The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - 7/10? Unfortunately can’t give quarter-points on Letterboxd so it’s officially a 4/5 from me on there super weird 1st half of the movie (aside from the Russia/Tilda Swinton section, a woman who is absolutely Not Plain), then everything with mostly-normal aged Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett was very very good to nearly perfect. really wonder how/why Fincher came to make this one though, but I assume my questions will be answered when I finally catch up on Blank Check
The only Fincher I haven't seen (aside from his new one). Been putting it off. The Art of Self-Defense - 7.5/10 Super strange movie! Dialogue is a little quirky for quirky's sake, but the movie looks so good, and I love this weird dark comedy/thriller hybrid vibe Stearns did with Faults and now this. Occasionally very funny. Worth watching!
Be Kind Rewind - 9.5/10 Starts as an impossibly charming buddy comedy and ends as a beautiful, unique fairy tale about the importance of seeing yourself and your community reflected in art. It still makes me emotional! Bad Influence - 7.5/10
At Midnight I’ll Take Your Soul (À Meia Noite Levarei Sua Alma) - 3/10 Have been interested in this for a while now as it's widely regarded to be Brazil's first horror film, but ended up being incredibly disappointed. Reddit atheist terrorizes town full of Catholic peasants before facing retribution from the vengeful ghosts of two of his victims. Onibaba (鬼婆) - 9/10 Sometimes you have to wear a mask just to get through the day, or to scare your daughter-in-law from sleeping with another man and leaving you to cope with the brutal consequences of a civil war all alone. But what happens when the mask won't come off, and you're just one step away from the abyss? Truly mesmerizing. Hush… Hush, Sweet Charlotte - 4/10 Starts promisingly, but struggles to maintain its initial intrigue. Bette Davis gives another fantastic performance, but even she couldn't stop this from being a bit of a slog.
Killers of the Flower Moon - 8.5/10 Five Nights at Freddy's - 5.5/10 I survived Five Nights of the Flower Moon.
Not technically a movie but I finally watched Over the Garden Wall after years of hearing great things and looooooooved it.
The Killer - 8/10, Fincher's House That Jack Built x Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer with utter contempt for the audience and the genre, what a treat, pleased to see it in the theater
Scary Movie 3 - 8.5/10 The sheriff's growing hat, "Tom, I'm gonna need a ride home," and Anthony Anderson cocking his shovel are three of the funniest jokes I've ever seen/heard in a movie.
Kwaidan (怪談) - 9/10 A stunning three-hour anthology film based on four different Japanese folk tales. Second only to Barry Lyndon in terms of films I've seen where every frame looks like it could be a painting. Absolutely breathtaking. Repulsion - 9/10 Tonally very similar to Rosemary's Baby, which isn't surprising given that they are both part of The Apartment trilogy. What is surprising, however, is that Roman Polanski, of all people, directed two of the most chilling and poignant films about predatory men and the long-lasting dread and paranoia they can inflict on their victims. Incredibly depressing to think about considering what he would later go on to do in his personal life. Seconds - 9/10 An antidote to every thought about running away. If you got a new face, a new name, and a new life, you would still be a fuck up unless you confronted your innermost demons. The pursuit of happiness is meaningless if you aren't addressing any of the underlying issues that caused you to be miserable in the first place. Loved every second(s) of this. Hour of the Wolf (Vargtimmen) - 8/10 A nightmarish exploration of an artist's descent into madness. Not my favorite Bergman film as it took a while to hit its stride, but the final 30 minutes or so were fantastic. Kuroneko (藪の中の黒猫) - 7/10 Two vengeful spirits make a deal with the devil for retribution. Felt a little bit too repetitive for a film that's only an hour and a half long, and wasn't as strong as the other Kaneto Shindô film I watched this month (Onibaba), but it still had a lot of great moments. Multiple Maniacs - 4/10 John Waters at his sleaziest and most depraved. Had a lot of fun with this, even though it dragged a bit in the middle.
Zucker is a dbag, but the man has comedy fundamentals. Even in a movie that stupid, there are just a lot of classic-style gags that work.
Dracula (1931) - 10/10, first time watch. Very very creepy. The close up shots were haunting. Renfield’s actor did a good job of playing crazy.