It’s been such a long time since I wrote a review for anything to be quite honest but I’ve been having a pretty difficult time with movies recently. It seems like so I’m tired from things happening in my own life  and I don’t have it in me to watch a film that would make me think too much or cry or live through pains of others . But I did want to make an exception for this one - first of all, I can’t say no to Bo Burnham. Or to a good growing up story too because I’ve gone and am still going through it myself.

So Eighth grade, huh? As always with movies I loved I’ll go from the technical side first. I have a great friend who’s amazing  at editing and all of the things that make a good shot - so sets, direction, lighting and so on. From the first few shots I was thinking how I’ll text her and tell her to watch this because this was a masterful example of it should be done. I was so impressed with Bo Burnham’s direction! I loved how he made the videos the main character Kayla makes the transitions between scenes. Her want and need to drown out everything with technology was portreyed great too. It was both through her own eyes and from afar, there were a few scenes that played so cleverly with sound  making us feel how she must be feeling.

But movies for me are what I can take from them and about the story they tell. Ohh, just to get it out of the way Kayla has the cutest, most supportive dad to exist on screen. I couldn’t of better encouragement words and they were full of such care and love and  adorable awkwardness. Kayla’s character.. -she’s both a very relatable anxious adorable human bean and yet sometimes  gets on your nerves (with her dad - how can you possibly be not nice to him?). But the feeling of being in 8th grade, the struggle of finding who you are and wanting to fit in at the same time was there… The thing that really resonated with me was the social anxiety Keyla had and how shy she was. At the beginning she says that people say I’m quiet but if they just gave me a chance -they would see how fun I am.. I’ve had that though a million times when I was in 8th grade. There was also this scene at a pool party and if that’s not an accurate representation of me at a pool party I don’t know what is. I don’t really want to spoil you if you’re reading this review so skip the following sentences (I’m not even sure if this is a spoiler bun just in case). The panic attack Keyla has at the bathroom- it almost made me have one because for a second it was if I was looking at myself and I was the one having trouble breathing. I appreciated the way Keyla’s social anxiety was shown, it was done very well. Also, the performances were so fit for the characters, especially Elsie Fisher’s - I fell in love with her acting.

Year 2017.Starring Timothée Chalamet, Armie Hammer, Michael Stuhlbarg. Directed by Luca Guadagnino.

‘‘Oh, will wonders ever cease? Blessed be the mystery of love“

-Mystery of love by Sufjan Stevens

I put off writing a review for this movie for so long because I can’t put into words how much it meant to me and how amazingly beautiful it is. Just can’t.

I know how I’m gonna write this – starting from the technical stuff, it’s more easily measured than my feelings. The cinematography of this film… It combined with the direction, sets and the performances… It feels like you’re right there, it’s your feet on bike pedals going through the middle of a little Italian town, it’s you stepping into a pond where the water from the mountains is freezing or you tasting abricot juice on your tongue. The performances(all very lovely) : Timothée Chalamet is so genuine and sweet, he managed to portray the feeling of falling in love for the first time like it’s you falling. All those feelings his character feels, all the struggles and insecurities, all the things he does, I’ve been feeling similarly too. Seeing a character feel the same things you’re feeling is reassuring, it made me a little less scarred of my own feelings. This film gave me so much to think about –first love, hurt and how we shy away from it, how I let the fear of hurt stop me and how one person can change your world.

Year: 2017. Directed by Lee Unkrich, Adrian Molina. Starring Anthony Gonzalez, Gael Garzia Bernal, Benjamin, Allana Ubach.

There‘s this strange quality to movies that manage to make you cry even if you‘re way older than they target audience and  keep you up in the middle of the night. I think it‘s the fact that they make me feel so alive – everyone else is asleep and here you are : tiptoeing to wash the tears of your face, trying to keep quiet and at the same time thinking how beautiful the film was.

Let‘s be real I knew how much I‘m gonna love this from the very first scenes : mexican culture, awesome likeable main character, funny animal sidekick, family and how important it is… The film starts out  great but the best part begins when Miguel(the main character) gets to the spirit world. It‘s so so colorful and breathtaking, from the houses to the spirit guide animals…And the story – one of the most heartfelt and heart warming ones I‘ve seen in a long time. About family and how it‘s the most important thing in the world, about the unconditional love and how the ones you loved, will always be there as long as you remember them. Yet the film manages to be  funny at the same time, I actually laughed loudly a few times. The music…. So wonderfully latin and catchy(I‘m gonna be the person singing Remeber me for the next week without stopping).

