Favorite films

Recent reviews

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  Phantom Thread 2017

  ★★★★★ Rewatched 26 Dec 2024

  A real Christmas movie and one of the greatest romance films of all time. Things I noticed on a rewatch:

  - It's been years, but I forgot how small of a story it is. Every single element, from the grand balls to the spectacular design gowns, exists only in relation to the strange pathological romance of the two protagonists.

  - The way PTA misleads the viewer to think the unequal relationship of Alma and Woodcock can only end in murder,…

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  Maria 2024

  ★★½ Watched 21 Dec 2024

  A haunted mind palace of a film where Angelina empties her entire soul into the role, every frame is a visually beautiful artwork, and every technical aspect is flawless, but the script is terribly paced and never really brings Maria Callas to life. Up until the emotional explosion in the final act, there’s barely any dramatic pulse at all.

  This movie tries to adapt Maria’s final days as a very intimate ghost story about love and loss, but never gets…

Popular reviews

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  Climax 2018

  ★★★½ Watched 16 Dec 2024

  A truly unique dance movie and a literal trip into Hell itself.

  Ecstatic dancing, nonstop screams, throbbing dance music, hellish red light and nauseating green. Lunatic anguish and inescapable terror. Collective joy turning into frenzied madness and death. This movie is a full assault on all senses, for better or worse. The central dance sequence is a masterpiece and so hypnotic it takes a while to realize it’s a single long take. Every single element, from the dizzying camerawork to…

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  In the Mood for Love 2000

  ★★★★★ Rewatched 04 Dec 2024

  Thee most beautiful movie ever made, period. First time I watched Wong's masterpiece, I felt awed and depressed afterward. Second time, I became a stan. Third time...

  - Wong creates pure visual expressions of unspoken love in every scene. The way Mr. Chow glances at her going down the stairs. The way she looks at him only to quickly turn away. The way his hand twitches for just a second before going for hers. The way they can only speak…

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