1) Conclave (2024) I meant to see this when it was in theaters and completely missed the window!!! I can't believe it took me so long to finally watch. As someone who was raised Catholic, this movie was an absolute marvel to me. I have never seen a piece of media so accurately capture the complexities and contradictions of the Catholic Church, and what it means to be flawed humans trying to run an organization that influences huge parts of the world.
2) The Living End (1992) Everything Gregg Araki touches is perfect, even if it isn't. I'm used to his casts having a few more important characters, but this one focused mostly on two men. That allowed them to have a lot more depth and development than some characters his other movies, which was really interesting. He has a talent for capturing the determination of queer people living on the edge of destruction, and I feel like his films touch a specific part of me that no other movies do.
3) Creep 2 (2017) I watched both of the Creep movies back-to-back with my friend last week & had a blast! They're made in a fun and impressively well-done found-footage style, and the titular Creep manages to be truly unnerving and manipulative, yet oddly sympathetic at times. I preferred Creep 2 because the plotline with Sara was more interesting to me, and I love her character. Very good horror-comedy.
4) Creep (2014) This is the first thing I've ever seen Mark Duplass in and he is such a good actor. He can switch from entertaining to sinister in a second, all while making it look like he's some real guy who's just being recorded.
Apr 1, 2025
Related Recs
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Titane (2021) — For car fetishists and David Cronenberg lovers and possibly no one else (and if you like it, also watch Crash!)
Tetsuo the Iron Man (1989) — Short and relentless little stop motion movie. I made the critical mistake of eating rice during my first watch (do not do this!!!)
Knife + Heart (2018) — neo-giallo + just so so good
Apr 18, 2024
It seems like everybody got into the Cremator over the past couple years. Understandably so. Easily one of my favourite films ever made. Looking for more I dove into the scene that spawned it.
The CzSk New Wave came about as a result of a period of political liberalisation in the country. Less government interference meant a greater level of auteurship. Following the Prague Spring this came to an end and many films were banned.
Sometimes overwhelming, full of colour and bizarre dreamlike narratives. Other times slow, plodding and weighted with intense political commentary. These films offer something that you‘d be hard pressed to find in another period of cinema. The kind of expressiveness that only comes from new-found liberation and the eye for technical detail that comes from years of rote reproduction under authoritarianism.
5 films to check out:
1 Something Different
2 The Joke
3 Fireman’s Ball
4 Case for a Rookie Hangman
5 Valerie and Her Week of Wonders
When coming up with a top 5 I had to revisit upon realising 4 out of 5 were directed by Jaromil Jireš. Managed to get it down to two, both of which (The Joke and Valerie Her Week of Wonders) are absolute essentials.
Also worthy of note, this was the environment in which Milos Forman cut his teeth.
Jan 17, 2024
Have you ever dreamt of a better version of yourself? 🧪✨
Coralie Fargeat’s ‘The Substance’ was my most anticipated movie of the year. It’s neon, horror, cerebral, has 80’s vibes, and a synth driven soundtrack. Everything I could want in a movie. This movie eviscerated my brain in the best way possible. I left the theater wondering what in the world did I just experience, but knew I wanted more.
The themes of this movie hit home for me as someone who deals with the pressure of unrealistic beauty standards.
Demi Moore gave her all to this movie and her performance blew me away. Margaret Qualley stole the scene every time she was on screen. Dennis Quaid plays a great sleaze ball. The actors understood the assignment.
That being said, if you’re not a body horror fan, this will be a tough watch. I was definitely squirming in my seat 😅 It also ran a wee bit long for me but do I want to see this again in a packed theatre? Yes.
The last movie that made me feel like this was Gaspar Noé’s Climax, and it does have a similar energy to it.
Overall, this movie was pure madness but utter genius and I highly recommend you go into this movie with as little knowledge as possible.
Sep 30, 2024
Top Recs from @gforce2001
I love doing collages, cuz all you really need are magazine cutouts and glue. There's a very low barrier to entry, skill-wise AND supply-wise, unlike painting. Digital collages are fun too, but I try to have less screentime by doing the paper ones. If I want to re-use pieces instead of gluing them down permanently, sometimes I'll just take a picture of the current arrangement to immortalize it, and then start over on a new composition. That way, I don't have to constantly buy new magazines to get new cutouts. This is one of my favorite ones I've done so far:
Aug 22, 2024
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This is the only thing that keeps me sane at work. It's so slow right now. If anyone is wondering why I've posted like 9 times today.
Mar 9, 2025
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i always get stuck choosing which stuff to watch/read/get into next when i look at my huge former watchlists & TBR's. a lot of items are things i put on there years ago and never got around to, so usually by the time i check the list again, my tastes have totally changed. i realized it was hard to get myself excited or motivated about half the stuff i put on there anymore, but i felt indebted to knocking it out anyway just because it was on the list. i'd recommend letting your current feelings/impulses take the wheel, and trust that you'll come back around to any of the other options if they're right for you later on.
Apr 18, 2024