The shape of water. 2017. Directed by Guillermo del Toro. Starring Sally Hawkins, Doug Jones, Octavia Spencer, Michael Shannon, Richard Jenkins.

My first review of 2018! Woohoo.( Also I already broke my resolution to post atleast once a week but let‘s focus on the positives).

I went to this film with my friend and we could‘t stop talking about it after walking out of the theatre. Later we met up again and kept making references to it. I‘m still thinking about it. It‘s one of those films that are hard to describe. It feels like walking in the rain with someone you love with 1940s music playing in the backround. Actually, this sentence perfectly incapsulates the 4 main things I loved about it.

It’s like you’ve been at the movies a hundred times but the 101st time will still be the best. It’s awesome when you’re happy but it always helps when you’re miserable or, something I struggle with, anxious. And when you’re there alone it’s just you and the characters and the world is not out of control anymore. There’s no need to worry whether the person with you likes the film and you don’t need to pay attention what they’re doing on their phone…

Yet when someone asks what I did this weekend and I reply with “ I went to the the cinema”, the next questions isn’t what movie did I see, it’s with whom I saw it with. And by myself isn’t the right answer for the majority. Why isn’t it though?

This is part two of my fall movie suggestions...

Nightcrawler. 2014. Directed by Dan Gilroy. Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Rene Russo, Riz Ahmed.

Probably my favorite thriller of all time – it took me 30 minutes of siting alone and starring at a wall to process what had happened because I couldn’t believe it. It’s like seeing the world through the eyes of a crazy, obsessed person and you can’t get out of his head. The script and the direction blew me away and Jake’s Gyllenhaal’s performance is unreal…He’s so so good here, it’s worth seeing just for him.

Gone baby gone. 2007. Directed by Ben Affleck. Starring Casey Affleck, Michelle Monaghan, Morgan Freeman.

Another underrated movie that went under many people’s radar. But it’s filled with great performances by Casey Affleck (my love for him is growing everyday), Morgan Freeman and Michelle Monaghan as well as touching, beautiful yet haunting script with tons of quotable moments and a dilemma about family and morality.

Prisoners. 2013. Directed by Denis Villeneuve. Starring Hugh Jackman, Paul Dano, Jake Gyllenhaal.

This movie hasn’t left me since I watched it a few years back, it’s one of the most powerful films I’ve ever seen. That said this is a nearly 3 hour film about child abduction and it has a way to put you through the same emotions the parents go through. Meaning, it feels like you’re getting constantly punched (metaphorically). It’s superbly directed by Danis Villenueve and Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal portray the pain and desperation in a such realistic way. Exceptional turn out too…

Hard candy. 2005. Directed by David Slade. Starring Ellen Page, Patrick Wilson.

Hard Candy is shot in a way that immersed me instantly and didn’t let me look away when I wanted to. Definitely not something I’d re-watch because it’s very intense…

Zodiac. 2007. Directed by David Fincher. Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Robert Downey Jr., Mark Ruffalo.

Everyone loves Se7en, but fewer people have seen Zodiac, Fincher’s 2007 film. And this is a true story, based on events and people that exist. More specifically, on a real killer who actually lived and hasn’t been caught, the case is still open in California… This had me looking up the letters Zodiac send and trying to figure out who he was.

Brimstone. 2016. Directed by Martin Koolhoven. Starring Guy Pearce, Dakota Fanning.

I love getting recommendations (who doesn’t?) and what I love even more is giving them -  so I thought I’d take the opportunity because…well, fall.  It’s as if everyone’s taste shifts during this season, usually I get the urge to watch thrillers and crime films. So, that is mostly what this list consists of. Hopefully, it’ll give you some ideas what to watch on a rainy fall night or even preparing for Halloween if you’re like me and not that into horror movies.

Drive. 2011. Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn. Starring Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan.

I fell in love with Drive the first time I saw it… It’s got everything you could ask for – complex and likeable characters, griping action sequences, a little gore in the right places and some romance (between two ridiculously attractive people). After 3 years, I still  listen to the soundtrack which is so original and works beautifully with the story and dream of having a white jacket with a golden scorpion on it. It’s like a more serious version of Baby driver.

