June 2025
Gah, what a stressful month: school ended and so did my regular work, our baby is imminent, and it became a crime to look Latino in america. I've also had a good bit of anxiety that I can't seem to shake, but that didn't stop my movie watching; this month I saw 33 films and ended with exactly 1300 films seen in total!
I hope all of you are well, I miss you all so much, and I am excited to get to see a lot of you soon for the baby shower!
La Llorona [2019]
Todos lloraban tu tierra,
Llorona, tu tierra ensangrentada.
Todos lloraban tu tierra,
Llorona, tu tierra ensangrentada.
...
Las balas callaron sus llantos,
Llorona; desde esa vez no eres la misma.
Las balas callaron sus llantos,
Llorona, ¡y desde esa vez no eres la misma!
What is more scary: the horrors of our imagination brought to life on screen, or the real life genocide of indigenous peoples & the weight of the accounting it demands? A woman who drowned her kids, or one who could do nothing but watch? The ghost you found, or the one you made? Whoever she is, she's my unproblematic favorite. Incredible sound design, a true haunting that was a horror and a privilege to experience.
9.5/10
Beaux Score: 10/10 "I do support women's wrongs, but this isn't one of them."
Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched: A History of Folk Horror [2021]
I suppose the three hour length of this should’ve informed me, but I was surprised at how thorough this was. Mostly I found myself in the awkward circumstance of having people talking how folk horror comes from an inherent fear of living around poor, countryside, & colonized peoples who know how to live with the old ways as a poor countryside & colonized person trying to reconnect with the old ways.
Anyway, love the genre and got a few movies I wanna check out!
8/10
Catch the Fair One [2021]
Get bicep envy as you watch a revenge story all too grounded in reality.
There are over five thousand reported cases of Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women (MMIW) with 75% of them under the age of 18 at the time of abduction. Indigenous women are twice as likely to experience violence and rape, and three times as likely to be murdered compared to caucasian women. I refuse to stop screaming about this until every single one of our sisters is home. I feel that collective anger in this film, but like all good indigenous stories, it truly ends in the heart and mind of us—we are the new keepers of the story, and must decide our own way.
8/10
Dream Scenario [2023]
I immediately fell in love with this surreal and uneasy concept, and Cage does a good job making his character just shy of being likable. I don’t think it handled its second act very gracefully, but I liked the ending—unless it actually is a critique on cancel culture, in which case wtf??
I don’t know, simultaneously surprised and disappointed I guess.
5/10
Beaux Score: "I wholeheartedly believe Michael Cera and Nick Cage should've switched roles"
Sympathy for the Underdog [1971]
I'm a sucker for men with nothing to lose
8/10
The Last Unicorn [1982]
The songs were terrible and there was more of it than necessary. From a writing and storyboarding perspective, the direction of the film is actually wonderful, however it fails to meet that standard in almost every other way. We simply could not take any of the humans seriously lol
4/10
Beaux Score: "A formative movie that I hadn't seen in 20 years, glad for the rewatch. Redbull gives you wings!"
Rez Ball [2024]
"Tonight we're going to switch it up a bit and we're going to call all the plays in Navajo."
"You mean like the Code Talkers?"
"Exactly."
"Except no Nicolas Cage, eh?"
It's an inspirational sports movie. You know the formula, you've heard this story for a different group of kids in a different way with similar struggles—but damn it still got me.
6/10
Taxi Driver [1976]
An incel’s decent into madness & gun violence set to smooth jazz.
Scorsese & Schrader portray a man who is lonely but unable to connect with others, he has no political lean yet a politician becomes a focus of his, he is completely disconnected from his environment yet he cannot help but feel a racist fueled hate at how bad things feel.
I enjoyed myself as the story unfolded, but I found myself wondering where the hell it was going. It drags its feet a bit getting to the point—almost losing me in the second act—but ultimately I think it’s strangeness probably helped shape movies such as American Psycho and has proven to have remained relevant. Also what was up with him being like “my body is a temple, no more poison” and then still downing budweiser lmao
7/10
Serpico [1973]
I am happy to finally understand Charlie from It’s Always Sunny better.
It has its sprinkling of copaganda, and I can’t really defend Serpico’s sense of style or him taking his anger out on his relationship, but I still had fun.
¡Tierra de Aguafiestas!
It’s a movie about police corruption, and the happy ending is that he doesn’t die. We don’t see the institutional change as a result of his bravery and persistence, because there isn’t any.
8/10, Remember kids: “I am invoking my right to an attorney, I am invoking my right to remain silent,” and ACAB
Beaux Score: "Managed to mostly not be copaganda, amen"
Oldboy [2003]
Made me feel like some Korean Jason Borne / John Wick epic has been missing me all these years. You can see the parts of this movie that other filmmakers have taken from for decades now, and with good reason because it hooked me immediately.
