#We are going full cinema indeed

[completeoveranalysis]

[3]

He missed.

I MEAN I’m sure something else is happening here don’t mind me. This is just the absolute shortest of all the "Syaoran reaching for Sakura" examples we have.

OH the longing look between them at the top. This really reframes the little hand thing - how his instinct is always to reach for Sakura but now he doesn’t know if he should. He wants to so badly but so much has happened, and they’ve never had a chance to talk about any of it.

This is (I think) their first time being in the same room, both with a working soul, since Acid Tokyo. And that was 100 chapters ago. And even in the 100 chapters before that there were still barriers between them, because Sakura didn’t know who he was. 

And then we get the frame in the bottom right corner where they’re BOTH THERE. They’re BOTH TOGETHER in the void. There is nothing separating them from each other anymore, nothing at all in the way, and yet there is so much empty space between them that they don’t even know how to start closing the gap between them. 

Also the line Yuuko throws in there at the end is brutal and I love it. 

[wordbunch]

Time to say a handful of things abt s02 finale!!!

under the cut so you can avoid it! :)

However I am very much looking forward to reading everyones comments opinions feelings etc ♡

Did I expect to cry over the death of freaking king durin in the first 0.3 minutes??? That scene was so incredibly well done and I was like omg am I glad to be witnessing this for the first time🥹😭 yes I'm still pissed I couldn't see LOTR in cinemas cause I was still in freaking diapers

NAAARSILLLLLLLL narsil our beloved, I was squealing, yes OUT LOUD. narsil bbygirl you will always be famous 💅🏻 elendil go slay

I know yall pay him dust but ISILDUR I always love to see him and I love him and theo being the resident trouble brothers duo (its giving merry and pippin but Doomed). Sorry not sorry but yall moved on too fast (I DIDNT!) from the fact he feels guilty for his moms death. pls i am HUGGING HIM! his doe eyes I am deceased. pls I just want to stare at his face for eternity. MY PERSONAL HEADCANON WAS CONFIRMED 😩💦 that boy kisses like he is STARVEDDDD

[Redacted thoughts here]

Stranger yes we knew he was gonna be gandalf but. I love a name drop. I love Tom and I love choosing friendship over power and I love the staff and I love everything . They're giving me my childhood dreamlike feeling and I am so grateful I get to see a glimpse of that story 🥹💛

So many SPEECHES foreshadowing SO MANY THINGS. I am obsessed. The absolute cruelty of celebrimbors death and the death of his works....the one SINGLE TEAR on annatars face....dare I say peak p o e t I c cinema.

Where do I even begin with HALADRIEL ✨️✨️✨️ charlie the lord of acting and just like. in his eyes you can see everything and more. I need to write a dissertation on their duel istg

The way he didnt hesitate to absolutely PURR "GALADRRRIEL" every. single. time. [Redacted thoughts]

I WOULD HAVE PLACED A CROWN ON YOUR HEAD.

do you want me to like die?????

I SEE YOU.

yes actually they do want me to die.

HUMAN HALBRAND???

And RIP to me indeed.

[Ultra redacted thoughts]

I audibly WHIMPERED. sweet lord i was like My poor babygirl has to endure this manipulation 😩😩😩😩 he stooped so low and I was so here for it but girl i would have F O L D E D 😔✊🏻

Then galadriel on galadriel violence??? The only thing better than galadriel TWO galadriels actually.

but then.

the elrond and rivendell of it all. rob aramayo has never looked more gorgeous than when he took nenya to heal Gal. WE GET TO SEE HEALER ELROND GROWING INTO HIMSELF WITH OUR OWN EYES!!!! you don't UNDERSTAND i spent 20 YEARS dreaming of rivendell and now I get to see it coming to be!!!! 😭😭😭😭😭💚💚💚💚 the way that you can see gears turning in his head as he takes the ring. the camerawork ate and devoured i fear - with your own eyes you can see him growing. developing. like yes I am feeling more ready to take charge of some things. what if I CAN do it. what if I CAN make so many things and people so much better????

and u will babyboy 🥹🥹🥹🥹

Do i even need to add i had full body chills at the scene of elrond,gil,galadriel and arondir!!!!!!! on the cliff!!!!!!

BITCH THE SUN STILL RISES!!!!! Pity CAN defeat sauron!!! friendship and light DO WIN over darkness!!!! The tolkienism of it all. i will rewatch a hundred times and then some.

[myobsessionsspace]

I felt the need to write this in light of soo many asks I’ve seen throughout Chapter 2

The crux of the asks that got me here are “I don’t see many moments around Jikook anymore” “We need more Jikook moments” “I don’t think Jikook are close anymore, xx/xx have more moments than them”

*credit to all original owners of art & media

I just want to share *my thoughts*...

How did we meet Jikook?

Some of you may have known of them since debut, some since Blood Sweat & Tears, HYYH era, Dynamite, Butter or even most recently in Chapter Two.

However you became aware of them, you would have also been aware of their group. The reason for their current status. To know Jikook you must in some capacity know Bangtan.

I say this because to have gotten to know Jikook, it would have been through the group using videos, Bangtan Bombs, Bon Voyages, In The Soops, concerts, all of the above, some or none at all.

(I won't mention those that only know Jikook through fanmade edited Tik Tok, fanmade YouTube edits etc.)

We learned more about them as idols, as members, as friends and as brothers. All of what we learnt we learnt with the approval of either the members or their company.

The only other ways to have learnt about them without either theirs or their company’s approval, would have either been through paparazzi, stalker/sasaeng info, fictitious YouTube videos, rumours, guesses and assumptions.

Unless it came from the members directly, from their company, interviews, their music or their filmed content, it wasn’t meant for public consumption. It was most likely not in the members best interest and not in their control.

Now I’m not going to judge our consumption of the above mentioned ‘unapproved’ content. I myself have enjoyed and shared many sighting photos, concert videos, stories from people that had met them etc.

For example when Jikook were spotted heading to Tokyo, prior to that, their private schedule had actually been released, allowing some to know that the two of them had indeed planned to travel alone. They're private concert viewings of other idols & groups, their private cinema and dinner outing and more. This was enjoyable information for jikook fans, supporters and shippers to know but also scary information for the two’s safety, when in the wrong hands.

After their return from their private Tokyo trip that Jungkook organised and paid for as a gift to Jimin, Jungkook published a beautifully directed, edited and produced video of their trip. His first ever Golden Closet Film. On his terms we got full in colour, with meaningful (the permission to use Troye Sivan's song, again paid for by Jungkook) background music, a glimpse of their private trip, through Jungkook’s artistic eye. He shared with us his perspective of what he saw and how he felt felt during their private trip.

