Favorite Films

MAD GOD (2021)

Mad God is one of those movies where explaining anything about it would be a disservice. Trying to extrapolate the backstory, motivations, or circumstances driving the film forward is to cheapen the experience altogether; You really have to see it for yourself. Mad God places you in the voyeuristic position of watching a brutal world torn apart by endless directionless warfare, industry, cruelty, death, decay, and an interconnected web of life too complex to parse. The magnetism of the mixed-media practical effects in this movie are second to none, given life by director Phil Tippett over 30 years in the making. It's grotesque, visceral, awe-inspiring, and overall one of the most disturbing avant-garde/surrealist films I've seen since Tetsuo: The Iron Man. I could probably rewatch this movie over and over forever. My favorite characters are the nameless assassin, the nameless plague doctor, and the little fuzzy workers who keep getting (tragically, comically) obliterated.

RATING:💀💀💀💀💀

THE EXORCIST III (1990)

The Exorcist 3 (a direct sequel to the first; we don't speak of The Exorcist 2) is one of those oft overlooked films that's near and dear to my heart, despite discovering it only relatively recently. William Blatty was back in the director's seat after having written the first Exorcist and its follow-up, Legion (renamed to The Exorcist III for its film adaptation), and the concise adherence to its themes and its own internal logic make for such a tight script that NOTHING is left out. It deals in uncertainty of faith just like its predecessor, this time through the lens of a police procedural that takes a supernatural turn in the most hideous ways imaginable. The film's crucible is the question "if there is a loving god, why do bad things happen?" and its ponderance results in a narrative acted out BRILLIANTLY between George C. Scott, Ed Flanders, and Brad Dourif. I say brilliant and I MEAN brilliant. The chemistry between charicters is riveting—Father Dyer and Detective Kinderman's friendship is so believable through their banter and their honest concern for one another makes the film's events all the more gut-wrenching. Brad Dourif's monologues as the demon and the gemini killer especially deserve a shoutout—the intensity of his tone, his very PRESENCE ramps up this film to an 11 in every scene he's in. It's just.... Such a good fucking movie. It's also got one of the best executed jumpscares in cinema history.

RATING:💀💀💀💀🦴

ALIEN (1979)

Alien is a masterwork of pacing, artistry, acting, and overall one of my favorite movies ever. Its a scifi film that follows a team of space freighters who pick up on a mysterious s.o.s. signal in deep space and end up stumbling on an alien ship brought down by something that's still alive in the wreckage. Featuring fantastic special effects and set design by legendary surrealist artist H.R. Giger, the film touches on themes of bodily autonomy, capitalism and class division, exploitation, assault, fear, and loss of control. What I appreciate most about Alien is just how DENSE it is thematically and visually; individual set details like the warning symbols, control panels, computer interfaces, company protocols—they're all implied to mean something to these characters, and watching the film feels effectively like watching a group of competent people who are comfortable in their surroundings and their jobs beset by disaster that NOBODY could anticipate. What's more is the snowballing of disasters that unfold as the story progresses are as obvious as they are uncontrollable—it brings to mind the pacing of a greek tragedy, it's the antithesis of an Idiot Plot. I could probably go on and on about the set details and the artistic choices and the making of this movie (it's been a long-standing special interest of mine) but I think I've said enough.

RATING:💀💀💀💀💀

SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (1991)

Ok I know it's a cliche to have more than one heavy hitter in your favs but Silence of the Lambs is a legit comfort movie. Sue me. I have a complicated relationship with this film, (and Thomas Harris' work as a whole but that's another tangent) because on the one hand, Silence of the Lambs is a standout amongst 90s blockbusters which has a lot to say about the feminism, misogyny, and institutions of power; on the other hand, it's a blatant work of copaganda which glorifies the FBI and the fictional "science" of psychological profiling, and paints a picture of trans women and gender nonconforming people as something to be derided and disgusted by. All the while it leverages its pace on the insights of a serial cannibal with near supernatural intellect and a taste for luxury. Somehow, all of these seemingly disparate elements combine into the oscar-worthy film we know and love. Despite hating its very core and opposing almost everything it stands for, I still can't find it in myself to fault this movie. Its slow reveals, its twisting paths obscuring and revealing truths, its grounded and shocking character acting—it's truly one of the greatest movies ever made. My mom and I still watch it together all the time.