But then it just got weird; the humiliation was sad, the revenge ultimately meaningless. Hypnotism as a plot element is always hit or miss with me and it definitely missed here. There’s also a lot of “no means maybe” sorta treatment of the women in this film, who seem to exist solely as pieces of meat to obsess over, fuck, or save from danger.
I don’t know, I really don’t. Maybe I’m crazy, maybe I should just smile and laugh with all of you, but I find myself cringing alone.
4/10
The Hallow [2015]
It starts off rather bluntly as a commentary about common property in Ireland vs state *cough* corporate *cough* interests, so it's a Land Back film—good start.
I know that people making dumb decisions is a staple of horror, but there is only so far you can suspend disbelief. Next to the braindead husband is a two-dimensional woman with no personality or interest outside of being a mother to her baby; the baby being the only reason we are given to care about anything that happens to them. There were some fun spooky moments with the monster, but the combo they tried to make was borderline insulting to folk horror and zombie flicks as genres—ultimately doing neither.
2/10, My wife said it better than I...
Beaux Score: "A move that confuses you, and talks down to you"
The Secret [2006]
"First of all, no one even knows what electricity is, and yet you enjoy the benefits of it! Do you know how it works? I don't know how it works. But I do know this: that you can cook a man's dinner with electricity, and you can also cook the man."
—Bob Proctor, self proclaimed philosopher who would later go on to blame the 2008 global recession on excessive negativity
My high school debate teacher showed this to us every year for the four years I took debate. It was always framed as a way to ignite class discussion, but I got the sense he actually believed this shit considering he challenged us to give it a try. My friend Gabbi suggested I watch this again after I mentioned I was watching more movies this year, so here we are...
Privileged, repetitive, garbage of a philosophy you've already heard before (one I'll even admit has some nuggets of wisdom in it) but updated to be some kind of way to be spiritual for capitalism. At best it is an ad for it's companion book and their website TV platform. At worst, it is a spit in the face of those who suffer under systems of oppression and mental illness. I remember being depressed as hell in high school, watching this and being told to just FEEL GOOD and good things would happen! Ugh...
Nostalgia was the only thing that carried me through, and even that lost most of it's power after the first twenty minutes. Are you happy Gab?
1/10
Girlfight [2000]
My first celebrity crush when I was a kid was Michelle Rodriguez, and I very much wish someone put this in front of me during that time of my life—I love that look!
One of her better performances with lots of relevant commentary about women in sports, especially male dominated ones. It does not beat the cliche allegations, but I enjoy watching women box. Extra points for the music which it immediately loses for her love interest (you can do better girl, and I'm not even saying that because of what we had as kids).
7/10
Snowpiercer [2013]
If it’s supposed to be proletariat propaganda, it’s pretty weak. If it’s just an action thriller, it’s still a pretty bleak one, but it’s also really funny (especially Swinton). Evan’s is also good, it’s nice to see him actually act.
Destroy the machine, return to nature.
7/10
Beaux Score: "The future we could have if vaccines actually caused autism"
The Beekeeper [2024]
Look there’s nothing transformative about a Statham movie, but if you were looking for a John Wick rip off with lots of bee based humor, I had fun with this one.
6/10
Black Panthers [1968]
A short documentary that just lets the Panthers speak around the time Huey Newton was arrested. Reasonable leftist takes juxtaposed by police aggression.
"OFF THE PIGS"
The Meg 2: The Trench [2023]
I am so angry at this film for so many conflicting reasons. Statham was fine though
4/10
Beaux Score: "I really think the sharks did nothing wrong"
La Haine [1995]
Fuck...
9/10
The Florida Project [2017]
Quintessentially american, portraying the life of a young girl growing up in poverty. Throughout the film, you can feel Disney World's shadow over everything, and of course that world is closed off to Moonee and her friends. Yet her world is filled with magic regardless, her friends pulled along as she charges forth on her grand adventure.
I loved Anora—and clearly the acadamy did too—but I think this is Baker's best film. And as a bonus, Dafoe expertly plays a man desperately tiring to keep a ship afloat, and god bless him for it.
10/10, Accurate kiddos
Network [1976]
I’m sure a thousand people have already commented on how timeless this cynical and brilliant movie is. Way funnier than it has any business being. My only wish is it was more interesting to look at. As is, it felt like a better play than a movie.
8/10
Beaux Score: "Gotta be one of my favorite audiobooks of all time"
To Have and Have Not [1944]
Lauren Becall is a 10/10 dame, no notes.
Rolling my eyes at the american who wanted to mind his own business and not get involved in combating fascism, until fascism started affecting him personally and then suddenly it's "Vive la révolution!" I’d like to say “That’s just the usa at the time,” but it’s been looking pretty openly fascist over here recently so…
8.5/10
Ghost in the Shell [1995]
Soft synth, dirty streets washed only by the rain, a city that demands your attention—it demands everything.
