Ahnmin Lee

for the love of it all

[ahnmin]

Media Consumption 2017

MOVIES RELEASED IN 2017

After the Storm

Alien: Covenant

Baby Driver

Beauty and the Beast

Before I Fall

The Big Sick

Blade Runner 2049 (x2)

Bright

Call Me By Your Name

The Circle

Coco

Colossal

Columbus

A Cure for Wellness

Death Note

Detroit

The Disaster Artist

Dunkirk (x2)

The Fate of the Furious

The Florida Project

Free Fire

Gerald’s Game

Get Out (x2)

A Ghost Story

Good Time

Gook

Graduation

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

I don't feel at home in this world anymore.

Ingrid Goes West

It

Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond

John Wick: Chapter 2

The Killing of a Sacred Deer

Kong: Skull Island

Ladybird

Logan

Logan Lucky

The Lost City of Z

The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected)

mother!

Mudbound

Okja

On the Beach At Night Alone

Phantom Thread

The Post

The Red Turtle

Spider-Man: Homecoming

Spielberg

Split

The Square

Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Thor: Ragnarok

Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets

War for the Planet of the Apes

War Machine

Wonder Woman

MOVIES RELEASED BEFORE 2017 

(*Rewatch)

13th

Amour*

Au Hasard Balthazar

Au Revoir Taipei

Bad Rap

Behind the Candelabra

Bicycle Thieves*

Blade Runner: Final Cut

Boyz n the Hood*

Brazil*

Chi-Raq

Christine

Citizen Kane*

Close-up

The Edge of Seventeen

Elle

Gimme the Loot

The Graduate*

Hacksaw Ridge

His Girl Friday*

Inception*

It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World

Krisha

La Promesse

Lawrence of Arabia

Le Samouraï

Loving

M

Man with a Movie Camera

Moana

Night and the City

The Passion of Joan of Arc

Paterson

Pather Panchali*

Persona*

Rear Window*

Rebel Without a Cause

The Rink

The Rules of the Game*

Silence

Sorcerer

Stalker

Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans

The Third Man

Three Colors: Red*

Throne of Blood (x2)

Toni Erdmann

Traffic*

Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me

Vertigo*

TELEVISION

3 Mics (Neal Brennan)

13 Reasons Why Season 1

The Age of Spin: Live at the Hollywood Palladium (Dave Chappelle)

American Vandal Season 1

Atlanta Season 1

Battlestar Galactica Season 1 (Eps 11-13)

The Bird Revelation (Dave Chappelle)

Broad City Season 1

Chef’s Table Season 3

Dear White People Season 1

The Deuce Season 1

Easy Season 1

Friends From College Season 1

Fuller House Season 2 (Eps 5-7)

Game of Thrones Season 7

The Get Down Season 1 (Eps 5-6)

GLOW Season 1

The Good Place Seasons 1, 2 (Eps 1-7)

The Handmaid’s Tale Season 1

Insecure Season 1

The Leftovers Seasons 1, 2, 3

The Magicians Season 1

Master of None Season 2

Mindhunter Season 1 (Eps 1-4)

Mosaic (app)

The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story

Rick and Morty Season 3

She’s Gotta Have It Season 1 (Eps 1-3)

Stranger Things Season 2

Terrace House: Aloha State Season 1

Terrace House: Boys & Girls in the City Seasons 1, 2

Twin Peaks Seasons 1, 2

Twin Peaks: The Return

ANIME

Death Note*

BOOKS

The Nix [Nathan Hill]

Out of the Silent Planet [C. S. Lewis]

Dune [Frank Herbert] (started, will prob finish in 2025)

GRAPHIC NOVELS

Ghosts [Raina Telgemeier]

MANGA

Gyo [Junji Ito]

MUSIC

8 [Incubus]

After Laughter [Paramore]

Atrocity Exhibition [Danny Brown]

Ctrl [SZA]

Culture [Migos]

DAMN. [Kendrick Lamar]

Dirty Projectors [Dirty Projectors]

Everything Now [Arcade Fire]

Fifteen Years [The Early November]

Flying Microtonal Banana [King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard]

Here, My Dear [Marvin Gaye]

A Hermitage [Jambinai]

Humanz [Gorillaz]

in•ter a•li•a [At the Drive-In]

I See You [The xx]

Not Even Happiness [Julie Byrne]

Now That the Light is Fading EP [Maggie Rogers]

OK Computer OKNOTOK 1997 2017 [Radiohead]

Pleasure [Feist]

Science Fiction [Brand New]

Something to Tell You [HAIM]

Turn Out the Lights [Julien Baker]

United Crushers [Poliça]

YOX EP [Year of the Ox]

÷ [Ed Sheeran]

LIVE

Interpol - Turn on the Bright Lights 15th Anniversary @ Forest Hills Stadium

Jambinai @ (le) poisson rouge

Barry Lyndon with Live Orchestra @ Kings Theatre

VIDEOGAMES

Everything [PS4]

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild [Switch]

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe [Switch]

Super Mario Odyssey [Switch]

Titan Souls [PS4]

Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune [PS4]

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves [PS4]

[ahnmin]

12 Favorite Films of 2017

12. mother!

One of the things I admire most in filmmakers is a fearless commitment to realize their vision, no matter how deranged. During this movie’s apeshit third act, I kept wondering how the hell Aronofsky pulled it off. It becomes more and more unhinged, continually toppling my expectations. And all in service of a singular message howling across the movie theatre. Some people love it, others loathe it, but the reason why reactions have been so strong is because the filmmaker straight up went for it.

11.  War for the Planet of the Apes A striking portrait of a leader during crisis and how the surrounding conflicts and responsibilities shape them. I love how it’s a journeying western that flows into a prison break. The fact that Caesar is fully CGI is worth noting for how invisible it is. For once, CGI is not concealer, it is the brush stroke.

10. On the Beach at Night Alone Is it possible to be nakedly brave and selfishly vain at the same time? Hong Sang-soo and Kim Min-hee decide to go so far and so deep into their personal lives as to be wildly radical both in Korea’s lynch mob celebrity culture and in the boundaries of traditional storytelling.

9. Graduation Moral quandaries are to Cristian Mungiu as salmon is to a master sushi chef. He slices the morality into perfect slabs, cutting against the grain to release maximum ambiguity and dissecting them into their smallest possible components. Here, he sharpens his knife against parenting, governing systems, and the rules involved. Many long unbroken takes of two people verbally jousting along with well-paced editing tell a story of how rules, though meant to maintain order, cannot be blindly followed.

8. Get Out This movie is not just an intellectual exercise aimed to impale the fraudulent do-gooder majority. Though as proven by now, it is magnificently that. I think what makes it so successful in its execution and atomic bomb reception is that it is a haphazard napalm strike straight from the gut of Jordan Peele. Of course it is encased in a genius strategy, but I believe the emotional battle cry is what drives it all the way into the skulls and sternums of people everywhere who need to wake the fuck up.  

7. Dunkirk Yes, I saw this in IMAX 70mm. Twice. The sheer size of the image was all engulfing. But that conceit alone isn’t enough to cover a feature narrative. It’s the virtuosic filmmaking—the impossible agility of the elephantine IMAX camera, the clarity of time-space editing between Land, Sea, and Air, the concisely written and staged wordless sequences—that maximizes this survival story into a visceral and unforgettable experience.

6. After the Storm “Did you become who you wanted to be?” a son asks his father. He contemplates the question, wondering what to say to his son while unable to pay child support, unsuccessful in winning back his ex-wife, and finding himself penniless just like his own late father. Are we bound to make the same mistakes as our parents or can we break free and become who we want to be? This movie doesn’t have any simple answers but it dares to wrestle with those complicated questions.

5. The Shape of Water This movie doesn’t just highlight flaws, it unashamedly celebrates them. Through a restlessly floating camera, a magnificent use of color, and a shimmering performance by Sally Hawkins, it lifts those flaws until the things we find embarrassing and the things we hide in fear ultimately transcend their “limitations” and elevate to what they truly are: signs of unexplainable beauty.

4. Phantom Thread Speaking of flaws, we are as much drawn to each other in relationships by our annoying quirks as we are by our admirable strengths. With a dizzyingly well-placed camera, a gorgeous score, and a powerhouse trifecta of performances, Phantom Thread showcases the complex nature of romance and how sometimes, more than our kindness and vulnerability, it is our longing to be needed and taken care of that messily glue us together.

