#iconic high cinema. to me

[fascinationstreetmp3]

ARMY OF DARKNESS (1992) dir. Sam Raimi

[snootchie-bootchies]

I love that both Superbad and High School Musical 2 came out on the same day lmao

[wh0reforcoriolanussnow]

A/n: u guys r gonna have to imagine alot w these pics 😭 but i wrote whos supposed to be who so it makes a bit more sense!!!!! THIS ONLY MAKES SENSE IF YOU READ THE FIRST BIT

y/n_y/l/n

Liked by 3,308,252 people

Prepare for the ‘Anastasia’ photo dump 😈

view all comments

tomblyth: yummy cake 🍰😋

↘️ y/n_y/l/n: i'm craving it so bad rn 🤤

user1: THE MOVIE WAS SO GOOD WTAF

user2: Y/n and Tom's on screen chemistry is insane...

user3: her smile in the second picture 🥹

user4: empress Marie was a slay

↘️ y/n_y/l/n: she honestly was

~

y/n_y/l/n

Liked by 2,920,163 people

this is what we gotta say to those who haven’t watched Anastasia yet 🖕🖕🖕 (we’re kidding)

view all comments

user1: how was filming in St. Petersburg??

↘️ y/n_y/l/n: had the best time of my life 🙈 St. Petersburg is so gorgeous.

user2: yesss feed us w more Anastasia bts please!!!

↘️ y/n_y/l/n: yes ma’am 🫡

↘️ user3: BAHAHHAHAAH

user4: everyone go watch Anastasia rn. It’s a masterpiece😟

user5: she’s so gorgeous it’s not fair

~

y/n_y/l/n

Liked by 3,027,496 people

pics of me eating the most 21st century food in my 20th century fits 😋‼️

view all comments

tomblyth: fun fact, I took ALL of these

↘️ y/n_y/l/n: 😂😂😂

user1: this is so funny to me LMAO

user2: the fits 🤌

↘️ user3: THEY WERE EVERYTHING!

user4: so this is what u guys do behind the scenes? eating?

↘️ tomblyth: yup.

↘️ y/n_y/l/n: pretty much!!

~

tomblyth

Liked by 4,305,262 people

‘Anastasia’ out now in the cinemas!!!! So incredibly grateful to have worked with such amazing and talented people, experiencing it with y/n made it even better 💗

view all comments

y/n_y/l/n: i’m tearing up…. It was so much fun, I’m going to miss everything about it 💔

↘️ tomblyth: gonna miss seeing u in ur costume 🥹 you looked absolutely gorgeous

↘️ y/n_y/l/n: awee I love u!!!!

↘️ user1: my parents r so adorable 😣

user2: third pic is everything!

user3: they did so good with the casting!

~

y/n_y/l/n

Liked by 3,947,028 people

St. Petersburg weather was smth else 🥶

view all comments

actorwhoplaysrasputin: it wasn’t even that cold y/n 🙄

↘️ y/n_y/l/n: says the person who wore 4 jackets in between takes 😟

↘️ actorwhoplaysrasputin: zip it.

↘️ user1: I love this duo 😂

actorwhoplaysphlegmenkoff: it was a pleasure to work with such young, talented actors like yourselves!!!

↘️ y/n_y/l/n: awee thank you actors name!! It was an honour to work with you!!

↘️ tomblyth: appreciate it man 🤝

user2: them casting actors name as Rasputin was the best decision ever. Can’t see anyone else for that role!

user3: this movie had such iconic actors and actresses 😭

↘️ user4: I just know this movie was expensive 😃

~

y/n_y/l/n

Liked by 4,307,287 people

Anastasia dump pt. 2974822? 😂

view all comments

user1: FIRST PIC HAHAHAHA

↘️ y/n_y/l/n: felt xtra cute so I had to 😛

↘️ user2: Tom not looking amused in the back 🤣

↘️ tomblyth: I’m used to it

actorwhoplaysvladimir: miss you guys!!!

↘️ tomblyth: you act as if we don’t live in the same street 🤣

↘️ y/n_y/l/n: literally walk the few steps and you’ll see us lol

user3: I can’t wait for more of your bts vids to come out on yt bc man they’re so entertaining!!

↘️ y/n_y/l/n: I’m posting a 30 min bts vlog tomorrow 😙

↘️ user4: YAYYY

↘️ user5: y/n has a yt channel and I haven’t heard about it?

↘️ user6: she’s had it since she was in high school 😭

~

tomblyth

Liked by 6,958,212 people

Can’t believe ‘Anastasia’ has been nominated for best film adaptation of books!!! Thank you everyone who voted :)

view all comments

y/n_y/l/n: THIS IS INSANEE AHHHH

↘️ tomblyth: 🥳🎉

themichaellockshin: 🤩🤩

actorwhoplaysnicholas: hell yeah!!

user1: they’re so cute omg 🥺

user2: actresswhoplaysdowagermarie is such a slay 😭

↘️ y/n_y/l/n: she literally is!

↘️ tomblyth: we love her!

↘️ user2: ahhh you both responded 😭

~

themichaelockshin

Liked by 10,037,297

Cheers again for the love and support for this movie!! To all the cast members I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, you are all such talented people and it was wonderful working with you all!

view all comments

y/n_y/l/n: thank you Michael ❤️ will never forget this experience :)

↘️ themichaelockshin: you and Tom were spectacular 🤩

tomblyth: what a journey we went through!

actorwhoplaysrasputin: miss you all!

actorwhoplaysolga: thank you Michael!! Filming with you all was a wonderful experience 🫶

user1: ice cream during the winter?

↘️ y/n_y/l/n: yup. What abt it 😛

user2: awe I love this cast sm

↘️ user3: literally the best cast

[filmperidot]

My Favorite Coming of Age Movies

10 Things I Hate About You (1999)- One of the only rom-coms out there that I don’t feel guilty about loving. Its also one of the only rom-coms that I find laugh out loud funny, and where I genuinely really like both the protagonist and the love interest (I feel like at least one of them typically annoys me).

Booksmart (2019)- Great characters, and a fun new version of a pretty classic plot. It’s extremely funny, and highly enjoyable.

Easy A (2010)- Honestly one of my all time favorite comedies. Emma Stone is an absolute icon, and Stanley Tucci and Patricia Clarkson play the best parents known to cinema.

Eighth Grade (2018)- My god is this movie painful to watch. Prepare to cringe the whole way through, but it’s also quite sweet, and easily the most accurate depiction of middle school I’ve ever seen.

Lady Bird (2017)- The hype is real for this one. Saorise Ronan is amazing. It makes you laugh, tugs at your heartstrings, and does an incredible job depicting the high school experience.