RATING: 💀💀💀💀🦴

AMADEUS (1984)

Another comfort film I gained a love of because of my mom! Amadeus is a dramatization of the lives of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri, told through the eyes of an aging and remorseful Salieri to a pastor after his suicide attempt. It's a film that frames itself beautifully in its opening scenes: a confession of guilt for Mozart's "assassination", a suicide attempt thwarted by in-home caretakers overlayed by Mozart's dramatic Symphony no.25 in G Minor "Allegro con brio", establishing shots that serve as a look into history, a display of pride that establishes the core of Salieri's character, and an essential question: ARE all men equal in god's eyes? It opens itself up as an exploration in the fallability of faith in the face of jealousy and artistic rivalry that consumes you from the inside. I've never really looked into how much of this film is historically accurate, but the sheer drama alone is captivating in a way few historical dramatizations ever manage to achieve. Its set in Vienna, Austria, and I could gush about its (slightly exaggerated) costuming and set design for AGES. Its historical dressing is uniquely pre-French Revolution, so that French/German Rococo style is accentuated HEAVILY in almost every shot; the sheer decadance of the outfits, the settings, the food, the background characters, UGH! It's a feast for the eyes. But then, the writing! The story! Salieri's regret shot through with bitterness and anger, his hard-hitting lines delivered by a carefully reserved F. Murray Abraham, and the phenomenally endearing character acting by Tom Hulce as Mozart is a fantastic counter to him in every way; Salieri's psychosexual obsession and one-upmanship really is second to none. I made a post a long time ago that about sums it up: "Drive your artistic rival to insanity because you love his work so much it makes you want to die. Blame god about it." The story's focus on Salieri's mediocrity (tangent: the man's music was groundbreaking and he's often considered one of the first influences behind the Romantic musical movement a la Tchaikovsky and Vivaldi, calling him or his work mediocre is a disservice to his legacy and its a hill I WILL die on) and his failure to reconcile that with his religion, and the heartache and pointless suffering that artists comparing themselves with one another leads to will forever strike a deep chord with me.

RATING: 💀💀💀💀💀

THE LORD OF THE RINGS TRILOGY (2001-2003)

I really don't even know what I could say about this trilogy that hasn't already been said, but I guess there's a reason Tolkien studies is an academic course. There are a million ways you can read this series, a million different angles and perspectives and metaphors and details to pick apart, but the reason it resonates so strongly even to this day is the HEART behind it. There's absolutely no room for insincerity in these movies; each line delivered, each glance, every touch feels like it's holding the weight of the world between characters. Despite each and every moment dripping with sincerity and grandeur and a great sense of importance, these movies never manage to feel cheesey. They take a flying leap and stick the landing like no movies have before or since. If you've never seen any of these films, do yourself a favor and take a few hours just to immerse yourself. You don't have to know anything about them, you don't have to read the books or research the characters; just chill out with the director's cut and admire the gorgeous craftsmanship behind each and every detail. These films are a love letter to everything that makes life worth living; the earth, good food, friendship, and a fuckass ton of swords.

RATING: 💀💀💀💀💀

RAVENOUS (1999)

Ravenous is a strange work of brilliance that I only (somewhat) recently got into; set around 1850, a war-traumatized & newly promoted captain of the US cavalry finds himself assigned to a distant fort in the western Sierra Nevadas, trying to come to grips with his inexplicable survival despite his abject cowardice, surrounded by a cast of memorable oddball characters. Without spoiling much, it's a horror film with an almost comedic tone that somehow manages to keep me riveted; its characters, its beautiful setting (I wish it could've ACTUALLY been filmed in the Sierra Nevadas, but alas...) and its poignant commentary on the nature of colonialization and consumption are some of the best I've ever seen. The score is also decidedly off-beat, but gives it a heart that would be sorely missed were it given the standard hollywood symphony treatment. It's the meditation on the all-consuming nature of manifest destiny shown through the lens/metaphor of cannibalism that draws me in more than anything else, but the way the story is so flexible and so passionately acted out really leaves the perfect amount of room for interpretation; IS the cannibalism really a metaphor for overconsumption and colonization? Or is it about self actualization and the healing that comes of surrounding yourself with people who GET you? Is it a metaphor for gay sex? Loneliness? Self doubt and idealism? The bastardization of indigenous mythology? Who knows! Fucking fantastic movie.

