Watching - Tumblr Posts
I know this is out of nowhere, but i think about Junius Scaeva often. What a silly guy !
ASKLDJS i also think about him every now and then, albeit not posting him often. my horrible game show host troll....... here, have an old doodle of him LOL
#Watching “Only Yesterday”
Director: Isao Takahata
Mellow, understated but very poignant.
Feels very simple but with a quivering sincerity that still feels very relevant.
Looks at urban life with a sense of apathy, but not hatred – while it faces quiet rural life with empathy, romanticism but also caution.
Beautiful animation, naturally. The contrast of the fuzzy, vignetted watercolors in the flashbacks and the crisp, vibrant colors from the present time work wonderfully.
The narrative maintains a sense of struggle without having a villain or antagonist that is a person, but instead it’s this ever present sense of dissatisfaction and anxieties that can’t easily be resolved.
#Watching “Call Me by Your Name”
Director: Luca Guadagnino Cinematographer: Sayombhu Mukdeeprom Writers: James Ivory (screenplay by), André Aciman (based on the novel by)
Surprised that this movie somehow is still echoing at the back of my mind long after I’ve seen it.
The music in the film definitely helps engrain it into my head further. Sufjan Stevens did a wonderful job.
Timothée Chalamet is very alluring and charismatic. Definitely stole the show, despite all the “buzz” over Arnie Hammer.
For the first time in a while, noticed the blocking in a film. Guadagnino and Mukdeeprom created a very hypnotic dance between the actors and the camera that helped create a sense of dizzying romanticism and tension.
Walked in with heavy skepticism and very low expectations but definitely seduced by the end of the film. Appreciated how internal the film felt, despite it being set against a setting that I am lately very cautious/ apprehensive of.
#Watching “My Beautiful Laundrette”
Director: Stephen Frears
Didn’t expect the film to have the tone that it does. In an interview with Criterion, the screenwriter (Hanif Kureishi) refers to Frears’ style to be ‘operatic.’
Mirrors used as a way to reveal and hide at the same time.
The camera floats, and often brings us through spaces in a way that feels supernatural.
Shot on 16mm.
The last scene with the breaking of the glass of at the laundrette – feels like a reveal, especially considering the use of mirrors in the film. The secret is out.
Tana showing Omar her breasts during the scene where all the men were drinking and smoking in Nasar’s bedroom. They were oblivious to her.
Omar looking at Johnny during the opening day of the laundrette – their faces superimposed at each other’s.
Rachel walking away from Nasar – at the end of their affair. She walks through a small wall of mirrors.
Notable Shots
The first kissing scene – which starts in an alleyway, but then the camera moves while the lights shift and turns it into a rather dreamlike moment.
Right before Salim gets beaten up – we start with Johnny arriving, then the camera floats to reveal the punks hidden around the laundrette building (by the brick wall, in the foreground, on the roof, and by the front of the building.)
The kiss is interrupted by the skinheads, and then we see the front of the laundrette again.
#Watching “Crazy Rich Asians”
Director: Jon M. Chu
It wasn’t perfect but it was a lot of fun.
The film seemed to take on too much expectations on its very small shoulders. People seem to don’t realize that the director’s filmography includes Step Up 2, Step Up 3D and the Now See Me films.
Its problems and failures seem to be appropriate for a movie about Singapore.
Honestly just happy for a mainstream Asian led film that is a little silly.
Relevant Readings
“Crazy Rich Identities” by Kwame Anthony Appiah
“Living in a Material World” by Kelley Dong
#Watching: Movies Watched, Jun. 2019
I am trying this format, inspired by Khoi Vinh’s “Movies Watched.” My previous attempts to keep track of films that I’ve watched was a little too time consuming, making it a habit that was easy to drop once I get too swamped.
Rocketman (2019)
An entertaining romp. Realized that I knew nothing about Elton John besides a couple of his most famous songs. At the same time, not too memorable. The filmmaking felt very flashy. Kind of strange that all the actors playing the gay characters are straight? Noticed that the hallway/hospital scene felt really similar to the one that appeared in Bohemian Rhapsody
Glass (2019)
Tried watching this on the plane and it’s still tremendously disappointing. Kept falling asleep. Everything just felt tepid.
Wine Country (2019)
Sweet and easy. Loved everyone in the cast, and was the perfect week day wine down watch. Not sure about the scene where the ladies crashed an art show, very cringy.
Eight Grade (2018)
A perfect film, honestly. I had just started reading “American Girls: Social Media and the Secret Lives of Teenagers” by Nancy Jo Sales too – so it felt like a perfect companion piece. Appreciate the sincerity, humor, and the ambiguous optimism within the film (and how it treats teenagers’ relationships with social media.)
Every month Alex will try to remember and keep track of the movies he watch.
#Watching: Movies Watched, Oct. 2019
Pengabdi Setan (Satan’s Slaves)
Was so excited for this, only to be slightly disappointed. A fun romp, but didn’t expect it to be as hoakey as it was. There was no stakes, and it made the whole thing feel flat.
