#willem dafoe was my favourite character

[sparrowstarsandsorrow]

The duality of Paul Smecker

He's A-Okay doing it with a man but draws the line at cuddling.

[greenmenace]

Fun fact years ago when I was probably eight and watched this movie for the first time, I NEVER RECOVERED FROM WATCHING THAT FINAL BATTLE.

[depoteka]

i have indescribable beef with cronenberg's crash. and unfortunately girlies on tumblr love it so i am forced to see those normal looking people cosplay being fucked up on my dash on the daily

[oberveroftheinfinite]

We watched Wes Anderson’s “The Grand Budapest Hotel” in my film studies class (one of my personal favourite films). Every time I see Willem Dafoe’s character (Jopling) on screen, my need for his cool-ass coat increases significantly.

So to compensate, I decided to draw our man Alastor in it! Lucifer and some weird TV man seem to thoroughly enjoy the look too.

But in all seriousness I want that coat SO BAD.

[artielovesfilm]

Nosferatu Review

Nosferatu is a film that explores Victorian ideas concerning purity through one of its victims; a woman who suffered from manipulation from a monster from a young age, whose sexuality is irreparably linked to him, and who controls her own opinion of herself from a world away. The monster, the ‘Nosferatu’, is the villainy of man, one that would convince a child that her desire for closeness and affection warranted her abuse. Ellen is convinced that her sexual desire is the work of sin when, in actuality, it is normal and natural, yet due to the influence of the church’s values and a patriarchal society that seeks to keep women hidden and stagnant until a man decides he wants her. That is the real tragedy of Ellen’s character, beyond the circumstances of her death and a life lived in fear; a child was convinced that having desires made her wrong, and, therefore, warranted her suffering. Nosferatu is the vampiric nature of men, personified in a gothic monster.

Nosferatu’s murder of two young girls stuck out to me. Personally, I believe it completed Ellen’s characterisation by offering a hard truth; she would not be believed or sympathised with until she was killed. Those children spent the entire film lamenting their fear, just as Ellen did, but it wasn’t until Orlok had killed them that the audience thought twice about it. Ellen’s fear, her visions, her fits, were never taken seriously until a male character (Thomas) encountered Orlok. The scene in which we see Thomas’ blood being drunk was intentionally sexual, and his expression of fear as he was approached made it feel violating to even watch. Then, he experiences Ellen’s reality, for a short while; unable to convince others around him of what he encountered, such as Friedrich, though his experience differs due to the fact that he is able to act against the monster that violated him. Ellen never escapes it, and ends up dead and half undressed in the arms of the man that tortured her for her entire life. This serves as a message about sexual abuse, one with no happy conclusion.

This was the first film where I truly felt anything about Nicholas Hoult’s acting, and I thought he was phenomenal. He truly set the tone for this movie with his initial meeting with the count. As we don’t see Count Orlok clearly throughout the scene, we rely on Hoult’s expression, through which he delivers such visceral terror that it shook me. Thomas Hutter’s devotion to his wife and all he felt for her was clear throughout the film; he feared for her, sought to heal her, and would have given his life to free her of Nosferatu, no matter how fearful he was. I thought his performance stood out, and it was my personal favourite.

Lily-Rose Depp’s dedication to this role was phenomenal. Her fits were frightening to watch, and the melancholy nature of her character was visible in her every emotion. Her desperation to be understood was tragic beyond belief, and her fruitless search for a happy ending left such an impression upon me. Other performances I really enjoyed were Bill Skarsgård, who I didn’t even realise played Count Orlok until the credits due to how incredibly he embodied him, Willem Dafoe and Aaron Taylor-Johnson.

I love the sound design within this film. Even through the breaths of the characters, you could read the film’s message; sexual or pained or terrified, all utilised to give the scene the tension it required. The audio was what made this film a horror, beyond anything we saw. It was used to perfectly capture the feelings of the characters, and in a manner that left me breathless. Additionally, the use of black and white throughout added to the gothic vibe of the film, outside of the setting and costuming. I loved that Ellen’s nightmares and her scenes with Orlok were so often in black and white; it gave her melancholy, her trauma, a physicality, and in a way validated it.