I give GCF Tokyo as an example, when we wait for THEM to show US, we get soo much more than 144p blurry images, mistranslations etc.

We get it straight from them, exactly how they see it or how they want us to see it, exactly how they feel it, or how they want us to feel it.

How do we stay with Jikook now?

They are on group hiatus, meaning we just had the last of the Run Bts’ for a while. Bangtan Bombs are now focused on solo endeavours not the group as a whole, to see the group dynamics at present, no group concerts, videos, interviews etc.

Therefore we no longer have company approved content. We still however get member approved content, such as when they go on live, Weverse interactions, music etc.

We still get ‘unapproved content’ such as stalker/sasaeng footage, paparazzi pictures & info, fictitious YouTube videos, rumours, guesses and assumptions.

However with the group just recently celebrating their 10th year anniversary, they are no longer new to idol life, they have learnt from their past, they have reduced their circle. They have increased their security, they are internationally known and more recognisable even with hats, masks & baggy clothes. They also have more money and access now, access to private jets, private rooms, private villas or even just getting whatever they want or need to the privacy of their own homes, no longer shared with a 7 member team.

They no longer have to leave the dorms for a change of scenery, after touring the world, after sharing a form for years, staying home could be said to be their change of scenery at times.

So it’s understandable that the ‘unapproved content’ would be massively reduced in comparison to if they had embarked on Chapter Two 5 years ago.

So we no longer have a lot of company approved content (yes of solo endeavours but rarely of more than 2 members at a time and rarely repeatedly), we don’t have as much ‘unapproved’ content.

What do we the consumers have left?

What the members show us and what the members tell us.

What have the members have shown us/told us?

Since Chapter 2 Jungkook has shown us that he had initially been enjoying down time. Rightfully deserves after training and working since the age of 13/14!

He went through puberty working in the public eye, away from home, away from his parents. Most westerners know how that turns out for some child stars. Bleak. Jungkook has shown the strength of his character by being able to maintain his humility, joy, humour, care for others & love for ARMY.

We know about his down time due to him sharing this with us through his weverse lives. Straight from him, not the company, not sasaengs but him. And we enjoyed it! We love our hours long late night lives with Jungkook. We’ve gone boxing with him, eaten fried chicken with him, sang & danced with him and even most recently had him fall asleep with us TWICE!

Isn’t content straight from the members soo much sweeter?

Jimin, whilst Jungkook was having his down time, was flying all over the globe and in and out of the company's studios & offices. He was having intense music camp like periods with producers and practicing for his solo debut. He didn’t share with us more than a couple of pictures here and there with different producers, but when he did launch his FACE promo and subsequent videos & album, we were and still are GAGGED. Jimin KILLED K-POP in 2023 and DOMINATED (and still is) the industry.

The wait well worth it and we LIVE still!

Jikook

Though the loss of official content for some feels like a Jikook drought, some feel like the loss of official content somehow now means the loss of Jikook’s bond, relationship, whatever you may believe it to be.

Some feel as though the lack of official Jikook means they never were all they felt them to have been. There are a number of things I have seen and heard in regards to Jikook since Chapter 2.

But what have JIKOOK themselves shown us. As I said before, aside from ‘unapproved’ content, which is severely reduced as the members are older, smarter, richer and wiser, we can really only truly rely on the members themselves.

Jungkook

With his downtime, as I said earlier, shared his boxing training, his eating, drinking, watching tv and sleeping with us.

However what did Jikook share with us when Jungkook was boxing?

What did Jungkook share with us when singing?

What did Jungkook share with us on white day?

How sweet was it to see his face light up with each of his interactions with Jimin? How fun was it to watch him stan over Jimin’s music? How cute was if to watch him uwu over Jimin’s interviews?

Jimin

We know had been super busy in being involved with every aspect of his solo debut.

His solo music was and is soo important to him. It was his priority in Chapter 2. However he never failed to show his support with his presence via the comments on MANY of Jungkook’s lives.

Not only that but the biggest gift to ARMY, Jikook supporters and Jungkook was Jungkook’s presence on an album that Jimin clearly stated in multiple interviews had no features. Jungkook’s name is in the credits and his do ring voice cannot be denied, but apart from the credits and the vocals, Jimin has never mentioned Jungkook’s participation.

I guess they really mean it when they say ‘You are Me & I am You’

Letter to *me* is Jimin’s GCF Tokyo. A labour of love, showing us the thoughts, feelings and emotions, this time not through video but through song.

What Jungkook & Jimin have shown us in Chapter two is MORE than enough for me, it’s just as sweet and even sweeter than any ‘unapproved’ or approved content.

If you still need more from them, that is not for their benefit, with their interests in mind or to cement their bond/relationship. That is your issue to deal with.

Whenever you feel like you need ‘more’ from Jikook than they’ve already allowed you to have, go back and watch their labour of love GCF Tokyo (heck pretty much all of the GCFs including Saipan), go back and listen to their labour of love ‘Letter’, go back and read their interviews.

If all of that is still not enough, it’s a you problem.

Not a them problem.

🖤🤍

[edwardslostalchemy]

I watched Shouto Todoroki: Origins and I'm reminded of how insane both Izuku and Shouto are. They were made for each other, but fuck they wrecked that arena. Listen to me, the tododeku fight is incredible. It gives me so many different emotions and feelings. It really is the climax of the sports festival arc and it goes out with a bang. They could've killed someone or each other. Izuku sacrificed everything and gave his all to fight AND save Shouto from his past so he could look to the future using talk no jutsu. *Chef's kiss* 🤌 It's poetic cinema at its finest. I was trying to go into this episode the way I did for season 1 and 2 where I pretended I didn't know what was going to happen. But it is impossible with this episode because it's so poignant. Izuku challenging Shouto and his voice cracking when he tells Shouto his fire quirk is HIS and Shouto is having flashbacks mid battle. 😭 The way everything is intertwined and it flows together, the flashbacks cut in with the present time and Shouto narrating, the way we SEE the fight shift from Izuku's point of view to Shouto's point of view, then BACK to Izuku's to watch him witness Shouto's full explosive power....GENIUS. The director deserves an award for that. Horikoshi really went and invented cinema with Midoriya vs. Todoroki. He really went and gave us tododeku on a silver platter. The intensity. The emotions. The lighting. The drama. I just need to cry for a moment, it's beautiful. One of the BEST details is Shouto shedding a tear after his garbage dad loses his mind. He cried. 😭 He's free. 😭 Thank you Midoriya, indeed. 😭💖

[mmhawkes]

Loudly Sing Cuckoo: A Perspective on The Wicker Man (1973)

Come. It is time to keep your appointment with the Wicker Man.