RATING: 💀💀💀💀🦴

BARBIE AS THE PRINCESS AND THE PAUPER (2004)

This one's a childhood favorite that I revisited a few years ago and fell in love with again. It's an adaption of Charles Dickens' classic "The Prince and the Pauper" which I still haven't read, but its influence clearly showed. For a straight-to-video kids movie, it's got a surprisingly mature plot, with royal family drama, kidnapping, impersonation, indentured servitude, and a cunty ass gay-coded villain played by Martin Short. The songs are top tier fantastic and I still regularly get them stuck in my head (Preminger's song? Erika's song to her cat? The love song between her and the king?? A GIRL LIKE YOU? Fuck man, this score goes hard). Its appeal for me these days is less "I wish I was a princess too" and more "kidz bop class conciousness and homoerotic lesbian undertones make this a perfect movie". I used to kind of hate the early CG rendering, but I look at it now as a charming style that actually had some pretty robust mocap technology characteristic of these early Barbie movies (not quite on the level of "Barbie in The Nutcracker" but still cool). There's also a fully animated blooper reel at the end that's really funny. We should bring those back. 10/10 comfort movie. I wish I still had my Erika barbie doll.

RATING: 💀💀💀💀

RECENT RATINGS:

FRANKENSTEIN (2025)

Watched on: 11/11/25

HOLY FUCKING SHIT. It took 217 years but we finally have a book accurate film adaptation, and as usual, Guillermo Del Toro & the team have not let us down. This film is just as heart wrenching and beautiful as Mary Shelley's novel. I'm in sheer awe. The costuming, the set design, the CREATURE! Some of the emotional beats are weak at best but this movie's emphasis on style and feeling makes it an absolutely astounding piece of cinema. I've watched it 3 times already.

RATING: 💀💀💀💀🦴

FRANKENSTEIN (1931)

Watched on: 10/31/25

this is one of those movies that you've definitely seen even if youve never seen it before. James Whale had such an eye for composition and every scene is iconic in a way almost no other movie has managed to match since. also ough the poor Creature :(

RATING: 💀💀💀🦴

THE SUBSTANCE (2024)

Watched on: 10/30/25

THESE EFFECTS WERE ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE! The oggling of young women's asses was a little gratuitous but it just pushed that emphasis on misogynist society that much further. Everything about the sets and the composition and the steep decline and just the premise itself was perfect. The only thing that gets me is the tonal whiplash? By no means did I hate it but it got a little silly at the end there. But GOD what a sendoff. I wish every movie ended this way.

RATING: 💀💀💀🦴

DEATH BECOMES HER (1992)

Watched on: 10/27/25

holy shit that was funny AND a poignant femenist commentary on the culture of misogyny that makes women terrified of aging. also YAYYYY ETERNALLY TORTURED BITCHY LESBIANS!!!!

RATING: 💀💀💀💀

WENDELL & WILD (2022)

Watched on: 10/21/25

the style! the attitude! the tragedy! the humor!! the gorgeous stylized character models!! i love this sweet little movie. the ending was a little anticlimactic but it wraps everything up so nicely. yet another movie i cant believe i waited so long to watch. PLUS, the soundtrack is fantastic

RATING: 💀💀💀💀

THE RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD (1985)

Watched on: 10/15/25

Very stupid but very entertaining. loved how the punk kids were genuinely pretty believable as punk kids. Trash my beloved :)

RATING: 💀💀💀

THE WOLF MAN (1941)

Watched on: 10/13/25

wow! Pure schlock. Loved it. Points taken away for racist Romani depictions

RATING: 💀💀💀

VAMPYR (1932)

Watched on: 9/20/25

So dreamlike and unsettling! The shadows and the visuals of this movie are so striking and atmospheric, it really makes for a crown jewel in the pantheon of vampire cinema. I especially loved the upwards POV shot.

RATING: 💀💀💀💀

SEVEN SAMURAI (1954)

Watched on: 9/16/25

Ok this one makes WAY more sense on a historical societal level than the Magnificent Seven. The villagers and the samurai have so much endearing interaction, and the ACTION SCENES?? THE STAGING?? The perfect ties between characterization and the fights that just make them hit that much harder???? Holy shit. I feel like this movie only feels formulaic because of just how many spinoffs and references I've seen from hollywood throughout the years, which is a shame because this film really is a delight. Can't believe I took this long to watch it.

RATING: 💀💀💀💀

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL (2003)

Watched on: 9/10/25

Such a fun, tight-scripted movie. I just love the fight choreography and how almost every background character's personality was a compliment to the whimsical style of storytelling interspersed with genuine heartfelt loyalty and love and betrayal. I took off half a star though cause it really wasn't quite as "brilliant" as I remember it being (the comedy got a little repetitive at times). Regardless, I love to see a movie where the serious elements and the comedic ones play together so well.