Moonrise Kingdom (2012)- I love Wes Anderson’s style. If you generally aren’t a fan of his work, you won’t be a fan of this one either. But if you’re a fan of his cinematography, campiness, and awkward humor, this one’s for you. It’s a great summer movie.

Stand By Me (1986)- What a classic. It’s nostalgic, poignant, and funny. For me, this is a movie that defines the genre.

The Edge of Seventeen (2016)- Hailee Steinfeld and Woody Harrelson made a hilarious duo. Similar to the other movies on this list, it’s funny, relatable, and slightly heartbreaking in just the right way.

The Kings of Summer (2013)- This ones an underrated gem. It’s a bit of an acquired taste, but overall it’s a great experience. The atmosphere is amazing, and it’ll bring you back to your childhood summers.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)- God I love this movie. It’s incredibly heartbreaking, and the acting is great (especially from Logan Lerman)! Yes I cry every single time, no not at the part you’d think.

[hotvintagepoll]

Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn (Woman of the Year, Desk Set, Adam's Rib)—They starred together in 9 movies as a romantic couple. The best-known are probably "Adam's Rib", "Woman of the Year", and "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner". As far as hotness goes, Hepburn had a tendency to play fiercely independent firecrackers, which contrasted with Tracy's naturalistic, grounded reserve and empathy. I feel it's that contrast between the high drama and the effortless control that produced the sparks and chemistry between them. (I'm sorry if that sounds kind of stilted; I'm struggling to find a way to describe their rapport! Mostly I just want to gesture at them and say, "Well, LOOK!" But I know that, at this point, not a lot of folks will have seen them in action, together. Off-screen, they were in an incredibly devoted, 26-year relationship that lasted until his death.)

Nargis Dutt and Raj Kapoor (Barsaat, Awaara, Shree 420)—Raj Kapoor and Nargis! They are still regarded as one of the hottest screen pairings in Hindi cinema. Their chemistry was so undeniable and popular that they were in 16 films together (Awaara and Shree 420 to name two)! Two very talented, beautiful people who made their on-screen relationships feel genuine and passionate (possibly due to their off screen partnership too...). Simply iconic!

This is round 3 of a mini tournament. Each poll lasts for three days. If you'd like to send additional propaganda supporting your favorite hot couple, you can reblog this post with your propaganda added, send it to my asks, or tag me in it. To vote in all the polls, click here. Happy holidays!

[additional propaganda submitted under the cut]

Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn:

real life {and long kept secret) affair lead to a very charming and realistic on screen chemistry and great banter

HELLO?! IT'S HEPBURN AND TRACY!! Garson Kanin wrote an ENTIRE BOOK about them!! They bite each other's ears in Woman of the Year, and the censors did nothing about it!!

Nargis and Raj Kapoor:

[poetry-protest-pornography]

kpop sampler

my dear @auriette was asking about my non-skz kpop feelings, and i have so many of them, so i thought it would be fun to make a little playlist.

i'm sticking with the 10 link limit (which is v hard) but if you also have a lot of kpop feelings, please rb with a song/group rec of your own!

in no particular order:

The Rose (k-rock)

i love them. They are super funny on social media, and their music is incredible. Screaming this song at the top of my lungs fixes me a little every time. Woosung is also a soloist and he's amazing.

WOODZ

This song gives me the shivers.

He also has a cover of Hype Boy that is A+

The duality of man.

I think WOODZ is vastly underappreciated, and i wish more people were as into him as i am.

Ateez

i know i already talked about them a little bit, but i have to do it again because i love them. just a bunch of insanely talented, stupidly hot weirdos. i love that they're all nerds who make legos together and that everyone but hongjoong and jongho have zero concept of personal space. wooyoung and san are medalists in the kiss your homie olympics. (woo is also bffs with changbin and also yeonjun from txt)

i'm still obsessed with this song and this MV. the ateez lore is very intricate and this is basically cinema.

TXT

insane dance skills, super talented, great music. it was hard to pick which song of theirs to include here, but this is defintely a favorite. def check out devil by the window" also.

they collabed with the jonas brothers and anitta and both songs were incredible. yeonjun just released a solo album. more talented goofballs. i love them.

OnlyOneOf

i am obsessed with OOO. they are incredible. they do most of their own choreo, they committed to making their MVs queer af and include messages of acceptance and support for the lgbtq community in the notes for all their videos. they paired themselves up and talk about kissing each other casually.

and they back it all up with high concept MVs, insane choreo, and great music that will absolutley get stuck in your head. picking a song was hard, but this choreo is too iconic

Hwasa

i am obsessed with her. she is also in mamamoo, who are great, but i am currently absolutely obsessed with her cover of lunch. but this song which is a pretty direct call out of the rampant body shaming in the industry is so much fun.

KARD

kard is the only mixed gender kpop group i know of, and we need more.

they are all adults, and their music and MVs are, too. killer dancey tracks. their friendship is a lot of fun.

BM is also a soloist, and has some very explicit horny songs that don't bother with the (barely) innuendo that kard plays with. he's also hilarious on SM, and on the daebak show

Enhypen

they're just good. i love a concept album, and they killed it with this.

Evnne

i love them.

they were all on boys planet, and i love all the groups that formed from that show (i was going to cheat and make a whole playlist of bp groups, but i'm just going to share this one and i'll make a whole separate bp post)

this video and song are just so fun, and they're so good, and i wanted to yell about them.

(all the boys planet boys are also stray kids levels of obsessed with each other, which i appreciate --zb1 is probably the worst-best about this, but they're all super close)

oh gosh only space for one more... ahhhh who to choooose

Blitzers

this is just so much fun

no one really sounds like blitzers. the horns and big band elements are wholly unique and fit surprisingly well. they are super talented and clearly having a good time with what they do, and it's just a good time.

I hope you like at least some of these songs/groups!

(Now, to play by my own rules and not add another ten in a reblog unless specifically asked to do more!)

Please add your favorite kpop/krock groups to share the joy of good music that we can all be super normal about together!

[myrandomscribbles]

One Short Day in the Emerald City: My Review of Wicked (2024)

For my first post, I think it would be perfect to kick it off with a movie review - which, by the way, this blog will be 90% filled with lol - so here it goes!