The guest. 2014. Directed by Adam Wingard. Starring Dan Stevens, Maika Monroe, Sheila Kelley.

This is a lesser known movie and that’s a shame. It’s intense, sharp, twisted and bloody. I loved Dan Stevens in this role, he creeped me out so much… Check it out if you want something thrilling and unsettling.  

The one I love. 2014. Directed by Charlie McDowell. Starring Mark Duplass, Elizabeth Moss.

This film is marketed as a romantic comedy and it probably scarred me the most on  this list. It’s a rather typical premise, a couple going away to fix their marriage problems, but it becomes something extraordinary. Just don’t look anything up about it!

Se7en. 1995. Directed by David Fincher. Starring Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, Kevin Spacey.

My favorite quote : “ I'm T.S... motherfuckin'-A. We handle shit. That's what we do. Consider this situation... fuckin' handled. “

Get out. 2017.Directed and written by Richard Peele. Starring Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Bradley Whitford, Catherine Keener, Caleb Landry Jones, Lil Rel Howery.

The one type of movies I usually don’t watch are horror movies. I used to adore them when I was little, but I watched one, I was seven I think, and it scared me so much that I completely swore them off. But I knew I wanted to see this one as soon as I heard about it. This is a horror film about racism which has 99 % on Rotten Tomatoes. Sign me up!

The story deals with something so common in real life, yet I haven’t seen that many portrayals in movies – a white girl bringing her African- American boyfriend (Chris) to meet her parents on a weekend getaway. The story picks up from there as he realizes that all the other African- American people act very strangely and suspiciously there.

There are so many reviews of this film already, so I think I’ll just quickly jot down all the things I liked and disliked about it.

What I adored about this film was the message it delivered. The story is suspenseful, thrilling and scary at times, but all throughout it, the issue of racism is tackled. The under tone of it is evident and interesting, but not too forceful or spoon fed. It focusses more on the contemporary issues, how sometimes not outright hatred can hurt the same and how small things are treated as normal even though they’re not. I loved that this film has something to say and it stood out. Also, what makes it different from the ones I’ve seen or heard about is a side of comedy. Richard Peele is a comedian and I’m so happy he wasn’t afraid to put some of that in. Here it was presented in a form of a comic relief, Chris’s best friend, Rod. And he was so funny…. A typical comic relief, but amazing in a horror setting. I have to be honest, some parts of the film really creeped me out – I got so invested I bounced and squeaked and wanted everything to be all right. Chris is not a stupid character either, so it’s not hard to root for him. Much of that is due to the performance of Daniel Kaluuya, he’s great here as well as Allison Williams and Catherine Keener (she was particularly unsettling is her scenes).

Now for the drawbacks, I’m gonna be unpopular and say that this was more of a thriller with some weird elements than a horror movie for me. That in self is not a minus, but I can’t say that I needed to sleep with the light on afterwards. The whole ending was a little underwhelming for me and I enjoyed the exploration of racism more than the action going down. Maybe I just found it too hard to believe.

Wrapping up, this was a good time (when I say good time all I can think about is the movie Good Time….puns...get it ?) and I loved how the creators weren’t afraid to step out of the usual genre tropes.

Good time.2017. Directed by Josh and Benny Safdie. Starring Robert Pattison, Benny Safdie, Buddy Duress.

All of my friends were busy the weekend I went to the cinema , so I saw this film alone. Which wouldn’t surprise you, if you knew me personally, I used to do it all the time. I actually loved doing it (maybe I’ll write sometime of some of the experiences I had) and this film reminded me why. I sat in the theatre feeling so miserable and awkward, and then the A24 logo flashed on the screen (they’ve been kicking ass lately!) and it was only me and the film.

 And it was a good thing this particular movie was showing because the very first scene captured my attention. A lot of movies start in a psychiatrist’s office or in a police station with all sorts of questioning, but it was the first time that I saw someone with such mental disability portrayed and even explored a little. Usually, I wait till a separate part of the review to cover an actor’s performance, but Benny Safdie is amazing in this role and I just have to give him credit right now…  I’d have loved if he had more screen time!