RATING: 💀💀💀💀

EL CONDOR (1970)

Watched on: 9/2/25

MOVIES THAT MADE ME SO WORRIED FOR THE HORSE ACTORS..... Also Lee Van Cleef playing a sloppy dirtbag the whole movie was a delight. Unfortunately though why do so many westerns have to trade in one type of racism for another. If it's not black people it's native americans. :\

RATING: 💀💀💀🦴

THE TALK OF THE TOWN (1942)

Watched on: 9/1/25

Nothing hits the spot better than old hollywood polyamory

RATING: 💀💀💀💀

THE NAKED GUN (2025)

Watched on: 8/5/25

I'm so happy this wasn't terrible! They kept the spirit of slapstick, parody, and quick wit alive with a lagcy sequel to some of my favorite comedy movies ever made. I was laughing my ass off the whole runtime.

RATING: 💀💀💀💀🦴

TAKE A HARD RIDE (1975)

Watched on: 8/1/25

Fun movie! The pacing kinda dragged here and there but the character interactions were really enjoyable and the horse stunts were spectacular. Also omg, a western actually filmed vaguely near the Sonora desert?? Cholla cactus my beloved :)

RATING: 💀💀💀🦴

TOMBSTONE (1993)

Watched on: 5/22/25

Watched this again 'cause I feel like my 3 star rating was too harsh but on rewatch, yeah. I'm aware that this is supposed to be a dramatization of real events and lives but I would've so much preferred a documentary, because the pacing really suffers at times. I found myself not caring about any of the characters or their arcs aside from Doc Holliday. Val Kilmer is literally a saving grace for this movie. His terminally ill swag..... That aside, I really admired the camera work and costuming here. Waiting to rewatch this with someone autistic about Wyatt Earp so I can see why people love this movie so much

RATING: 💀💀💀

ANNIHILATION (2018)

Watched on: 7/19/25

I'm reading a book about mycelium networks, and the way this movie's written its "incomprehensible" alien consciousness is pretty much exactly how fungus behaves (largely) unseen in the real world. Shit's nuts! I love this curious alien fungus. Pacing in this movie could've been a little better, and the constant cuts to the interview take away a lot of tension.

RATING: 💀💀💀🦴

28 YEARS LATER (2025)

Watched on: 7/15/25

what the FUCK was that. I'm grappling with the fact that I was immensely moved by this movie and also extremely disappointed that it was just a setup for a sequel, sort of undercutting the really poignant circle of life motif they were shooting for. And the tonal dissonance throughout? I found myself laughing at scenes that were not intended to be funny... That said, the last five minutes was some of the most enjoyable zombie action I've ever seen. What the fuck was going on in the writer's room

RATING: 💀💀💀

THE HARDER THEY FALL (2021)

Watched on: 7/14/25

Fucking fantastic movie. Amazing soundtrack, every single character is a standout, and the tension between characters is so satisfying to watch with the final payoffs. Ugh. I need like 10 more of this movie please

RATING: 💀💀💀💀🦴

TETSUO: THE IRON MAN (1989)

Watched on: 7/11/25

hot 👍

RATING: 💀💀💀💀🦴

THE PASSING OF THE THIRD FLOOR BACK (1935)

Watched on: 7/10/25

What a sweet movie. Really says a lot about economic pressures pushing people to do things they hate and live lives that make them miserable. Conrad Veidt's character sweeping in like that sunny day and bringing clarity through simple acts of kindness and sympathy are just. Ough. And maybe this movie is right. Maybe we should kill the economic leeches that are making us turn on each other, for all our sakes.

RATING: 💀💀💀💀🦴

EVER AFTER (1998)

Watched on: 7/7/25

Core memory unlocked!!! I used to have this on VHS and upon rewatch I'm astounded at how good the costuming in this movie was. It's a genuine masterpiece.

RATING: 💀💀💀💀

GASLIGHT (1940)

Watched on: 7/6/25

What a satisfying ending holy shit.

RATING: 💀💀💀💀🦴

THE LAST PERFORMANCE (1929)

Watched on 7/6/25

I really love the camera work in this, and the fact that Conrad Veidt is a whole head taller than everyone else just for dramatic effect. we need to bring back the heavy eye makeup in movies cause it is SUCH a look.

RATING: 💀💀💀💀

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