Astonishingly Sane

[guardian-angle22]

baby capybara named Tupi via san antonio zoo

[thesoldiersminute]

True Romance dir. Tony Scott | 1993

[astonishinglysane]

Movies I’ve Watched - 2026

206/?: True Romance (1993) - watched 8/11/26

This is entertaining enough with a great deal of style, but I didn’t fall in love with it because there isn’t anything to it beyond the surface. Why would I worry about anything that happens to these characters when, for example, Alabama doesn’t react at all to being confronted by a man with a shotgun? The closest this comes to genuine emotion is the scene between Christian Slater and Dennis Hopper. There’s a real sense of family history there. Unfortunately it is followed by a scene that showcases all of Tarantino’s disturbing weirdness about blackness.

[gatutor]

Shirley Booth-Burt Lancaster “Vuelve, pequeña Sheba” (Come back little Sheba) 1952, de Daniel Mann.

[astonishinglysane]

Movies I’ve Watched - 2026

205/?: Come Back, Little Sheba (1952) - watched 8/10/26

This is a fairly honest look at the ways addiction ripples out to affect everyone around it, especially for the times. The movie leads you to believe that Doc has a carnal interest in Marie, when really all he sees when he looks at her is his own disappointment and lost dreams. Burt Lancaster (who, despite the criticism, is only about five years too young for this role) manages to subdue his natural vitality and convincingly play a gentle but broken man. He is well-matched by Shirley Booth, and the way the movie parcels out information about her/their pasts slowly puts all the pieces together for why this woman is the way she is (watch how fast she drops the little girl voice in a genuine crisis). Good film!

[epicsause-official]

i recently found out what the * * * that sometimes separates parts of a text is called and youre never gonna fucking believe it

[januaryfruits]

Sweetie (1989) dir. Jane Campion

[astonishinglysane]

Movies I’ve Watched - 2026

204/?: Sweetie (1989) - watched 8/9/26

This movie is well-made and it captures a pretty accurate psychological portrait of a family torn apart by one member’s mental illness. The range of reactions, from denial and enabling to avoidance, feels real. Unfortunately, mental illness or no, Sweetie is one of the most frustrating characters I’ve ever seen in a movie, and the film itself is filled with bizarre details and meaningless stylistic flourishes that undercut the realism.

[filmgifs]

The Testament of Ann Lee (2025) dir. Mona Fastvold

[astonishinglysane]

Movies I’ve Watched - 2026

203/?: The Testament of Ann Lee (2025) - watched 8/8/26

It would be easy to view Ann Lee’s story through a modern liberal lens — the psychological and physiological reasons for her visions and beliefs are not difficult to imagine. But I think that would be a mistake. The movie (which is told through the eyes of a Shaker true believer) has no cynicism toward Ann Lee or her followers. No matter if you want to call it God or not, they found something truly transcendent through their worship. Combined with the beautiful and fearless filmmaking, this movie offers something sublime if you open yourself to it. One of the best films I’ve seen this year.

[maryoliveoil]

THE TESTAMENT OF ANN LEE (2025) | dir. Mona Fastvold "All Is Summer"

[the-lions-hart]

A banger

[artfilmfan]

Mad Bills to Pay (or Destiny, dile que no soy malo) (Joel Alfonso Vargas, 2025)

cinematography: Rufai Ajala

[astonishinglysane]

Movies I’ve Watched - 2026

202/?: Mad Bills to Pay (or Destiny, dile que no soy malo) - watched 8/7/26

Ricardo is a fuck-up and kind of an idiot, and you dread the idea of him raising a child. However, the movie depicts him with empathy, and makes you understand, without infantilizing the character, how growing up in poverty without a father could leave a young man directionless. Yet Ricardo also benefits from his maleness — a young woman could not react this irresponsibly to learning she was going to become a parent. Indeed, one of the noteworthy things about the film is how all the female characters (Destiny, her mother, and Ricardo’s mother) step up immediately to handle the situation with clear heads.

[romdocitizen]

The Matrix Resurrections (2021) dir. Lana Wachowski, cinematography by John Toll & Daniele Massaccesi

[astonishinglysane]

Movies I’ve Watched - 2026

201/?: The Matrix Resurrections (2021) - watched 8/6/26

I love The Matrix movies. When I was younger I would have said that the sequels were so-so, but I couldn’t stop rewatching them, so make of that what you will. This latest movie works on multiple levels. First, Lana Wachowski realizes the idea of a “reboot” in the type of literal way that can only be done in a digital world. Like franchise reboots, this movie’s version of the Matrix is slicker and shinier.