Those words, uttered in the stentorian tones of Christopher Lee, echo through the history of horror cinema. And it is, indeed, time that we come to The Wicker Man. It, alongside The Blood on Satan’s Claw and The Witchfinder General, makes up what is often termed “The Unholy Trinity” of folk horror. It is the Ur Text of the genre. The sharp-eyed among you may have noticed that even the name of this website is an homage to the film, and its stunning final scene.

Full disclosure before we begin: I want to like this movie so badly. I can’t say that I actually do. I am, in the truest sense of the word, deeply ambivalent about it. There are moments that I think are perfect. The shape of it appeals to me immensely. The rest of the time it is weirdly groovy, kind of a mess, and feels like it gets in its own way.

None of this has stopped me from watching it multiple times, trying to nail down what about it remains compelling. And, clearly, I am not alone in being intrigued. There is a wealth of writing about The Wicker Man, ranging from densely scholarly essays to enthusiastic rambles to harsh film criticism. But we do all keep coming back to Summerisle.

While the imagery and afterlife of the film are ubiquitous, I’m not sure how many people have actually seen it. So, we are going to take a moment for a brief synopsis

Read the rest at The Shadowes Are Icumen In

[magicalyaku]

So apparently, I didn't go on vacation but a King of Prism fangirl tour ... We went to Fukuoka for two days and I stumbled across the most dangerous store which had really cute acrylic plates. I was just meandering around, waiting for my friends, and then bam, there was that giant poster. Only freaked out a tiny bit. It was so hard to decide who to get! I wanted them all. >3< Even Ace and Shine were there! Afterwards we went to Mandarake where I picked up some doujinshi that looked pretty and finally (because I saw an actual television commercial for the movie!), I caved and went to see the Dramatic Prism.1 movie a second time. This time, the cinema was quite full, so I got a nice cheering experience and they gave out a present as well, I was very happy. A very successful day indeed.

[pepperf]

I did indeed go see this at the cinema, and it was so much fun! Nida Manzoor really knows how to capture the stupidity and anger and fun and bravery and magic of being a young woman in the world. The film moves smoothly between humour and genuine feeling - as I would have expected from the creator of We Are Lady Parts. It’s full of references, some of which I caught, some of which my sil explained to me afterwards (particularly some of the Bollywood tropes, that aren’t massively familiar to me) - my sil, who was in stitches throughout: she grew up in a Hindu family with two older sisters, both artists, so a lot of it was incredibly specifically familiar to her.

Highly recommend seeing this at the cinema, the fight scenes are gorgeous, especially when they include the really fancy wedding outfits omg. You’ll enjoy this if you love silly kung fu movies, or romcoms, or if you have siblings, or struggled at school, or ever had a dream that other people thought was dumb, or if you’ve ever been a teenager.

[fayamn-moonlit]

Hey ! I guess you already have so much of these questions but we can't have enough details from you... How do you envision a stuffing session for days long ? Would you rather watch your feedee stuffing their face by themself or systematically tie their hands so you can force all the food you want to their gut ? Would you slowly increase the amount of food fed to your pet each day passing, or directly stuff them to the brim for your hands to enjoy their expanded gut ? While the feedee is gorging and/or starts feeling full, what do you do ? Kiss them, toy with their full and aching belly, anything else? Would you tie your pet all day long to feed them and release them only for them to go to the bed (and maybe keep feeding them there) or make pauses ? If pauses, what would you do ? Hang out with them to, say, cinema or wherever you can think at home, watch series/movies, play video games ? Or something more sensual ? Would you use your feedee's weakness, when they're too full to barely move, for anything that would please you ? (of course you have their consent) If you had more intimate fun with your feedee between two sessions, would you keep being the dominant one or switch ? And what would you have in mind? And finally, if you sleep with your feedee : would you rather sleep in their arms or the opposite ? Many questions, eh ? Well...You're so good at writing stories that we would love to read about your very vision of a great session under your expert hands...

That's a bunch of questions indeed. I'll be short on answers. CONSENT IS ASSUMED IN ALL ANSWERS.

How do you envision a stuffing session for days long ?

Big meals on meal time, indoor activity in between with snacking included, sleep on a regular scedule. Lots. of. cuddles. And more if that feedee's my partner for sure.

Would you rather watch your feedee stuffing their face by themself or systematically tie their hands so you can force all the food you want to their gut ?

Truly, any, if one was erased from the universe and I only keep one, I'm keeping force feeding.

Would you slowly increase the amount of food fed to your pet each day passing, or directly stuff them to the brim for your hands to enjoy their expanded gut ?

First option. Rather have a slow addiction to food built up until they beg for my rough feeding.

While the feedee is gorging and/or starts feeling full, what do you do ? Kiss them, toy with their full and aching belly, anything else?

Kissing. Light biting. Lots of touching. The more defiant and confident they are, the more teasy and mean I'll get. Talk back I'll shut you up with more food. They're mine and they get to know it. A lot.

Would you tie your pet all day long to feed them and release them only for them to go to the bed (and maybe keep feeding them there) or make pauses ? If pauses, what would you do ? Hang out with them to, say, cinema or wherever you can think at home, watch series/movies, play video games ? Or something more sensual ?

Endless is a nice concept, but nah, pauses. Anything goes, to the feedee hobbies and needs. Just has snacks in for continuous caloric intake. From casual stroll to absolute fun time home.

Would you use your feedee's weakness, when they're too full to barely move, for anything that would please you ? (of course you have their consent)

Yes. If you're at my mercy I'm using you as much as I like.

If you had more intimate fun with your feedee between two sessions, would you keep being the dominant one or switch ? And what would you have in mind?

Up to the feedee. Truly no preference here.

And finally, if you sleep with your feedee : would you rather sleep in their arms or the opposite ?

Any as of now. I'll come back to that when I'll get more data on it. And yeah I wanna sleep with fatty I collect plushies I want the biggest one in my bed.

Merry Christmas.