It's been more a week since my friends and I saw Jon M. Chu's Wicked (2024) in theaters. It was opening weekend so you can expect the cinemas to be jam-packed. But probably my favorite part pre-movie (aside from the popcorn!) was the ongoing trend of people showing up at the cinemas in costume or following the theme of the movie. This trend is one of the reasons I love going to the cinemas versus just streaming it at home. So imagine, we arrived about 15 minutes before the start and the lobby & popcorn lines were filled with people wearing pink & green. I myself was wearing a green knitted top and pink shorts! As funny as it sounds, it literally gives life to the meme of the cinema ticket person asking what movie the person is seeing and the camera pans to the moviegoers in costume. Absolutely hilarious. (And I thank Avengers: Infinity War for starting this trend & the Barbenheimer craze for heightening it!)

Also, I wanted to add that this experience was personally special because I bumped into my favorite high school teacher of all places! We haven't seen each other in years, so this was really a delight.

(By the way, this may be a spoiler-ish review when it comes to the technicalities but in terms of the story - unless you haven't seen the Broadway musical or seen the 1939 film, then I don't know what to tell you lmao)

Now on to the movie itself... The title card!!! From there, I knew right away that this film was not just going to pay homage to the timeless classic that is The Wizard of Oz (1939), but to create a new world of Oz for this generation without losing the magic of the original. We see right away the iconic quartet walking down the famous yellow brick road, snippets of "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" in the music, and the dazzling Emerald City. For a semi-theater kid (I say semi because I grew up with musicals, just didn't get involved with acting in any of them at school or anything lol), I was already having goosebumps in the first few minutes.

Of course, Wicked is known for its many iconic songs that legends Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth have made timeless, but my personal favorites are "What Is This Feeling?", "Dancing Through Life", "For Good", and of course, "Defying Gravity". Now obviously with the exception of "For Good", the other three musical numbers really lived up to expectations. "What Is This Feeling?" now has the dance routine as an online trend everywhere, "Dancing Through Life" just made you want to marry Jonathan Bailey right there, and "Defying Gravity" was just mind-blowing. Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande nailed it, especially with the fact that they were apparently singing that number live! I also loved Ariana's version of "Popular"; she sounds so much like Kristin but still made it her own! (Plus not to mention she feels like Sharpay Evans in another universe in that scene lol)

Now before the film came out, it was already met with a lot of criticism especially with how dull the lighting and coloring was. Now I'm not a technical expert nor do I have any kind of film knowledge in that sense, but I agree that in many scenes, the lighting and coloring could have been better. This movie was meant to be a colorful world and most musicals are supposed to be vibrant (unless of course the musical is Les Miserables or Sweeney Todd lol). I agree in that sense wherein it could've been better. Though I read somewhere that the director, Jon M. Chu wanted it to feel like a "real place" that the audience can visit so it has a more realistic rather than fantasy vibe - but if you ask me, this defeats the fact that, my brother in Christ, Oz is literally a magical land. On the other hand, I admired the fact that many of the scenes were practical sets and minimal CGI was used. For a film that pays homage to and is a prequel to one of the first films ever in technicolor, they slipped a bit on the color part but did good on the set production part.

Look, I'm biased here okay. I love Wicked so much, it's one of my favorite musicals ever, just behind The Sound of Music and Les Miserables. Seeing it come to life on the big screen has been something I've been asking for for years. I first saw the theater musical in 2013 and immediately fell in love with it, especially since it was connected to the story of Dorothy. Imagine, there is only a teeny tiny portion of the world's population who's still alive today and saw The Wizard of Oz in 1939, so this film is a whole new experience for today's generation. Jon M. Chu was the perfect director for this; after Crazy Rich Asians (2018) and In the Heights (2021), he's clearly meant for vibrant (in the literal and fictional sense) stories that pops. I'm still in awe of Cynthia and Ariana's vocals; I didn't know Ariana could hit opera-level octaves, wow. I'm so excited for Part 2 next year, and I can't wait to see what awards season will bring for this film. And I may sound like an overused tape recorder, but I have been changed for good after seeing this!

P.S. Enjoy a photo of a sticker I made on the official backdrop; isn't it prettyyy 💚

[hellitwasyoufirstsergeant]

ANGIE I’ve been meaning to tell you I’ve fallen down a Jimmy Stewart rabbit hole this year and have been combing through his films with my mom 🥹 Now I need to know what your favorite Jimmy movie is. I think if I had to make a top five list, I’d pick It’s a Wonderful Life, Rear Window, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, You Can’t Take It With You, and The Philadelphia Story!! Drunk lanky poet Jimmy take me away 🥲💘

Okay *cracks knuckles* I was saving this ask until I could give a detailed response, so sorry in advance Amy 😭😂💗 I only have a couple people in my life who are into Old Hollywood at all so I always jump at the chance to talk about it

I love Jimmy so much!! I feel like I have more than one answer though to my favourite movie of his 😅 of any movie he’s in, it would be The Philadelphia Story. It’s one of my favourite movies of all time and Jimmy, Cary and Katharine are my three Old Hollywood favourites so it’s a perfect movie for me! I know the ending is controversial though! Loads of people think she should’ve ended up with Mike. But I like the ending, even though Tracy and CK were toxic 😂 what do you think?? My favourite performance of his though is You Can’t Take it With You. That movie is so underrated! It has such a beautiful message and it’s fun yet so heartfelt. I also love Jimmy’s chemistry with Jean Arthur. And the grandpa is adorable lol

Your top five is amazing!! Rear Window is my fave Hitchcock movie, it’s so good. Even though I’m a chronic rewatcher, I’ve actually never rewatched Mr Smith Goes to Washington, I enjoyed it, but I didn’t understand a lot of the intricacies of American politics 😭 it’s very well made though. Fun fact: Jimmy said once that he felt like his Oscar win for Philadelphia Story was a sort of apology from the academy for him not winning as Mr Smith the year before! Controversially, I don’t love It’s a Wonderful Life! I can’t put my finger on why though, I appreciate it’s objectively a beautiful movie 💗 the only other movie of his that I’ve not really loved is Vertigo which is another controversial opinion 😅 have you seen it? It makes me sad though because the movie failed at the box office and Hitchcock blamed Jimmy and refused to work with him again 🥲🥲

If you love drunk Jimmy (as do I, he’s iconic) he also plays drunk in a couple scenes of the movie Vivacious Lady, if you’ve not seen it yet! It was one of his first leading man roles and Ginger Rogers, who he was dating at the time, got him the part. It’s not high cinema but it’s a really cute movie

This was too long I’m sorry 😭 but hit me up any time to discuss Jimmy! I love him 🥹

[goblincow]

I saw Nosferatu and uh, I'm disappointed.

Definitely on the more commercial end of films by this team.