"I feel confined, only free to expand myself within boundaries."
A perfect companion to Blade Runner to get your scifi with a generous helping of existential crisis, though Ghost in the Shell takes it a step further by slowing it's pace and letting it's questions linger. Even as an idea is explored, it's never fully answered because how can it be? And do the questions even really matter in this cage of ours? Isn't it enough to want to break free?
"Your effort to remain what you are is what limits you."
10/10
There's Something in the Water [2019]
Environmental racism is no surprise to me, nor is it finding out that that it is happening in "pristine" Nova Scotia (or any percent of canada for that matter). I liked it, I'm glad for the attention it may have drawn to the issue; idk, feeling tired about nothing ever changing I guess.
8/10
Friendship [2024]
I think this is the best form of Tim Robinson's character that I have seen yet. The scene with the toad absolutely killed me, I had so much fun!
8.5/10, This may be my go-to movie to make me laugh for a bit
Beaux Score: "Forever changed the way I react to dropping my phone"
Blacula [1972]
What a strange addition to Dracula film.
I wish there was more exploration of the black man (especially one from centuries ago) in modern day america. I was most intrigued by the introduction (Dracula why are you so weird dude wft?) & the ending, but I think most of the movie doesn’t really land. They abandon any commentary on racism pretty early, and it never plays a larger part of the narrative.
Oh but a lot of cops die.
6/10
Daughters of the Dust [1991]
“Eli, I'm trying to teach you how to touch your own spirit. I'm fighting for my life, Eli, and I'm fighting for yours. Look in my face! I'm trying to give you something to take north with you, along with all your great big dreams.”
A transitory movie set at the end of one journey and the beginning of another, populated by a family trying to define itself and the generational conflict that creates. I wish more of a resolution was made between its characters, instead of each arriving at their own private understanding / peace about the situation. I felt most strongly for Nana, as she desperately tried to impart the gift of ancestral wisdom to a family she will certainly never see again—not in the same way.
I thought it was beautifully shot, the drama is there but it is slowly developed as the island takes center stage and gives them a real sense of place before their departure into the unknown. Fun fact, this is apparently the first movie to receive a wide theatrical release in the usa made by a black woman (not surprising just disappointing).
One thing I was very critical of was I the soundtrack. I don’t know what the idea was, but funky synth was not it. It’s hard to love a good movie through bad sound.
Ultimately I think I wasn’t prepared for all this movie is and its pace, but I think it’s a very important film nonetheless. Final note: my favorite part was the little romance between one of the younger girls and that Cherokee boy happening almost completely in the background.
The Last Temptation of Christ [1988]
Honestly this is the most compelling depiction of Jesus on screen. Truly a man: angry, scared, shortsighted, tempted—with sin, power, and comfort. I was raised christian, and no other piece of media has made me fall in love with Christ the savior more than this movie. Too often he is made to seem bold, in control, transcended; unlike this Jesus, who is at times very pathetic to behold. And what's fascinating about the movie is how we start with that pathetic image, and then suddenly you're looking at the savior of mankind, bathed in sunlight.
Peter Gabriel is the composer(??) and I might be crazy but I feel like this was at least some inspiration for Zimmer's Dune soundtracks. My one single issue with this movie is the casting. DONT GET ME WRONG, I think Dafoe, Keitel, and the lot of them put their whole heart into their roles to give genuine and compelling performances. Seeing all these americans constantly around just took me out of the movie way too many times, even though they did an excellent job.
9/10
Frybread Face and Me [2023]
I grew up a few miles away from my rez, but this still felt like summer at my grandparents property. Family floating in and out, sweating in the sun, memorizing a limited movie selection with my cousin, and chores mixing with our play. I don’t know it yet, but our paths are different, and it’ll never be the same after today.
Every time I go home (if I’m privileged enough spend some real time there) the desert purifies me, teaches me, wraps me in her hózhǫ́… and I sleep soundly through the night.
8.5/10, I should call my Nani
Lion [2016]
This looked like Oscar bait to me when it first came out, which made me not to see it at the time (even though my mom begged me to). And to be fair to myself, after having seen it I can’t say I was wrong; it has all the trappings of a camera, a score, and a story designed only to emotionally manipulate you. There was also some inserted drama around his search for home that I could’ve done without and would’ve tightened up the story a bit.
HOWEVER, Sunny Pawar may be the cutest little boy on earth & Dev Patel can fucking act. Despite all of the above, it was very well shot and the story wrapped me up anyway. I put this on for my mother's birthday, and I'm really glad I did. I felt connected to Saroo as he tried to find his mother while—in a much smaller way—I was too.
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