āPoor Thingsā (2023)
This was such a wild ride lol. Itās definitely the most approachable Lanthimos movie, and a great introduction to his work. Amazing cinematography, fantastic visual effects, and truly one-of-a-kind set design, Iāve never really seen anything like it. The overall aesthetic of āPoor Thingsā is Victorian cyberpunk, it feels like the beginning of the 20th century, but itās visibly set in the far future. It is also casually hilarious and really witty, but the humour never overshadows the creatorās actual purpose and the moral conclusions the protagonist makes. The plot is very unhinged and over-the-top without a doubt, but also equally uplifting and celebratory, I would recommend it to anyone who feels stuck in life, including myself. Last but not least, the highlights of the movie were definitely the scenes shot in Lisbon and the cruise ship, the cinematography was so innovative and the saturation of the colour palette so intense; I donāt think I have seen colours that beautiful in cinema before, this was a tranformative experience.
Rating: 50/10
āEl Topoā (1970)
It is a very beautiful movie to look at, no one can argue with that. Iām definitely not the first person to point it out, but the visuals and imagery are inspired by Surrealism and the occult, in classic Jodorowsky fashion. Apart from that, the plot was too unhinged for me to comprehend, and it nearly gave me an aneurysm.
Rating: 6/10
āHouseā (1977)
Very very cute, this is something of a horror/comedy/anime adaptation of āAlice in Wonderlandā. Plotwise itās a wild mess, I had no idea what was happening for about 80% of the time, but I was living my best life.
Rating: 7/10
āThe Favouriteā (2018)
I rewatched it for the fourth time, what a fantastic film. I have nothing to add, there are no flaws here and the acting is god-tier by literally everyone, even the extras. Lanthimos fits the Victorian era like a glove and this is by far his best movie, argue with the wall. Also, Rachel Weisz with very long hair and horse-riding attire is my religion.
Rating: 12/10
āRespireā (2014)
I love to hate French movies as much as the next person, but this is Melanie Laurentās directorial debut and I think itās stunning work. Similar to āThirteenā, it explores the troubled life of teen girls, and more specifically the weird place where jealousy, love, friendship, violence and romantic attraction meet. Female friendship is a very hellish experience, truly Danteās Inferno-esque and Iām glad modern filmmakers are more eager to explore that. The buildup in this movie is fantastic, and the ending really pays off, I was so shocked my jaw was on the floor.
Rating: 8,5/10
āThe Wailingā (2016)
The most majestic horror movie I have ever watched and definitely the most complete as an artistic vision. Itās not very pretty to look at, but the plot is one in a million. Watch it without checking out any trailers first.
Rating: 1000000/10
āThe Mediumā (2021)
Jesus Christ, I havenāt seen anything like it in years, this had no business being this wild. Very very intense and horrifying, the word āscaryā canāt hold a candle. It is shot in a very weird form and the plot is a little stereotypical, but it gets so chilling so fast. It contains a ton of body horror along with the possession/exorcism stuff, and at some point it gets exponentially more violent. It seems almost impossible for most horror movies, but this one constantly gets scarier and scarier, and the ending truly had me in stitches, I could not believe my eyes. There are also a few life-altering lessons about spirituality, religion and our relationship with the divine element here. Proceed with caution, I know I will never watch it again.
Rating: 10/10
āPriscillaā (2023)
I love Sofia Coppola, however I donāt think this was a great moment for her. The narration was a bit too slow and the cinematography was too watered down to describe the life of a megastar in the 70s. Also, Priscillaās personal journey towards freedom and self-realisation should have been the main focus here, not only her marriage with Elvis. It was cute, but a little too pastel literally. Jacob Elordi was great here, and Cailee Spaeny was even greater, her characterās age range is from 13 to 27 years old and at the end I had no idea what the actressās actual age is (she is 25).
Rating: 6,5/10
āPast Livesā (2023)
Very beautiful, very mature, very touching, very heart-breaking, painfully realistic. I have no notes, this movie is flawless and itās so hard to believe itās Celine Songās directorial debut.
Rating: 9,5/10
āAnatomy of A Fallā (2023)
Classic courtroom drama to enjoy with your mum, its feminist commentary is very progressice though. I liked it, although I would enjoy it better if I was 40 years old. Itās definitely a little too long, we did not have to endure a French movie for two and a half hours.
Rating: 8/10
āLast Night in Sohoā (2021)
I loved it, it is a 100% the type of cinema I enjoy; female protagonists, psychological horror, beautiful sets and colour palette, saturated lighting, night-time and cityscape scenery. Matt Smith was great and I will watch anything if heās in it, Anya and Thomasin were also amazing, especially the latter. There were several pacing issues though, the narration was too slow in the beginning and too rushed towards the end. It should have been a little shorter, because it dragged on for quite a bit for no reason at all, we all knew what was gonna happen at the end. I appreciate the effort to shake things up a bit, but the plot twists were not plot twisting.
Rating: 7/10
āThe Florida Projectā (2017)
I adore this movie, what a stunning piece of art. I will literally never get tired of its amazing cinematography and soft-grain, pastel colour palette. The key colours here are light blue/teal and pink and their combination is just so pretty to look at. The entire thing is shot through the eyes of its toddler protagonist and the result is a mixture of sweetness, nostalgia, melancholy and childhood innocence, but without never losing the sense of realism, as it provides solid criticism of late-stage capitalism and other social issues, such as addiction, sex work, homelessness and the never-ending cycle of systemic poverty. Proceed with caution, the ending is soul-crushing and deeply sad in every way possible.
Rating: 10/10
āKillers of The Flower Moonā (2023)
Best movie of the year, it deserves every Oscar known to man, argue with the wall. I have only two notes;
1. It should be 40 minutes-1 hour shorter, there was simply no reason for 3 and a half hours.
2. It should have featured the Indigenous P.O.V way more. Iām afraid there were two many white men who looked identical and acted equally evil.
On the flipside, the acting was some of the best I have seen in my entire life and the ending was phenomenal.
Rating: 10/10
āAftersunā (2022)
Very beautiful, very emotional, deeply sad. To be honest, I donāt really remember watching it because I spent the entire time crying. āAftersunā has been the main talking point of many therapy sessions and my brain almost processed it like a traumatic experience, very familiar but also truly melancholic, and an actual reminder of past happiness that is impossible to relive now that weāre grown up. Last but not least, I was not familiar with Paul Mescalās acting game, but the child actress (Frankie Corio) really stole the show for me.
Rating: 9/10
āIncident in a Ghostlandā (2018)
Oh, I hated this. Literally torture porn with equally traumatising plot. Also, I do not want to make assumptions about the director, but in each one of his films, the violence is so gendered that it feels misogynistic and fetishy, especially here that the victims are two teenage girls. There is a difference between depicting violence against women on screen, and purposely humiliating them and fetishizing their pain. The only saving grace of this film was the little Lovecraft segment, we always appreciate classic horror. Everything else here should be categorised under self-harm.
Rating: 2/10