not all that good movie reviews

main blog is @toriz0. also my letterboxd. follow itttttt cmoooooon

[tylostoma]

underseen films directed by women

with letterboxd links (i'm bored). feel free to leave your own recs!

girls of the night (1961), kinuyo tanaka

so far from india (1983), mira nair

children of shatila (1998), mai masri

the company of strangers (1990), cynthia scott

the cherry tree with gray blossoms (1977), sumiko haneda

day night day night (2006), julia loktev

embracing (1992), naomi kawase

song of the exile (1990), ann hui

living together (1973), anna karina

sacrificed youth (1985), zhang nuanxin

just another girl on the i.r.t. (1992), leslie harris

shinjuku boys (1995), kim longinotto, jano williams

leila and the wolves (1984), heiny srour

fast color (2018), julia hart

flight of the swan (1992), ngozi onwurah

travolta and me (1993), patricia mazuy

u.s. go home (1994), claire denis

portrait of a young girl at the end of the 60s in brussels (1994), chantal akerman

merrily we go to hell (1932), dorothy arzner

blood tea and red string (2006), christiane cegavske

the mourning forest (2007), naomi kawase

the scarlet flower (1978), irina povolotskaya

forever a woman/eternal breasts (1955), kinuyo tanaka

losing ground (1982), kathleen collins

the day i became a woman (2000), marziyeh meshkiny

be pretty and shut up! (1981), delphine seyrig

the other side of the underneath (1972), jane arden

the final exit of the disciples of ascensia (2019), jonni peppers

bärbel and charly (1994), ute aurand

clotheslines (1982), roberta cantow

tremble all you want (2017), akiko ohku

peppermint soda (1977), diane kurys

i was a teenage serial killer (1993), sarah jacobson

sink or swim (1990), su friedrich

the girls (1968), mai zetterling

twelve nights (2000), aubrey lam oi-wah

maria's days (1960), cecilia mangini

kamome diner (2006), naoko ogigami

the book of mary (1985), anne-marie miéville

once upon a time... (1990), galina barinova

girls' encounter (2017), yûka eda

the fourth dimension (2001), trịnh t. minh-hà

the lighthouse (2006), mariya saakyan

daughters of chaos (1980), marjorie keller

the amazonian angel (1992), maria klonaris, katerina thomadaki

bernice bobs her hair (1976), joan micklin silver

[milk5-deactivated20260704]

sheltered poster: Bro is going wild like a gorilla on ketamine!

poster that wants to look darkly chic: its obvious they have no idea what ketamine does.

The lovesick swede: When wiell i find my so sweets honeybee

[tayloralison]

Yorgos Lanthimos, Olivia Colman, Ayo Edebiri and Josh O’Connor Among 1,200 Industry Names Pledging Not to Work With Israeli Film Institution

Yorgos Lanthimos, Olivia Colman, Ayo Edebiri, Josh O'Connor, Ava DuVernay and Hannah Einbinder are among those to sign the pledge

this is good!

[aloneandforsakenbyfateandbyman]

Debbie Harry in Videodrome (1983)

[napoleon-dykenamite]

mia threapleton is such a good name for a person much less an actress

[napoleon-dykenamite]

Aug 31 Review Masterlist

Post by @napoleon-dykenamite · 1 image

💬 0  🔁 0  ❤️ 0 · The Apartment (1960) - dir. Billy Wilder Review [SPOILERS] · From the mind and pen of Billy Wilder, The Apartment presents

Post by @napoleon-dykenamite · 1 image

💬 0  🔁 0  ❤️ 0 · The Phoenician Scheme (2025) - dir. Wes Anderson Review [SPOILERS] · The Phoenician Scheme opens on the near-death experien

Post by @napoleon-dykenamite · 1 image

💬 0  🔁 0  ❤️ 0 · War of the Worlds (2025) - dir. Rich Lee Review [SPOILERS] · War of the Worlds presents a new, arguably unrecognizable take

Post by @napoleon-dykenamite · 1 image

💬 0  🔁 0  ❤️ 2 · Weapons (2025) - dir. Zach Cregger Review [SPOILERS] · Weapons is a mystery wherein a teacher named Justine (Julia Garner)

[napoleon-dykenamite]

its ok all i have to do is watch 5 movies a week and my watchlist will be empty in 2 years

[napoleon-dykenamite]

The Apartment (1960) - dir. Billy Wilder Review [SPOILERS]

From the mind and pen of Billy Wilder, The Apartment presents us with C.C. Baxter (Jack Lemmon), a mild-mannered loser businessman with the secret ingredient to success - letting his bosses use his apartment to have affairs. This system works well for him until his ruse is discovered by the top brass of the company (Fred MacMurray), who wants use of the apartment for himself and his latest romantic entanglement, C.C.’s workplace crush Fran Kubelik (Shirley MacLaine).