Overall, I loved Nosferatu. It explored childhood trauma, sexual abuse and the villainy of purity culture through a fictional monster, and through his victim, who found no respite from his torture. Personally, one of my biggest pet peeves is the fact that this film is reduced to a ‘monsterfucker’ movie; there is intent in Orlok’s repulsiveness, and Ellen was not attracted to him. He dominated her desire for pleasure by linking it to her trauma, which she was then deemed blasphemous for, and ruined her self opinion and made her feel hopeless until she gave in. It undermines the film’s death for the audience’s own desire, which I can’t stand when its intent is for you to feel uncomfortable at every sexually charged scene. I wouldn’t have though it would be so impossible for people to understand that, but oh well.

Also, I’m a sucker for a gothic horror – no pun intended.

[bl00dline]

my take on nosferatu (2024) as someone who loves silent movies, 19th century history, and gothic horror-- a highly informal and adhd-fuelled review

i finally got around to watching nosferatu in theatres the other day, and needless to say i was VERY excited. i have many many MANY thoughts on this movie, so here's a bit of verbal vomiting as to what i thought about it! all of my thoughts surrounding major spoilers will be under the cut

so overall, WOWWOWOWOWOW. i think the original movie has ABSOLITELY been done justice. while there is something that bothers me about this adaptation (which i'll get to later), this movie was easily a 5/5 for me.

the main thing that made me love this movie is the AESTHETIC. this movie is absolutely STUNNING. the colours and sets make this movie so immersive and i swear to god i was SALIVATING over the 19th century gothic aesthetic. like if you look inside my brain it probably looks like this

now i am fucking insufferable when it comes to historical accuracy with 19th century costumes, but clearly the people involved with this movie DID THEIR RESEARCH. the silhouettes were right, the hair was perfect, the attention to detail was amazing, and what shocked me the most was the accuracy of the undergarments, especially the corset and split drawers! there were only a couple very minor errors, which i think can be forgiven considering how generally accurate the costumes were.

these genuinely make me want to sew an 1830s outfit :') but anyways yeah the costumes made the movie even more immersive.

i love how ellen was portrayed, too. i'm very likely projecting because i've loved her character for a while now, but i thought that her relationship with count orlok was a great metaphor for mental illness. her recurring visions/trances really reminded me of the recurring nature of illnesses like depression and anxiety and how inescapable it feels. her line about not feeling human was a huge mood too, and yeah as someone who's neurodivergent i could definitely see myself in her. but again, maybe i'm projecting because i think she's a great character and i dressed as her for halloween in 2019 (which, weirdly enough, is exactly when i first started having significant issues with my mental health. is this some sort of omen should i be concerned)

in spite of this, though, my favourite character wasn't even ellen-- it was professor von franz, played by the national treasure that is willem dafoe. i very well could be biased because i knew beforehand that willem loved being on set with the rats, but i thought that von franz was such a sweet character, especially with all of his cats and having cat treats in his pocket <33 (now that i think about it, that in itself is a DAMN GOOD metaphor too)

but here's the major issue i had with the movie-- count orlok himself. yes, i am another moustache hater. while i can appreciate that robert eggers wanted orlok to be more of a folk vampire by being an old romanian count, to me the vampire just wasn't count orlok. maybe i'm too attached to the original movie, but in my eyes nosferatu is a tall, lanky, ratty looking gremlin, and the more monstrous, corpse-like orlok in 2024 just isn’t nosferatu to me. while his grotesque look definitely made the movie more visceral and disturbing, i really wish he had looked more like all of the other nosferatu adaptations. having said that, though, it was definitely interesting to see a folk vampire in a movie rather than the typical byronic vampire!