3. Okja Just like Ahn Seo-hyun sprinting relentlessly through the running time, the movie follows suit in a rocket launch of mayhem, bizarre humor, political satire, and most precious of all, familial love. With pristine creature effects, Okja is given the proper heft and tangibility to deeply express all the nuances and specificity of her sisterhood with Mija. Taking a cue from Spielberg, Bong Joon-ho uses that sacred relationship to ground this zany globe-trotting (pun intended) adventure, and that is what I love about all his films. In whatever mode or tone they’re in, the beating heart is full of warmth and intimacy, and then on top of that he layers the exciting genre elements and excellent filmmaking craft. Okja is no different because the camera swings around like a beautifully controlled acrobat, the blocking/staging is always sensational and adroitly choreographed, and the wildly fluctuating tones are well managed and coalesced into a single piece. Finally, shout-out to Steven Yeun for being the perfect embodiment of the clash of East and West in a role that only someone with his distinct upbringing and Hollywood clout could play.

2. Mudbound With the cascade of different narrators weaving throughout, this movie is about equality—not just equal rights, but an equal depth of pain and an equal potential to love. Everyone is given a moment to shine or be humiliated without any judgement or bias. The characters collide and harmonize in deft handheld camerawork and dug-from-the-earth production design. And it’s in that egalitarian landscape that makes the horrific inequality all the more devastating. Also there’s a reunion scene with a son coming back home from war and being embraced by his father that made me cry harder than anything I watched this year.

1. Blade Runner 2049 I love the extremely impressionistic photography, the glorious production design, the deliberate pacing, and the wild abandon of Denis Villenueve to take a beloved franchise and make it his own. But it’s my favorite of the year because for me, it’s about sacrifice. Everyone has a Messianic complex and wants to save the world. But being Christlike doesn’t mean to be spotlit as the Chosen One—that is the dream of the Narcissist. Genuine transcendence and generosity come from giving up that position and downgrading yourself so that another could be given that seat of honor. And in today’s climate of megalomania and self-aggrandizing fanaticism, a little bit of selfless sacrifice could be of use.  ----------------------------------------

Honorable Mentions:

20. The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) - One of the funniest movies of the year. Baumbach shows a new level of confidence in his bombardment of dialogue and exploration of ridiculous family dynamics.

19. Gerald’s Game - Well-crafted, well-written intimate terrifying single room thriller. 18. I don't feel at home in this world anymore. - Well-crafted, well-written intimate quirky comedic thriller. 17. Split - Shyamalan continues to get his groove back.

16. Gook - Stunning debut film filled with tons of heart in under-seen contexts.

15. The Lost City of Z - The tension between chasing your dreams and fulfilling your duties.

14. Baby Driver - An unhinged musical made with a stunning command of craft.

13. Star Wars: The Last Jedi - Rian Johnson crafts a meta narrative out of the most famous film franchise in history, infusing his own anxious ambition to leave the past behind in order to become a trailblazer.

[ahnmin]

How Rian Johnson Makes Star Wars: The Last Jedi Feel Personal & Intimate

(THIS POST INCLUDES SPOILERS!)

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My favorite thing about The Last Jedi is its theme of youthful zeal that is well-intentioned and courageous yet still foolhardy and immature.

Poe is a hotheaded pilot that defies orders and rushes to action, not knowing what it means to truly serve and benefit the Resistance. Rey has a reductive understanding of the Force and believes that simply turning Kylo Ren will end the war. Kylo Ren is still vastly insecure and his pursuit for power is driven by a need to prove himself. And most telling of all, Finn and Rose embark on a mission that only ends up in failure, embarrassment, and their near execution.

In fact, Yoda, the wisest character in the Star Wars universe, explicitly mentions that failure is the greatest teacher. Our young characters are gifted but inexperienced. They must encounter failure in order to achieve the height of their potential.

Then you have the older, more experienced, and much more mature characters. Leia is a genius military strategist that leads with aplomb even in chaos. Luke has a deeply developed relationship with the Force and can differentiate nuances between darkness and light. Holdo, not at all flashy in her leadership, displays what true sacrifice for the Resistance looks like. Snoke is a ruthless dictator that can gaslight others to do his bidding by exploiting their character flaws. And of course, Yoda is... Yoda.

But the film comments further: in order for Hope to survive and Progress to be made, the older era must pass on to usher in the newer generation.

On the dark side, Kylo Ren kills Snoke and establishes a brand new regime as the new supreme leader. On the light side, Yoda sets fire to the Jedi tree along with the sacred texts, claiming the old ways served their purpose for the time but will no longer be needed.

Time has moved on. The forebears must step aside for the younger heroes and villains to take their place because their skills and talents are better suited for the present because this is now the timeline of their destinies. Kylo will wield a lightsaber with skill the world has not yet seen. Rey will utilize and manipulate the Force in ways Luke has only dreamed of.

“Let the past die,” Kylo Ren says to Rey, “Kill it, if you have to. That’s the only way to become what you are meant to be.”

I can’t help but think this must be exactly how Rian Johnson felt in approaching this franchise. Having only three feature films under his belt and in being handed the keys to the Star Wars kingdom, he crafts a meta-narrative that is infused with his own reckless risk-taking and foolhardy trepidation. It shows a great amount of self-awareness and even humility because he’s admitting that failure is not a possibility, it’s a necessary step. But even still, in the face of his own naivety, he must soldier on, learn from his failure, and allow the past to run its course, rather than be beholden to it.

With such a well known, universally loved, and sacred universe like Star Wars, Johnson could have been utterly slavish to the elder George Lucas and carve deeper into the path he already breached, but instead Johnson torches the entire map and sets off into brand new uncharted territory. It’s a bold move, but one that comes with great respect and even self-deprecation.

In a way, it’s a genius move because by admitting that failure is the point, he ends up succeeding. Storytelling is only as effective as it is personal and by wrapping a space opera narrative around deeply personal fears and ambitions, he makes a blockbuster franchise feel intimate and personal.

In terms of craft and style, he makes it his own. There are radical POV shots, whip pans, slow push-ins, effective uses of slow motion, and even changes in the direction of a screen wipe from side to side to radial! He has pushed the cinematic grammar of Star Wars into more visual sophistication. The humor is also sillier and more idiosyncratic. He is a younger, fresher talent, and he is ready, even in his clumsiness, to take the franchise into an exciting new direction.

I’ve now come to realize that “The Last Jedi” may not be referring to the final one in the lineage, but actually the previous torchbearer that has paved the way for the current holder to audaciously (and ultimately victoriously) take their place.

[ahnmin]

Why I Found Blade Runner 2049 to be Profoundly Moving

Many people have said that Blade Runner 2049 is boring and hollow. To that I say… PFFFFFTTTT.

I was deeply moved by the story and its themes. Here’s why.

SPOILERS, OBV.

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K is anything but special. In fact, he’s part of a new line of Replicants that has presumably solved their one fatal flaw - free will. He has been designed to obey and submit in any and every context.

This is revealed in his first baseline test, which he passes flawlessly. He is the perfect LAPD drone that will fall in line.

When we first meet Lieutenant Joshi, we see her through a glass with rain cascading down to create a beautifully obscured window. She is discussing the importance of killing a potential Replicant that was created through natural childbirth, whose discovery would destroy the “wall” separating “us” (humans) and “them” (A.I.). As she is talking about a figurative wall, the camera views her through a literal one (ah ha!). We begin, not with her in the room but from the outside looking in.

As K progresses through his inexorable journey to “discover” that he may be this naturally born Replicant child that will bring disorder to the world’s ecosystem, he must suddenly reconcile the possibility of being the Messiah of Artificial Intelligence. When he goes back in for his baseline test, he is way off, understandably so from the recent bombshell of acquiring purpose, meaning… a soul.

K: I've never retired something that was born.

Lt. Joshi: What does that mean?

K: To be born... Means you have a soul, I guess.

Lt. Joshi: Are you saying no to me?

K: I wasn't aware that was an option.

Lt. Joshi: Good.

[pause]

Lt. Joshi: You've done good without one.

K: What?

Lt. Joshi: A soul.

What does it mean for an obedient, expendable drone to suddenly awaken to the fact that your existence has real, cosmological weight? Is it like falling in love? The first time you try ice cream? Learning that the elements in our bodies were originally produced in stars? Whatever it is, it’s a big fucking deal. And the film takes its (yes, extremely slow) time to underline K’s awakening. It. Is. Not. To. Be. Rushed.

But of course, K soon makes a second discovery—he is, in fact, NOT the natural born Replicant and has actually been a soulless worker bee the entire time (But then, how was he so off his baseline when he’s supposedly part of a newer model that only obeys? Hmmm). His role in all this was actually to be a decoy and he was implanted with an erroneous memory of hiding the wooden horse (Trojan Horse, get it?).

Now here is where the film lifts off into transcendence. Not only does K experience soul-crushing devastation, the love of his life is stomped out by Miss Perfect Bangs. And this is where K really ascertains what it is to be human.

“Dying for the right cause. It's the most human thing we can do.”

The beauty of Blade Runner 2049’s narrative is that it’s Pinocchio in reverse. Instead of a wooden boy becoming real, K is a real boy that becomes wooden. By letting go of sitting in the seat of the Chosen One, he achieves something that speaks much closer to the brightest and most authentic achievement of humanity: self-sacrifice.