The most interesting thing to me is that it chooses to do a generic Dracula very straight down the line at face value. You can see its approach in the way it treats its exorcism element the same way, and it does achieve some genuine camp eroticism by taking itself very seriously which is always fun to see but in context all felt very flat.

Despite it being very deliberate in just presenting that story as it is, I don't know what it gets out of simply hitting all the beats, even though it does them well: The Northman managed to do this with its mythic boy-king-magic-sword-heroic-revenge framework and still provide an affecting perspective on inherited violence & masculinities, but this feels like it has nothing to say.

It has some great sound design (though it's very screamy in a way that I didn't find compelling) and occasionally powerful cinematography, but I was constantly waiting for it to build more on the fun visual stuff they were doing with The Lighthouse and that never happened.

With a source material that's film studies famous for high contrast shadow composition I expected it to really pull that off (they've proved they can do it before) but it never gets more visually interesting than when we first meet the count as a silhouette in the bloom of the fireplace in an excellent scene that leans into the cinematic style I expected more of from this team.

I'm a bit confused honestly, it's obviously well executed but in the end it feels like nothing to me.

I guess Bill Skarsgård is one of cinema's iconic monster men now.

💀+🎃 = 2/5

[broadwaydivastournament]

Movie Musical Divas Tournament: Round 2

Esther Williams (1921-2013): Take Me Out to the Ballgame (1949)-K.C. Higgins | Million Dollar Mermaid (1952)-Annette Kellerman Neptune's Daughter (1949)-Eve Barrett | Easy to Love (1953)-Julie Hallerton

"Mermaid of the Films. You know who she is though you may not know her name. She's the lady rising out of the pool, looking immaculate. Diving in and performing synchronized dances underwater. Esther Williams popularized the water film and synchronized swimming for millions of people and looked good while doing it(including filming in bathing suits while pregnant with all 3 of her children)." - anonymous

Lata Mangeshkar (1929-2022): Badi Maa (1945) | Awaara (1951) | Mughal-e-Azam (1960) | Johny Mera Naam (1970) | Karz (1980) Ghost singer in all.

"She was the nightingale of Hindi cinema and her voice will forever be iconic. Often providing the voice to younger characters long into her career, if you pulled the name of a random Hindi film out of a hat, there's a high chance Lata ji sang for it. Just go look at this page " - anonymous

This is Round 2 of the Movie Musical Divas tournament. Additional polls in this round may be found by searching #mmround2, or by clicking the link below. Add your propaganda and support by reblogging this post.

ADDITIONAL PROPAGANDA AND MEDIA UNDER CUT: ALL POLLS HERE

Esther Williams:

Photos and video submitted by: anonymous

Lata Mangeshkar:

Photos submitted by: @androgynous-bhajipav | Video submitted by: anonymous

[the-desolated-quill]

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga - Review

Not going to lie, I didn’t go into this film with high expectations. I loved Mad Max: Fury Road, and Charlize Theron’s Furiosa was a big reason for that. So the idea of doing a Furiosa prequel without the woman who helped make the character so iconic in the first place in my opinion seemed destined to fail, even with director and Mad Max creator George Miller still at the helm. Not to mention prequels are notoriously difficult to get right because you’re already at a disadvantage thanks to the audience’s prior knowledge of what’s to come. It’s hard to get people to care about your film when they already know how it will end.

Never have I been so disappointed to be right.

Anya Taylor-Joy is no Charlize Theron. Her shoes would be difficult to fill for even the most accomplished actress, and Taylor-Joy barely touches the sides. I don’t exactly rate her highly as a performer because in the few films I’ve seen her in she only ever seems to have one facial expression; vacant bewilderedness. But in her defence, she really has almost zero material to work with. It’s amazing really. Mad Max: Fury Road was able to tell a compelling story with very little exposition or dialogue. Furiosa, on the other hand, has tons of exposition and dialogue and yet has no story. To summarise the plot would be a fool’s errand because there really isn’t a plot to summarise. There’s some warlord played by Chris Hemsworth, wearing a very unconvincing prosthetic nose, who wants to take over Immortan Joe’s territory, except we know he won’t succeed and his reasons for why are vague and uninteresting. Furiosa gets passed from warlord to warlord like an unwanted sweater, and then she remembers that her mother was killed by these psychos and she should probably avenge her I guess. Meanwhile Immortan Joe (in name only because the original actor died and this new guy they’ve got cosplaying as him has all the stage presence of an irritable floor manager at your local supermarket) is busy discussing politics with his son Rictus, the People Eater, the Bullet Farmer and that guy from the Mad Max video game everyone has forgotten about. And good God do these guys love to talk. They talk and talk and talk some more, and then Chris Hemsworth arrives and starts talking and talking, and then some guy covered in tattoos starts talking and talking. There’s so much talking in this movie and yet, strangely, nobody is actually saying anything.

This film is an excellent example of the difference between story and lore. Furiosa has loads of lore. Loads of lore. But the story is practically non-existent and the information they provide is neither valuable nor necessary. This film is essentially a theatrical reenactment of the Mad Max wiki. No stone is left unturned. Ever wondered how the Organic Mechanic came to work for Immortan Joe? No? Well we’re going to tell you anyway. Do you want to know how the People Eater came to be in charge of Gas Town? Tough shit if you don’t because we’re going to lay it all out for you in laborious detail. Were you curious as to how the War Rig was built? I hope you were. Because we’re going to dedicate a significant section of the film detailing how it was built and them test running the fucking thing before having to fight a bunch of nameless goons in quite possibly the most boring action scene ever put to film. (This was the cardinal sin for me. I was so bored I actually fell asleep. The only time I’ve ever fallen asleep in a cinema was during that twenty minute underwater sequence in Avatar: The Way Of Water. Dozing off during James Cameron’s CGI circlejerk is one thing. Dozing off during a Mad Max film should be impossible).

It’s hard to believe this was made by the same person behind Fury Road. Back then George Miller seemed to understand that there was no point in bogging the narrative down in pointless exposition or needless backstories. What mattered was the characters, the relationships, the here and now. Remember the scene when Furiosa discovered her home was destroyed long ago and she takes her mechanical arm off, falls to her knees and screams her head off. All that pain and anguish and sorrow and regret all perfectly conveyed without a single line of dialogue. What can a prequel possibly add to this scene? Does knowing that Furiosa’s mother was beaten and burned alive in front of her when she was a little girl make that scene any more powerful? Of course not. It’s just an unnecessary detail that I didn’t need nor do I really care about. She lost her mother. Okay. So? I had already assumed that from watching Fury Road. I didn’t need her life story explained to me in a PowerPoint presentation. I suppose the only thing I was vaguely interested in was how Furiosa lost her arm, and even that is anticlimactic. She basically loses it by accident in a car chase. Now some of you may be getting annoyed that I’m giving away ‘spoilers’, but the truth is there’s nothing really to spoil. There’s no plot. Only lore. Specifically lore nobody really asked for in the first place. They don’t even bother fleshing out Furiosa’s relationship with the Wives. How’s that for irony? Fury Road was deservedly praised for its feminist themes and giving its female characters agency. Meanwhile the prequel has its male characters spouting literal pages of dialogue while the women, including Furiosa, get almost zero development and barely get a line in edgeways. Oops.