anyways i have one last thing to talk about which is very spoilery so i'll put my summary here. overall this movie was just as disturbing as i had hoped, and though some parts DEFINITELY grossed me out i think it really did the original justice. this movie is absolutely not for everyone because it's undoubtedly WEIRD, but i think that if you can handle disturbing content and love gothic horror or 19th century history and aesthetics then you'd love this! i think this adaptation would have made f.w. murnau proud.

anyways, thank you to my friend @nefarious-nightjar for going to see it with me!! 🖤🖤🖤

spoiler time spoiler time spoiler time

so yeah aside from being for the gothic horror bitches and the art hoes this movie was VERY MUCH for the monster fuckers. now i love me a good byronic vampire and it would be SUCH A SHAME if one bit me, but as someone who isn't a monster fucker this nosferatu made me VERY UNCOMFORTABLE-- not in a way that made me dislike the movie, but sometimes i was like. ( ͡ಥ ͜ʖ ͡ಥ)

not complaining that i was uncomfortable though because that’s really what you want in horror! but yeah i’d be a liar if i said the movie didn’t gross me out a bit

but the big spoilery thing i wanted to talk about was the FINAL SHOT.

OUGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

this is VERY death and the maiden and it reminded me so much of artistic representations i've seen of that trope. i was hoping orlok would do the dramatic ass pose and burn like he did in the original, but this final shot is just 😫😫😫😫🤌🏻🤌🏻🤌🏻🤌🏻🤌🏻🤌🏻

this is what i meant when i said it’s for the art hoes! i definitely think eggers took inspiration from things like this.

but anyways that’s all, i loved this movie and it really needs a rewatch. thank you for putting up with my ramble 🙏🏻

[volterran-wine]

got any thoughts on the newest Nosferatu?

𝐌𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐍𝐨𝐬𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐮 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒

I love that you simply assumed I had watched this movie dear Anonymous, I take it as a compliment. Sorry for taking a little while to get to this, for the movie was not out until last night for Norway.

I was of course at the first screening in my town with 10 other people filling the theatre. Without going into details; I loved it. Eggers is now four for four when it comes to his work in my eyes, this one might become a favourite for many Eggers fans to say the least.

But you asked for thoughts;

So, below is a mini Review/Rambling about Nosferatu by Robert Eggers, with SPOILERS.

TW for mentions of SA and CA.

Where to even begin.

First I would like to say I am so glad this is not a 'sexy vampire' movie, at all. I was hoping for that gut-wrenching, folkloric horror that these creatures are supposed to be.

Usually I would make a list of pro's and con's for just about any media I consume, but for this one I just cannot do that. The only complaint I have is the fact that my theatre was so empty yesterday it was terribly cold and the Dolby Atmos System was a little too loud with too few bodies to ricochet of off.

I think I will have to do this in sections.

𝐀 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐫 & 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐤𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐞

At one point I attempted to keep track of how many classic horror moments that were being introduced in the movie―I soon lost count because Eggers somehow managed to make every single one of them work so well. You can tell the man simply loves his job. From the attention to folklore, to historical accuracies and homages to classic horror cinema, you will find all of it in this movie.

𝐂𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐡𝐲

Another part of the movie that is so dedicated to blending beautifully done modern shots with ones that clearly is lifted out of the dreamlike sets from older Hollywood movies. It is a visual delight for the eyes. Combined with the wonderful styling and costuming of the characters, it easily becomes a highlight alone.

If the movie had been terrible I would have said the look of the movie was beautiful enough to overlook it.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬

I have had my doubts about Miss. Depp a couple of times, but I have not seen possession scenes like that in a good while. Hereditary comes to mind, and that is a compliment. Hoult plays being a husband being politely terrified so well I want to cast him in all my Gothic fantasies from now on.

Also, Willem Dafoe laughs maniacally while setting fire to an old house, raving about alchemy and the course of life and death while a thousand rats are his co-starts.