I admittedly don’t know enough about the history of filmmaking to put a name to it, but there’s a certain pristine-ness to the direction here, every shot laid out as if straight from the storyboard. Something about that with the black and white really gets my goat.

The sets here definitely stand out, namely the titular apartment itself. It feels suitably romantic as a rendezvous spot for its users, richly detailed and finely dressed, with just a smidgeon of artificiality to it - this is a place whose owner spends more time cleaning up and preparing for other people to use it than lounging himself. The workplace environment is also brilliant, a seemingly endless expanse of identical desks, C.C.'s desk just one of dozens, maybe hundreds like it on that floor alone, a single droplet in a wave whose individual output couldn’t be scrutinized on its own. The only moments we get of him “working” are when he’s waiting for the apartment to be free and when he’s trying to open it up so he can sleep off a cold, once again caused by the apartment’s usage. Through the willing dissolvement of his personal and professional lives, he’s become the ideal worker unit. 

Not that it’s of much consequence to him - Lemmon portrays C.C. as a hapless schmuck, but a world-weary schmuck who has accepted his lot in life. He rolls with the punches, maybe grumbles about it, but sticks to the plan because, well, it works. Without that apartment, C.C. would be another lemming whose mouth moves faster than his brain, but it’s adaptability and submission that makes him stand out. Lemmon balances deftly between sympathetic and just plain pathetic, making the inevitable moment where he does stand up for himself all the more powerful. Other standouts on the cast include Hope Holiday in a bit role, who stole the show, comedy-wise, and Jack Kruschen as Dr. Dreyfuss, the kvetching next-door neighbor whose budding friendship with C.C. makes a great subplot. Not to mention MacLaine, who plays a sweet romantic counterpart to C.C., tampered by her well-conveyed history of heartbreak. 

What makes The Apartment stand out story-wise is how it takes that potent, subversive satirical premise, and says “what if the worst situation possible happened here”. Things are messy enough showing a world littered with infidelity in 1960 (the Hays code hadn’t quite been stricken yet), but showing a woman’s heart be trampled on to the point she drunkenly attempts suicide presents a bit of a shift, tone-wise. Like one moment C.C. is getting into comedic misunderstandings with his neighbors, the next he’s hiding the razors in case Fran has a relapse. That isn’t to say the film fails to meet the task, it’s in this act that the movie allows sincerity to rear its head, where C.C. and Fran begin to really connect beyond elevator small talk and analog cyberstalking. The return to status quo that then comes when they go back to work is effectively deflating; just because they had something real doesn’t mean they can’t get manipulated again. Security is the sword of damocles hanging over their heads, for C.C. it's the need to keep engraining himself in the corporate structure, for Fran it’s security in a relationship that finally has a path to maybe working out. It’s when they decide to give the great unknown a fair shot that they’re freed.

★★★★☆

[napoleon-dykenamite]

The Phoenician Scheme (2025) - dir. Wes Anderson Review [SPOILERS]

The Phoenician Scheme opens on the near-death experience of Zsa-Zsa Korda (Benecio del Toro), international criminal and arms dealer. This experience inspires him to reconnect with his daughter, Sister Liesl Korda (Mia Threapleton), who he tries to pry away from her convent in favor of being heir to his estate. Along with tutor-turned administrative assistant Professor Bjorn (Michael Cera), the duo travel to Korda’s partners to secure funding for Zsa-Zsa’s major infrastructural project and to apprehend the killer of Liesl’s mother.

Being transparent, it’s hard for my data-harvesting brain to not compare any new Wes work to what came before. Despite having somewhat significant issues with pretty much everything he’s ever put out, Anderson’s experimentation and ability to corral people within his vision makes him my favorite director. His recent works have left me significantly more cold, however; there is a sterility to Asteroid City and the Roald Dahl short films, a leering playfulness with the fourth wall that seems to be prioritized over the storytelling. I’m happy to say that’s not the case here.