K selflessly goes on a rescue mission to save Deckard and gives his life in doing so. In the ending scene, after K dies in the snow, bleeding out from his stomach (a nod to Christ on the cross with the spear in his side perhaps?), Deckard meets his daughter for only the second time after she was born.

And the final shot could not be more perfect or beautiful in punctuating the entire theme of this worthwhile and soulful journey: Deckard putting his hand on the wall, reaching through the divider to make a cataclysmic connection. No longer will there be a separation between Fathers and Daughters, Humans and Replicants, Us and Them. Now, the world can accept that whether we were created, abandoned, cherished, or forgotten, we are all lost souls looking, in a cold and vast universe, for our place of belonging and purpose.

[ahnmin]

Analysis of “mother!”

WARNING: The following contains MASSIVE spoilers. If you haven’t seen the movie yet, I highly suggest you bookmark this page, go watch the incredible film, then come back to read this so we could discuss whether or not you agree with me.

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(Note: My reading focuses on the artist/creation aspect. I don’t really dive into the Biblical allegory, which you can find with a quick Google search.)

mother! is about humanity’s most selfish and vile habits related to creativity, artistry, celebrity, and fandom.

The beginning and ending of the film as bookends clue us into the repeating cycle. The first shot is a woman, who is not Mother (JLaw), burning up. The last shot is the formation of the Foremother, who again is not Mother (JLaw), waking up and saying, “Baby.” The journey of Mother, from house repair to giving birth to burning the house, will repeat in perpetuity with brand new mothers.

Mother is Poet’s muse. She is also his Home. She brings new life to the house—biologically (she nurtures the Home’s literal heart, sparked by the previous mother) and physically (she repairs, renovates and rebuilds the home, wall to wall). This is done out of pure love. The Woman (Pfeiffer) keeps telling her: “You really do love him, don’t you?” She is completely in love with Poet and adores his writing. She wants nothing more than to provide a “paradise” for themselves and allow him to create another work of art. But unfortunately, he has writer’s block and hasn’t written a single word.

Man (Harris) shows up to their home. He is an admiring fan of his past work. It changed his life. Man brings his wife, Woman, and they end up shattering the Glass Object, which is the previous mother’s heart. This destroys the Poet and he boards up his writing room. He is vowing to never go back to that place again to write another work. Fans are so fascinated by the source of an artist’s inspiration. But they mishandle the fragile thing and clumsily end up dropping and shattering it. This ends up hurting the artist who shuts him/herself up and keeps everyone out.

As Mother tries to kick the couple out, their sons arrive, bringing their problems and drama. They experience the tragedy of their youngest son being murdered by the older son (Cain and Abel allegory). This prompts Poet to invite them in again, along with other relatives and friends. As they grieve, he shares some words with them that help ease their pain and suffering and brings them comfort. Poet tells them that his home is theirs to fully share, and the guests take advantage of this sentiment. They go into their more private spaces upstairs. When Mother protests and claims that this is her home, they respond incredulously: “Your home, huh? Sure.” This is in line with fans of an artist feeling entitled to their personal space. It’s not enough to admire the work and be comforted by it. They invade the artist’s privacy. But the artist is fully open to this and even encourages it.

After Mother kicks them out, she taunts Poet. He still hasn’t written anything. He feels emasculated and purposeless. He only has sex with her after she challenges him. In the morning, she realizes she is pregnant and suddenly, Poet becomes alive with a renewed vigor, igniting him to write his latest masterwork. “Those people’s pain and stories, and now you, and this new baby…” Mother reads it and is floored by its beauty. We see a picture of life being restored to a once burnt down home. But Mother was not the first to read it—the work has already been reviewed and published.

This is when all hell breaks loose.

Their home balloons with sycophants, admirers, cultish obsessives, partygoers, the military, refugees, etc. They steal things—"How else will people know we were here?" They want a piece of Poet, anything at all that belongs to him. They worship him as a Christlike figure. They just want to be marked by him. To find salvation through him. Soon enough, the chaos of the world rushes into their home. Terrorism, political turmoil, power struggles, hedonism, imprisonment, police brutality, warring factions, religious divisions. Because Poet generously opens his doors to the fans, the entire world and all of its problems have entered in. When an artist makes themselves vulnerable and connects to the public, they invite everything else with it, warts and all, politics and all. You can’t cherry pick which parts of the public you want to connect to. It’s either all or nothing.

Mother eventually gives birth inside the writing room—once shut in and boarded up, now the site of new life. The baby itself, the most sacred creation, the utmost life-filled gift that she can give him is taken by the Poet and handed over to his rabid fans. Mother: “Please, tell them to leave.” Poet: “I don't want them to." He is sustained by their adoration. He is narcissistic to the point of needing it for survival. The crowd takes the baby and literally consumes it. Poet's most precious creation—they feed on it, for their own gain.

The way we are obsessed with celebrities' personal lives and personal matters, we feed on gossip like savage wolves. We believe that it will comfort our pain and give us new life.

Mother fights back, appalled at their wretchedness and greed. They respond and horrifically beat her. "Cunt! Whore!" They hate her for lashing out. They punish her for it. This is society’s double standard on women and hating them for being human and angry, which is wholly justified. We shame and batter women when they show any kind of retaliation. Poet defends her but she is pushed to her absolute brink. She lights the entire home on fire, burning down the enterprise.

And now the truths are made clear. He never loved her. He only loved how she loved him. He used her.

She has nothing left to give except one last final thing. Her actual heart. Which completely extinguishes her when he pulls it out because it is her life force. A beautiful glass object found inside the charred stone of her heart. And it regenerates the home. Paving the way for a brand new muse, who will go through the same cycle, just as Mother did before her.

Artists often use and exploit their muses. They’re not interested in the muse as a living breathing Person, with a personality, with emotions. They’re only interested in what the muse can do for them. In how they can serve their purpose of creating a new work of art. They love fandom, they love adoration. They’re willing to sacrifice something as precious as their own child just to keep the crowd satisfied. They want to be Christ. And when they’ve finally drained their muse to the point of being burned to a crisp, they take whatever little they have left until they are finally gone. And even after completely consuming them, the cycle starts again. Rinse repeat.

[ahnmin]

Media Consumption 2016

Films Released This Year

10 Cloverfield Lane

The Age of Shadows

American Honey

Arrival

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

Café Society

Captain America: Civil War

Cemetery of Splendour

Certain Women

DePalma

Deadpool

Dheepan

Doctor Strange

Don't Think Twice

Finding Dory

Green Room

Hail, Caesar!

The Handmaiden

Hell or High Water

High-Rise

Hunt for the Wilderpeople

Hush

Into the Inferno

The Invitation

Jackie

Kubo and the Two Strings

La La Land

Lemonade

The Light Between Oceans

Lo and Behold: Reveries of the Connected World

The Lobster

Manchester by the Sea

Midnight Special

Moonlight

Mr. Right

Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising

The Neon Demon

The Nice Guys

Pete's Dragon

Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping

Queen of Katwe

Rogue One

The Secret Life of Pets

The Shallows

Sing Street

Spa Night

Star Trek Beyond

Swiss Army Man

Train to Busan

Triple 9

The Wailing

Warcraft

The Witch

Zootopia

Films Released Before 2016

9 Muses of Star Empire

99 Homes

The Act of Killing

A Bittersweet Life

A Brighter Summer Day

All the President's Men

Anomalisa (2nd & 3rd rewatch)

Ant-Man

Begin Again

The Big Short

Black Coal, Thin Ice

Blackfish

Brooklyn

Carol

Cinderella

Circle

Close Encounters of the Third Kind (2nd rewatch)

Crazy, Stupid, Love.

Eden

Equinox Flower

Ghost in the Shell

Heaven's Gate

House (2)

Johnny Guitar

Jurassic World

KidPoker

Mustang

Ode to My Father

Phoenix

Queen of Earth

The Revenant (2nd rewatch)

Room

Sicario (2nd rewatch)

Straight Outta Compton

Tabu

Woman in the Dunes

Albums

A Tribe Called Quest - We got it from Here... Thank You 4 Your service

Alicia Keys - HERE

Anderson .Paak - Malibu

Angel Olsen - My Woman

Balance & Composure - The Light We Made

Beyoncé - Lemonade

Big Phony - Bobby

Big Phony - Long Live the Lie

Bon Iver - 22, A Million

Chance The Rapper - Coloring Book

Childish Gambino - Awaken, My Love!

DJ Shadow - The Mountain Will Fall

Deftones - Gore

Drake - Views

Dumbfoundead - We Might Die

Explosions in the Sky - The Wilderness

Frank Ocean - Blonde

Frank Ocean - Endless

Future - Purple Reign

James Blake - The Colour in Anything

Jimmy Eat World - Integrity Blues

Julien Baker - Sprained Ankle

Kanye West - The Life of Pablo

Kendrick Lamar - untitled, unmastered.

