Haverwood.

just the stuff I watch, and some ramblings. nothing more. disclaimer: you will find NO GIFS in this blog. gifs suck. find me as villings on letterboxd

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Sunshine Hotel Michael Dominic USA, 2001

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Black Tar Heroin: The Dark End of the Street Steven Okazaki USA, 2000

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Falsk som vatten Hans Alfredson Sweden, 1985 ★★ what a fundamentally silly movie.

anyone who doesn't believe in people getting better with age, check Stellan Skarsgård in this one; he looks like a bad mixture of Beavis and Butt-Head. what a weird sight.

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Coup de foudre Diane Kurys France, 1983 ★★★ this is very relatable in a number of ways. perhaps not that overwhelming while watching but it definitely stays with you.

the relatable part comes from the small (and sometimes not so small) sacrifices that come with having to choose from an idyllic scenario in our minds and the rougher, closer everyday instances. or maybe I was wandering off too often, focusing in some detalils while overlooking others. perhaps another viewing will make it all clearer.

the other thing is that all the characters felt full-fledged, and not everybody was too bad. I mean, yeah, they could be (the occasional outbursts of violence don't come out of the blue, exactly) but there was real nuance. I don't know, the movie is deceptively simple in its storytelling but things go deep. I liked it, and it kept me thinking about it for a while…

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Calamari Union Aki Kaurismäki Finland, 1985 ★★★ I haven't seen an Aki Kaurismäki movie I didn't like.

And now I learn he's also got some absurdism going on? Nice.

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Baal Volker Schlöndorff West Germany, 1970 ★★★ Never was such a tender soul buried in such a hunk of fat.

it me.

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The Long Goodbye Robert Altman USA, 1973 ★★★★ yeah yeah the movie is great and all but-- why is that building built like that? you have to walk outside to get to an elevator..? what? no, terrible. just terrible design altogether. I'm going to have to deduct a star for that reason and that reason alone (also, not solving the cat mystery)

[haverwood]

In the Mouth of Madness John Carpenter Canada/USA, 1994 ★★★★ rip Sam Neill

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The Brandon Teena Story Susan Muska, Gréta Olafsdóttir USA, 1998

cops, killers, rapists, all the same around these parts it seems

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Hokum Damian McCarthy USA/Ireland/United Arab Emirates, 2026 ★★ it's fine, I guess. I'm pretty sure the guy came with that short intro/ending bit and had to work around that for a while. like coming up with a punchline before anything else.

I usually take longer to get tired of trends but it's happening, I'm finally getting tired of these super dark movies where you can't tell what the hell is going on. please use a light, anything, please, I beg of you.

also, this did NOT need to be 1h48m. could've been done in 90 minutes or so, credits included. would've worked better, maybe.

[haverwood]

Miguel Ángel Blanco: Las 48 horas que lo cambiaron todo Jon Sistiaga, Juanjo López Spain, 2026 ★★★

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Le Genou de Claire Éric Rohmer France, 1970 ★★★ creepy dudes watching this be like "hmph, that would never happen to me!" while prepping for some wild mental gymnastics

I do appreciate that the movie at some point stopped making me feel too uncomfortable. it made the plot "lighter" (note the quotes) but still bothersome, although in a different way.

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Wasteman Cal McMau UK, 2025 ★★★ I like that it's like a filler episode from a very fine tv drama.

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Maternal Instinct Jessica Dimmock USA, 2026 ★★★ damn.

this one made me a little bit more understanding of religious people from small towns.

yes, this.

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The Space Shuttle That Fell to Earth Lizzie Kempton UK, 2024 ★★★★ masterful documentary, impeccably made and gut wrenchingly tragic, with the occasional dim beam of hope.

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Spacewoman Hannah Berryman USA/UK, 2024 ★★★ Eileen Collins, what a bad-ass lady.

the daughter though - ugh, shut up. and stop with the vocal fry. you're not making yourself more interesting with that. I didn't understand half the things she said, but having heard the other half - it probably wasn't very good.

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Huo zhe yan Kenji Tanigaki Hong Kong/China, 2025 ★★★ I already used my "this is so stupid, I love it" comment the other day, and I don't feel like repeating it.. but yeah.

you know who these things work: paper-thin plotline, short and cliché-ridden lines of dialogue, everything a mere excuse to pause all the fighting scenes. of which there are plenty! and all good!

could've been some 20 minutes shorter but still, a good time. bloody, sodden fun.