Spiderman: Far from Home
I mean, was entertaining, and Tom Holland is way hot. Appreciate the young cast, but also, lol Marvel.
Ossan’s Love: Love or Dead
What is this film! A gay salaryman drama featuring cute, hunky Japanese men fighting over each other. A fun, startlingly over the top comedy that tackles gay romance in a uniquely Japanese way.
Parasite
Just wow. Funny, profound and beautiful. Can’t stop thinking about it, and excited that a fable like film is entering the mainstream consciousness. The tragedy of class and aspiration!
The Sun is Also a Star
Started off so promising, with a very unique premise. Everything came crashing down sloppily in the second half.
Godzilla King of the Monsters
Had zero expectations – but this film was beautifully shot, and provided me with what I wanted from a big budget monster film. Surprisingly high stakes, and brutal – I look forward to watch the first film in this new rebooted series.
X-Men: Dark Phoenix
What a mess.
#Watching: Movies Watched, Feb. 2020
Didn’t watch as many films as I wished. Somehow the month went right by. Watched Terminator and The Kitchen on the plane, on my way back from San Francisco. Need to get to that point where I watch a film every week again (whether on Netflix or at home.)
The Lodge
Eh. Kids are mean. The more I think about it, the more middling and grating I feel about it. Cruel and shallow take on mental illness. Everything felt referential to familiar things but it didn’t feel like it was saying anything. Alicia Silverstone and the beginning of the film was great but then, eh.
Jojo Rabbit
Watched his short film 2 Cars 1 Night before I saw this and I am glad. Not terrible, but also not great. It was twee, but I wanted it to go a bit darker or more serious in some way. A lot of reallly sweet moments and the kids were great, wished that we saw more of some of the adults though.
Terminator: Dark Fate
Really wanted this movie to be good. It’s really funny when you see good performances in a film, even though the dialogue is trash. Kept thinking about why this film felt so dissatisfying even after. The big thing is that the action sequences took too much of the film, and was too much cgi. I wish instead of spectacle that they’d opt for more visceral realism, which made T2 so good. The premise of the story was so promising too, oop.
The Kitchen
Very surprised and how great this film was. Melissa Mccarthy and Tiffany Hadish were amazing, such strong performances with a very timely theme. The violence felt very real, and scary – definitely made the stakes for the women in the film feel very high. Never saw The Irishman, but heard the responses from a few friends who I trust. Looking forward to suggest this film for more people to checkout.
#Watching: Movies Watched, Jan. 2020
Definitely dropped the ball in the last couple of months of last year. Going to try harder this year, hopefully. Here goes. Watched a lot of movies on the plane between Japan and New York, which accounts for all the randoms in the list. Hoping to carve out a more intentional time to see films this year.
Aruna dan Lidahnya
The tone of the film definitely surprised me. The cinematography felt a little too realistic and not as luscious as I want the premise to be. Takes a minute to warm up to the dynamic of the characters too. Generally an interesting watch. I loved “Babi Buta Who Wants to Fly” so much, it’s curious to see how Edwin is experimenting with genres, especially in a more commercial film.
Mildred Pierce (1945)
Never seen the original prior, as I have only seen the Todd Haynes version starring Kate Winslet and Evan Rachel Wood. This version naturally had less of the romantic, glamorous Todd Haynes period effect – but still had the same terrifying impact. All the men felt much more viscerally intolerable in this one. Vera was also a more subtle but effective villain.
Detour (1945)
Watched this actually not that great film at Cinema Vera in Japan. The kind and patient lady who worked the box office were surprised that we were in attendance. The audience was primarily men, mostly older. What a funny film. Roger Ebert’s review of the film is amazing (which we read after.) Ann Savage as Vera was very memorable and hilarious.
Maleficent: Mistress of Evil
What a crazy film. Michelle Pfeiffer delights as the villain. The costume design was lovely, both Pfeiffer’s and Jolie’s costumes were breathtaking. Surprisingly dark for an insane film. Still can’t get over how the last 20 minutes of the film went from massacre to happy ending so quickly.
Zombieland: Double Tap
Chill, entertaining but kind of whatever film. Zoey Deutch as Madison was a surprise and probably the best part of the film.
Aladdin
It was refreshing to see a big budget film starring primarily brown and black actors. Didn’t realize that Guy Ritchie made the adaptation. Buff Will Smith Genie is a bit creepy. The new songs felt really out of place. The parkour and the dancing were fabulous but doesn’t stop the odd pacing of the film. Everything felt like it was running on breakneck speed. Aladdin (Mena Massoud) and Jafar (Marwan Kenzari) were so handsome, the entire film I was just wishing that they’d just make out. Ritchie’s staccato framerate technique at parts of the film felt really jarring.
#Watching “Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi”
Only have seen a few episodes, but very good so far. Feels very timely. It reaffirms a lot of the things that I’ve been feeling and thinking about, but in a cautiously optimistic tone. Looking forward to watch the rest of this show the rest of this month.
