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2025-03-02 10:00 pm
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Undercover Blues (1993)

Remains one of my comfort movies, I showed it to vampire movie club in lieu of the planned vampire movie because one of the godlings couldn't make it. Jane (Kathleen Turner) and Jeff (Dennis Quaid) are retired espionage agents turned devoted parents who can't quite manage to make the retiring stick. It's an american action comedy with great pacing, music, and choreography. Both Novacek (Fiona Shaw) and Muerte (Stanley Tucci) make excellent comedic villains (the restaurant scene with the oysters makes me cackle every time). The thing that makes this movie special is the relentlessly wholesome, respectful, passionate relationship between Jane and Jeff that shows how unnecessary unlikable protagonists and toxic masculinity are to great entertainment. Their smiles. My heart.
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2025-02-15 10:00 pm
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Nosferatu (2024)

Directed by Robert Eggers, holy fuck its got extra gothic on its gothic gilded gothic.

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.
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2025-01-25 10:00 pm
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Underworld (2003)

American vampire-werewolf action horror based on a story by Kevin Grevioux, Len Wiseman, and Danny McBride.

D
irected by Len Wiseman with Kate Beckinsale, Scott Speedman, Michael Sheen, Shane Brolly, and Bill Nighy. Selene, a vampire warrior unravels the history of an ancient war between the vampires and lycans while falling in love with a human.

I totally rec this for over the top gothic vibes and
Kate Beckinsale in tight leather, like, all her clothes are leather, it's great. Michael Sheen does a great job of being really, really messed up and twitchy, and Bill Nighy's gradual evil follicular regrowth is a thing of wonder.
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2025-01-04 10:00 pm
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Twilight (2008)

American romantic fantasy based on 2005 novel by Stephenie Meyer.

D
irected by Catherine Hardwicke. With Kristen Stewart, Sarah Clarke, Matthew Bushell, Billy Burke. When Bella Swan moves to a small town in the Pacific Northwest, she falls in love with Edward Cullen, a mysterious classmate who reveals himself to be a 108-year-old vampire.

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.
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2024-11-16 10:00 pm
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Let the Right One In (2008)

Swedish romantic horror based on 2004 novel John Ajvide Lindqvist.

Directed by Tomas Alfredson. With Kåre Hedebrant, Lina Leandersson, Per Ragnar, Henrik Dahl. Oskar, an overlooked and bullied boy, finds love and revenge through Eli, a beautiful but peculiar girl.

This is
unquestionably good, it's well written and well made. I'm only on the fence about recommending it because the psychological horror elements fall into the genuinely upsetting zone for me personally. The contrast of supernatural and human evil, the cruelty to children, and the grooming were very well done and if you're into those themes this is a masterpiece.
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2024-11-02 10:30 pm
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Shadow of the Vampire (2000)

I rec this so hard. Produced by Nicolas Cage, and starring John Malkovich, Willem Dafoe, Udo Kier, Cary Elwes Cary Elwes, Catherine McCormack, and Eddie Izzard.

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.
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2024-10-26 10:00 pm
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Godzilla Minus One (2023)

Japanese epic kaiju film written, directed, and with visual effects by Takashi Yamazaki.

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.
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2024-10-26 10:00 pm
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Venom: The Last Dance (2024)

Was hilarious, Tom Hardy delivered exactly the dumpster-fire chaos-goblin experience I was hoping for.
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2024-06-28 10:00 am
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Kalki 2898 AD (2024)

Movie rec; I am not saying Kalki 2898 AD just kicked the entire Star Wars franchise's arse but wow is it an excellent addition to the scifi tech-wizard high-epic pantheon. Gorgeous visuals, very high production values and so, so integrated in the genre. I, too, require a pair of lightsaber whips and a watch that is also a personal slingshot-speed-bike. CW for Mad Max levels of forced pregnancy... Mad Max levels of everything actually. Also it's part 1 of 2, and you'll have to wait 3 more years to see what I expect to be an awe inspiring sequel. I will watch this again, soon.

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.

...if you don't already kinda remember the Mahabharata it would not hurt to casually refresh on key characters like, oh, Arjuna, Krishna, Karna, and Ashwatthama...
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2024-03-29 10:00 pm
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Crew (2024)

Is excellent and showing right now so if you have a chance to see it say yes. The genre is comedy-heist and it's about three women with complex lives who are friends working together as cabin crew for Kohinoor Airlines. They get involved in something and struggle together to extricate themselves. The writing is top notch and nothing is wasted, like, this is gorgeously integrated. I am angry not all movies are this good. I am trying not to spoil but it goes from intrigue to even more intrigue and it was SO GOOD.

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.
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2024-02-24 10:00 pm
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Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon (2003)

English: I am crazy about Prem (Prem also means love). This is important or you miss some plot and puns.

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.
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2024-02-17 10:00 pm
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Haider (2014)

Is an exquisite, exquisite gem although not for the faint of heart. It's the best Hamlet adaption I've ever seen and I am both a Shakespeare nerd and married to one. Haider is third in director Bhardwaj's trilogy after Maqbool (2003) and Omkara (2006)... Macbeth and Othello respectively. I will definitely try to see Maqbool, not sure I would survive Omkara.

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.
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2020-02-08 09:55 pm
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Buŋgul

Amazingly lucky to see this. I can't even begin to talk about it but here's the write-up.

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.

samvara: Photo of Modesty Blaise with text "All this and brains as well" (Default)
2020-02-02 01:27 pm
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Oh. Yeah, I ATE'NT DEAD.

Last year me, Sertraline (Eleva, Zoloft), Agomelatine (Valdoxan, Melitor, Thymanax), Bupropion (Wellbutrin, Zyban), Apo-Atomoxetine (Strattera), Vortioxetine (Trintellix, Brintellix), Lurasidone (Latuda), Lamotrigine (Lamictal) and Ritalin did our best to keep my neuro-chemicals fit for purpose where the purpose was to stay alive and person on the regular. Looks like that might finally be working out. Yay!

I read a book, I'm reading another one!
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2020-02-02 09:11 am

Happy Snak by Nicole Kimberling

Sweet, fun, a little bit goofy, first-contact science fiction with a tang of earthy (heh) pragmatism.

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.
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2018-03-22 07:45 pm
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Everfair by Nisi Shawl

*glee* The steampunk alternate history of Belgium’s invasion of the Congo if the natives had known a lot more about steam technology. Air canoes! Mechanical bicycles!

Queer women, women being awesome.

Read everything she has written, there's lots.
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2018-03-22 07:36 pm

The Salt Roads by Nalo Hopkinson

Intensely personal, rich in nuance. Women finding their places in the world.
Queer women. Cruelty to women. Slavery. Read it anyway.
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2018-03-22 06:27 pm

The Island of Lost Girls by Manjula Padmanabhan

Rock solid dystopian future writing and worldbuilding, fabulous bio-mechanics.  Interesting body and gender identity stuff. Cruelty to women. Diversity of opinion among women who continue to work together as if women do that.
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2018-03-22 06:26 pm
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Turbulence by Samit Basu

Thoroughly enjoyable romp.

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!