How can it get better than that?

Kudos to Emma Corrin and Aaron Taylor-Johnson for being outstanding side characters I felt so terribly bad for.

𝐇𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐇𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐲 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞

The fact that they worked with scholars and linguists to help reconstruct and invoke the long dead Dacian language for this movie makes me want to cry.

I have also seen people of Romania being quite pleased about the attention to detail when it comes to their culture and history. Seeing as though I am no expert on that topic, I will leave that to them to gush about. I am simply glad Eggers is giving 150% effort on this movie.

When 'Strigoi' was mentioned I quietly cheered though.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐯𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐦, 𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 & 𝐚𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐞

We all know that Vampires and the act of drawing blood is a sexual metaphor―it has been that way for centuries. Vampire media is inherently about the desire for the forbidden and dark we are supposed to reject.

Nosferatu draws on those topics, but it frames it through a lens of what abuse does to person when it is experienced at a young age. The story of this movie is just as much about rape and what it does to a person. It follows you as a shadow, and you never quite know when the next bout of abuse can happen. The movie portrays the terror and guilt someone can harbour, and how it in turn can effect you for a long time after the fact...

There are sadly many real life Count Orlok's.

The movie shows how this is an ugly thing, the fact that pleasure and abuse can exist in tandem and there is not such thing as the perfect victim. Nosferatu tells the story of how frightening and freeing it can be to drag the darkest pits of abuse into the light.

It is the only way to kill it.

𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬

Please go see Nosferatu.

(I will recommend looking up a tigger warning list due to the nature of the movie. There is a fair amount of gore and body horror + themes that may be triggering,)

[agentnico]

Poor Things (2023) review

Yorgos Lanthimos may be the new Quentin Tarantino when it comes to feet fetishes in cinema, as there are so many Emma Stone feet shots in this movie… so many. Also, her little toe is oddly square shaped, just saying.

Plot: An incredible tale and fantastical evolution of Bella Baxter (Emma Stone), a young woman brought back to life by the brilliant and unorthodox scientist Dr. Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe). Under Baxter's protection, Bella is eager to learn. Hungry for the worldliness she is lacking, Bella runs off with Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo), a slick and debauched lawyer, on a whirlwind adventure across the continents. Free from the prejudices of her times, Bella grows steadfast in her purpose to stand for equality and liberation.

At first I was very much a fan of director Yorgos Lanthimos’ directing style, with him managing to take any event or piece of dialogue and turn it into deadpan awkwardness. As such, his indie films The Lobster and The Killing of a Sacred Deer both are great examples of entertaining postmodern cinema with each one featuring a dystopian visual style. That being said, his last film The Favourite, even though it was a hit with the critics and the award ceremonies, for me did not hit the same. It felt much more reserved compared to the director’s previous efforts, and his usual weird style just came off crude and the humour for me personally did not land. Nicholas Hoult was a hoot though, but when isn’t he! Anyway, going into Poor Things I was hoping for more of the original magic which I’ve seen from Lanthimos in his earlier works, and the trailers with their vibrant visuals really sparked my interest, so I went in with high hopes.

So in terms of the visuals, Poor Things may just feature some of the best and most imaginative sets of any movie of 2023. Starting off the first part in black-and-white, very reminiscent of the old Universal monster flicks, but then 30 minutes in transforming into a technicolour dream world with colours popping Wizard of Oz-style, with every shot reminiscent of a vivid painting, with the use of the fisheye lends to create a somewhat watercolour effect to the backgrounds. The movie looks and feels artificial, which connected well with the narrative of this Frankenstein’s monster type woman learning and discovering everything with a brain that’s both her’s and not. Oh, and she happens to also wear rainbow glasses, so I can only imagine how much more stranger the world must look through her eyes.