There are so many details I love with both the returning and the new characters, but I want specifically to talk about this film’s Morpheus. He is not Laurence Fishburne’s Morpheus, and he was not meant to be. As shown in the original trilogy, the “real” Morpheus was a pretty strange dude, one almost entirely motivated by his own religious zealotry. Resurrections’ Morpheus is a character in a modal created by Thomas Anderson; meaning his personality reflects how Neo thinks of Morpheus. And of course Neo saw Morpheus as the coolest motherfucker in the room.

It has been clear since the scene with the Architect in Reloaded that the thing that makes this Neo special and ultimately successful is his bond with Trinity. To have this made the focal point of this film is a moving experience. Reeves and Moss have such strong chemistry that you completely buy it.

Lana Wachowski has always been a thoughtful filmmaker, and her ability to indicate her disgust with this whole exercise while also creating a worthy follow-up is commendable. A follow-up, no less, that says TRANS RIGHTS with its whole chest.

[teddypng]

Elliott Smith playing at Reading Festival, 2000

[firstclassmovies]

TWO FRIENDS (1986). Jane Campion directs a drama with Kris Bidenko and Emma Coles.

[astonishinglysane]

Movies I’ve Watched - 2026

200/?: Two Friends (1986) - watched 8/4/26

The form of this is interesting, but I’m not sure it completely pays off. Watching a friendship unravel backward, seeing how small cracks led to the bigger rift we see at the beginning of the movie, is a good idea. But everything is played so lowkey that the estrangement we see doesn’t feel painful, nor does the road Kelly finds herself on feel as dangerous as it should. Still, the characters and situations are well-observed, and this is a promising first effort from Campion.

[kino-ani]

Jean Harlow as Vantine Red Dust (1932) Dir. Victor Fleming

[elliottsmithoftheday]

elliott smith of the day

happy birthday dude.

[namtan]

THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER 1940 | dir. Ernst Lubitsch

[astonishinglysane]

Movies I’ve Watched - 2026

199/?: The Shop Around the Corner (1940) - watched 8/3/26

I was surprised that the romantic plot does not dominate this movie; it is an important part, of course, but the supporting players get their own storylines too. This is just a delightful confection. James Stewart could really do it all as an actor, and he and Margaret Sullivan have a fun chemistry that has you rooting for them even as they are exchanging barbs. What can I say? The comedy still holds up and the movie just leaves you feeling good.

[capricorneybaby]

West Side Story (2021), dir. Steven Spielberg

[astonishinglysane]

Movies I’ve Watched - 2026

198/?: West Side Story (2021) - watched 8/2/26

Steven Spielberg, to remove any lingering doubt about him being the greatest filmmaker of all time, decided to remake a beloved Best Picture winner and blow it completely out of the water. Don’t get me wrong; the 1961 version still holds up, but after seeing Spielberg’s take you realize how stagebound the Robert Wise movie is. Compare the stagings of “America” — trapped on a roof in the 1960s, while Spielberg takes it out into the streets and utilizes what feels like the whole city. I just love how everything is presented here, from the imaginative staging of “Gee, Officer Krupke” to “Maria,” which manages to be sweepingly romantic while maintaining some urban grit (the lights in the puddle!!). Tony Kushner’s script is also a vast improvement over the previous book, deepening characters and motivation. Of course, all of Spielberg and Kushner’s efforts would be wasted if the music wasn’t good. Thankfully the songs are just as fresh yet timeless as they were sixty years ago. This movie more than earns the descriptor “dazzling.” Should have been Best Picture 2021.

[plaquesandtangles]

Benedetta (2021) dir. Paul Verhoeven

[astonishinglysane]

Movies I’ve Watched - 2026

197/?: Benedetta (2021) - watched 8/1/26

This movie does not hold your hand and give you the answers. It presents a complex situation and trusts you to come to your own conclusions. Is Benedetta a con artist? Insane? A true believer? A cult leader? A genuine prophet? A woman simply trying to forge her own identity in an environment that is against her? You could justifiably answer “yes” to all these questions. The faith presented in this movie is thorny — if everything is God’s will, then would not also the appearance of a false prophet be according to his plan?

[junkfoodcinemas]

Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026)

[astonishinglysane]

Movies I’ve Watched - 2026

196/?: Spider-Man: Brand New Day - watched 7/31/26

I don’t know if I’m ready to declare this the best Spider-Man movie, but it is by and far the best Spider-Man story out on film. It captures what is special about the character, why he has endured for so long. This is a more ground-level story, and the MCU New York has never felt more authentic and lived in. It isn’t just a backdrop for a climactic fight; it is filled with people who feel like individuals. (The bright lights of NYC at night have also never looked better in the MCU, which has had an unfortunate tendency toward sludgy night scenes.) Tom Holland is an ideal friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, and the resolution of his relationships with Ned and MJ post-No Way Home works for me. Sadie Sink is a great addition, and it is only because of the strong work of the rest of the cast that Jon Bernthal doesn’t steal the movie. The Punisher making chili in a bathrobe — perfection.