Kings Kaleidoscope - Beyond Control

Lisa Hannigan - At Swim

Local Natives - Sunlit Youth

M.I.A. - AIM

Radiohead - A Moon Shaped Pool

Run the Jewels - Run the Jewels 3

ScHoolboy Q - Blank Face LP

Sleeping At Last - Atlas: Year Two

The Avalanches - Wildflower

The Weeknd - Starboy

Thrice - To Be Everywhere is to Be Nowhere

Various Artists - Hamilton Mixtape

Young Thug - No, My Name is Jeffery

Young Thug - Slime Season 3

TV

Atlanta (Season 1 Eps 1-6)

Battlestar Galactica (Season 1 Eps 1-12)

Black Mirror (Season 3)

Bo Burnham: Make Happy

Cheese in the Trap (Ep 1)

Chef’s Table (Season 2)

Cooked (Season 1)

Crazy Ex-Girlfirend (Season 1 Ep 1)

Fuller House (Season 1 & Season 2 Eps 1-4)

Game of Thrones (Season 6)

Haikyū!! (Seasons 2 & 2.5)

Horace and Pete

I Love Dick (Pilot)

Jean Claude Van Johnson (Pilot)

Jessica Jones (Season 1)

John Mulaney: The Comeback Kid

The Magicians (Season 1 Eps 1-2)

Mr. Robot (Season 1)

The Night Of

The OA (Season 1)

Roast Battle (Season 1)

Stranger Things (Season 1)

Terrace House (Season 1 Eps 1-2)

Top of the Lake (Season 1)

Transparent (Seasons 1 & 2)

Westworld (Season 1)

Books & Short Stories

Dave Eggers - The Circle

Flannery O’Connor - The Gardenia

Haruki Murakami - Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimmage

Jonathan Safran Foer - Here I Am

M. L. Steadman - The Light Between Oceans

Raymond Carver - The Idea

Graphic Novels & Manga

Craig Thompson - Space Dumplins

Hiroya Oku - Gantz

Masashi Kishimoto - Naruto (385-535)

Live

Louis CK @ Madison Square Garden

Panorama Music Festival @ Randall’s Island (Oh Wonder, Foals, Anderson .Paak, Blood Orange, The National, Sufjan Stevens, Kendrick Lamar)

Sigur Rós @ Kings Theatre

Videogames

Dark Souls 3

Fallout 4

Final Fantasy XV

Metal Gear Solid V: Phantom Pain

Overcooked

The Witness

For those brave enough for the full OCD list: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1mGX6qhd6qEGXYBwihMCltR1hQFKBfD0H8pVCJJZ70pM/edit?usp=sharing

[ahnmin]

Media Consumption 2015

*Movie *®Movie re-watch **Movie release in 2015 ^TV, Anime @Album •Book, Graphic Novel, Short Story, Screenplay %Videogame $Play