The film’s biggest asset is its acting. Emma Stone is phenomenal as she has to play a grown woman with the brain of a baby, and then show us that woman growing into her brain (or maybe show us the baby growing into the woman?) over the course of the film. She really does throw herself into the role and it’s the type of role that awards shows will delightfully seek their teeth into. Willem Dafoe as the maker of Bella felt like a character that walked straight off a David Lynch fantasy, from the prosthetic make-up to his performance as the mad scientist that falls for his creation. But the real stand out here is Mark Ruffalo who simply is on another level. Playing the slimy player who only sees women through the male gaze, and attempts to take advantage of Bella’s naive outlook life for his own physical pleasure, it’s the kind of character you are supposed to despise, but gosh did I love everything Ruffalo was doing in this film. He was truly hilarious with every piece of his line delivery successfully painting the pathetic nature of his foolish character. Most critics will be showering Emma Stone with praise and deservingly so, however I believe Mark Ruffalo should not be overlooked and may be the actual MVP of the whole movie.

Narrative wise this is a fun feminist spin on the Frankenstein formula, that is a loud and proud shout to female autonomy for those who may have found Barbie a bit too cheesy and perky, yet I do find the movie to be overly cynical against its own good. It's like Lanthimos approached the film in the same way the mad scientist played by Willem Dafoe in the movie approaches his medical experiments -- with a cool eye and a lot of curiosity, but very little heart. And for the bubbly and big eyed Bella that is full of life and excitement, the film she’s in is the polar opposite. Look, I admired the film for what it was, but the romantic within me wanted a bit more of the, as the French would say, ‘amour’. Also there was just too much sex for my viewing pleasure. Again, I don’t mind a lil’ hanky-panky in my films, but when I’m sat in a dark theatre surrounded by many perverts with 90% of what I’m watching being humans doing the thrusting and the throbbing, it is a tad uncomfortable. You can also imagine what my fiancée thought when I told her afterward about the movie’s heavily erotic side.

Poor Things is very much a film that screams the director’s unique and distinct style and I truly respect it for that, however I personally feel like its not my cup of tea as it was a bit too cold for my liking. There wasn’t really a character I could connect or sympathise with, and even though Mark Ruffalo is funny as hell, his character is a piece of scum and a half. Again, kudos to the whole production team and cast for a great niche slice of art house cinema, but it’s too creepy for my liking.

Overall score: 7/10

[land-sh]

tag game

favourite: movie, hobby, animal, character, color, place, season, album, food

thanks for the tag @liptonwashere :D

fav movie: The Boondock Saints. Can't even start with the million reasons why I love this Cult movie. Young Norman Reedus and gay Willem Dafoe are two (?)

fav hobby: writing, writing poems, writing fanfics, writing my secrets and sorrows (?) And reading.

fav animal: fox

fav color: burgundy

fav place: My hometown beach, I only miss a little bit the place I grew up.

fav season: fall, best season evar!

fav álbum: Spinning the truth around (Part I) - Blue October

fav food: sea food.

fav character: nooooo, so unfair to pick only one. OMG! Cannot Ok, is Auguste Dupin - Edgar Poe's character detective.

tagging mutuals, cuz I have no friends here (?): @ewipandora @softly-writes @conduitstreetcat @marroquinart

[bitter69uk]

Recently watched: Poor Things (2023). Think of it as The Bride of Frankenstein meets My Fair Lady. I recommend it but with caveats as this film is ultra-divisive! I found Poor Things lively and intriguing, but my boyfriend Pal’s immediate response as the end credits rolled was, “I hated it!” The distinctive off-kilter vision of Greek filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos is one you either like or you don’t. (You require a high tolerance for fisheye lenses, plinky-plonky discordant music and CGI sunsets. Pal loathed Lanthimos’ earlier film The Favourite (2018) too, so I was surprised he was keen to see Poor Things). Anyway, Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian gave Poor Things five out of five stars and called it a “toweringly bizarre epic … a steampunk-retrofuturist Victorian freakout and macabre black-comic horror” and I thought it was bold, sweeping storytelling. The performances of Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe and Mark Ruffalo are justifiably receiving acclaim, but the supporting cast is exceptionally noteworthy: British character actress Vicky Pepperdine as the appropriately named housekeeper Mrs. Prim (I love her appalled delivery of the line, “She grabbed my hairy business!”); still-glamorous 80-year-old former R W Fassbinder muse Hanna Schygulla as a sybaritic cruise passenger; stage actress Kathryn Hunter as Swiney, the reptilian and ornately tattooed madam of a Parisian brothel and even avant-garde British chanteuse Keeley Forsyth (the closest equivalent we have to a modern Nico) makes an impression in a blink-and-you-miss-it appearance as a maid.