[denimbex1986]

'Next week comes the strangest pairing at the multiplex we've seen in years. We're talking, of course, about Greta Gerwig's Barbie and Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer — together dubbed Barbenheimer — set to go toe-to-toe for box office dominance on 21 July. The former is a hot pink franchise comedy inspired by the iconic line of Mattel dolls, the latter a stylistically austere biopic about the invention of the atomic bomb. Such is the striking contrast at play, of course the internet (read: Twitter) was going to do what the internet does and meme the shit out of it: now, all anyone can talk about online is Barbenheimer, sucking attention away from other major summer releases like Mission: Impossible 7 and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.

Though this clash of cinematic titans might've been elevated to event prominence by the internet's collective love of ironic memedom, it's hardly the first example of diametrically opposed movies dropping on the same day. Fifteen years ago in the US, on 18 July 2008, cinemas were similarly split into two queues: the Batman enthusiasts on one side, clamouring to get into The Dark Knight and usher in a new superhero movie age; on the other, ABBA stans awaited a trip to the sunny isles of a fictional Greek island in Mamma Mia!. Had the internet grown beyond its cringey 9gag nascency by then, it might've been the original Barbenheimer. The Dark Mamma, if you will.

After all, there are huge parallels between the duelling duos. The Dark Knight was the dark and dreary, terminally serious Christopher Nolan movie. Mamma Mia!, the fun-loving “chick flick”, a jukebox musical for the gays and girlies to let their hair down with campy, sun-kissed escapism. Say you did the double bill back then: you could spend two-and-a-half hours with Christian Bale growling gravely under the cape and cowl, then it'd be time for cocktails on the beach with Amanda Seyfried and Pierce Brosnan. With Barbenheimer, it's another pitch-black Nolan flick where its male lead does a lot of broody staring into the middle distance, contemplating the deep evils now ushered unto the world, paired against Barbie, where men are Just Ken. For both Mamma Mia! and Barbie, it's hard to think of more colourful chasers to stave off Post-Nolan Depression.

The Dark Mamma, alas, never took off as Barbenheimer has. Indeed most people online, anecdotally, simply forgot that the two released on the same day, such was the broad surprise when viral tweets prompted by Barbenheimer brought new attention to the OG. (Here in the UK, they came out eleven days apart.) Little media coverage at the time pointed to the contrast, the most prominent article available on Google search being a Vulture piece from the week of release, the headline of which jokingly announced Mamma Mia! and The Dark Knight as battling “for the very soul of America.” Strikingly similar contrasts were zeroed in on: “Are you a happy person, or a sad one? Do you see the glass as half-full, or half-empty? Do you prefer your toast with strawberry jam, or do you like it sprinkled with shards of broken glass?” All ring true of Barbenheimer, too, only the question now isn't which, so much as which first. Shard sarnies, nevertheless, remain ill-advised.

Hollywood studios know exactly what they're doing with such stark counter-programming: the lack of demographic crossover suggests, on paper, that the movies won't eat into each other's profits, giving audiences a variety of options. In 2003, for example, X-2 was released into US cinemas on the same day as The Lizzie McGuire Movie, and in 2015, Mad Max: Fury Road roared onto screens simultaneous to Pitch Perfect 2. Barbenheimer is distinct in that we seldom get such a major clash of two big-budget summer blockbusters, nor a meme-propelled online movement spawning Etsy merch and Twitter stan rivalries. But that's the key thing, and the true movie-loving spirit of Barbenheimer: while we might joke about Nolan nuking Barbie's Malibu Dreamhouse, these aren't warring parties battling for audience supremacy. Much like The Dark Knight and Mamma Mia! — which went on to be the first and fifth-highest grossing movies of 2008 — early projections suggest that both Barbie and Oppenheimer will both do pretty well for themselves. And there's only one winner when that happens: the movies.'

[it-may-be-dull-but-im-determined]

So it's been an entire week of Wicked-the-Movie-part-the-first being completely unavoidable and I am so.freaking.tired.

And why am I still going on about why I didn't love it? Because it's one of those things that people vaguely know I'm a fan of the show. So they keep asking me what I thought and I'm just overtired enough to still launch into an incoherent explanation of why it didn't work for me.

That explanation is entirely meaningless, because I am really not the intended audience. I never really thought I would be (probably from about the moment they cast Ariana Grande, if we're being honest). And mostly that's because I read the book multiple times 20+ years ago and I've seen the west end production 20+ times since then. I've sidetracked NYC trips to see it on Broadway and to San Francisco to see it at the original workshop theatre and I remain obsessed with the 2007 Broadway cast. I did indeed show up to the opening night screening dressed in pink and green and I have two different types of Chistery plushies sat on my sofa idk??

I'm a.. fan, to all intents and purposes. But I'm too much of a fan to want a new version that doesn't really add anything meaningful to how the show tells the story - part one is an hour longer than the show and yet it moves it further away from the book, if anything. It took me a LONG time to process how the show adapted the book back in 2006 but the show added that goddamn all time great soundtrack dammit. The movie adds pretty much.. nothing of note?

The things that bug me about the movie are not things that would ever occur to the people asking me what I thought it the film, and they're probably irrelevant to other people who consider themselves long term fans. Everyone is a fan in their own way, and that's great. It also means I reserve the right to want the character choices to make sense (they do not make sense. Why is Elphie being treated like a grown adult and not even enrolled at school?? Why is she wearing a version of her Act 2 dress TO THE OZDUST and not only undermining the costume reveal in Defying Gravity but also making the lyrics of Popular MAKE NO SENSE to the point they then ...have to invent the word 'froat' for absolutely no reason? This version of Elphie does not actually even need a makeover. Why are we even here, folks? I'm so confused 😭)

What I wanted was the damn film made fifteen years ago with a lot fewer intense close ups starring... Literally any of the show cast, idk? Idina and Kristen, Julia Murney and Kendra Kasselbaum, Kerry Ellis or Rachel Tucker, idk I have a lot of favourite Elphies?? Actually let's not get started on casting because *sob* Ariana Grande?? really?? And I will yet again be baffled why every other shot of the film was a close up of the actor's face. It's a musical. The songs are designed to be viewed from a distance. As per the show, the cast are very much decades older than the characters they are playing, but unlike the show this then becomes VERY OBVIOUS in close up on a cinema screen. In IMAX it was veering on fucking terrifying at times, and Ariana Grande becomes an abject lesson in how lip filler can go horribly wrong *shudder*

Here's the other thing: I know full well the show creatives were involved in the film as well, so I'm not sitting here complaining about John Chu per se (although I am also complaining about a fair few of his choices to over-egg the existing story). Stephen Schwartz is just as responsible for how the songs sound in the movie. The choices to keep the nonsensical points of the show plot but pad out the runtime to bizarrely now give you time to notice that the plot structure verges on nonsensical. There's a whole clash of sensibilities as to how they approached the work 20+ years ago compared to now, and to what it meant to me back then and now as well.

