We'll start with my favorite movies of all time (so far).
Added Author's Note that some of these films will be ones I have watched many times over, and some will be new ones that I am reviewing directly after watching for the first time.
Signs (2002) is a beautiful film with a message that can be interpreted in many different ways. With a packed cast of talented actors and a compelling story, it's a movie I often find myself watching over and over again. With a hooking cinema line of, "IT'S NOT LIKE THEY DIDN'T WARN US", I'll do my best to forewarn you now that it is most definitely a movie you'll never have trouble remembering.
Release Year: 2002
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Genre: Horror/Sci-Fi
Runtime: 106 mins
Few films capture the complexity of faith and coincidences the way Signs does. Whether you choose to interpret it as simply a horror film about aliens, or faith in a higher power, or belief in the strength of love, is entirely up to the eye of the beholder.
The film follows a family of four living on a farm who begin to find mysterious crop circles turning up in their fields, foreshadowing something terrifying on the horizon. Mel Gibson plays our father character, Graham, along with Joaquin Phoenix playing his younger brother, Merrill. Beside them, Rory Culkin and Abigail Breslin give amazing performances as Graham's two young children, Morgan and Bo.
Graham Hess is a former Episcopal priest who abandoned the church in the aftermath of his wife, Colleen's, tragic passing in a traffic collision accident six months before the film's events, having found himself beginning to question his faith after spending her last moments by her side. His younger brother, Merrill - a failed minor league baseball player - has since moved in to help the family around the farm after Colleen's untimely death.
The film follows a very well-written storyline as the family begins to piece together the events of what is happening to Earth, which may be an alien invasion taking place globally. Mel Gibson gives us a phenomenal performance as a grieving man abandoning his identity and his belief system over sudden tragedy, something he has always excelled in. As a character, Graham doesn't know what to believe or how to go forward, and refuses to let his vulnerability be acknowledged in any way, further tampering him from any ability to pull himself out of the rut he's fallen into.
This film is so visually compelling in its cinematography because of its commitment to minimalism. There is no grand spectacle in the form of violence or explosions or drama, but rather built on a foundation of psychological unease and controlled tension. The ambiguity of focusing only on the Hess Farm, along with the deliberate framing of wide shot angles of the endless cornfields, fuels nothing but extensive dread. Much of Signs unfolds in low light or practical lighting conditions, giving it a grounded sense of domestic realism.
Shyamalan's signature slow pacing is reflected in the camera movements (shot by cinematographer Tak Fujimoto). There's an absence of frantic scene cutting, instead favoring slow pans and lingering takes that allow tension to build organically, giving viewers a creeping dread rather than a quick shock or scare.
This movie raises questions about the things that strip us of our faith, that make us lose hope in the idea that there may be something, anything, out there with our best interests in mind. Is there anything that could occur that could strip you of the faith you hold in your beliefs? Are our stories written in stone? Is there any such thing as a pure coincidence?
hello! I'm not quite sure how to start this because I've never done a personal blog like this before. all my previous blogs have been strictly for fandoms & fanfiction. but, to reference my title, this is the beginning of a beginning, & many more to come. I have decided to create a blog specifically dedicated to films - the ones I love, most of all.
I've had trouble finding my niche of film people, so I thought I might as well start my own & hope the ones similar will find their way to me on their own. I have Letterboxd, of course, (Patron, thank you very much), but that is for all of my films ever watched. I've decided to make this strictly a blog for my favorites, or highly rated movies, to save the trouble of writing about those that I don't even recommend.
you may be wondering what I offer, & I don't offer much. but if you need movie recommendations & trustworthy reviews & you're picky, then this is the place for you. reviews made not by a cinephile per se, so you don't have to worry about reviews and judgments on films coming from a niche place that you don't care about, such as camera work & film devices you don't care for. but still made by someone passionate about film & full of love for the art of storytelling, so you know the reviews aren't baseless & surface-level.
I love many things & I love talking about the things I love to people who will listen. obviously that doesn't work out well for me in real life, therefore I am here speaking out into the void now, too. join if you feel inclined :)