So, the film stars with this scene, when the main character, played by Robert Pattison, picks his brother up from a session and then takes him to commit a robbery. But the catch is that he gets away, but his brother is caught and put into prison. So, to put it simply, the film is about him trying to bail his brother out and getting in all kinds of stuff along the way.

Let me start from the end, while talking about the movie – the ending was great here, simple, but really smart and it made me think. Some things leading up to it I enjoyed, some things not so much.

As I mentioned, this is a thriller and it’s evident in the film’s pacing and plot, it’s absorbing and exhilarating. There were some scenes during which I sat at the edge of my seat and some that actually got me by surprise. The technical part of the film is well done too. Especially, the cinematography and the usage of color here is amazing and works well with the story, adding to this sort of unsettling, eerie feeling. (A lot of action movies do this, but I have to admit, I’m a sucker for it.) I also liked every single performance here, Benny Safdie’s, I already mentioned, but, to my and other viewer’s surprise, Robert Pattison was mesmerizing here. He portrays his character’s fear, hate, willingness to anything to save his brother, even a little madness in such a truthful way, it becomes uncomfortable to sit and watch.

Now, there are flaws too – there were so many action packed scenes, but the problem with this is that the less exiting scenes, even though crucial, become sort of boring. There was a scene right in the middle of the film with two characters sitting in a car and talking. I can see why it was important for the plot, but it just dragged on and on and the action took longer to pick up again. Another issue is with the characters – even though realistic it’s hard to root for them cause they’re all bad people in a way… It’s interesting to see them as figures going through a story, but whatever happens to them I didn’t really care.

Anyway, this is a thrilling, well directed film with very strong performances and if you want something a little disturbing that sucks you in   – check it out.

A ghost story. 2017. Directed and written by David Lowery. Starring Casey Affleck, Rooney Mara.

This is my first ever public review! And even though the chance of anyone reading it is small, I’m still excited. And what a movie to kick it off with…This film blew my mind in every possible way and I’m really sorry that this review won’t do it justice. Every once in a while I come across such a movie (the most recent I can think of is The Lobster, directed by Yorgos Lanthimos), that changes the way I view the world and leaves me wondering for hours, trying to decipher what is the meaning of every little thing in it. But describing something you can’t even understand yourself is… impossible. So, bear that in mind reading ( I know that reading a this much not so coherent  text can get  boring , so if you’re looking for something to take away now : give this film a try).

When I first heard what this movie was about, I knew instantly it’ll something I’ll fall in love with. The film is a story about a man, who dies, and comes back as a sheet (a literal sheet, with only black circles for eyes) ghost. He haunts the house, he used to live in with the woman he loved, for years. But this is not a horror movie, it’s more of a tale of love, loss and, most of all, time and how it passes.

Who knew that a figure covered in a sheet could portray this much emotion? But even without a face, speech and, most of the time, body language, I felt all the emotions I was supposed to. A ghost standing and watching a woman change covers made me feel more than screaming and crying and shouting. I sat speechless, feeling like I was watching I wasn’t supposed to, something private. Maybe, that’s why it’s so hard to write, it’s like I was trusted to witness something so special and magical, and now I need to categorize it, I need to put someone’s life (and afterlife) into little boxes.

As I mentioned, so many themes are touched upon here and there are even separate scenes to illustrate them. There’s a spectacular scene, that I feel was underappreciated (it’s at the very begging, don’t be afraid of a spoiler). So, we have a very long take from above of the couple lying in bed after they both got spooked of a mysterious sound. And these were the people I knew nothing about, yet I could feel the love they had for each other so vividly, I was afraid to move, so it wouldn’t go away.  David Lowery chose to put a lot of long shots, like this one, into the film,  so the audience could get the feeling of time and how it actually goes,  how it flies by or drags depebding on what you’re feeling,  which is soooooo brilliant in my opinion. 

For the technical part of the film, I kid you not, you could stop the film at any random moment and you’d get a beautiful shot, something to put on wall. Composition, colors, framing, the direction – amazing.  The performances are so touching and the leads have a lot of chemistry between them. Casey Affleck is one of my favorite actors, he has this way of playing reserved, yet realistic characters, and that worked so well here. The soundtrack is very cool too, I can’t stop listening to it, the theme song (I get overwhelmed by Dark Rooms), especially.

What is to keep in mind, that this is a slower going film, not a lot happens and there are only a few lines of dialogue, so not for you if you want something quick and disposable.