Yep everyone else loves it. Good for them. I'm just kinda being forced to keep having pointless conversations about why I didn't love it and it's giving me thinky thoughts about what the hell fandom means in that context idk.

[thought-bubble-doodly-doo]

Joker: Folie a Deux Thoughts and Spoilers

So, did I enjoy the movie? Yes. Was it a good movie? ....It's complicated. I get really rambly now. Just FYI.

I really appreciated what Joker 2 was trying to do with the musical elements. Arthur is retreating into a fantasy world to help him cope with the bleak reality surrounding him. It's an idea that's been used in the musical before (and to better effect) in things like Chicago (2002) and most especially Pennies from Heaven (1981). I would, in fact, be quite surprised if the creative team behind Joker 2 hadn't seen Pennies from Heaven.

Academically, this is often how musical numbers are interpreted. It's not that the characters happen to live in a world where they are diegetically breaking out into song and dance. Rather, the musical numbers are a nondiegetic representation of the character's emotions and psyche. So the idea of Arthur imagining a musical number when he feels lonely or in love fits in perfectly.

However, the film does not take full advantage of its musical aspects. With few exceptions, most of the musical numbers are performed with minimal accompaniment and diegetic set pieces. I think the film would have hit a lot harder if when Arthur is having these mental breaks, he's not just suddenly dancing in the mental asylum, but instead he is teleported to a fantasy world that's more bright and colorful and CONTRASTS with his bleak reality. I think the most powerful moments in the film are when the movie chooses to take this direction: the fantasy wedding, the fake variety show, and most especially the courtroom scene.

(Again, very Chicago.)

The moment he "breaks" and the Joker personality takes over is probably the best moment in the film. Because the musical style is emphasizing the point/question the movie asks to both the audience and the jury. Is Joker another personality or is it just Arthur? His defense is trying to argue Arthur had D.I.D. (Disassociative Identity Disorder), and thus is not truly guilty of his crimes, because he was not in control of his body when he committed them.

From the very beginning, the film creates this idea of "two" in regards to Joker/Arthur. The opening animated bit casts Joker and his Shadow, a darker side of himself that is nonetheless inherently connected to him. Even the title, Folie a Deux is about shared delusion, about a mental bond of some sort with another person. Of course, Harley is the person that is superficially experiencing Folie a Deux with Arthur, but if he does indeed have D.I.D, could it not be suggesting that Arthur has Folie a Deux with himself????

Anyway, so the lawyer is trying to say that Arthur and the Joker are two separate identities. Also, musical numbers and the plot that surrounds them are two separate realities. So when Arthur finally snaps and the Joker personality takes over, this is represented by him singing a song about being a fool. This is good cinema! The form is following the function! Good job, movie! WHY DIDN'T YOU DO THIS MORE?!

Because oh my GOSH did they WASTE Lady Gaga. I was SO EXCITED to hear Lady Gaga was going to be Harley Quinn. Even after it came out that she was going to be a completely different kind of character from the Harley we know, the anticipation was HIGH. Gaga is an excellent performer, and she would KILL in a musical. But literally 90% of her performances are those realistic, minimally accompanied numbers I was discussing before. She is constantly singing off tune and amateurishly, and it's not like Lady Gaga suddenly became unable to sing. She was clearly directed to sing that way, and it disgusts me. You have one of the greatest performers of a generation, and you give her 2 real songs and NO DANCE NUMBERS?!

Harley in this film is a corrupting force to Arthur. She literally tells him to stop taking his medication. She is actively making him worse, encouraging him to live in that fantasy world Joker resides in. She is also first introduced with music. She's a mental patient who sings in the Arkham choir. So easily, the film could have made the musical elements a symbol of Arthur's declining mental health. She could have introduced those first moments of spectacle and nondiegetic song into his life, and the more he sings and plays along, the more the two are getting wrapped up in each other.

Admittedly though, Joaquin Phoenix is not a very good singer. That's another problem I have with modern Hollywood musicals. Actors can't sing. I know it's already incredibly difficult to get good enough at one kind of art to compete at a professional level, so asking Oscar winners to pick up singing lessons might be asking for a bit much. But just DUB THEM! DUB THEM! We used to do it all the TIME, even to people who were already good singers! Rita Hayworth got dubbed over in Gilda (1946), and we couldn't dub over Joaquin Pheonix???

Anyway, back to the whole question of Joker/Arthur and the validity of that... I do think it's still a question. Arthur does eventually end the film admitting to the Jury and by proxy the audience, that the Joker does not exist. He is indeed a fantasy, a character. He admits to killing those people during his closing statements. Thus, he is found guilty on all counts, having been judged mentally capable to stand trial and mentally sound enough to take responsibility for his actions. And the prosecutor's claim that Arthur's D.I.D. wasn't a real diagnosis seems to be proven true.

However, we, as the audience, are privy to moments in Arthur's head that the lawyers and jurors are not. We see him retreat into musical numbers. We see him have that mental break when the Joker takes control. We see him fire his lawyer and represent himself in clown make up. It doesn't seem like a sane thing to do.

Several witnesses claim Arthur and the Joker are one person, but the final one, Mr. Puddles says that this is not who Arthur is. This does seems to suggest that Arthur and Joker are not the same.

Does he have D.I.D.? I don't know. Probably not, at least not as textbook DM5 meeting criteria D.I.D., but this idea of the Joker as separate from Authur is an interesting one to explore. Because the Joker was born out of Arthur's untreated mental illness. The abuse he suffered from his mother, his identity issues, the failures of the systems around him, they all contributed to what Arthur became. And of course he has a level of responsibility to his actions, but the Joker is Arthur as his very worst. He was man pushed off the edge and became a monster. Is the 'truth' of a human's identity found in who they are at their worst? Who among us hasn't said a cruel word when we were cranky? Or snapped at someone when we had a rough day? Obviously, Arthur's crimes outweigh these minor sins several times over, but the idea still stands. Are the best and worst versions of ourselves the same identity?

Ultimately, the Joker duology is a tragedy. Even if Arthur was 100% sane and responsible for his crimes, he's still a very, very hurt and abused man who spent his entire life being failed by those around him: his mother, the system, the guards, the courts, etc. Even if he did kill six people, does he deserve getting beat and possibly raped by Arkham guards? Does being a bad person revoke you of your humanity? Does being a criminal mean you don't deserve basic decency? Arthur hurt people, but Arthur was hurt... And by the end of the film, he doesn't even have fantasy to retreat to any longer. He's given it up for the bitter reality that kills him. It's sad. I'm sad.

