poppy

this is the quietest, most restrained romance ever. tony leung and maggie cheung play neighbours in 1960s hong kong who figure out their spouses are cheating with each other. instead of blowing up or hooking up, they just hang out. they eat together, talk and practice how they’d confront their partners. It’s all so careful and polite but you feel the tension building the whole time. the colours are insane, reds and greens everywhere, and the music just pulls you in deeper. wong kar-wai makes you feel the ache of what could have been without ever spelling it out. it’s super beautiful, super sad and I keep thinking about it days after every rewatch. it’s one of those movies that gets better every time you watch it.

this was SO GOOD RAHHH ryan gosling was incredible (as always) he’s funny, vulnerable and totally believable as this regular guy who’s way out of his depth but keeps pushing through. the whole thing has this infectious energy, phil lord and chris miller keep it moving with great pacing, practical effects that look awesome and a score that hits SO WELL at the right times. it’s smart without being pretentious and exciting without being over the top. oh my god rocky i would die for you, i love you rocky. it’s one of those movies that reminds you why going to the theatre is so great.

this movie just nails what it’s like to be a senior in high school and hate where you live. Ladybird is annoying sometimes but it’s so accurate. the fights with her mom hit hard. they’re yelling about dumb stuff like dresses or college, but it’s really about both of them feeling stuck and not knowing how to say they care. everything else works too! the catholic school stuff, your first love turning out to be a gay dude and then straight onto the pretentious boyfriend who plays guitar and acts too cool (HA) Beanie Feldstein is great as the best friend. it’s funny in parts, sad in others and doesn’t try to wrap everything up perfectly. you just grow up, leave and maybe figure out your parents are people too. go to rewatch everytime.

this one fucking gutted me and i am so unbelievably mad that i didn’t see it in theatres. co-directed by alex garland and ray mendoza (a real navy SEAL who lived this shit) it’s based on a specific 2006 incident in ramadi, Iraq. A SEAL platoon alpha one holes up in a civilian house for overwatch after the battle of ramadi, things go quiet, then it all breaks loose when air support dips and insurgents swarm. it’s told in real time, pulled straight from the memories of the guys who were there. no big speeches or politics layered on top, doesn’t do the “why are we here” debate or grand statements about war, it just shows the reality of it. the film drops you right into that house with them. d’pharaoh woon-a-tai as mendoza (the real guy’s stand in) will poulter, cosmo jarvis, kit connor, joseph quinn, charles melton (etc) and they’re all solid with no one overacting. it’s ensemble but feels intimate because it’s claustrophobic as hell. The buildup is slow and tense (watching the market, hearing distant activity pick up) then it explodes into non stop intensity. gunfire, explosions, screams making it relentless for 95 minutes with no breaks and no score to tell you how to feel. the sound design…what the actual fuck. it is unreal 👏 it’s physical. people talk about immersive war films, but this one actually makes you flinch and tense up like you’re there. i’m actually shocked it wasn’t nominated for best sound at the oscars because how does that get overlooked?? it was one of the most intense audio experiences i’ve had in a movie which is why i’m SO mad i didn’t see it in theatres. what hits hardest is how it isn’t romanticised like you see in some war movies. there’s no “band of brothers” uplift at the end it’s just barely survival alongside guys trying to hold it together while everything goes to shit around them. the casualties feel real and brutal (not graphic for shock value, but because that’s what happens) and it leaves you drained because it forces you to sit with the mess of it all. one of the most brutal, honest war films in years.