01/03/2015 Only Lovers Left Alive* 01/03/2015 The Babadook* 01/05/2015 Black Mirror S01E03^ 01/06/2015 Magic in the Moonlight* 01/10/2015 Selma* 01/11/2015 American Sniper* 01/13/2015 Togetherness S01E01^ 01/13/2015 Girls S04E01^ 01/13/2015 Adventure Time S06E03^ 01/13/2015 Adventure Time S06E04^ 01/16/2015 Adventure Time S06E05^ 01/16/2015 Adventure Time S06E06^ 01/16/2015 Adventure Time S06E07^ 01/18/2015 Togetherness S01E02^ 01/18/2015 Girls S04E02^ 01/19/2015 Two Days, One Night* 01/21/2015 Sun, Moon, Stars (Junot Diaz)• 01/21/2015 Alma (Junot Diaz)• 01/21/2015 Otra Vida, Otra Vez (Junot Diaz)• 01/21/2015 Nilda (Junot Diaz)• 01/22/2015 Panda Bear Meets the Grim Reaper (Panda Bear)@ 01/22/2015 No Cities to Love (Sleater-Kinney)@ 01/22/2015 Tetsuo & Youth (Lupe Fiasco)@ 01/23/2015 Blackhat** 01/24/2015 Attack on Titan S01E01^ 01/24/2015 Attack on Titan S01E02^ 01/24/2015 Attack on Titan S01E03^ 01/24/2015 Attack on Titan S01E04^ 01/25/2015 Fallen Angels* 01/25/2015 Neighbors** 01/26/2015 Dear White People* 01/27/2015 Togetherness S01E03^ 01/27/2015 Girls S04E03^ 01/29/2015 Vulnicura (Bjork)@ 01/29/2015 Over the Garden Wall S01E01^ 01/29/2015 Over the Garden Wall S01E02^ 01/30/2015 Attack on Titan S01E05^ 01/31/2015 Attack on Titan S01E06^ 01/31/2015 Attack on Titan S01E07^ 01/31/2015 Attack on Titan S01E08^ 01/31/2015 Attack on Titan S01E09^ 02/01/2015 Attack on Titan S01E10^ 02/01/2015 John Wick* 02/01/2015 Over the Garden Wall S01E03^ 02/03/2015 Over the Garden Wall S01E04^ 02/04/2015 Title (Meghan Trainor)@ 02/04/2015 Over the Garden Wall S01E05^ 02/06/2015 Attack on Titan S01E11^ 02/06/2015 Attack on Titan S01E12^ 02/06/2015 Attack on Titan S01E13^ 02/06/2015 Attack on Titan S01E14^ 02/06/2015 Attack on Titan S01E15^ 02/06/2015 Attack on Titan S01E16^ 02/06/2015 Over the Garden Wall S01E06^ 02/06/2015 Over the Garden Wall S01E07^ 02/06/2015 Over the Garden Wall S01E08^ 02/06/2015 Over the Garden Wall S01E09^ 02/06/2015 Over the Garden Wall S01E10^ 02/07/2015 Fresh Off the Boat S01E01^ 02/09/2015 Togetherness S01E04^ 02/10/2015 The Hateful Eight (Quentin Tarantino)• 02/10/2015 Fresh Off the Boat S01E02^ 02/10/2015 Girls S03E04^ 02/12/2015 Fresh Off the Boat S01E03^ 02/12/2015 Fresh Off the Boat S01E04^ 02/13/2015 If You're Reading This It's Too Late (Drake)@ 02/13/2015 Kingsman: The Secret Service** 02/13/2015 Better Call Saul S01E01^ 02/14/2015 The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Her* 02/14/2015 Godzilla* 02/14/2015 Nightcrawler* 02/16/2015 Girls S04E05^ 02/16/2015 Togetherness S01E05^ 02/17/2015 Fresh Off the Boat S01E05^ 02/20/2015 Attack on Titan S01E17^ 02/20/2015 Attack on Titan S01E18^ 02/20/2015 Attack on Titan S01E19^ 02/20/2015 Attack on Titan S01E20^ 02/26/2015 Fresh Off the Boat S01E06^ 02/26/2015 Adventure Time S06E08^ 02/27/2015 Togetherness S01E06^ 03/01/2015 Girls S04E07^ 03/02/2015 Silver Screen Fiend (Patton Oswalt)• 03/04/2015 The Last Man On Earth S01E01^ 03/04/2015 The Last Man On Earth S01E02^ 03/05/2015 Saga Book 1 (Brian K. Vaughan & Fiona Staples)• 03/05/2015 Better Call Saul S01E02^ 03/05/2015 Better Call Saul S01E03^ 03/06/2015 Bright Half Life$ 03/06/2015 Parks and Recreation S06E03^ 03/07/2015 The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt S01E01^ 03/08/2015 Togetherness S01E07^ 03/08/2015 Togetherness S01E08^ 03/08/2015 Parks and Recreation S06E04^ 03/08/2015 Parks and Recreation S06E05^ 03/08/2015 Parks and Recreation S06E06^ 03/09/2015 The Treasure of the Sierra Madre* 03/09/2015 Parks and Recreation S06E07^ 03/09/2015 Parks and Recreation S06E08^ 03/12/2015 Parks and Recreation S06E09^ 03/12/2015 Parks and Recreation S06E10^ 03/14/2015 Attack on Titan S01E21^ 03/14/2015 Attack on Titan S01E22^ 03/14/2015 Attack on Titan S01E23^ 03/14/2015 Attack on Titan S01E24^ 03/14/2015 Attack on Titan S01E25^ 03/14/2015 Parks and Recreation S06E11^ 03/14/2015 Parks and Recreation S06E12^ 03/14/2015 Parks and Recreation S06E13^ 03/14/2015 Parks and Recreation S06E14^ 03/14/2015 Parks and Recreation S06E15^ 03/15/2015 Beyond the Lights* 03/16/2015 To Pimp a Butterfly (Kendrick Lamar)@ 03/16/2015 The Last Man on Earth S01E04^ 03/17/2015 Strangers to Ourselves (Modest Mouse)@ 03/17/2015 Community S05E11^ 03/17/2015 Community S05E12^ 03/17/2015 Community S05E13^ 03/17/2015 Community S06E01^ 03/17/2015 Community S06E02^ 03/18/2015 Parks and Recreation S06E16^ 03/19/2015 Parks and Recreation S06E17^ 03/19/2015 Parks and Recreation S06E18^ 03/19/2015 Parks and Recreation S06E19^ 03/20/2015 Perfume: The Story of a Murderer*® 03/21/2015 Empire S01E01^ 03/21/2015 Parks and Recreation S06E20^ 03/22/2015 Parks and Recreation S07E01^ 03/22/2015 The Last Man on Earth S01E05^ 03/22/2015 The Last Man on Earth S01E06^ 03/23/2015 Leviathan* 03/24/2015 Carrie & Lowell (Sufjan Stevens)@ 03/26/2015 Community S06E03^ 03/26/2015 Community S06E04^ 03/27/2015 Parks and Recreation S07E02^ 03/28/2015 Scary Close (Donald Miller)• 03/29/2015 Parks and Recreation S07E03^ 03/29/2015 Parks and Recreation S07E04^ 03/29/2015 Parks and Recreation S07E05^ 03/29/2015 Parks and Recreation S07E06^ 03/30/2015 Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief** 03/30/2015 Parks and Recreation S07E07^ 03/30/2015 Parks and Recreation S07E08^ 03/30/2015 Parks and Recreation S07E09^ 03/31/2015 The Last Man on Earth S01E07^ 03/31/2015 The Last Man on Earth S01E08^ 04/02/2015 Parks and Recreation S07E10^ 04/02/2015 Parks and Recreation S07E11^ 04/06/2015 The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Him* 04/06/2015 Parks and Recreation S07E12^ 04/08/2015 Furious 7** 04/10/2015 Louie S05E01^ 04/11/2015 While We're Young** 04/11/2015 Daredevil S01E01^ 04/12/2015 Nightcrawler*® 04/12/2015 Community S06E05^ 04/12/2015 Game of Thrones S05E01^ 04/14/2015 Daredevil S01E02^ 04/15/2015 It Follows** 04/17/2015 Better Call Saul S01E04^ 04/19/2015 Game of Thrones S05E02^ 04/22/2015 I Don't Like Shit, I Don't Go Outside (Earl Sweatshirt)@ 04/24/2015 A Most Violent Year* 04/24/2015 The Last Man On Earth S01E08^ 04/24/2015 The Last Man On Earth S01E09^ 04/24/2015 The Last Man On Earth S01E10^ 04/25/2015 They Came Together* 04/25/2015 My Life Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn* 04/26/2015 Ex Machina** 04/26/2015 Game of Thrones S05E03^ 04/29/2015 The Last Man on Earth S01E11^ 04/29/2015 Other Space S01E01^ 04/30/2015 Community S06E06^ 05/01/2015 Carry the Fire (Dustin Kensrue)@ 05/01/2015 Avengers: Age of Ultron** 05/03/2015 Divergent* 05/03/2015 Game of Thrones S05E04^ 05/06/2015 The Magicians (Lev Grossman)• 05/06/2015 Chef's Table S01E01^ 05/07/2015 Fated (Nosaj Thing)@ 05/07/2015 Inside Amy Schumer S03E03^ 05/07/2015 Louie S05E02^ 05/07/2015 The Last Man on Earth S01E12^ 05/07/2015 Chef's Table S01E02^ 05/08/2015 Polytechnique* 05/08/2015 Chef's Table S01E03^ 05/10/2015 Chef's Table S01E04^ 05/11/2015 Game of Thrones S05E05^ 05/12/2015 Chef's Table S01E05^ 05/12/2015 Chef's Table S01E06^ 05/13/2015 Imbue (The Early November)@ 05/14/2015 Louie S05E03^ 05/14/2015 Louie S05E04^ 05/14/2015 Louie S05E05^ 05/16/2015 Other Space S01E02^ 05/16/2015 Other Space S01E03^ 05/16/2015 Other Space S01E04^ 05/16/2015 Other Space S01E05^ 05/16/2015 Top of the Lake S01E01^ 05/16/2015 Top of the Lake S01E02^ 05/16/2015 Bloodborne% 05/17/2015 Mad Max: Fury Road** 05/17/2015 Game of Thrones S05E06^ 05/19/2015 Top of the Lake S01E03^ 05/19/2015 Other Space S01E06^ 05/20/2015 Other Space S01E07^ 05/23/2015 Other Space S01E08^ 05/23/2015 Community S06E07^ 05/23/2015 Community S06E08^ 05/23/2015 Community S06E09^ 05/24/2015 Haikyū!! S01E01^ 05/24/2015 Pather Panchali* 05/25/2015 Haikyū!! S01E02^ 05/25/2015 Haikyū!! S01E03^ 05/25/2015 Aparajito* 05/25/2015 Game of Thrones S05E07^ 05/26/2015 At.Long.Last.A$AP (A$AP Rocky)@ 05/26/2015 Haikyū!! S01E04^ 05/26/2015 Haikyū!! S01E05^ 05/26/2015 Haikyū!! S01E06^ 05/26/2015 Apur Sansar* 05/27/2015 Haikyū!! S01E07^ 05/27/2015 Haikyū!! S01E08^ 05/27/2015 Adventure Time S06E09^ 05/27/2015 Adventure Time S06E10^ 05/28/2015 Haikyū!! S01E09^ 05/28/2015 Haikyū!! S01E10^ 05/28/2015 Haikyū!! S01E11^ 05/29/2015 Surf (Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment)@ 05/30/2015 Haikyu!! S01E12^ 05/30/2015 Haikyu!! S01E13^ 05/30/2015 Haikyu!! S01E14^ 05/30/2015 