I really liked what Joker 2 was going for with these ideas and the musical aspects, but I just think it didn't push hard enough. It wasn't grand enough.

The cinematography was wonderful though. I can say that.

[doomedandstoned]

AINU Paint Compelling Post-Doom Landscape on Self-Titled Debut

~Doomed & Stoned Debuts~

By Billy Goate

AINU is a welcome new name to us, a three-piece heavy cinematic psychedelic post-doom powerhouse from Genoa, Italy (where many a band has popped onto our radar over the years, most recently Isaak). Here emerges today five soundscapes of the instrumental variety, part of the explosion in instrumental rock and metal that has emerged in recent years. The album is 'Ainu' (2024) which, besides being the name for the indigenous peoples of northern Japan, means simply "human."

First track is the stormy "Il Faro," which takes its name from The Lighthouse and appears to quote from an Italian language version of the 2019 film in its opening minutes. While I may not understand the dialogue, I can tell that there's a lot of passion and fluster in the words, and contrasts with a backdrop of eastern drone and psychedelic post-metal atmosphere, gathering like massive rain clouds.

The full band drops its weight two-minutes in and caught away in a swell. From the get-go we notice Ainu is a band that's quite confident in itself as an instrumental unit. The collaboration between Dani on guitar, Jacco on bass, and Gelso on drums is tight. Each instrument is deftly captured on this recording, the bass in particular has lots of clarity and plenty of oomph. It rewards listening with earphones, especially, but you can open up your speakers with this one and give the benefit of a full room -- the sound will claim it all. Listen for a key moment of transition 5:20 in with a warm, doomy bassline.

In many ways, this 12:43 piece mirrors a day on ocean's cliffs overlooking the waters and experiencing moments that are turbulent, mysterious, and serene. It is indeed cinematic in its vision, and this applies in many ways to the evolving scenes that follow.

Likewise, second track "Aiutami A Ricordare" (which means "Help Me Remember") generates big, rumbling sound in the service of a broad tapestry (it also makes its big splash around 5 minute mark with swinging bombast.

"D.E.V.S." and "Khrono" (the latter featuring guest musicians Francesco Bucci and Giorgio Nattero) reference the American science fiction thriller television miniseries D.E.V.S. and samples from the show here and there. The first two-minute track begins with surreal and calming ambience, but soon errupt into second -- a strumming, churning, tremelo-filled current. It's easy to get swept away in the momentum.

Whether you're listening intently, riding, or doing something else around the house, these songs always find a way to pull you into their moods, and here it is serious, searching, and tumultuous. "Krono" ("Time") ends with some of that broad, brash tossing back and forth Yob energy.

"Call Of The Sea," while not the longest, is certainly one of the more ambitious of the record and closes this cinquefoil journey out. The band takes time to build the story, and one could picture themselves picturing the landscape from a seagull's view. After three-and-a-half minutes of development comes the brake-squeaking dissonance announcing a transition, which comes with cymbals, watery reverberating strings, and a bass riff which you almost want to go on forever. It's Bongripper worthy stuff, but not meant to a barnstormer here, just enough gravity to keep our feet planted while our heads sail far above with the whirling, misty ambience of echoing loops and Lili Refrain's remarkable guest vocals. It's not really important to know what words she is singing, so much as to experience it, for it is beautiful and enchanting.

Ainu's self-titled debut comes out June 28th via Subsound Records on vinyl, compact disc, and digital format (get it here).

Give ear...

Ainu by Ainu

SOME BUZZ

'Ainu' is a concept record that moves between powerful and stirring soundscapes, building up at a slow but steady pace between psychedelia and post-metal, stemming from the Genoa trio’s passion for cinema and their close relationship with the sea, its stories and creatures.

Featuring special appearances from Lili Refrain as well as Francesco Bucci (Ottone Pesante) and Giorgio Nattero (Carcharodon), this album is an intense, emotionally dense experience that uses the descriptive foundations of seamen and the calls of huge animals to recall the connection between the sound and the environment. An electrifying and contemplative journey for the heart and soul of heavy music lovers.

Follow The Band

Get Their Music

[murphy-quest]

MurphyQuest: A Journey of Healing

Once upon a time, I could not behold of the Oscar-winning actor, family man and human rights activist Cillian Murphy without being intensely triggered. Not his fault, as it was all through some unfortunate associations, and tragic, as I was otherwise perfectly fit to appreciate the talents of this fascinating Irishman. I was able to develop some coping mechanisms so I could watch Batman in the theater, but I still bound by bitter memories.

But guess what: therapy works!

For real. After years of treatment and practice, I can finally allow Cillian Murphy into my heart. And I have so much catching up to do. Hence, MurphyQuest.

Since embarking on this odyssey I have noticed some particulars of this man’s career that I can’t help but analyze. Patterns, if you will. While the memes are indeed lit and thirst levels critical, what compels me is the craft of how Cillian Murphy is depicted in cinema. Don’t get me wrong, he’s a great actor, full of range and all around pretty cool dude—it’s the methods of the madness behind the camera that pique my interest. Analysis does come naturally to me, so I shall log my discoveries on MurphyQuest as I delve into every film/project I can find starring our favorite blorbo.

As we all know, art is subjective, so my opinions are personal—however, the most powerful art deals in the communication of truths. In my search for truth, I strive for an objective metric. Therefore, we must define some terms and parameters. In this process, I have designed a very scientific rating system for these presentations of Cillian Murphy.

We begin with four basic criteria:

C**t served

Creature

Punchability

Babygirl

*Note: to be perfectly clear, this is not a reflection of Cillian Murphy’s performance as an actor, but the presentation of said performance. That is to say, this is not a criticism of the individual. Just in case. I mean, he will never ever know this exists and that is perfectly fine w me

Definitions:

1. “C**t served”

The percentage of screen time specifically focused on serving said c**t, generally represented by a score out of ten. See above for an example of rubric by which we measure the service of c**t.

2. “Creature”

Rating from 1-10 based on levels of pure, feral, unhinged emotion. The emotion involved can be anything, from anger to sorrow to mania, most often exemplified by acting with the entire body—for instance, running, stumbling, dropping from the rafters like a xenomorph, etc. Basically any moment where Cillian Murphy could be replaced by a xenomorph and it would not disrupt the conveyance of the narrative. Uncanny staring also counts.