#Watching: Movies Watched, Mar. 2020
Getting to a place where I am ready to watch films in a steady pace again. Won’t lie, the release of Animal Crossing definitely stole some of my time away, but finally in a mental space where I am ready to watch some more demanding films again, despite the anxiety ridden circumstances that we live in right now.
A Quiet Place
Entertaining but the whole thing leans heavily on the romanticism of nuclear, rural, white American family. Still processing that. Can’t quite get over that that the reason why we align so closely with the family, with the help of good acting, is how familiar the idea is to the American imagination. I know that’s the point, but that definitely felt a little icky, considering where are in time right now.
All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (p.s. I Still Love You)
Cute, but the first one was cuter. Kind of bummed at the ending, because tbh, the new boy is way more interesting. Weirdly boring, though.
Citizen Kane
Never quite watched this film in entirety, only in bits when I was in film school What a great film, terrifying too. I never really grasped the scale of Orson Welles’ films (saw Touch of Evil, but it didn’t stick with me in the same way.)
Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker
Pretty long 3 hours. Some nice moments in camera work and cinematography, but wow, why is this movie as long as it is. Strangely, the first half of the film felt like nothing happened at all even though the pacing moved at rapid fire. All the emotional beats are off, with way too much explosions and action sequences. Also, there really was no reason for them to bring back Carrie Fisher for this, no.
Pain and Glory
Really glad that I finally saw this. Beautiful performances, and just to agree with Malcs – really refreshing and moving to see a director bare himself on the screen. Captures an intense love for cinema and art in ways that I haven’t seen in a while.
#Clicks “Don’t Rain on My Parade” from Funny Girl
Can’t believe that I hadn’t seen this movie until last night. Still can’t get over how deliriously gleeful this whole sequence was.
📽️ Movies Watched, March 202
from Edwin's "Seperti Dendam Rindu Harus Dibayar Tuntas" (2021)
March flew by pretty quickly, more than I expect it would. This note is also way too late, between traveling and changing jobs, things felt pretty hectic.
(2021) Seperti Dendam, Rindu Harus Dibayar Tuntas
Very excited that I got to finally watch this beautifully crafted film. As someone who deeply loved Beauty is a Wound, the pairing of Edwin and Eka Kurniawan was perfect. Fantasy, history and genres blend in probably one of my favorite films this year so far. Felt like this was a historically important film for Indonesian cinema too, a strong punctuation in Indonesian contemporary films.
(2021) Spider Man, No Way Home
Fun, well crafted and grounded. Held its enormous scope of story in a way that is emotionally anchored. Benedict Cumberbatch is great. The action scenes felt like it held impact, unlike the zooming around of people on the later Avenger films.
(1970) Boys in the Band
Do things need to be remade for it to be rediscovered? Weirdly finally watching this just made me question the point of the Ryan Murphy remake, besides obviously, ego.
terrified but excited for Cronenberg's Crimes of the Future
Movies Watched, April 2022
from Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert's "Everything, Everywhere All at Once" (2022)
A little late to write this, but saw a few notable films that I really enjoyed and expanded a few trailing thoughts that’s been living in my brain this last month. The weather is generally getting nicer. I’m very surprised that for once in my fourteen years of living in New York, that we are finally in the middle of the longest Spring I’ve ever experienced here.
(2022) Penyalin Cahaya (Photocopier)
A very on the nose message that was executed in a curious way, especially considering the restrictions that most of Indonesian cinema has to exist within. I want to see the director’s short films!
(2021) The Cathedral
A formalist recollection of a personal memory. While I generally enjoyed the film, the distance the film has between itself and the feelings or the messiness of its characters, ended up making me like the film a little less.
(1987) Maurice
Walked into Malcolm watching some of this, so I missed the first 30 - 40 minutes, which I need to rewatch soon. Heartbreaking, beautiful film.
(2001) Josie and the Pussycats
A fun watch that felt timely, with all the similar aesthetics coming back around. It’s way more cynical than I remember it. The love interest sub plot was totally unnecessary.
(2022) Turning Red
Was ok, it’s nice to see this story up there and the animation style definitely feels fresh but somehow the pacing and the writing didn’t feel as good as Soul or other Pixar films.
(2021) Worst Person in the World
Wonderful film. Joachim Trier is one of my favorite humanist filmmakers working today. The timing in which I saw this made me think of Parallel Mothers since it’s so recent in my mind. The two films touched upon generational strive or differences through relationships. Would definitely watch this again.
(2022) Scream
Feels lackluster and kind of unnecessary. The film was aware of itself but also didn’t necessarily add anything else besides repositioning it for a new generation. I really hope that they stop after this one.
(2022) Everything, Everywhere, All at Once
Besides the one kind of lame joke that pulled me out of the film for a minute, EEAO was great. Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan were amazing. The film was visually surprising, entertaining and felt like something I haven’t seen before. Watched this at the TCL Chinese Theater, which definitely added to my experience viewing the movie.