Furiosa astounds me. It astounds me that it’s made by the same man who made Fury Road. It astounds me that after nine years of struggling to get this film off the ground that this is the best George Miller can come up with. It astounds me that this cost $168 million to make when it would be much cheaper, quicker and less painful for the audience to just smack them in the face with a copy of the Mad Max Encyclopedia and be done with it. It astounds me that this boring slog of a film is actually getting positive reviews when this is a textbook example of how NOT to do a prequel. I’m just astounded. Apparently this film is bombing at the box office. Good. That may sound harsh, but it’s true. This is one of the most mind numbing, dull, pointless films I’ve ever had the displeasure of sitting through, and I’m never going to get those 150 hours back.

Sorry, did I say hours? It sure felt like hours.

[bwaldorf]

ramasha do you have any bollywood movie recs?? 🎤

omgggg em im so honored you thought of me!! 🫶🏼🩷

tbh i've sorta been on a journey of watching more bollywood (and south asian cinema in general), since there was a huge chunk of my life where i just never really kept up with releases and was sorta discouraged from watching it so my taste isn't the Most diverse (in terms of genres and years) but i'm working on it 😭 that said, here's my attempt at giving you a lot of different options, so hopefully there's something here that strikes your fancy hehe :3

lots will be under the cut bc im a huge YAPPER.... sorry. also, some of these haven't really aged that well and are sometimes more of just a nostalgic fav and/or ones i think are iconic so... take some of these recs with a grain of salt

some of my bigger personal faves:

om shanti om (2007) — it may hit more if you have a bit more exposure to bollywood cinema and its industry bc it references it a lot, but i still think it's an enjoyable movie regardless! (yes i am biased bc this is one of my fav bollywood movies ever + a huge nostalgic fav. plus SRK and deepika padukone.. can't go wrong there!)

haider (2014) — this movie is SOOOO good! i highly rec it 💞 it's an adaptation of hamlet, set within the backdrop of the 1995 kashmir conflicts. this is actually a part of trilogy of shakespeare adaptations by the director: the other two are maqbool (2003) which is macbeth and omkara (2006) which is othello

main hoon na (2004) — another SRK nostalgic fav

ghajini (2008) — it rips off christopher nolan's memento but i think it adds a lot of its own stuff too and i have a soft spot for it 😭

andhadhun (2018)

kahaani (2012)

tumbbad (2018)

amar singh chamkila (2024)

3 idiots (2009) — the most likely one that non regular bollywood watchers will know and deservedly so imo

gully boy (2019)

hum saath saath hain (1999) — okay not objectively the best movie.. but its a hugely nostalgic and comfort movie for me and i think its great if you wanna watch something that's heartfelt and doesn't have a ton of high stakes conflict

maine pyar kiya (1989) — same as above ☝🏼 i watched this one a lot as a kid

jab we met (2007)

devdas (2002) — worth it for at least the beautiful cinematography, costumes, and gorgeous talented cast

fanaa (2006) — plot is kinda messy at times but it was a real angst machine for me as a kid 😭

photograph (2019)

sir (2018)

bulbbul (2020) — tw for a rape scene though. sorry for the spoiler but it was genuinely really harrowing for me to watch so i think its important to mention

misc other movies i've seen:

qala (2022)

dil bole hadippa! (2009) — admittedly, i haven't rewatched this one in a long time so i can't totally say it holds up. it's a rip-off of she's the man, but … better….. TO ME. yes im speaking from nostalgia bc this is the one i saw first

badhaai do (2022) — this is technically a 'sequel' to the similarly titled movie badhaai ho (2018) but they're actually total standalones

gangubai kathiawadi (2022) — i have such mixed feelings about this one but it's a movie that really stuck with me ever since i watched it soooo yeah

raees (2017) — SRK looks unbelievably fine in that movie. need i say more?

koi mil gaya (2003) — it's a mix of both ET and close encounters of the third kind... but in my very biased, nostalgic opinion: better 🫣 there's also a few sequels, but i only really remember seeing krrish (2006)

josh (2000) — another entry to the SRK looks super gorgeous in this movie 😭 this is basically a desi west side story

go goa gone (2013) — not the best to me, but its a bollywood zombie movie! which was a very new concept to me in that industry so ofc i had to throw it in there

chennai express (2013)

mohabbatein (2000)

dilwale dulhania le jayenge (1995) — had to include this for SRK reasons and also bc it's a massively impactful movie in the industry so i'd be remiss not to

andaz apna apna (1994)

ek ladki ko dekha toh aisa laga (2019)

jaane tu.. ya jaane na (2008)

aaja nachle (2007)

munna bhai mbbs (2003)

gangs of wasseypur - part 1 (2012) — i've only seen the first one in this series but if you want a somewhat slower, meditative, gangster movie this one def fits the bill

what's your raashee? (2009) — can't remember how well this ages (i think it was pretty mid?) but the concept is fun! priyanka chopra plays 12 girls: each personifying a different zodiac sign as the main guy tries to find his soulmate 😭

taare zameen par (2007) — you'll also see this listed as 'like stars on earth' sometimes

amar akbar anthony (1977)

don (2006) — villainous SRK? sign me up! he actually has multiple movies where he's this sorta antihero/"antivillain" type character. and even a few where he's a straight-up villain. i've been trying to get through all of those bc i just love his range

anjaam (1993) — an example of the aforementioned thing ☝🏼 SRK plays a genuinely terrible guy here, and i love how it actually challenges a lot of the tropes that bollywood tends to use in its romances and shows how creepy and stalkerish they actually are (despite it being typically framed in the narrative otherwise)

partner (2007) — i recently found out it was basically ripping will smith's hitch 😭 i haven't seen that one so i can't say which is better, but if you enjoyed that one, you'll probably be into this one too. it's very unserious and not the Best. but i watched it a lot as a kid

aaja nachle (2007)

roadside romeo (2008) — okay this is a very unserious, low budget animated movie rec. it's soooo so silly and dumb but if you're in the market for smth like that, this is an amusing one for that

welcome (2007) — i gotta rewatch this one bc i don't remember a lot but it seems like a lot of tomfoolery and shenanigans

my name is khan (2010) — another one i gotta rewatch for its politics but i figured i'd throw it in regardless

black (2005)

kal ho naa ho (2003)

kuch kuch hota hai (1998)

sholay (1975)

hungama (2003)

some from my watchlist that i haven't seen yet:

