#film re

[maysshortmoviereviews]

Civil War (2024)

In a dystopian future America, a team of military-embedded journalists races against time to reach Washington, D.C., before rebel factions descend upon the White House.

(minor spoilers)

This movie appears more enticing in its trailer than it actually is. The best moments are showcased in the promotional material, while the remainder is a tedious journey of pretentiousness, where little unfolds besides some artistic photography. There's a glaring absence of plot development and character depth. Though the message condemning war is noble, the execution falls short. Throughout, it's unclear who is fighting whom and for what cause. The film follows four miserable photographers on a road trip, raising questions about the practicality of using film in a digital age (they all use film in their cameras for photography), especially during a 'civil war' scenario where quick reporting is essential. When would they find time amidst the chaos to develop and distribute their photos to media outlets?

Personally I felt that this movie is overhyped and therefore for me it underdelivered and felt like a complete waste of time.

[familyabolisher]

I've walked past the Barbie branded selfie booth, sat through the reel of old commercials that precede the previews, and watched Margot Robbie learn to cry, and I’m still not sure what “doing the thing and subverting the thing,” which Greta Gerwig claimed as the achievement of Barbie in a recent New York Times Magazine profile, could possibly mean. This was the second Gerwig profile the magazine has run. I wrote the first one, in 2017, which in hindsight appears like a warning shot in a publicity campaign that has cemented Gerwig’s reputation as so charming and pure of heart that any choice (we used to call them compromises) she makes is justified, a priori, by her innocence. This is a strange position for an adult to occupy, especially when the two-hour piece of branded content she is currently promoting hinges on a character who discovers that her own innocence is the false product of a fallen world. But—spoiler alert!—the point of Barbie’s “hero’s journey” is less to reconcile Barbie to death than to reconcile the viewer to culture in the age of IP.

“Doing the thing and subverting the thing”: I haven’t finished working out the details, but I think the rough translation would be Getting rich and not feeling feel bad about it. (Or, for the viewer: Having a good time and not feeling bad about it.) One must labor under a rather reduced sense of the word “subvert” to be impressed with poking loving fun at product misfires such as Midge (the pregnant Barbie), Tanner (the dog who poops), and the Ken with the earring, especially given that the value of all these collectors’ items has, presumably, not decreased since the film opened. Barbie may feature a sassy tween sternly informing Robbie’s Stereotypical Barbie that the tiny-waisted top-heavy billion-dollar business she represents has made girls “feel bad” about themselves, but if anyone uttered the word “anorexia,” I missed it. (There was a reason Todd Haynes told the story of Karen Carpenter’s life and death with Barbies, and it wasn’t because an uncanny piece of molded plastic has the magical power to resolve the contradictions of girlhood and global capitalism.) There’s a bit about Robbie going back into a box in the Mattel boardroom, but Barbies aren’t made in an executive suite; they come from factories in China. On the one hand, it’s weird for a film about a real-world commodity to unfold wholly in the realm of ideas and feelings, but then again, that’s pretty much the definition of branding. Mattel doesn’t care if we buy Barbie dolls—they’re happy to put the word “Barbie” on sunglasses and T-shirts, or license clips from the movie for an ad for Google. OK, here’s my review: When Gerwig first visited Mattel HQ in October 2019, the company’s stock was trading at less than twelve dollars a share. Today the price is $21.40. 

Christine Smallwood, Who Was Barbie?

[odetokeons]

i don't know what this movie genre is called, but it's my favourite movie genre

[renthebarbarian]

Queer Icons of Horror

[miwwwch]

[copia]

PAPA IV and the SKELETONS in Rite Here Rite Now

[violetbudd]

horror movie blinkies made by me using ezgifs, lunapic, phonto, and online-image-editor. use with credit :)

[arkeresia]

we can defeat death 💀

[rippleberries]

More pics (and video!) later. But here’s a taste of Jeffrey Combs Exhumed Fest marathon. Notice the Rufus puppet at his feet

[shewhosleepsalotincemeteries]

[boyofzoot]

Akira (1988)

[retellingthehobbit]

When Winter comes, the winter wild that hill and wood shall slay; When trees shall fall and starless night devour the sunless day; When wind is in the deadly East, then in the bitter rain I'll look for thee, and call to thee; I'll come to thee again!

Together we will take the road that leads into the West, And far away will find a land where both our hearts may rest.

[carnabybeat]

The malpractice brothers

[shalida]

✨ masterpost for all of my 2021 film journal posters !!! ✨(i re-edited a bunch bc i switched from working traditionally to strictly digital nearly halfway through~) hope you like them!

my letterboxd / inprnt / society6 / ko-fi / instagram / twitter

[s0ftpining]

idk what to say about this. they're in love with each other

[theplantbish]

Not to be dramatic or anything but I'd fucking die for him