Nosferatu (2024)
The attention to detail and the german occultism almost beats out Coppola's Dracula from 1992 and I saw that on opening night on acid. Who needs weird metal head cages when you have Lily-Rose Depp's appalling vulnerability, Willem Dafoe's everything, and Simon McBurney's willingness to bite the head off a pigeon wtf. Does not quite beat the bat scene from Shadow of the Vampire.
Graphic, jumpscares, grotesque, gorgeous, overwhelming. Watch at own risk.
Twilight (2008)
Can't rec, not well made enough to compensate for unaddressed misogyny and rape culture. I recognise the franchise punched an entire generation in the ID, and I get that the fantasy of getting to have intimacy while existing in that culture is powerfully attractive. I'm glad so many people got pleasure from it. For myself, I'd rather engage with fantasy where the default is not misogyny and rape culture.
Let the Right One In (2008)
Shadow of the Vampire (2000)
Mockumentary about the creation of the 1922 Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror which was a silent German Expressionist unauthorized adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula. This is exquisite, hilarious, and horrifying in turns. The plot hinges on movie Director Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau's (John Malkovich) obsession with authenticity that drives him to hire a real vampire and pass them off to the crew as a method actor. Willem Dafoe absolutely nails Count Orlok / Dracula (name changed due to blatant copyright infringement) with a gleefully unhinged portrayal of a vampire playing an actor playing a vampire.
Watch back to back with Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror (1922) for maximum effect.
Godzilla Minus One (2023)
Japan has barely recovered from the Second World War when a gigantic peril emerges off the coast of Tokyo. Koichi, a deserter traumatised by his first confrontation with Godzilla, sees this as an opportunity to redeem his conduct during the war.
A++ kaiju effects and a very humane tragic historical narrative anchoring the story.
Venom: The Last Dance (2024)
Kalki 2898 AD (2024)
In a post-apocalyptic world (simultaneously exquisitely future-tech), a chosen few struggle to find and save the unborn child of lab subject SUM-80.
Bachchan is fabulous, as is Prabhas who is obviously having a ball, I wish Padukone had more to work with, but Patani is a gem, and Suresh (who is voicing an AI) is perfect.
Crew (2024)
Kareena Kapoor is delightfully cynical and just a little lightfingered, Kriti Sanon who I last saw in Diwale (2015) has seriously lifted her acting chops (to be fair Diwale did not give her the same opportunities) and between her outfits and her ability to shoulder-lock arse slapping travelers she is thoroughly enjoyable. Tabu was also rock solid and last seen by me in Haider (which was an exquisite, exquisite gem). 9:52 AM Also passes the bechdel test so thoroughly it's past the finish line and in a bar with a giant bottle of champagne and two lobsters.
I'm just sad Rajesh A Krishnan (director) and Nidhi Mehra & Mehul Suri (writing team) don't have any other collaborations but I'm now eyeing off Lootcase (2020) by Rajesh A Krishnan and Veere Di Wedding (2018) by Nidhi Mehra & Mehul Suri.
Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon (2003)
Romance comedy drama written and directed by Sooraj Barjatya and made special by Sanjana (Kareena Kapoor) the most EXTRA young woman who is definitely not hoping for an arranged marriage. Enter Prem Kishen (Hrithik Roshan) via Sanjana's sister's connections who is charming, outgoing, and utterly lovable. Sanjana's suitor-repelling pranks are hilarious and ineffective and a connection forms but ALAS, THERE IS MORE PLOT. Props to Johnny Lever for a great comedic job and to Abhishek Bachchan for bringing exactly the right kind of gravitas and unspeakable hotness.
This is so much fun, and so, so extra, I adore Kareena Kapoor's over the top acting in this, when she gets bullied into singing for him by her mother and just SCREAMS it's fantastic. Balanced by some truly tender end-game plot. Ridiculous and delightful. The stuff about the feet and hands, the couple who keep making out in the car, the scream.
Haider (2014)
Directed and co-written by Vishal Bhardwaj with Basharat Peer (author of Curfewed Night, a memoir of the ongoing anti-India insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir). Haider is set in Kashmir in the mid-90s where the ongoing anti-India insurgency in Kashmir has resulted in a massive Indian security presence, insurgency by multiple militarised groups, and Kashmiri youths crossing into Pakistan for arms and training. The violence and human rights violations killed tens of thousands.
Some of the fun is in learning who plays what roles as you watch so I'll skip any recap and just say it's brutal, well-paced, beautifully adapted and very, very well written. The women have much richer roles and more agency, and the ghost's truth is cruelly multi-layered, transforming the revenge narrative into something a little more complex. The scarf, the mousetrap, the flashbacks. Wow.
Buŋgul
Created on country in North East Arnhem Land with the Yunupiŋu family, Buŋgul is a ceremonial celebration of one of the transcendent albums of our time. You’re invited to experience the traditional songs, dances and paintings that inspired Gurrumul’s final album, Djarrimirri (Child of the Rainbow), in a live performance by Yolŋu dancers, songmen and the West Australian Symphony Orchestra directed by Senior Yolngu Don Wininba Ganambarr and Nigel Jamieson.
Djarimirri was Gurrumul’s gift to the world. An astounding achievement of music acclaimed the world over, it presented traditional songs and harmonised chants from his traditional Yolŋu life with hypnotic orchestral compositions. Now, in his honour, his family add a further cultural and immersive visual dimension to this historic work, performing the songlines that have forged their identity and every aspect of their existence since the beginning of time.
Buŋgul represents a majestic union of two disparate worlds. It points to a potential contemporary Australian identity grounded in and drawing upon the extraordinary knowledge, understanding and wisdom of First Nation People that inspires us all listen to and care for the precious land we share.
Oh. Yeah, I ATE'NT DEAD.
I read a book, I'm reading another one!
Happy Snak by Nicole Kimberling
Gaia Jones just wants to run a snack bar and what better place to do it than the giant alien facility built by their brand new... 'friends?' from outer space. Her somewhat antisocial life-style takes a hit when she assists an alien with an illness and inadvertently takes on a lot more than she expected.
Mad points for plausible interesting aliens and alien contact.
Everfair by Nisi Shawl
Queer women, women being awesome.
Read everything she has written, there's lots.
The Salt Roads by Nalo Hopkinson
Queer women. Cruelty to women. Slavery. Read it anyway.
The Island of Lost Girls by Manjula Padmanabhan
Turbulence by Samit Basu
A fun look at what happens when an entire airplane worth of passengers get superpowers - not the most sophisticated writing but good idea and good characters. Fun!