(as if this list needed to be any longer.... but anyways! including these bc i think they seem promising/interesting and i think they introduce More variety of genres/time periods than the ones before)

ijaazat (1987)

thappad (2020)

udaan (2010)

merry christmas (2024)

chhoti si baat (1976)

hindi medium (2017)

the lunchbox (2013) — heard LOTS of good things about this one!

lipstick under my burkha (2017)

neerja (2016)

queen (2014)

rajnigandha (1974)

kaagaz ke phool (1959)

anand (1971)

paheli (2005) — it's a mainstream bollywood remake of duvidha (1973)

baadshah (1999)

monica, o my darling (2022)

madhumati (1958)

raaz (2002)

satya (1998)

highway (2014)

oh darling! yeh hai india! (1995)

pyaasa (1957)

sardar udham (2021)

awaara (1951)

shree 420 (1957)

kaminey (2009)

mahal (1949)

chandigarh kare aashiqui (2021)

bunty aur babli (2005)

talvar (2015)

duplicate (1998)

lootera (2013)

mughal-e-azam (1960)

baazigar (1993)

trapped (2017)

fire (1996) — a hugely significant movie in explicitly showing a wlw relationship in bollywood. i believe it was the first in that regard?

stree (2018)

piku (2015)

english vinglish (2012)

umrao jaan (2006) — there's also an earlier version of this movie with the same title that came out in 1981! i haven't seen either yet so i can't say which is better

jodhaa akbar (2008)

darr (1993) — big movie for villain SRK enthusiasts if that interests you too like it does me 🤭

zindagi na milegi dobara (2011)

dil dhadakne do (2015)

dear zindagi (2016)

special 26 (2013)

badla (2019)

mardaani (2014)

raman raghav 2.0 (2016)

peepli live (2010)

drishyam (2015)

[manmetaphysical]

Alain Delon died yesterday and it struck me as unusual or perhaps not that recently I have been having a Delon binge watching of his films in the past few weeks. For me it was a rediscovery of just how good he was, especially ‘Plein Soleil’ (1960) the original French version of the Talented Mr. Ripley Delon was a revelation in that just sucking all the air out of the camera while he was on screen. So it’s like his energy or his ‘archetype’ – the Scorpionic magnetism, the charismatic beauty with animal grace (he was a dog lover) was coming to say goodbye to me weirdly before he left this world forever.

It reminded me too why Morrissey chose Delon for the cover of the Smiths ‘The Queen is Dead’. Just as dogs come to visit and be petted by everyone in the house before they go to find a hole to die in, so Delon visited my imagination and capture it once again. And now he’s gone, perhaps not mourned by some critics of his opinions, but he passed away peacefully it seems, and there’s an outpouring of grief for a peak time in French cinema that can never return so there’s a longing and a massive loss for what was especially from the likes of Brigitte Bardot who once took the whip from Delon in a portmanteau film ‘Spirits of the Dead’ (1968) based on stories of Edgar Allen Poe, and messages from Claudia Cardinale who played opposite Delon’s Tancredi in Luchino Visconti’s ‘The Leopard’ (1963) are very poignant and heartfelt. He was not just a lover but a good friend to these and many other women. If Romy Schneider were still alive it would most likely be the same from her as they had a stormy on-off relationship for many years appearing together in the film ‘Piscine’ in 1969.

Delon was born in 1935 in Sceaux, a suburb of Paris, with the Sun at 14° of Scorpio. While it can be morbid I was curious to see what the chart showed- why now and not before when he had a stroke. He’s been going through his third Saturn return. I guessed the time at around 7pm in Paris after the announcement by his famly. So the timing is approximate.

He has the transiting North Node conjunct his natal Moon at 11° Aries. He has a Pluto opposition – his Pluto was at 27° of Cancer as Pluto prepares to go from 0° Aquarius back into Capricorn. and the Moon in Aquarius just happens to be conjunct asteroid Psyche at this point making a soul connection before the big mega Moon of August that we’ve been preparing for. Saturn at 17° Pisces is square to his natal Sun at 14° of Scorpio.

He was born with Saturn in Pisces, at 3° and this could refer to his hard work in film.

If you take Venus as the symbol of beauty -even for a man- and Neptune as representing film then we have a neat symmetry occurring. His star initially was about his unrivalled beauty- his blue eyes, his animal grace, his eyebrows, his open shirts that had everyone copying that style etc and he set a new high standard here, at least in France, if not the world. This symmetrical dance is so intriguing as the accolades pour in for how much of a style icon he was i.e. how he transmitted his charisma through the medium of film.

Transiting Venus is conjunct his natal Neptune at 16° of Virgo and Neptune at the fatal endpoint degree of 29° Pisces -people passing out of this world-is opposite his natal Venus at 27° of Virgo. Plus, there's a solar eclipse coming at this point on the 21st September.That’s telling because of his role as a male beauty, a kind of screen idol Apollo. This is not to overlook his skill as an actor which can often be downplayed because people were so enamored of his looks first. He had talent too to convey some difficult roles -often the chilling cold killer-so it was a deadly combination of style and skill, angel crossed with demon, that created an indelible mark on cinema and the astrology here reminds us of this as his legacy, not all the controversies, his rocky relationships, the death of his body guard, his outspoken opinions on life, and that he denied paternity of Ari Boulogne, a child born of Velvet Underground singer, Nico, in 1963, yet Delon’s mother adopted Ari who died in 2023 of a heroin overdose.

One theory of what determines success in film is whether the light reflects well in the actor's eyes, and in Delon's the light is luminous for sure. There is clearly a lot more here and worth going into in much more detail, I should do a full article, but to be brief, we should say RIP to a great talent who brought many characters to life and whose presence on screen cannot be denied.