This movie has its own narrative hangups that stop me from fully loving it. I’m of two minds about the pacing; keeping it fast and busy puts us into the shoes of Liesl, we’re both outsiders to Zsa-Zsa’s world of shady dealings and complex interpersonal business relationships. There’s a matter-of-factness to the characters we meet and their pasts with Zsa-Zsa that forces us to keep up, we hardly get a moment to breathe, let alone to think. It gels well with the travellog format, keeps the constant threat of violence as a comedic distraction, and helps the typical Wes Anderson All Star Cast feel less overbearing. On the other hand, that means the needed moments of emotional release and catharsis just as quickly get paved over. In particular, Liesl’s meeting with Mother Superior Hope Davis where she’s told not to return to the convent, the arguable emotional climax of her arc, felt distractingly casual. The movie keeps things breezy, farcical, but I personally like shit a little more cerebral.

The cinematography here is pristine as to be expected, but feels more fluid. The characters are set up precisely in the scene like figurines on a display shelf, but the camera itself is less afraid to flinch, there’s a greater focus on contrast within the frames. For one miraculous 5 second shot there’s even a shaky cam. These breaks from the otherwise rigid style Anderson employs provide so much flavor when employed, and it’s something I’d like to see Anderson employ more often. Maybe this newfound partnership with Bruno Delbonnel will keep things moving in that direction.

The Phoenician Scheme is a fun romp. Quick witted, colorful, solid performances of well-formed characters, probably spiritually powerful if you’re into that sort of thing. I could see it being someone’s favorite movie, I could see it growing on me when I inevitably rewatch it. For now, it’s another good film from my favorite director, but it doesn’t quite reach anything greater. Not every movie needs to tho.

★★★☆☆

[napoleon-dykenamite]

Weapons (2025) - dir. Zach Cregger Review [SPOILERS]

Weapons is a mystery wherein a teacher named Justine (Julia Garner) wakes up one morning to an empty class, save for one child, Alex (Cary Christopher). The night before, at 2:17 AM, every other child in the class ran out the front door of their homes and disappeared into the night. While the police flounder at the size of the issue, concerned town members take it upon themselves to investigate the disappearances, but what they find may lead them into a conspiracy they couldn’t have comprehended.

At least, that’s how Weapons sells itself initially. It’s how we open, on shots from behind Justine, not daring to show her face. We see her try to connect with the other survivor of their class, impeded by bureaucracy. We see the characters indulge in therapyspeak, and Justine have a generic nightmare sequence, and the direction uses that slick style that worked for the Substance but was kinda distracting here, and also the theatre audience is rowdy. Weapons didn’t make the best first impression on me, a feeling heightened when the perspective shifted to Archer (Josh Brolin), some asshole that lost his kid in the incident and took it out on Justine in the PTA meeting.

However, these shifts in perspective and tone begin coalescing into a fascinating whole. We move away from the conspiracy into the seedy corruption of the town’s police, the horror assuaging as we follow a junkie’s run-in with the police, all being sharply drawn back in when he by happenstance enters the main plot’s primary place of interest. We get so many sides of each character, we see them in moments of weakness and debauchery but each remains sympathetic under the circumstances. It’s ultimately that push and pull between horror and humor and the fluidity with which the narrative weaves between those places that makes Weapons engrossing to watch unfurl. The movie’s willing to make its grand reveal in what initially feels like a filler arc because it’s drawn you into its world and knows there’s so much more to discover ahead of it. 

The embodiment of that contradictory unity is with Amy Madigan’s Gladys, sure to be known as one of the most iconic horror villains of this era. She’s presented initially as a symbol of the tragedy itself, a malevolent figure watching over those who look too deep into the mystery. Then during the chapter focusing on Marcus (Benedict Wong), she just. Shows up. It’s played straight within that scene, an eccentric stranger to Marcus which only we know shares the face of Justine and Archer’s nightmares. We already know how the story ends for Marcus, as a mindless bloodied monster, and when she arrives at his home we know the bomb is under the table. It’s a testament to Madigan’s acting ability that she’s able to portray an endearing weirdo while still carrying the underlying danger we know she represents.

The underlying tension built with the shifting perspectives and the horrible picture forming out of the mystery leads to one of my favorite final acts in any movie, right up there with Army of Darkness. We hone in on Alex, the kid who didn’t disappear. We see how Gladys enters his life and closes the walls around him, cuts him off from any possible help. His desperation leaves him with no other choice than to help her, and responsibilities no child should face are thrust on him. While she’s undeniably a sadistic monster from the other perspectives, it’s here that the extent of Gladys’ malice is truly revealed, where Madigan is allowed to really show out as a despicable villain, any trace of humanity left being aggressive mimicry. She’s a force of nature, a cloud of death that cleans out a classroom and leaves a community shadowboxing, creates mindless husks only capable of direct, horrible violence. 