[sparrowstarsandsorrow]

Tom Berenger, Arnold kopelson, and Willem Dafoe at 59th Academy Awards

This photo is a rarity, AND im so glad I found it it honestly. LOOK AT THEM, MAN

[namjhyun]

MOVIE REVIEW | Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

This film was never going to live up to the expectations of our collective childhood memories but it me and my friends laugh, and I think that still counts.

I found the sequel to be very entertaining as Burton decides to go deeper into the underworld, expanding the lore, and bringing back old characters while introducing new ones.

Winona Ryder, Jenna Ortega and Catherine O'Hara's chemistry is sizzling, funky and fun. These three women are the true stars of the show, particular O'Hara who is always a standout.

My favourite new character is definitely Wolf Jackson, played by Willem Dafoe. Every time he was on the screen it was pure magic. Same goes for Bob... if you know, you know. Another particular new character had an introduction that was outstanding and I wish we could have see more because, sadly, that storyline didn't go anywhere.

It was really fun to watch a film made completely of practical effects, as well.

For all of these, I have to say it was a very entertaining film and that I recommend it if you are in the mood of dwell into your millennial nostalgia.

That said. This movie also feels like Burton had a sudden idea vomit momentum and put every single one of them in the sequel. I have read interviews where he admits to never understanding what made the first Beetlejuice so successful and it shows. But I also admit, Burton is one of the few working in Hollywood whose films remain an entire original idea that he had, so there's value in his work for that.

However, although reduced to very few minutes of the film, one thing that bothered me to no end was the use of Jeffrey Jones' image. It was my understanding he was cut out entirely from the this production due to the crimes he committed in real life. But no. There it was his face, from time to time, making sure this man remains employed and payed. Casual moviegoers might not care or not know, but just in case you do care, know you know.

Rating: 6/10

[macks-mechas]

Today's review: Marvel Legends Deluxe No Way Home Green Goblin!

I may be a bit biased as the Green Goblin was always my favourite Spider-man villain, not to mention Willem Dafoe is my favourite incarnation of the character. But I think even with those aside this is a fantastic figure that is filled with detail, articulation and comes with all the accessories one could expect from the character and more!

Firstly I'll talk about the glider. Unlike the previous Marvel Legends Green Goblin (which I have since given away) this glider is much bigger and have way more articulate joints to it. Each wing features two pivot points, one of which is a ratchet joint, and the foot plates are fitted into their slots by pegs which both then peg into the bottom of the feet and have a foot latch as well. This allows the plates to rotate and rock side to side, allowing for some really nice poses when on the glider. It is, as can be seen, much bigger than the sky stick used by New Goblin in Spider-man 3.

The figure itself is absolutely covered in sculpted detail. The botched repairs to his armour have all been properly coloured and worn to show the haste of the patch job and the new weapons on his arms have been fully painted and don't hinder the figure's movements at all. The headsculpt is a striking likeness of Willem Dafoe, right down to the gap tooth.

Accessories are more than I expected for even a deluxe figure. The Goblin has his glider, a pumpkin bomb (the right size for once), the separating footplates, his goggles, an optional hood and an optional Green Goblin mask head (mine is very stiff and I have only managed to successfully get it on once, but given how hard it was to remove I opted not to try again).