Haikyu!! S01E15^ 05/30/2015 Haikyu!! S01E16^ 05/30/2015 Haikyu!! S01E17^ 05/30/2015 Haikyu!! S01E18^ 05/30/2015 Haikyu!! S01E19^ 05/30/2015 Haikyu!! S01E20^ 05/30/2015 Haikyu!! S01E21^ 05/30/2015 Haikyu!! S01E22^ 05/31/2015 Haikyu!! S01E23^ 05/31/2015 Haikyu!! S01E24^ 05/31/2015 Haikyu!! S01E25^ 05/31/2015 Top of the Lake S01E04^ 05/31/2015 Game of Thrones S05E08^ 05/31/2015 Community S06E10^ 05/31/2015 Community S06E11^ 06/02/2015 How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful (Florence + the Machine)@ 06/02/2015 Adventure Time S06E11^ 06/02/2015 Adventure Time S06E12^ 06/02/2015 Rick and Morty S01E01^ 06/02/2015 Rick and Morty S01E02^ 06/02/2015 Rick and Morty S01E03^ 06/02/2015 Rick and Morty S01E04^ 06/03/2015 Kids on the Slope S01E01^ 06/03/2015 Kids on the Slope S01E02^ 06/03/2015 Slow West** 06/03/2015 Rick and Morty S01E05^ 06/03/2015 Rick and Morty S01E06^ 06/03/2015 Rick and Morty S01E07^ 06/03/2015 Rick and Morty S01E08^ 06/04/2015 In Colour (Jamie xx)@ 06/04/2015 Rick and Morty S01E09^ 06/05/2015 Kung Fury** 06/05/2015 Rick and Morty S01E10^ 06/05/2015 Rick and Morty S01E11^ 06/06/2015 Sense8 S01E01^ 06/06/2015 Sense8 S01E02^ 06/06/2015 Sense8 S01E03^ 06/06/2015 Sense8 S01E04^ 06/06/2015 Sense8 S01E05^ 06/07/2015 Game of Thrones S05E09^ 06/08/2015 Adventure Time S06E13^ 06/08/2015 Adventure Time S06E14^ 06/08/2015 Sense8 S01E06^ 06/09/2015 Adventure Time S06E15^ 06/10/2015 Community S06E12^ 06/10/2015 Sense8 S01E07^ 06/10/2015 Sense8 S01E08^ 06/13/2015 The Conformist* 06/13/2015 Sense8 S01E09^ 06/14/2015 Game of Thrones S05E10^ 06/15/2015 Assault on Precinct 13* 06/15/2015 The Guest* 06/16/2015 Unbreakable*® 06/16/2015 Top of the Lake S01E05^ 06/19/2015 Adventure Time S06E16^ 06/20/2015 Food Wars: Shokugeki no Soma S01E01^ 06/20/2015 Food Wars: Shokugeki no Soma S01E02^ 06/22/2015 Ratchet (Shamir)@ 06/22/2015 Adventure Time S06E17^ 06/22/2015 Adventure Time S06E18^ 06/22/2015 Tomb Raider% 06/23/2015 Adventure Time S06E19^ 06/23/2015 True Detective S02E01^ 06/23/2015 Sense8 S01E10^ 06/24/2015 Every Hero Needs a Villain (Czarface)@ 06/24/2015 Adventure Time S06E19^ 06/25/2015 Community S06E13^ 06/26/2015 Adventure Time S06E21^ 06/28/2015 True Detective S02E02^ 06/30/2015 Inside Out** 07/01/2015 Adventure Time S06E22^ 07/02/2015 Adventure Time S06E23^ 07/04/2015 Why Don't You Dance? (Raymond Carver)• 07/06/2015 Pale Horses (mewithoutYou)@ 07/06/2015 True Detective S02E03^ 07/07/2015 Force Majeure* 07/09/2015 Sense 8 S01E11^ 07/09/2015 Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes% 07/10/2015 The Maker (Jorge Luis Borges)• 07/12/2015 True Detective S02E04^ 07/12/2015 7 Days in Hell** 07/17/2015 Adventure Time S06E24^ 07/18/2015 Oh My Ghostess S01E01^ 07/18/2015 Oh My Ghostess S01E02^ 07/18/2015 Oh My Ghostess S01E03^ 07/19/2015 Oh My Ghostess S01E04^ 07/19/2015 Oh My Ghostess S01E05^ 07/19/2015 Oh My Ghostess S01E06^ 07/21/2015 Amy** 07/24/2015 Trainwreck** 07/24/2015 The Stanford Prison Experiment** 07/25/2015 Oh My Ghostess S01E07^ 07/25/2015 Oh My Ghostess S01E08^ 07/29/2015 Sense8 S01E12^ 07/31/2015 Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp S01E01^ 08/02/2015 Oh My Ghostess E09^ 08/02/2015 Oh My Ghostess E10^ 08/04/2015 Rick and Morty S02E01^ 08/07/2015 Barter 6 (Young Thug)@ 08/07/2015 Compton (Dr. Dre)• 08/07/2015 Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation** 08/07/2015 Fantastic Four** 08/07/2015 The Hunt* 08/07/2015 Rick and Morty S02E02^ 08/08/2015 Oh My Ghostess E11^ 08/08/2015 Oh My Ghostess E12^ 08/09/2015 The Gift** 08/11/2015 Adventure Time S06E25^ 08/12/2015 Unfriended** 08/14/2015 The Man from U.N.C.L.E.** 08/16/2015 Black Narcissus*® 08/19/2015 Oh My Ghostess E13^ 08/19/2015 Oh My Ghostess E14^ 08/21/2015 Staten Island Summer* 08/22/2015 Oh My Ghostess E15^ 08/24/2015 Oh My Ghostess E16^ 08/25/2015 Black Mirror S01E01^ 08/25/2015 Rick and Morty S02E03^ 08/25/2015 Rick and Morty S02E04^ 08/27/2015 E•MO•TION (Carly Rae Jepsen)@ 08/31/2015 Rick and Morty S02E05^ 08/31/2015 Show Me a Hero Part 1^ 09/01/2015 Rick and Morty S02E06^ 09/04/2015 The Maze Runner* 09/06/2015 White God** 09/07/2015 Time of the Wolf* 09/08/2015 Strange Trails (Lord Huron)@ 09/08/2015 Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp S01E02^ 09/13/2015 The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt S01E02^ 09/13/2015 The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt S01E03^ 09/13/2015 Show Me a Hero Part 2^ 09/14/2015 Show Me a Hero Part 3^ 09/14/2015 Show Me a Hero Part 4^ 09/14/2015 Project Greenlight S04E01^ 09/15/2015 Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope* 09/15/2015 Rick and Morty S02E07^ 09/15/2015 Show Me a Hero Part 5^ 09/19/2015 Sicario** 09/20/2015 Show Me a Hero Part 6^ 09/21/2015 What a Time to Be Alive (Drake & Future)@ 09/21/2015 1989 (Ryan Adams)@ 09/21/2015 Rick and Morty S02E08^ 09/28/2015 How to Get Away with Murder S01E01^ 09/28/2015 How to Get Away with Murder S01E02^ 09/28/2015 The Last Man on Earth S02E01^ 09/28/2015 Rick and Morty S02E09^ 09/30/2015 Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter** 10/02/2015 Depression Cherry (Beach House)@ 10/05/2015 Have You in My Wilderness (Julia Holter)@ 10/05/2015 Rick and Morty S02E10^ 10/06/2015 The Visit** 10/07/2015 Spy** 10/08/2015 The Last Man on Earth S02E02^ 10/09/2015 Red Oaks S01E01^ 10/13/2015 Lucas Bros. Moving Co. S01E01^ 10/14/2015 One Punch Man S01E01^ 10/14/2015 Steve Jobs** 10/17/2015 Beasts of No Nation** 10/22/2015 Divers (Joanna Newsom)@ 10/22/2015 Thank Your Lucky Stars (Beach House)@ 10/22/2015 Top of the Lake S01E06^ 10/25/2015 Corners** 10/25/2015 The Knick S02E01^ 10/26/2015 One Punch Man S01E02^ 10/26/2015 Project Greenlight S04E02^ 10/27/2015 The End of the Tour** 10/27/2015 Project Greenlight S04E03^ 10/27/2015 Project Greenlight S04E04^ 10/28/2015 The Walk** 10/28/2015 The Knick S02E02^ 10/31/2015 The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1* 10/31/2015 Black Mirror S02E02^ 11/01/2015 Crimson Peak** 11/02/2015 Red Oaks S01E02^ 11/02/2015 The Knick S02E03^ 11/04/2015 One Punch Man S01E03^ 11/04/2015 The Martian** 11/04/2015 Red Oaks S01E03^ 11/06/2015 Master of None S01E01^ 11/06/2015 Master of None S01E02^ 11/06/2015 Red Oaks S01E04^ 11/06/2015 Red Oaks S01E05^ 11/06/2015 Red Oaks S01E06^ 11/07/2015 Red Oaks S01E07^ 11/07/2015 Red Oaks S01E08^ 11/07/2015 Red Oaks S01E09^ 11/07/2015 Red Oaks S01E10^ 11/07/2015 Bridge of Spies** 11/08/2015 Master of None S01E03^ 11/08/2015 Master of None S01E04^ 11/08/2015 Master of None S01E05^ 11/09/2015 Master of None S01E06^ 11/09/2015 Master of None S01E07^ 11/10/2015 Master of None S01E08^ 11/10/2015 Master of None S01E09^ 11/10/2015 The Knick S02E04^ 11/11/2015 Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back* 11/11/2015 Master of None S01E10^ 11/14/2015 Dope^^ 11/15/2015 American Ultra^^ 11/17/2015 Purpose (Justin Bieber)@ 11/18/2015 The Assassin** 11/19/2015 Fruitvale Station* 11/19/2015 The Knick S02E05^ 11/20/2015 25 (Adele)@ 11/20/2015 Junun (Shye Ben Tzur, Jonny Greenwood & The Rajasthan Express)@ 11/20/2015 Jessica Jones S01E01^ 11/21/2015 Jane the Virgin S01E01^ 11/22/2015 Jessica Jones S01E02^ 11/22/2015 The Knick S02E06^ 11/24/2015 Jessica Jones S01E03^ 11/24/2015 Jessica Jones S01E04^ 11/27/2015 Me and Earl and the Dying Girl** 11/27/2015 Jessica Jones S01E05^ 11/27/2015 Jane the Virgin S01E08^ 11/30/2015 Creed** 12/01/2015 Jessica Jones S01E06^ 12/04/2015 A Head Full of Dreams (Coldplay)@ 12/05/2015 The Knick S02E07^ 12/06/2015 About Elly** 12/09/2015 Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi* 12/12/2015 What We Do in the Shadows** 12/12/2015 Jessica Jones S01E07^ 12/14/2015 Pawn Sacrifice** 12/15/2015 Spotlight** 12/16/2015 Art Angels (Grimes)@ 12/18/2015 The Tribe** 12/19/2015 Mistress America** 12/19/2015 The Knick S02E08^ 12/20/2015 The Knick S02E09^ 12/20/2015 The Knick S02E10^ 12/21/2015 Didn't He Ramble (Glen Hansard)@ 12/21/2015 Heaven Knows What** 12/22/2015 The Duke of Burgundy** 12/22/2015 Magic Mike XXL** 12/23/2015 Purple (Baroness)@ 12/24/2015 Your Sister's Sister* 12/27/2015 Black Mirror S02E03^ 12/27/2015 Black Mirror Christmas Special^ 12/28/2015 Star Wars: The Force Awakens** 12/30/2015 The Hateful Eight** 12/31/2015 The Revenant**