Then the climax comes, and all of the uncanny tension the movie had built up over the past two hours explodes into an absolutely batshit sequence undercut with a couple left hook terrifying reminders of what’s at stake. When it’s all over, the film lands one more gut punch and leaves the audience in the afterglow.

★★★★☆

[napoleon-dykenamite]

War of the Worlds (2025) - dir. Rich Lee Review [SPOILERS]

War of the Worlds presents a new, arguably unrecognizable take on the classic story. Government watchdog William Radford’s (Ice Cube) daily routine of SWAT-ing hackers and yelling at his pregnant daughter for her dietary decisions is interrupted when aliens invade earth, uncovering a massive governmental conspiracy in their search for our greatest resource - our data. 

This is one of those bullshit movies. One of those movies where it’s frankly unbelievable that people with money signed off on it. Not only people with money, but the biggest company in the world, who paid them to incessantly shill services that in the five years it took to release this piece of shit still haven’t made it past the trial stages. Granted, the whole thing smacks of cheapness, to the point the lack of AI generation is remarkable. This might be the last notable piece of shit without that particular pox. 

I need to start with the style of the movie, as that’s what confuses me the most about the whole affair. This film was produced by Bazelevs Entertainment, the studio behind Unfriended and other similar movies that are meant to replicate a computer screen. That in itself is an interesting direction to take a War of the Worlds adaptation in, a replication of the modern experience of “something just happened”, panicked searching and scouring news sites for updates.

Not the case here.

Instead, the movie uses the concept purely as a cost cutting measure, with tabs of expository news sites suddenly popping up while the lens zips around the screen like it’s desperate to keep moving. Whenever it lands on Ice Cube, a new reaction image is born. When we’re lucky, that roulette lands on footage of the aliens, who suck the data out of the centers while looking straight out of a late-stage Xbox exclusive. They couldn’t even keep the music diegetic.

More than the visual failures of the movie, the script betrays the utter lack of consideration put into it. Throughout the movie, Ice Cube uses his privileges as a government stooge to stalk his family members and other randos in the city. In a world that deifies data, which treats memorial Facebook pages like living beings, a hacker is a god, and Ice Cube has eyes everywhere (Ice Cube specifically because he’s the only person in the building, there’s no real evidence the DoHS has other employees). By the end he’s made amends with his family, but there’s no real comearound on breaching privacy. They say he’s gonna watch the government instead, but nothing in the movie points to there being any genuine moral improvement, it’s just assumed the audience gets that there was because that’s how family movies work.

It’s misleading to say the movie ever had it together in the first place, but as an adaptation the ending stands out even more as a failure. The power of the original story is that despite the martians’ superior manpower, they’re ultimately taken out by a casual illness, humanity saved by an incident of nature. In this movie, they’re killed by a computer virus devised by Ice Cube’s genius hacker family because they’re awesome genius hackers. And also a family. 

This movie is structurally disastrous and ranges from politically incomprehensible to reprehensible. As a drunk watchalong to make fun of with friends, it holds its weight. It loses steam near the end as it settles into the slop, but the range of poor decisions on every level creates a jubilant environment.

★★☆☆☆

[napoleon-dykenamite]

there's nothing like a great horror movie that makes the world more vivid and beautiful. or scary i fw when a movie gets me scared to take the trash out at night too

[draculasdaughter]

Ectoplasm. From Phenomena of Materialisation, Baron von Schrenck-Notzing, 1923.

[marthajefferson]

The three primary uses of masks in film are entertainment, disguise and protection. From ancient Greek plays through Japanese Noh theater, masks are deeply intertwined in the universal language of entertainment and ritual, and its power as a transformative tool is so ritualized and timeworn that it is the unofficial logo for an entire artform. Since theater was an influence on early motion pictures (consider the framing and gestural acting of silent film), it figures that masks would be smuggled into movies, and some of the most enduring images from film history are now associated with masks. —Alex Vlahov

V for Vendetta (2005), The Mask (1961), The Mummy Returns (2001), Emerald City s01e06 (2016), Black Orpheus (1959), Judex (1963), The Man in the Iron Mask (1998), Kingdom of Heaven (2005), Eyes Without A face (1960), Eyes Wide Shut (1999), Squid Game s01e07 (2021), Knights of the Zodiac (2023), Onibaba (1964), Scream (1996)

[r3allyrae]

I’m movie lovers🎬🎞️🎥

[datadegroove-deactivated2026042]