The Green Goblin has some amazing articulation, although some joints are quite stiff. Much like my other Marvel Legends figures I found that the central torso ball joint was really tight and the same for at least one joint on each arm and leg. Although, as a plus, none of these are pin joints that will rust over time. I've been able to pull off most poses from the screenshots I had, even managing to stand the figure with Peter Parker wrapped around him punching his face. I would say that he would benefit from a foot rotation joint for the glider and butterfly joints in the shoulders, but otherwise the articulation is spot on.

I give Green Goblin 10/10 - I absolutely love this figure and it was definitely worth the Deluxe price point!

[skitskatdacat63]

Hello happy new year I have returned with new knowledge (watched nosferatu and remembered your ask so I’m here to rant) Spoilers of course

—————————————————————————————

I first want to point out the cinematography. The way the shots were put together felt so right to me and when I found out that they made the set I was taken aback. Like HOW?!!?! I love the aesthetic of the movie from the sets to the outfits (I kept staring at them in awe), now I understand the posts you were talking about. Then theres my favourite part of movies personally, the special effects which was done very well imo. The design for Nosferatu really threw me off which is a good thing (blame the mustache) but I loved the coat and hat he wore, I too would wear it. His character in general was very interesting to me as a force of nature which showed no signs of weakness along with his obsessive infatuation with Ellen.

I’m a sucker for tragedies so I did have a grin when Willem Dafoe explained how to break the curse and seeing the cast try to work against it. I didn’t expect to get that endeared to Thomas (I kept joking about his almost deaths in my head) but I did so seeing him at the end moved me. Lily Depp Rose did a phenomenal job, I felt so bad for her when she acted in The Idol so seeing her come alive here was amazing. Everyone else did their work seamlessly too shoutout the one scene where a pigeon’s head got bitten off, simon really sold it for me.

I think I could talk aimlessly about the movie, I’m glad my friend (who is an expert at all things dracula) came along with me for the ride. I’m pretty sure everything is out of order so hopefully you’ll see what I’m getting at.

— Penalanon (o/)

Happy New Year Penalanon!!!! So glad to hear that you liked it aaaah! I love that you have a Dracula expert friend, especially considering this version is honestly so much more similar to Dracula compared to what I remember the original Nosferatu being like tbh. I kept pointing out similarities. Though I feel like they really fleshed out the story, considering I remember the original to be pretty basic by today's standards. Though god, here's a funny story. In the original one, they have gothic text for the font, right? Which is kinda difficult sometimes to parse, so before this, I always called Thomas "Butter" because my mom and I couldn't NOT see "Hutter" as that instead haha. But my perception of him in this film was soooooo different, as you said, he was quite endearing!! I wish there had been more scenes of him at the castle, cause I found him soooo endearing and cute. i really liked all the characters tbh, and as I said, I can't even really remember anyone aside from Thomas and Nosferatu from the original one(then again, that was over 2 years ago now.) And his clothing of course was so captivating to me, honestly all of the historical elements felt so real. If not for the film quality and modern improvements, some of it really felt straight out of a German Expressionist film(ex. that shot where the shadow of his hand flies over the city.)

I think the cinematography was great overall, but the best shot was definitely the one where the carriage comes to a stop in front of Thomas, that was amazing!!! I felt like I was gonna get run over by the horses. As for Orlok's design, I guess I'm very endeared to his original design, but at the same time, I really appreciate the historical accuracy. It reminds me a lot of historical portraits, and also traditional hussars, which he's sorta reminiscent of. God though, he's so repulsive to me icl hdskjfls, but I guess that's the point! I also like the fact that feels like a force of nature, a feeling, rather than any sort of person, he really does feel like some ancient force! Like even when he first meets Thomas, there aren't really any airs of civility or humanity being put on, he feels like a force from the get-go, rather than a guy who starts to become more and more weird as the film goes on.

