films
a dedicated space for me to prattle about films i've watched. also, maybe take my opinions with a grain of salt! i love most things i watch and find it difficult to make the distinction. there is little to no objectivity to be found here. C
better watch out
director: chris peckover
genre: holiday horror, psychological horror
my most beloved of all time. i have a lot to say about better watch out, and for that, it will be getting its own pages in time (shrines, motifs, and reviews, oh my!). but as far what i can say right now... i think everything about this film is absolutely phenomenal. the acting is out of this world, especially given the young ages of the main cast. the score, the cinematography, the writing: everything comes together to cement my adoration.
gone girl
director: david fincher
genre: psychological thriller
surprisingly, it took me until 2024 to watch this film for the first time. i consider myself rather tentative with my consumption of new media, but god was it worth the watch! rosamund pike's performance as amy sets an incredibly high bar. this film is entrancing. as of writing this (18-07-24), i had rewatched it yesterday, only to put it back on as soon as it finished because i was that absorbed in the world and characters it creates.
teeth
director: mitchell lichtenstein
genre: body horror
i do love this film. i think it is beautiful, and the quote "it is a nightmare image of the power and horror of female sexuality" has stuck with me since i first watched teeth in high school. however, it can get uncomfortable when sexual violence becomes gratuitous and drawn out. teeth is even listed as a comedy horror online, which i think is absolutely absurd given the relatively depressing tone of the film.
train to busan
director: yeon sang-ho
genre: action, horror, thriller
my boyfriend had recently expressed a desire to watch some korean media while we hung out, and so i racked my brain to films i had heard about in passing that would fit the bill. train to busan was one of those, and it was absolutely worth the watch! my favorite character is sang-hwa... my social8 king. train to busan was amazing, and completely deserving of its hype.
parasite
director: bong joon-ho
genre: dark comedy, thriller
again with my aversion to watching new things, i was very late to the hype train for parasite, it being another film i only watched at my boyfriend's behest. and yet... despite dragging my feet a bit at the start, i was very quickly enthralled into the story. it's phenomenal, and there are so many layers of symbolism and theming to think about when discussing the film. my favorite character is ki-jeong. she's so cute.
death note
director: adam wingard
genre: horror, mystery, thriller
does this movie have its flaws? yes. was it an incredibly gorgeous and fun watch despite that? YES! you're going to have a bad time if you treat this like a direct adaptation of its source, but if you can put all that aside, it's a very fun romp. light and mia are fascinating characters, and i'm especially fond of how mia, as a female character, gets to take the role of someone more morally dark-sided.
totally killer
director: nahnatchka khan
genre: horror, comedy
totally killer is very fun. the third act is gorgeous, with some of my favorite lighting i've seen in films. does it reinvent the wheel? no, but i don't think it has to. i love when media gets referential (look how much i revere better watch out), and i think totally killer pulls off the tone without it getting schlocky or losing its punch. i think that moment was connected to you!
the edge of seventeen
director: kelly fremon craig
genre: coming of age, comedy, drama
controversial opinion: i don't think nadine is a complete victim. moreover, the people that victimize her to an extreme extent and villainize everyone else annoy me. that being said, nadine's social difficulties and her strained relationship with her mother, along with the loss of a significant father figure, do make her a character close to my heart and experiences. it's no surprise i clung to this movie like a lifeline in high school.
lisa frankenstein
director: zelda williams
genre: horror, comedy
i am the leader of the taffy swallows defense squad. taffy swallows is my darling and my angel. lisa frankenstein was an amazing watch. another gorgeous film, and especially resonant with the #weirdgirls. i think this film would've benefitted greatly from a r-rating to fully convey the depth and darkness of lisa's character. the relationship between taffy and lisa is so important to me, and i'm glad a peppy cheerleader gets to be genuinely nice.
jennifer's body
director: karyn kusama
genre: horror, comedy
i love analyzing themes of misogyny and exploitation in films, and jennifer's body is no exception. jennifer is, at her core, a hypersexualized high school student with experiences analogous to that of many women in the limelight — such themes are exemplified even in the sexualized marketing campagin of the film, trying to capitalize on megan fox's sex appeal. ...you know, jennifer sexy, she steal your boyfriend.
spy
director: paul feig
genre: spy, action, comedy
um. okay. listen. this isn't my preferred type of movie. i don't even remember how i saw it for the first time. but it is very, very close to my heart. i used to watch it all the time at my grandpa's apartment, and i very recently bought it on dvd. even after all this time, i find it hilarious, and i recently watched it again with my boyfriend. i can confirm... i still find it funny. rick ford, you will always be famous.
the chipmunk adventure
director: janice karman
genre: family, adventure, musical
the chipmunk adventure is very much a product of its time. extremely negative and racist stereotypes. weird sexualization of the chipettes. literally a song called getting lucky where they dance with snakes. it's not great. but, keeping its glaring flaws in mind, i nevertheless harbor a nostalgic fondness for it, especially the songs the boys and girls of rock and roll and diamond dolls. if you haven't seen it, i don't think you're missing much, though.
submarine
director: richard ayoade
genre: coming of age, comedy, drama
i love you jordana bevan. i love you jordana bevan. i love you jordana bevan. i am a jordana bevan lovebot, and if she has no fans, i am dead. submarine itself is gorgeous, though i am admittedly biased towards the jordana-centered half of the film over the half focusing on oliver's parents and their relationship. i can't help it. i love a mean, weird girl that doesn't know how to get along with women. my istp sp8 daughter.