3. “Punchability”

Often related to percentage of c**t served, Punchability involves other factors, such as the number of shots to the face/head/neck per scene, the intensity of these blows and the amount of narrative satisfaction intended in the work. The value is calculated thusly:

Use the above integer value of the percentage c**t served for the value s for “service of c**t”

Measure the number of instances of violence and duration thereof vs the amount of total screen time the character is given. Convert this percentage to an integer for the “punch amount” value, or P

Take the number of instances of violence and rate each by the intensity of trauma on a scale of 1-5 (1 being mildly superficial and 5 being perhaps fatal). Calculate the mean of these individual ratings to find the “Intensity” value, or I

Calculate the “Satisfaction” quotient (or S)from the number of instances of violence that arguably represent a comeuppance in the narrative

Plug these values into the following formula: [P*I]/[S+s] (That is the Punch Amount multiplied by the Intensity value, and divide the result by the sum of the Satisfaction Quotient and the value of C**t Served)

This formula will provide us the objective Punchability of Cillian Murphy’s character in a particular project. But it is a lot of work, so I am just going to rate it from 1-10

4. “Babygirl”

This is the final and possibly most notable criterium. This is a rating from 1-10 that represents the tendency of the camera (and by extension, the director) to focus on certain physical attributes of the actor, to the extent of fetishization. This includes emphasis on vulnerability, inexplicable loss of garments, etc.

Of course, as I rate each project featuring Cillian Murphy, I will show my work and explain the ratings if need be. I will also include some very subjective and candid opinions on the movies themselves, because c’mon.

Thank you for joining me. Excelsior!!

[agentnico]

Hundreds of Beavers (2024) review

This is cinema.

Plot: A drunken applejack salesman must go from zero to hero and become North America's greatest fur trapper by defeating hundreds of beavers.

Can we just take a moment to appreciate the greatness that is this film’s poster! Very reminiscent of the poster for the 1963 epic comedy It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, it truly encompasses the full scale cartoonish madness of the movie, and honestly is a piece of art in itself. As for the movie itself? Yeah, it’s fricking awesome!

This comes to us from director Mike Cheslik and co-writer Ryland Brickson Cole Tews (by the way holy Moses what a cool name that is!), the pair who gave us the Tews-directed Lake Michigan Monster, a bonkers little indie film that’s a mix of Life Aquatic and The Lighthouse and is immensely entertaining and stupid. What I like about these guys is how they fill their micro-budget productions with so much creativity, humour and visual inventiveness, and it really puts a lot of modern day Hollywood pictures to shame. These guys are great and so when Hundreds of Beavers popped up on my Letterboxd recommendations, it was a no brainer - I had to seek out this movie!

Hundreds of Beavers echoes the structure of video games, especially RPGs. The central character starts out as an absolutely numpty loser, and then as the film progresses he by trial and error improves his craft to become a skilful and talented trapper. This is reminiscent of how in a video game when your first start you’re essentially useless and crap at everything, but as you level up you become an utter boss. Take Resident Evil for example. In the beginning you struggle to defeat a single zombie. Chances are on your first few playthroughs you’ll die like a little b**ch. Talking from experience here, I remember that first village fight in Resident Evil 4! Then by the end you’re drilling through hordes with unlimited ammo and rocket launchers with super high HP and literally nothing can stop you. With Hundreds of Beavers it’s the same. The first part of the film the poor chap can’t even kill a single animal, let alone a beaver. By the end though he’s engaging in an impressive battle of fisticuffs with crowds upon crowds of beavers. I mean, not really a spoiler to say that there are loads of beavers in this film. Not just a hundred, we’re talking thousands!

That brings me to one of the biggest surprises of this film - there’s actually a fully fledged story here. Like yes the narrative exists entirely for the purpose of throwing as many ridiculously nuts slapstick gags in our faces at a rapid speed of a joke every second, but they are held together by a cohesive narrative. The main character Jean Kayak (brought to life by a superbly committed performance from Ryland Brickson Cole Tews, again, love the name) goes through a significant growth throughout the movie, and his mission to get the girl is as timely and charming as ever. I must say it took me about 20 minutes to properly get into the movie, but once I got to the level of whackiness it was going for I was engaged throughout.

So the visuals. Filtered throughout with a surreal black-and-white grainy filter, this plays out like a live-action cartoon in the vain of Looney Tunes or Tom & Jerry. The stylistic choice that really makes this movie so unique is that the overwhelming majority of animals that Jean comes across are played by actors in full sizes costumes. Yep, it’s a bunch furries alright. Smaller animals such as birds and fish appear as little puppets, but all the larger animals are indeed played by actors in suits. You’d expect a gimmick like this to lose steam after a while, however the funny thing about Hundreds of Beavers is that it manages to consistently stay hilarious throughout, and in fact gets progressively crazier as it goes on. The final 20 minutes are truly fantastic, with the creators throwing every creative idea and visual gag they could possibly whip out of their books in your face. This movie could have easily ended up feeling like a stretched out SNL sketch, but luckily the creators share so much ambition to allow this movie to flourish in its endless creativity. Charlie Chaplin would be proud.

Hundreds of Beavers is one of the most creative, inventive and entertaining comedies of the last decade, and I had a smile on my face from start to finish. From the punchy editing, funny music cues, well-timed cutaway gags, goofy costumes or the endlessly creative deaths, this thing has so much unhinged energy it’s unreal. I can see this not being for everyone, but then again silent slapstick comedy nowadays can be definitely classed as an acquired taste, but I truly believe that everyone would find at least some part of this film amusing. In my eyes, this is a comedic marvel. Yeah, f*** those beavers!

Overall score: 9/10

[aromantic-misguide-to-romance]

Ace Dates with Belphegor

Contnuing with @kingsheir's request! After two years I finally completed the brothers. Wordcount: 866

It seemed likely that – being asleep for most of the time – he missed the cues about your asexuality. And that was about what happened. But if you worried that he would get whiny or  needy – considering it’s his persuasion method of choice – he proved you wrong. He listened to your coming out with full attention and accepted it completely.

It seemed in the beginning that he’s not taking it as a serious thing – he has that peculiar easy-going attitude that makes him sometimes find positives in an exceptionally unexpected place despite all his whininess that he developed as the youngest and most coddled of the brothers.

If you didn’t know him so well, it could have seemed that he isn’t taking your coming out seriously. Maybe he indeed doesn’t think it’s a serious thing – it’s a fact, and fighting facts isn’t what you do when you save your energy, so why should we get fixated on it? It’s time for a nice nap on your lap anyway.