#alaindelon#film#venus#neptune#pluto#death#cinema

[jerrylewis-thekid]

Hi Alain Delon, for me among the ten most beautiful actors in the world who ever lived. You had a full life, you starred in legendary and high-quality films. A true icon of French and international quality cinema. It would have been wonderful to photograph you... rest in peace beautiful eyes. November 8, 1935 - August 18, 2024

[hotvintagepoll]

Propaganda

Lena Horne (Cabin in the Sky, Stormy Weather)— Incredibly talented biracial actress, singer, dancer, and activist (she did so much work towards integrating audiences). Because of the racism of the era, she rarely got to be the lead actress but filmmakers loved her so much that they would often create stand alone segments within a film to highlight her beautiful singing, knowing that these segments would ultimately be cut from the film by censors in areas that forbid films with Black performers. Also, she's just so wonderful in Cabin in the Sky as a gold-digger villain who is not the least bit subtle about her intentions. I would highly recommend checking out her work.

Ginger Rogers (Swing Time, Top Hat)—Look I’ll level with you, I’ve never seen her in a musical and I know that she’s an amazing dancer and she’ll be even hotter when I finally watch Top Hat but I’m not submitting her as a dancer I’m submitting her as an ACTRESS. Her comic timing is impeccable!!!!! She’s full to bursting with life and in every role she seems to be having FUN, you can practically feel the twinkle in her eye. With her natural warmth it’s like she’s letting you in on the joke, y’all get to have this fun together! Making me laugh is hot!!! [If you'd like to see Ginger dance, videos below the cut]

This is round 3 of the tournament. All other polls in this bracket can be found here. Please reblog with further support of your beloved hot sexy vintage woman.

[additional propaganda submitted under the cut.]

Lena Horne:

64.media.tumblr.com

Black American powerhouse singer and actor who faced all the usual bullshit that any BIPOC faced in vintage Hollywood and achieved legendary status anyway. Also a Civil Rights movement icon.

She was a gem

She was so beautiful and those dimples are amazing! Truly depressing how badly Hollywood treated her because she was black. I would love to have seen what she really could have been if they didn’t cast her in so many yikes roles. She’s got gorgeous eyes and that body! Her joyful smile makes happiness sexy!

Civil rights actress, singer, dancer, actress, she's got the whole package

Lena Horne was a wonderful singer and actress who largely starred in black cast musicals. While she had a lot of main stream success, she ultimately lost the lead role in showboat (a role she had played on the stage) to a white actress due to hollywood's prejudices. She was also blacklisted during the HUAC hearings, but she still managed to be hot be hot as fuck and have a career spanning decades, working with more well-known stars like Judy Garland in musicals, and working on stage and releasing albums when her hollywood career began to suffer.

Miss Horne became famous during a period of time when Hollywood had very few meaningful roles for people of color. Although she is more so known as a performer, she starred in two successful all black productions (Cabin in the Sky & Stormy Weather). If that wasn't enough, she also guest starred on the Muppets (Season 1, Episode 11)

Ginger Rogers propaganda:

She needs no introduction! An undeniable powerhouse on the dancefloor, and no less talented an actress. I once watched a compilation of cinema's greatest dance scenes and one of her and Fred Astaire's dances was featured, and one of the talking heads said he pitied her for 'having to keep up with him' - or something to that effect. Bullshit, I cry. Ginger Rogers was his absolute equal, and underplaying her incredible skill is downright criminal. I want the 'Cheek to Cheek' sequence from Top Hat to be permanently burned into my memory.

"Backwards in high heels", as the saying goes (though the pedant in me must point out that she in fact spent her fair share of time leading or dancing side-by-side). One of the earliest twinkle-toed ladies of the silver screen, and in terms of acting/persona, her balance of wide-eyed cuteness and movie-star glamour has never quite been replicated.

we all know her beloved string of musicals with fred but ginger also has an extensive and varied non-fred filmography that she's great in! a few ginger moments that are important 2 me personally ginger singing “we’re in the money” in gold diggers of 1933, complete with a verse in pig latin bc this whole movie is kinda mocking the concept of anyone actually being in the money in 1933; ginger and una merkel singing a verse of “shuffle off to buffalo” in 42nd street, providing some statler & waldorf-esque commentary on newlyweds from the upper berth of a railway car (interesting that belly was apparently a risque word in 1933 - maybe its bc the lyric is innuendo-ing about out of wedlock pregnancies - and that panties was a term for men’s underthings!); a favorite fred & ginger number

Ginger Rogers could do everything! She could sing, dance and act. She was hilarious in comedies, moving in dramatic roles (she won an Oscar for Kitty Foyle in 1940) and absolutely gorgeous!

Listen, no shade to Fred Astaire at all, but she both kept up with him step for step and then later went on to WIN AN OSCAR FOR ACTING. (which he did not.) truly a double threat!!!

One of the best dancers in Hollywood! Her work with Fred Astaire is just incredible.

ONE LINE: "Everything Fred did, Ginger did backwards and in heels" AND THEYRE RIGHT! Rogers was a total dance badass, and a lot of movie buffs know the story, but the Never Gonna Dance number from Swing Time took almost 50 takes, and allegedly by the end of filming it her white shoes had been stained pink because her feet were bleeding. As a note, she looks crazy gorgeous in this number. Watching these two dance is insane. They match up to each other in a way my mom describes as "divine" and she's right. DANCE NUMBERS!

Let's Call The Whole Thing Off (Shall We Dance, 1937, dancing starts at 3:14, they're in ROLLERSKATES)

(Ginger Rogers is the hottest woman ever to live in this number. seeing this as a teenager altered my brain chemistry)

(also watch her feet and how she moves opposite Astaire in this one. We all know our boy Freddie had that precision demon but jesus christ Miss Rogers, let a girl live!)

Pick Yourself Up, Swing Time 1936 (Everyone's seen this one but by god you are going to see it AGAIN!)

Shall We Dance, 1937 (duet begins at 2:34)

Smoke Gets In Your Eyes, Roberta 1935 (There's just something about Ginger Rogers in a slick black dress man)

The Continental, The Gay Divorcee 1934

God she's MAGIC in this one.

Gay Divorcee's Ending Montage 1934

The infamous table and chairs spin happens at about 0:49. Pay CLOSE attention to her in this bc it looks like witchcraft and I feel lightheaded whenever I watch this movie bc shes THAT awesome.

She is a miracle to watch. Sorry for the sheer amount of clips. My entire family is like madly in love with Ginger Rogers.

[specialagentblogger]

Chain of Influence from Alexa Chung's IT: Heathers and Beetlejuice

Alexa Chung used to be a British TV host, model, and the IT girl of the 2010s. Ballet flats, hot pants, cashmere cardigans, and statement sunglasses made her a modern fashion icon. During a time when skinny jeans, neon accessories, and flower crowns were a thing, the IT girl stood out with ahead-of-her-time style choices. She definitely was one of the first well-known women that I sourced my creative inspiration from.