Also under the cut, my list of potential letterboxd commentary sdmsndfk:

[snootero]

Kinds of Kindness (2024)

9/10- 22.09.2024

Friends I have a lot to say about this one let’s gooo

Pt1

I instantly have no clue what is going on

Dude just told his wife she’d been given several abortions without her consent and then expected a hug like it was all chill???? The audacity of this man

Honestly good on her for leaving

Robert is psychotic and all women (especially Rita) should stay away from him

Okay maybe it’s Willem Dafoe who’s psychotic

Willem Dafoe

Pt2

If a police officer just started like touching my face I would literally punch him

Imagine inviting your friends round to watch porn involving your missing wife

Let’s normalise shooting Alwyn in the hand for literally no reason

I mean they both died yes?? And then he could live with her how he remembered her

Or am I just stupid idk

Willem Dafriend

Pt3

Emma Stone should always wear suits imo

Do they live in a cult? I really hope it’s a cult

Cult!!!!

Willem Dafoe really suits cult vibes

It’s giving *Midsommar* with the music and the vibes

He just always plays the creepiest characters like wtf??

Kidnapping a dog is a VIBE- hurting it less so

If I could heal creatures I’d probably be a vet too tbf

AS IF SHE FUCKED IT ON THE LAST HURDLE

Willem Dafreak

Overall

Yorgos Lanthimos has a really quirky art style and I’m here for it

WHO WAS GONNA WARN ME THAT JOE ALWYN WAS IN THIS MY WHOLE LIFE IS RUINED (this is not a TS thing I just do not like him)

I love Margaret Qualley and think that she should be cast in everything

I didn’t realise this was a triptych work and got very confused at the 50min mark

I just could never be the level of devoted that any of the characters in this movie are

The first feature is definitely my favourite but the third hits hard too (I’m just not about the cannibal life I’m sorry)

At least RMF got a happy ending ig

Casting the exact same cast for multiple movies is WILD but don’t fix what ain’t broke and all

Saw someone on Letterboxd say the Willem Dafoe thing for the different parts so I can’t take credit but it was funny so I stole it

[claygoestothemovies]

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Yorgos Lanthimos either works for you, or he doesn’t. I, for one, will always be there day one for a new Yorgos film, but I’m very curious how the audiences who really loved THE FAVOURITE and POOR THINGS will feel about his latest outing. KINDS OF KINDNESS is much more akin to DOGTOOTH Yorgos than his more recent fare, and that is a very different vibe.

KINDS OF KINDNESS is a trio of stories, each about an hour long, starring the same small cast (Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Willem Dafoe, and Margaret Qualley, among others) as different characters. Each of them about unhealthy relationships. One between a man and his partner who makes all of his choices for him, right down to who he married, until he orders something that is too much. Another about a missing wife who after being found, her husband starts to suspect she isn’t the woman he married. And last but not least, there’s one about a woman involved in a cult intent on finding a very special person.

The experience as a whole feels like Lanthimos is playing a joke on the audience. His films often can have that quality, but it feels especially true in this instance after lulling audiences into complacency by his more mainstream recent efforts. If I hadn’t seen DOGTOOTH, I would have felt slapped in the face. Part of me admires the audacity of a filmmaker so unafraid of alienating audiences, the other part of me just was wondering what the point of it all was and wishing the shorts were a bit shorter.

It’s hard to pin down exactly why it didn’t fully work for me. The acting on display is as excellent as you’d expect - Plemons and Stone are the standouts, and Qualley remains as magnetic as ever - and the pitch black comedy was extremely funny, but while I enjoyed it moment to moment, the full package left me wanting a palate cleanser afterwards to get the bad taste out of my mouth. Maybe that was the point.

KINDS OF KINDNESS is mean, nihilistic, and weird as hell. Your mileage may vary, and I’ll definitely need a second viewing to really process if I liked it or not. At any rate, it’s worth seeing for the ending alone. Never change, Yorgos.

3/5