[ahnmin]

Top Movies & Albums of 2015

[ahnmin]

2015′s Movie Poster Trend

One year it was the big Futura font across the face (Social Network), another year it was the orange/blue contrast. This year it's the varying sizes of faces in opposite directions.

[ahnmin]

[ahnmin]

Good Friday

On my way to the gallows, a hundred mistakes and non removable regrets clung to my ankle, ball and chain.

I was dragging my feet because I had to but the scraping of linked metal spoke for my heaviness all too well.

With a shouting mob, I braced myself for a bloody neckless when the Perfumed Soaked Man came into my stead.

Pushing me aside, His arm did not tremble as I rubbed my ankle now surprisingly light and smelling of nard.

[ahnmin]

Media Consumption 2014

01/06 Outrage Beyond 01/13 Her # 01/14 You’re Next 01/14 The Way Way Back 01/16 Inside Llewyn Davis # 01/16 2001: A Space Odyssey # 01/24 I Am Legend # 01/25 Community Season 5 01/26 Like Father Like Son * 02/02 All is Lost 02/04 The Counselor 02/10 The Lego Movie * 02/11 A Field in England * 02/23 The Wind Rises * 03/03 The Royal Tenenbaums # 03/10 True Detective Season 1 03/15 The Girl with a Pearl Earring & 03/16 The Grand Budapest Hotel * 03/26 Enemy * 03/30 Noah * 04/03 Nymphomaniac Vol. 1 * 04/11 Oculus * 04/13 Captain America: The Winter Soldier * 04/16 No Longer Human & 04/20 Non-Stop * 04/22 Under the Skin * 05/10 A Touch of Sin * 05/11 Neighbors * 05/15 The Apartment 05/16 Rush 05/23 X-Men: Days of Future Past * 05/24 Rosemary's Baby # 06/03 Palo Alto * 06/10 Snowpiercer * 06/20 22 Jump Street * 06/27 Grand Piano * 07/01 Louie Season 4 07/02 Silicon Valley Season 1 07/03 Orange is the New Black Season 2 07/05 The Edge of Tomorrow * 07/11 Boyhood * 07/14 The Double * 07/15 Raiders of the Lost Ark 07/17 Dawn of the Planet of the Apes * 07/20 The Immigrant * 08/03 Guardians of the Galaxy * 08/09 Guardians of the Galaxy # 08/10 The Alchemist & 08/12 The Signal * 08/12 Coherence * 09/04 Proxy * 09/06 Blue Ruin * 09/09 Lucy * 09/15 Sherlock Season 1 09/20 Locke * 09/22 Frank * 10/03 The Equalizer * 10/05 Gone Girl * 10/10 Sherlock Season 2 10/11 Why Don't You Play in Hell? * 10/12 The Vanishing (1988) 10/25 Whiplash * 10/29 Obvious Child * 10/31 Cabin in the Woods # 10/31 Ju-On 11/01 World on a Wire 11/05 A Man Escaped 11/07 The Purge 11/08 Interstellar * 11/09 Big Hero 6 * 11/11 Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) * 11/13 Girls Season 3 11/16 Total Recall (1990) 11/18 House of Leaves & 11/23 Foxcatcher * 11/26 The Knick Season 1 11/30 Clue 12/03 Predestination * 12/08 Listen Up Philip * 12/13 Top Five * 12/29 The Interview * 12/29 Ida * 12/30 We Are the Best! * 12/30 Inherent Vice *

* released in 2014 # re-watch & book

[ahnmin]

12 Favorite Films of 2014

(Reposting from my FB)

Honorable mentions: Enemy

A puzzle that simultaneously begs and refuses to be solved.

Boyhood

The heartbreak and excitement of moving from childhood to young adulthood.

12. Inherent Vice

Plot takes a backseat as the spirit and atmosphere slowly wash over you. Anything can happen in a strange world where everyone is sharing the same hallucination. I found myself bored and confused for the first hour trying to figure out what the hell was going on but then all of a sudden, I fell under the movie's spell without even noticing and I was just gliding along with Doc, meandering to this place, talking to that hippie, never knowing where I'd end up next but feeling like I definitely belonged there.

11. Ida

The lead actress has such a compelling face and she didn't even do much yet revealed all the turmoil underneath. She's one of those people that you see on the subway and for no other reason than them possessing an introspective and thoughtful gaze, you're so fascinated by them and want to discover their story. It packs devastating emotion in a short swift blow and the exact framing haunts its subjects, implying the presence (or absence) of God.

10. The Immigrant

Do I love these characters or hate them? Are they trustworthy or suspicious? I kept changing my mind and stance on them all throughout the movie and even at the end of it, I was still undecided. It is that undefinable and mysterious. And that last shot sums up everything the movie was trying to say in one gorgeous frame.

9. Edge of Tomorrow

A total blast, edited without an inch of fat. The inventive and economic presentation sustains interest and keeps the story engaging all throughout.

8. Under the Skin

Candid footage coupled with visual and aural command present human beings as the strangest thing in a film about an alien.

7. Blue Ruin

Even the process of a clumsy amateur, when thoroughly detailed, becomes fascinating. Usually in revenge thrillers, the protagonist is a consummate professional. Here, he's an ordinary bum. And somehow that made it more compelling.

6. The Double

I really love rhythmic movies, where every cut seems in time with a beat. And you can't place where this movie even is. What decaede? What country? There are European accents. But then there are Asian songs! A hermetic world, detailed to the nines, flows and exists on its own rhythm, tone, and strangeness.

5. Like Father Like Son

Sensitivity is one of the hardest things to capture but Koreeada is a master at it. He observes so carefully the enormous complexities of parenting, childhood, family, and what ties all these things together. This film broke my heart, then carefully pieced it back together, then broke it again. How dare a story do that to me.

4. Selma

To humanize a legendary icon, to brush away the reverence, and to portray a flawed person that relied on God. This distinct point of view, never seen in Hollywood biopics, reveals a triumph of the oppressed and all that it took to get there.

3. Interstellar

In a film that is grand and cosmic on every level, the center is an intimate love story between a father and daughter. For all the mysteries in the universe, the greatest is still love and Nolan was not afraid to say so.

2. Foxcatcher

Austere and controlled direction. Transformative performances with incredible physicality. The low simmer and oncoming dread. A true life thriller that is borderline perfect.

1. Whiplash

Incendiary performances lead the way to an awe-inspiring climax that firmly planted my heart in my throat. Nothing was as thrilling as that final scene, which was completely earned through total commitment, from both the actors and the filmmakers. And was it even a celebratory ending? The uncertainty of that answer speaks to this film's power and achievement. And cotdamn that final scene.

[fuckyeahmustachesubs]

[ahnmin]

This is what we like to call "side projects" here at DF.

[ahnmin]

12 Favorite Films of 2013

Honorable mentions:

Short Term 12 - A story of a broken person taking care of broken kids and the redemption that can still come out of that.

The Conjuring - Genuinely scary.

Pacific Rim - What if Vincent Van Gogh interpreted a Power Rangers Robot/Monster battle scene?

12. Prince Avalanche

The best of both sides of David Gordon Green—his poetry and comedy. This film aimed to sit nicely in the balance between art house indie dramas and broad buddy comedies, and ended up nailing both.

11. The World’s End

I love that each of Edgar Wright’s Cornetto Trilogy genre attempts are about something. In general, they’re all about leaving your 20s behind and embracing, albeit while kicking and screaming, the next phase of your life. It really culminates in the third installment, which also captures the best of the genre elements. How Wright, Pegg, and the entire team were able to continually drive the themes and arc of the characters while ticking off and twisting around the genre requirements is wonderful and, most importantly, joyful to watch. The action is shot with an assured, clean style that puts you in the thick of it without leaving you disoriented and Nick Frost’s drunken man is some of the best inebriated acting I’ve ever seen.

10. Gravity

For all of its incredible technical achievements, the focus was always on the humanity. Sandra Bullock’s performance anchors all the spectacular visual effects and flawless sound design. She actually had so many physical challenges, including tightening all the muscles in her body and hitting intricately choreographed marks, but you never notice it because her emotional presence is strong all throughout, and that’s what really made Gravity a breakthrough.

09. Prisoners

This is the bravest studio film of the year. Firstly, the cinematography. Good Lord, Roger Deakins must have eyes made of gold. Each shot is stunning, not only in its composition, but in its thematic relevance and importance to the narrative. That tree shot is still so haunting. Then the strong-minded direction with a distinct point of view. Denis Villeneuve took a straightforward kidnapping thriller and made it his own by telling a story that becomes as dense and complex as great literature. Nothing is black and white with this film, it’s completely immersed in the grey (also literally—Roger Deakins only shot in overcast skies to make the weather oppressive and claustrophobic, a stroke of genius). Villains, heroes, victims, predators… there are such fine lines between these roles and Prisoners bravely tightrope walks all of them. Some complained that it was a bit overlong towards the third act but I thought as an audience, you really needed that time to experience how long and draining the days were because your daughter was still nowhere to be found. (Further notes on Prisoners can be found here.)