"IT"

In 2013, Alexa released her debut book IT, featuring her drawings, style influences from film and music and witty advice. This pastel pink, 'cultural reset' of a book, catered to young, aspiring "It" girls and wannabe Vogue Editors. Despite receiving critiques akin to a "wasted opportunity", IT marked the sweet beginning of character development for my 13-year-old self. The book led me on a transformative journey, unveiling my taste in music, film, and fashion - a chain of influence, if you will.

HEATHERS (1988)

One of the films that started my endless love for cinema and marked the chain of influence, was Heathers (1988) - directed by Michael Lehmann and written by Daniel Waters. A satirical and macabre cult classic about a high school, where obnoxious jocks rule and the mean girls are all called Heather - until Veronica (Winona Ryder) and her mysterious boyfriend (Christian Slater) plot to exterminate every bully. Pair a cinematic legend (our girl Wino) with a sexy hunk that is Christian Slater, and you have yourself an 80s classic. Watching this film when you’re 14 years old, in your secret world (my room) on a mini laptop was a transformative experience. In a sense that, in that moment, I fully understood the magic that cinema held, and all I knew was that I wanted more. My eyes could not get enough of the cinematography, the costumes and the beautiful young actors - all while the haunting Syd Straw’s voice sang Que Sera, Sera (strongly advisable to put this song on while reading this post). 

The film itself tells a classic tale of relational agression between high school girls. In the words of Lyn Mikel Brown, or her book of the same name - Girlfighting (2003), the author argues that for quite some time, soap-operas, films, and reality TV had only focused on women who are in competition with one another. Heathers falls right into that category. Its main focus is Veronica Sawyer (Winona Ryder) - one of the Heathers clique, who finally gets tired of being an accomplice to other school kids’ misery. She has this line in the film: “I don’t really like my friends. It is like they are people I work with and our job is being popular”. It is the moment where Veronica foreshadows her involvement in the downfall of her mean friends. The irony of the twist is as absurd as it gets - a kind-hearted girl hates to see mean girls bullying everyone, so she turns to murder to end the meanness altogether.

COSTUMES

Iconic, voluminous hair, fitted checkered jackets with shoulder pads, midi grandma skirts, coloured stockings and none other, than bitchy attitudes! Every shot of Heathers is filled with endless outfit inspiration, curated by Rudy Dillon. Oh, how fun would it have been to dress like that in high school. I love how this kind of fashion evokes a nostalgic longing for a time before I was even born. From then on out, you could not catch me leaving a vintage clothing store without an 80's padded jacket.

Guessing who I went as for Halloween in 2014 would be easy. I put my grey skirt on, borrowed my grandpa’s ashy blue t-shirt, covered my face in fake blood and bought a paper cigar from Tiger. It was magical. I walked around saying “What’s your damage, Heather?” - sadly, no one understood the reference back then and I ended up really scaring my mum. I might have been better at Maths, had I not been rewatching Heathers every other evening. However, no regrets. 2 + 2 is still 4, forever till the end of time. 

Beetlejuice (1988)

IT's chain of influence continued naturally when I decided to explore Winona’s earlier work. The first one that came to mind was Winona’s breakthrough film 'Beetlejuice' (1988), crafted by the extravagant auteur Tim Burton, who is renowned for the gothic and fantastical settings in his work. The contrast-heavy cinematography in Burton’s mise-en-scène is highly influenced by German Expressionism, an art movement that emerged in Germany in the early 20th century. The most predominant aspects of this movement include distorted sets, angular or weirdly-shaped architecture, and a dark, frightening atmosphere.

The film tells the story of a recently deceased couple (Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin), who start haunting their own home after a new family moves in. In an attempt to scare away the living occupants, the couple summons a mischievous spirit named Betelgeuse (Michael Keaton) by saying his name three times. The narrative takes an intriguing turn with the introduction of Winona Ryder's character, Lydia, who, along with her parents (Catherine O’Hara and Jeffrey Jones), becomes entangled with the supernatural world. Winona Ryder delivers a captivating performance as Lydia, portraying a goth teenage girl with the ability to see the dead.

CINEMATOGRAPHY

Cinematographer Thomas E. Ackerman fully realised Burton’s ominous vision for the film. Every single shot is like a surrealist painting - a true feast for the eyes. Even if one does not find the film’s plot appealing, the visual aesthetic will still definitely satisfy one’s artistic hunger. Ackerman's attention to detail and use of lighting contribute to the film's haunting atmosphere, making it a visual masterpiece.

Beetlejuice vs. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari

As mentioned previously, the influence of German Expressionism is evident in Burton’s work, and in my opinion, especially in Beetlejuice. The film has striking visual similarities to, arguably, one of the first horror films, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920), directed by Robert Wiene. The film follows a somnambulist who makes horrifying predictions of future events. I watched it during my first year of film studies, and I have to say, I was utterly spellbound. The fact that a film without any sound can be that spine-chilling, still blows my mind.

The distorted corridor in Beetlejuice mirrors the endless, distorted corridor in The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. It evokes a sense of claustrophobia, almost like an optical illusion. The surrealist, angular structure of the Caligari corridor seamlessly fits into Beetlejuice, capturing the dreamlike, or rather nightmarish atmosphere.

In the following comparison shots, we can even identify a door with a diagonal line in Burton’s still, and the exact same shaped detail (window/door) on the house in Wiene’s still. Furthermore, there is a black silhouette of a man in the background, seemingly holding a broom in Burton’s shot. Similarly, in Caligari’s shot, there is a man wearing black, holding what appears to be a cane.

The following two shots sparked an 'aha' moment for me. In one, the green light and the appearance of a dead bride with a tulle veil emerge from the darkness. In another, there is a muted green light covering the room, and a girl sleeps in a white nightgown, reminiscent of a wedding dress, on a bed adorned with tulle sheets.

THE DINNER

There's a campy (and even a bit meta) dinner scene in Beetlejuice, making it one of the most standout moments in cinema to date. It features Lydia, her parents, and their friends. In an attempt to scare them into leaving, the deceased couple (the Maitlands) and Betelgeuse possess the guests. One by one, they start moving involuntarily and start to sing Harry Belafonte’s 'Day-O (The Banana Boat Song),' in his distinctive voice. I truly love this artistic decision because it cleverly uses dark humour and absurdity to dilute the frightening topic of spirits and afterlife.

As I reflect on this chain of influence, I think of it as the epitome of 'one thing led to another.' I love that I could delve into Winona Ryder's creative universe and discover life-altering cinematic classics as a young girl. This, however, is just one of the many discoveries I made as a 13-year-old reading Alexa's book. More is yet to come...

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Beetlejuice