wanted to see what this was all about. I did worry that once I found out, would the rest of the movie hold up? Would it be a letdown? All I will say is that the movie nails everything right. This has been Robert Pattinson's best role to date. Very much a commentary on society today and how we deal with things or people that may have an “unforgivable sin” in the eyes of some. What is right and wrong? This year's best so far.
Cruel Intentions
Rarely do things go well when a white boy is writing a manifesto. A movie that is never shameful in concept or execution, the three leads absolutely nail their roles in this absurd drama. Very 90s in portrayal of high school social norms, both accurate and problematic at the same time, but these are not good people. And with a killer soundtrack to boot.
Arrival
A decently well-made science fiction movie that is more grounded and focused on conversations and understanding than any flashy space travel or action scenes. It was good! Very Star Trek in spirit, in the sense of using first contact with other species as a way to analyze our species, both strengths and failures, in hopes of a better future.
Æon Flux
The first time that I was aware of this movie was the time that Blu-Ray first came out on the market. It was one of those films that they would show off on the sizzle reels to show you how much better movies looked in high definition. The scene when she almost falls on the “blades of grass” is forever engrained in my mind. So, all these years later, I finally wanted to check it out. I was a little worried at first, given its dystopian future setting with action sequences to boot, that it would end up being like Ultraviolet. For some reason I always connected those movies together. But to my surprise, I actually liked this film quite a bit. It's a bit silly at times, but it is a lot of fun.
Lady Vengeance
Rounding out Park Chan-wook's Vengeance Trilogy is a movie that had mixed feelings about, most of which dealt with the first half. Maybe because these movie introduction montages have been bastardized by movies like Suicide Squad and Star Trek: Section 31, but to me the first half seemed to drag and was confused at times waiting for the real core of the movie to start. Thankfully, when that does happen, it is a really solid movie that finally begins to stand up to the previous 2 films. Lee Young-ae does a killer job, and plays the role of a demonized citizen who is troubled by her own past. The film does a good job matching the tragedies of the previous films while setting it apart functionally. The cameos of previous stars were cute too. Never distracting, and a nice touch.
March 2026
Suspiria
As someone who arrived in another country before, that tried to talk to a non English speaking cab driver who eventually understood what I was saying and dropped me off at a school I was unsure I would be able to get into that night. This hit close to home. I had only watched the remake before this, and while I did enjoy that, I will say I did like this one better. I have just recently gotten into Dario Argento films, and you can easily see why his early filmography is so well regarded. This has the funky Italian horror vibe, with a killer soundtrack from Goblin that absolutely rules. Having seen this now, I want to reexperience the remake since I haven't seen it since it was in theaters.
The Old Dark House
A well-made early Universal horror film that, for me at least, has lost some of its eeriness to the higher standards we have for horror now. The performances from the ensemble were well done, even if I did have to giggle at the “fall in love in one evening” trope that took place among a couple in the cast. Boris Karloff, of course, is the true standout here, and unrecognizable in his character acting. A solid movie for sure, but still stands behind some of the more classic Universal Monster films.
The Green Inferno
The local distributors knew what they were doing when they titled the film Cannibal Holocaust II, because I probably wouldn't have given a shit about this movie otherwise. This movie started off with a blast. The weird opening of an Everglades tour guide that ends the tour by giving the tourist fries and Pepsi out of a cooler and then hopping in his laughably large truck, leaving them there. To the next scene of them stealing a plane boat that was somehow going to fly them from Florida to Brazil. This seemed like it was going to be a blast. But sadly, after that the movie is just boring and sucks. I will say the ending gave me a good chuckle too, just due to the sheer absurdity. But outside those specific few moments, it's a drag.
Tank Girl
I get why this is a cult. It has that fun post-apocalyptic feel that some other movies at the time did. The story is fun enough, and you have to give it to the actors who were giving it their all. But this just didn't do it for me. And it's hard for me to pinpoint why exactly. If you like it, I'm not going to argue with you. Maybe one day it will click.
Roofman
A really fun lower-budget crime comedy film based on a bizarre true story. Channing Tatum is in his element here and gives a nice balance of hamming it up and a genuine, sincere performance. The film was oddly nostalgic at times too. The 90s McDonald's interior was masterfully recreated. Like, holy shit. I seemed to match perfectly to what I remember.
Intolerance: Love's Struggle Throughout the Ages
A very ambitious film for its time, spanning over 3 hours of screen time, and switching between 4 different eras of time to interconnect common themes to tell one grand story. It reminds me a lot of what Cloud Atlas did a century later to much greater success, in my opinion. It was noted that D.W. Griffith made this as a response to the reception to his prior film, Birth of a Nation. While less overtly racist in nature, it does inherit many problems that plagued that movie as well. Overly long, very preachy at times, and kind of boring. Most of the screen time was centered on just two of the eras, modern story and fall of babylon. I think maybe if the had focused on those two, it would have been much stronger.
Project Hail Mary
God, I love these kinds of science fiction movies so much. It's difficult to believe that it has been over 10 years since the film adaptation of The Martian came out. And that still remains one of my favorite space movies to this day. And this lines up really well beside it. Ryan Gosling's performance is great. He has a good mix of funny, serious, and charismatic. There is something just so enduring about a movie that is so hopeful in nature, even during dark times. The structure of regaining the memories while we experience the present was a nice touch, and really keeps you engaged as the mission takes place. And Rocky, oh my god. Rocky. I love him. We really need to start formally awarding voice acting work because this is one of the best examples of voice acting I've seen in a blockbuster picture. A movie I definitely want to experience again soon.