There’s however one question. Is napping together a date? Probably not exactly, but with Belphie being sleepy more often than not, it’s still one of the main ways you’re spending time together. Even if you personally don’t need so many naps, it’s always good to have a moment to take some rest and have a nice excuse of the type “I can’t now, the cat is sleeping”. And with him being the baby of the family, the excuse works pretty well.

He’s already pretty cuddly to begin with and likes to take a good cuddly nap, but it goes up to eleven after you two get together, so it inevitably reaches the point where you have to wake him up. He always complains a bit that his nap was interrupted, but he doesn’t fully mean it – it’s become a habit long time ago and he’d rather wake up and follow you sleepily (or eventually kiss you goodbye, even if it’s a goodbye for approximately 5 minutes) than just be left behind for the sake of his nap.

This doesn’t mean you don’t get any more standard type dates in the town. He gladly tags along whenever you go visit someplace in the town. And since he mostly tags along and it’s rarely a meticulously planned outing, it’s usually pretty chill and helps you unwind. Even spontaneous, if something as leisurely paced counts as such.

When he invites you out, it’s similarly relaxed – you wouldn’t suspect him spending a lot of time on planning of the date, but he actually picks up whenever there’s something that might interest you and is always happy to take you there. While the date rarely has a strict schedule or a detailed plan from dawn till night, it’s probably not what you’re looking for, dating the Avatar of Sloth of all demons. His date plans are more like a pool of options you can choose from - whatever speaks to you at that moment.

He tries his best not only when researching it, but also to making sure his sleepiness won’t interfere. Still, you already got used to the fact he often falls asleep in the cinema pretty fast, but it might surprise you that he actually doesn’t miss much from the film if he knows you thrilled about it. He wants to know what it was about and see with his own eyes the parts you praise afterwards, so he needs to actually watch the whole thing. Sometimes it doesn’t work well, but he does his best and sleeps in advance to be as well-rested as possible. Which is probably why he annoys everyone the day before by turning in immediately after school.

There is also another – secret – type of date that a third party would never suspect to exist. With his entire dream universe created just so he doesn’t have to wake up to study, it’s no wonder he’s also made sure there are some nice dating spots there. It took him some time to build it– and he really worked hard to make it as flawless as possible. And it’s a wonderful surprise! If you’re physically tired after an active, busy say but still don’t want to go to bed yet, it’s a perfect workaround! A romantic walk towards the sunset? Maybe just laying down on cool grass to stargaze? The dream world is now filled with the most tooth-rottingly romantic opportunities.

There is also something really alluring in the sense of secrecy and trust – no one but you knows about it after all, and no one knows that you two are on a date when you’re seemingly napping on a couch. That is also an excellent way to continue when you return home after your outing.

Since your minds stays very much active in that dream world of his though, it might not be the best place for a refuge from mental exhaustion. In such case a traditional nap seems like a better idea. He really needs rest after your outings anyway as he’s been fending off his sleepiness all the time. So whether you continue the date in the dream world or just fall into slumber, it’s cuddle time!

Also on Ao3.

[aaroncutler]

Two Year-End Lists

January 7th: This post contains links to two sets of year-end lists, both in the Spanish language, and both of which include my contributions (as have multiple past editions). One is “La Internacional Cinéfila” (“The International Cinephile”), a polling of various people that work with cinema in different contexts (primarily critics, filmmakers, and festival programmers) that is organized annually by the Argentinian critic and programmer Roger Koza through his website, Con los ojos abiertos ("With open eyes"). The other is a polling of a wide range of film personalities (that additionally includes scholars and moving image-based artists who work primarily with expanded cinema) for the website desistfilm that was organized by the site's editor, the Peruvian critic Mónica Delgado.

As I allude to in both of my contributions, I watched an unusually low number of new films this year, the vast majority of which were seen through preview screeners with my attention wavering – the major reason, of course, being the presence in my and my wife Mariana’s lives of a newborn daughter named Ava who has been recently joining us at the cinema. Under such circumstances, I find it hard to feel bad about falling behind, including because certain recently premiered works that I have not seen and that are beloved by peers (for example, Victor Erice’s Close Your Eyes) will almost certainly stand the test of time.

As I have done in the past, I chose to send different lists of films to the two publications for the sake of drawing attention to a greater number of worthy works. I feel a few immediate reactions now as I peruse the two documents overall. One is the feeling of simple amazement at perceiving how many important films premiered in non-competition slots at the most recent edition of Cannes, including the latest works by vital contemporary filmmakers such as Erice, Lisandro Alonso, Pedro Costa, Jean-Luc Godard, Steve McQueen, Kleber Mendonça Filho, Martin Scorsese, and Wang Bing – a gathering that could credibly serve as a “year’s best” list unto itself. For all its problems (which have been discussed by critics elsewhere), to me this gesture of simultaneous consolidation and marginalization on the part of Cannes's organizers offers the hope of reminding cinephiles of the importance of looking beyond a narrowly defined center.

Otherwise, I was pleasantly surprised to see how many colleagues in the “La Internacional Cinéfila” gathering shared my regard for María Aparicio’s Undefined Things, a nuanced Argentinian metafiction about an older female film editor in crisis that observes its characters keenly and with tremendous love. And, although I wasn’t especially surprised at the outcome, I was nonetheless gladdened to see the top spot in both aggregate polls go to a film that appeared on my desistfilm list, Aki Kaurismäki’s Fallen Leaves (which indeed premiered in Cannes’s main competition).

I find a charming and even heroic quality in the Finnish filmmaker’s decision to present something like a 1930s Hollywood urban romance for our own particular modern times. The film inspires with its commitment to human values and envisioning of a reality in which people continue to consciously regard each other in spite of the innumerable forces that tell them to look away. As has almost always been the case for me with Kaurismäki’s work, I find the care that the filmmaker takes with his actors on multiple levels (casting, framing, editing, directing) to be especially extraordinary. The key idea in the film, for me at this moment, is the necessity of living one’s life with full attention on the local. And, as is pointed out in Mónica Delgado’s marvelous review of Fallen Leaves for desistfilm, that attention has always been present on Kaurismäki’s part. The changes that have made his new film land so firmly with so many spectators, perhaps, lie with the contemporary needs that it addresses. In any case, we are fortunate to continue to find artworks that argue in favor of a more humane world.

On that note: One of the chief pleasures of perusing best-of lists, of course, is reading about great works of which one was not previously aware. I look forward to discovering these films for myself, both in 2024 and beyond.