Favorite films

Recent reviews

• 

  Sister, Sister 1987

  ★★½ Watched 28 Sep 2023

  Sorry to engage in stan speak, but I would die for Jennifer Jason Leigh. The opening scene had me thinking I'd unearthed a masterpiece, and the film does eventually build to a fun, trashy reveal towards the end, but that doesn't make up for the dull middle connecting the two. The juice just ain't worth the squeeze.

• 

  Fleshtone 1994

  ★ Watched 27 Sep 2023

  I think we all like the idea of erotic thrillers more than we actually like them

Popular reviews

• 

  Phantom Thread 2017

  ★★★★★ Added 12

  This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.

  Yesterday I saw a Twitter thread where some dude was saying that letterboxd was ruining film criticism/engaging with films in general. It was just as crotchety as it sounds, but there was a kernel of something I agreed with in the midst of all the cloud-yelling, which is that even professional film criticism doesn't talk about form enough. Part of it is because the modern film review format just doesn't suit talking about cinematic techniques. It's all lede -> plot…

• 

  First Reformed 2017

  ★★★★★ Added 3

  This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.

  This felt like it took on an extra layer of fascination and potency in the wake of the recent high profile suicides in the news.

  I've seen some people complain about Schrader's use of digital photography and how it flattens out the images, but that choice, plus the use of 4:3 aspect ratio was so effective to me. It just makes the world feel all the more bleak, suffocating, and hopeless.

  And I love the way Ethan Hawke's character serves…