#should i go ~controversial and add 'may december' (2023)

[warningsine]

Good post op.

For those interested, here are some such films to know herstory:

"Mädchen in Uniform" (1931)

"Anna and Elizabeth" (1933)

"All about Eve" (1950)

"Olivia" (1951)

"Mädchen in Uniform" (1951), dir. Géza von Radványi

"Girls in Uniform" (1951), dir. Alfredo B. Crevenna

"No Exit" (1954)

"The Girl with the Golden Eyes" (1961)

"Walk on the Wild Side" (1962)

"The Nun" (1966)

"Persona" (1966) (yes, I'm including it)

"Belle de Jour" (1967)

"Les Biches" (1968)

"The Killing of Sister George" (1968)

"Baby Love" (1969)"

"The Exquisite Cadaver" (1969)

"The Vampire Lovers" (1970)

"Daughters of Darkness" (1971)

"The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant" (1972)

"The Beguines" (1972)

"Successive Slidings of Pleasure" (1974)

"Twice a Woman" (1979)

"Desert Hearts" (1985)

"I’ve Heard the Mermaids Singing" (1987)

"Betty" (1992)

"Les Voleurs" (1996)

"8 Women" (2002)

"Nathalie…" (2003)

"Night Fangs" (2005)

"Backstage" (2005)

"Pretty Persuasion" (2005)

"Loving Annabelle" (2006)

"The Page Turner" (2006)

"Notes on a Scandal" (2006)

"Bandaged" (2009)

"Chloe" (2009), American remake of "Nathalie…"

"Cracks" (2009)

"Gigola" (2010)

"Bloomington" (2010)

"A Perfect Ending" (2012)

"Concussion" (2013)

"Nymphomaniac: Vol. II" (2013) (going controversial with this one)

"Tru Love" (2013)

"Clouds of Sils Maria" (2014)

"Sand Dollars" (2014)

"The Duke of Burgundy" (2014)

"Unexpected" (2014)

"4.48" (2014)

"Carol" (2015)

"Freeheld" (2015)

"Summertime" (2015)

"AWOL" (2016), dir. Deb Shoval

"Bird of Prey" (2016)

"Foreign Body" (2016)

"Allure" (2017)

"Atomic Blonde" (2017)

"Daphne du Maurier: In Rebecca’s Footsteps" (2017)

"The Party" (2017)

"You, Me and Him" (2017)

"Lizzie" (2018)

"The Favourite" (2018)

"Suspiria" (2018)

"The Bisexual" (2018)

"Clementine" (2019)

"Greta" (2019) (anon's* choice ❤️)

"Saint Maud" (2019)

"Ammonite" (2020)

"I Care a Lot" (2020)

"T11 Incomplete" (2020)

"Take Me Home" (2020)

"Parallel Mothers" (2021)

"Vigil" (2021)

"Benedetta" (2021)

"Anaïs in love" (2021)

"Eileen" (2023)

"May December" (2023)

Some of them are subtextual, some of them explicit, some--to use Tumblr's favorite word--problematique, some do not revolve around romance, some are cinematic masterpieces, some utter trash.

*Edit:

Ok, I laughed out loud, but on second thought? #valid

[doomsayings]

my list of favorite movies I watched for the first time this 2024! honestly lots of solid watches this year. Ken Russel remains up there for me…

my thoughts/reviews under the cut!

Cemetery Man (1994)

Honestly my top watch of the year! Literally in the first 60 seconds I already knew it was going to be my fave movie of the year. There’s a certain style about it, a certain camp that is exactly what I look for in my horror movies (consider my favorite watch last year: lair of the white worm) and I could see immediately it was going in that direction. Though it even exceeded my expectations in that! While being a good slapstick horror comedy, it has a lush gothic atmosphere and romance that it approaches very earnestly…. All romantic leads should be crypt keepers! Tbh!

All About Eve (1950)

Believe it or not first movie I ever watched in theatres by myself despite my big age! I chose this over East of Eden which I will have to get to next year, but I don’t regret it. Made me fall in love w/ Bette Davis, who I already loved, like one million times over. Genuinely kept me on the edge of my seat and moved me with how generous and loving it is of its lead. Watching in an empty theatre with only like a group of three gay guys who kept going “oh my god I LOOOVEE bette” felt very fitting…

Amadeus (1984)

Shockingly perfect movie. Absolutely no notes. I had no idea this centered around toxic gay rpf plot when I watched but I was absolutely enthralled for all 160 minutes of the run time. Salieri underrated guy of all time

The Lion in Winter (1968)

Another shockingly perfect movie that I would struggle to add any notes to. Probably best dialogue in a movie ever? Also phenomenal acting by literally everyone in it. A Christmas movie for the ages…

Conclave (2024)

It’s very rare that an actual new release makes my favorites of the year list, but wow I really adored this one. There is such an optimism and real, true belief at the center of this that I found very moving and even devastating as a recovering catholic… aside from being just a precise well-crafted movie. No line is wasted, every shot is beautiful.

Mikey and Nicky (1976)

Probably my second top fave of the year…I fell head over heels in love with it when I watched and told my sister to watch it…she said within the first 40 minutes that she looked up to see if the director was a woman because no man can be that self aware about masculinity WHICH. Pretty much sums up how I feel about it. Has such an insight about the human experience and relationships and shame and guilt it’s almost uncomfortable to watch but… I love it

Ghostwatch (1992)

Took me a very long time to get to despite the fact that I am a known found footage aficionado… it’s easy to imagine why this would have been such a scandal, and I’m glad I saw it before late night with the devil! They make a good double feature

Dante’s Inferno (1967) + The Devils (1971)

To be honest, it’s probably overkill to have two Ken Russel movies with the same actor on this list but I couldn’t decide which one to keep.. The Devils is clearly the masterwork here, is iconic for a reason but I adored the poetry of Dante. Lush and romantic as befitting a movie about the pre-raphaelites…

the haunting (1963)

Far from a perfect adaptation, but so much better than the mike flanagan one I can’t help but be preferential. Still has the ambiance and tension I expect, and great casting. This is my Eleanor….

Nagina (1986)

Spiritually related to my love of lair of the white worm, and the trope of the snake woman my new beloved… also this year has been my first foray into Indian cinema since my girlfriend is a noted Bollywood enjoyer

May December (2023)

I was conflicted whether or not to include this one, it seemed the reception to it was controversial and I watched it randomly on plane while not knowing anything about the premise but it actually kind of blew me away. I was enthralled and upset the entire movie, and all three lead performances were incredible. I think it’s an interesting approach to the topic, considering we are in an era or true crime/ biopics happening while everyone is still alive and relevant. Definitely under explored topic and it left me thinking about it for a long time