the little rascals
director: penelope spheeris
genre: family, comedy
this film marked my eighth grade experience, and no, i am not kidding. this was one of my first special interests that made me realize things were awry, given that a fondness for pokemon was normal for someone my age, whereas the twenty year old (at the time) little rascals film was not. but i love this movie so much. it's so close to my heart. it's so sweet, and happy, and nostalgic. it makes my heart glow. the little rascals (1994), you're perfect.
descendants
director: kenny ortega
genre: family, musical, fantasy
this rating is not at all me trying to slight the descendants franchise. but i do not like mal as a character, and that impacts my enjoyment. on a non-mal level, the music just isn't my favorite either. i think it does a good job to introduce the subsequent films, but on its own... not my favorite! it's okay, though. jane, jay, carlos, ben, evie, audrey, you are all so beloved to me. sorry that mal is in your light.
descendants 2
director: kenny ortega
genre: family, musical, fantasy
my favorite of the original trilogy, although that's not exactly a rare opinion. the songs are at their best in d2, and uma is an absolute darling and works amazingly in her role, especially as the antithesis to what mal stands for, in all of her loathsome violet selfishness. every moment i watch in the original trilogy solidifies my hatred for mal and my absolute veneration of every other character.
descendants 3
director: kenny ortega
genre: family, musical, fantasy
another fun romp wherein we can say to ourselves, "wow, mal really sucks!" i love jane getting a more active (and positive) role in things this time around, and audrey makes a welcomed return. words alone cannot express how much i hate mal. she is so boring to me as a character and lacks anything making her compelling. jay and carlos were robbed of screentime and purpose thanks to her big purple head.
descendants: the rise of red
director: jennifer phang
genre: family, musical, fantasy
if rise of red has no fans, i am dead. i don't care. granted that i have no attachment to the original trilogy rooted solely in nostalgia, i embrace rise of red with open arms. i love how female-centric it is, and all the music is amazing. i can't stop listening to fight of our lives. i had to pick this poster for this page since it shows so many characters off, like my darling angel bridget. rise of red is comfort.kayla.care approved!
diary of a wimpy kid
director: thor freudenthal
genre: comedy, family
i love this movie. i love these movies. i will not act as though the trilogy are bad movies, because i have whimsy and love and joy in my heart. they're fun. they're so fun. i would say that the first is probably my least favorite out of the three, but even that is a remarkably tough decision because i love all three of them a lot. they're fun! and nostalgic! they're also the only adaptations of the books i seek out.
diary of a wimpy kid: rodrick rules
director: david bowers
genre: comedy, family
no shame here, 5 stars across the board! this is the trilogy at its very best. i don't think i have a single bad thing to say about rodrick rules, and it gives me the best sort of nostalgic comfort. this is my house, these are my rules. the segments of rodrick and greg hanging out and acting like proper brothers are so, so special to me, and really help to make this film what it is.
diary of a wimpy kid: dog days
director: david bowers
genre: comedy, family
by no means have i lived the life experiences of greg heffley. that being said, the entire trilogy is continuously resonant with ways i have felt and experiences i have... sort of... had, and dog days is no exception. plus, more holly hills is always a welcomed bonus! dog days is fun and perfectly nostalgic for summer in a way i never realized i yearned for, and for that reason i can only speak favorably about it.
the sandlot
director: david mickey evans
genre: coming of age, sports, comedy
benny the jet rodriguez, you will always be famous. this movie makes me wish so badly that i was a boy in the 1960s playing baseball every day in the summer with the boys. i have a soft spot for coming of age movies, and adding the sports distinction is no exception. this is a movie i wish to revisit soon, once i have less on my watchlist. you're killing me, smalls!
the menu
director: mark mylod
genre: horror, comedy
another film i watched with my boyfriend! we adored anya taylor joy in the queen's gambit, so we were both enthusiastic to sit down and watch this for the first time. and i think it was absolutely phenomenal. i'm not necessarily into food like that, maybe owing to my being a picky eater, but all of the themes resonated with me. recommended watch!
oldboy
director: park chan-wook
genre: thriller, action
the truth comes out: i didn't actually like oldboy very much. like, at all. objectively, i could sit here and recognize that i think it's probably good objectively, but i didn't enjoy myself watching it. and, as you can likely tell from my ratings here, that is a big part of why i seek out a movie. i can see why people would like it, but i unfortunately don't think it's my thing. and that's okay! another film watched with my darling boyfriend.
bottoms
director: emma seligman
genre: comedy
absolutely adore bottoms. it was so funny, and all of the female characters feel authentic while not entirely straying from the immaculate comedy. the handling of jeff's character as a commentary on football players made into pariahs in high-school centered media was so good. i literally cannot say enough that is positive about bottoms. please watch it. it is worth your time.
terrifier 3
director: damien leone
genre: holiday horror, supernatural slasher
i actually had a phenomenal theatre experience for terrifier 3. i greatly enjoyed terrifier 2, especially when compared to its predecessor, so i had pretty high hopes going into t3. and i don't think i was left disappointed! sienna shaw is a phenomenal final girl, and i have the deepest veneration for her character. even as i was watching, i had a ton of essay ideas floating around in my head, so i'm excited to expand on them. i love you sienna shaw!