08. Frances Ha

A film where the film itself is the lead character. In this case, exuberant, full of life, and energetic, but also restless, wanting to belong, and wandering. All the choices reflect this, even down to the black and white, which allows Greta to go big and bold in her characterizations and physicality. The story hit a little too close to home for me. That feeling of always searching, never having enough money, and just wanting to find that thing you’re meant to do, while enjoying and despising life all at once.

07. Beyond the Hills

Straight up masterful in acting and direction. The pacing is perfect and the performances are tuned to the exact pitch needed. Like Prisoners, it lies completely in the grey areas. Your allegiances to and opinions of characters will constantly change. At its heart, Beyond is about faith—the beauty, contradiction, and complexity of it, but it never takes on a judgmental stance. The final shot is profound because we will always be looking through a glass darkly, unable to fully see an unvarnished objective truth.

06. Upstream Color

A perplexing rubiks cube that somehow leaves you both confused and satisfied at the end. You could go both ways: either you figure out the mystery and put all the myriad pieces together or you leave it as is and take it in as a thematic whole where Walden and pigs fit perfectly.

05. Before Midnight

It’s hard to think of any other filmed conversations that are so natural and engaging that I completely forget two actors are delivering scripted lines in front of a crew behind equipment. I remember watching this with Christina and Minyoung at the Tribeca Film Festival and when we went to grab pizza afterward, we had such an interesting discussion, which started about the movie, then led to other random topics of life and personalities and relationships. The best movies tend to do that.

04. Her

You know that feeling where, after being rejected by your crush or breaking up with your significant, you become depressed for weeks with the world turning monochrome, then suddenly one day you wake up and you don’t feel so sad anymore, and instead you feel kind of okay, much lighter, the world slowly takes on colors again, and it’s this weird tension between being relieved but also being a little sad that you’re not sad anymore because you were so used to it… yeah, this movie is that feeling for about two hours.

03. 12 Years a Slave

Never, for the life of me, will I know what it’s like to be treated as solely the property of another person and be completely devalued, abused, and oppressed. But the frame compositions, the music, the incredible performances (I’m definitely rooting for Lupita at the Oscars), and the long powerful takes do their best to come as close as possible to that experience, all through the highest level of artistry.

02. Inside Llewyn Davis

Who do we think we are to pursue a career in the arts? Let alone follow our dreams? We strive and strive to do what we feel we’re called to do, yet pesky things like money and career stand in the way. On top of that, we seek the approval from those who oppose us the most because we’ll only feel validated if what we do can support us as well. Because what’s the alternative? To just… exist?

01. The Place Beyond the Pines

No matter where I go, what I do, who I become, I will always be my father’s son. That fact is inescapable and absolute. It’s not that it’s a good thing or a bad thing. It’s not even about my dad being a good father or a bad father. It just is. It’s a truth in life and whether we choose to break free from a wretched heritage or cling to an honorable legacy, we are who we are because of where we came from.

[ahnmin]

Media Consumption 2013

All the movies, books, concerts, and TV shows I saw/read/attended this year (so far).

* came out this year # rewatch ^ book % TV show @ concert and venue

01/18 Holy Motors

01/20 Amour

01/25 Blue Valentine #

02/03 Warm Bodies *

02/10 Side Effects *

02/13 As Good As It Gets #

02/14 Compliance

02/14 10 Years

02/16 House of Cards Season 1 %

02/18 Where the Wild Things Are #

02/20 Infinite Jest ^ (started, completion pending)

03/03 Stoker *

03/08 The Master #

03/10 Oz the Great and Powerful *

03/10 Blue Valentine #

03/13 Once Upon a Time in Anatolia

03/16 The Five-Year Engagement

03/18 Cosmopolis

03/18 The Piano

03/19 Smashed

03/20 Beyond the Hills *

03/29 Stories We Tell *

04/03 Clint Mansell @ The Church of St. Paul the Apostle

04/05 Upstream Color *

04/14 The Place Beyond the Pines *

04/19 At Any Price *

04/22 Before Midnight *

04/23 Prince Avalanche *

04/28 Mud *

05/04 Rust and Bone

05/05 Pulp Fiction #

05/07 The Great Gatsby ^

05/12 Iron Man 3 *

05/17 Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Flaming Lips @ GoogaMooga

05/19 The Great Gatsby *

05/19 The Liars @ Le Poisson Rouge

05/22 Chain and the Gang @ Ran’s Tea House

05/24 Star Trek Into Darkness *

05/24 Star Trek #

05/25 Claire’s Knee

05/26 Fast & Furious 6 *

05/27 Arrested Development Season 4 %*

05/31 Sputnik Sweetheart ^

06/05 To the Wonder *

06/06 Thieves

06/07-09 @ Governor's Ball: Local Natives, Of Monsters and Men, Grizz, Grizzly Bear, Kendrick Lamar, Alt-J, Nas, Kanye West, The xx, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Foals, Japandroids, Animal Collective, Best Coast

06/16 This Is the End *

06/23 Man of Steel *

06/23 This Is the End *#

06/25 The Heat *

06/30 Monsters University *

07/07 Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain *

07/07 The Bling Ring *

07/09 Trance *

07/14 Pacific Rim *

07/20 Orange is the New Black Season 1 %*

07/22 Spring Breakers *

07/23 The Place Beyond the Pines *#

07/23 Only God Forgives *

07/25 Super

07/28 The Conjuring *

07/30 Midnight in Paris #

08/03 Amelie #

08/09 Blue Jasmine *

08/11 Breaking Bad S05E09 “Blood Money” %*

08/16 Elysium *

08/18 The Spectacular Now *

08/18 Breaking Bad S05E10 “Buried” %*

08/24 The World’s End *

08/25 Breaking Bad S05E11 “Confessions” %*

08/31 Now You See Me *

09/01 Breaking Bad S05E12 “Rabid Dog” %*

09/03 Gattaca #

09/04 The Grandmaster (Chinese Version)*

09/04 Room 237 *

09/05 The Last Stand *

09/06 Passion Pit, Best Coast @ Hudson Pier 24

09/07 Oddball Festival (Keith Robinson, Kristen Schaal, Al Madrigal, John Mulaney, Sarah Silverman, Flight of the Conchords, Dave Chappelle)

09/08 Breaking Bad S05E13 “To’hajilee” %*

09/10 The Wire Season 1, 2 %

09/13 Incendies

09/13 Crystal Fairy *

09/14 Derek Season 1 %*

09/15 Breaking Bad S05E14 “Ozymandias” %*

09/21 Prisoners *

09/22 Breaking Bad S05E15 “Granite State” %*

09/29 Don Jon *

09/29 Breaking Bad S05E16 “Felina” %*

10/03 The Call of Cthulhu ^

10/05 Daughter @ Terminal 5

10/06 Short Term 12 *

10/08 Gravity *

10/13 Captain Phillips *

10/20 Much Ado About Nothing *

10/27 Werckmeister Harmonies

11/01 Before Midnight *#

11/02 Frances Ha *

11/03 Blue is the Warmest Color *

11/03 The To Do List *

11/10 12 Years a Slave *

11/12 The Kings of Summer *

11/18 Washed Out @ Music Hall of Williamsburg

11/24 The Hunger Games: Catching Fire *

11/29 The Sound of Music

12/01 Where I’m Calling From ^

12/04 Ain’t Them Bodies Saints *

12/05 Drinking Buddies *

12/08 Inside Llewyn Davis *

12/10 Another Day, Another Time *

12/09 Her *

12/12 The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

12/13 The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug *

12/15 American Hustle *

12/17 Computer Chess *

12/19 Her *#

12/23 The Yellow Sea

12/24 21 & Over

12/26 Adventure Time Season 5 %*

12/29 The Wolf of Wall Street *

12/30 2001: A Space Odyssey

[ahnmin]

12 Favorite Albums of 2013

You've no doubt read plenty of words written about these albums. So here are some sketches instead.

Honorable Mentions:

Run the Jewels - Run the Jewels

Volcano Choir - Repave

12. Tegan and Sara - Heartthrob

11. James Blake - Overgrown

10. A$AP Rocky - LONG.LIVE.A$AP.

09. Balance and Composure - The Things We Think We're Missing

08. The National - Trouble Will Find Me

07. Kanye West - Yeezus

06. Local Natives - Hummingbird

05. Daft Punk - Random Access Memories

04. Washed Out - Paracosm

03. Chance the Rapper - Acid Rap

02. Arcade Fire - Reflektor

01. Vampire Weekend - Modern Vampires of the City