rubs my hands i’m really excited because in this lineup is one of my new fav movies of all time (which i'll start with)…

the swimmer (1968): i’ve watched this movie maybe four times now. a suburban man realizes he can get home by walking through all of his neighbor’s yards and swimming through their pools. if you ever watched mad men it’s like watching a character from mad men having a complete break from reality. in an interview burt lancaster said he thought this was the best movie he ever acted in, and i can see why. a fun fact is burt lancaster was also terrified of swimming and hired an olympic swimmer to teach him. when thrifting with my partner and friends i found a vinyl record of the soundtrack for cheap. the store owner asked me if the movie was any good and i said "i love it i've watched it three times already" (this was before the 4th rewatch) and he found it for free on youtube and started watching it LOL…my high praise to the swimmer.

last summer (2023): a french lawyer who primarily defends abused children deals with her husband’s son from a previous marriage moving in which leads to an affair between the two. catherine breillat is really good at making movies about complex and vile women and i think this is my fav movie of hers. i know a movie hit me hard when the credits roll and i just feel this lump of dread in my stomach. the ending song is haunting!!

demon pond (1979): a traveler stumbles into a town going through a drought and learns about the mythology surrounding an alleged demon pond. LOOOOVEEEED THIS!!! a haunting japanese fairy tale…the soundtrack is beautiful, the set design is beautiful…when (not a spoiler) the yokai collapse and leave from the weight of the bell…wonderful. i’m already in the process of rewatching it. it’s movies like that that remind you how film is an art form.

with beauty and sorrow (1965): ^ same director from demon pond! an author writes a book about a teen girl he had an affair with years ago. he meets this girl years later. she has a female pupil who is also her lover and decides to get revenge on the man and his entire family. masahiro shinoda is a genius!!! an entire movie about an insane lesbian wanting to curse an entire man’s bloodline because of how he used her teacher. intense watch especially up to the end.

mother (2009): my partner and i have gradually been going through bong joon ho’s entire filmography leading up to parasite (they have not seen it yet) and i was really surprised i NEEEEVEEEERRR heard anything about this movie because i think it’s my new fav bjh film (yes even above parasite.) a single mother’s son is convicted of murdering a schoolgirl and she sets out to try and prove his innocence. apparently before this movie the lead actress just starred in fluffy korean tv shows. REALLY good. not going to say much more, it’s best to go in knowing as little as possible.

black dynamite (2009): a comedy that is a love letter to the blacksploitation movie of the 70’s, right down to boom mics and awkward shots/transitions and sequences that make no sense. it’s very rare for a movie to make me laugh almost constantly but this was soooo good. i love the kind of humor that comes from loving a genre and poking fun at it with your love. best use of an abraham lincoln cameo ever.

killer of sheep (1978): following a man working at a slaughterhouse in los angeles and his listless life. someone’s review of this said “nothing happens. it’s perfect.” a really unforgettable movie that just kind of shows the despairs of sleepwalking through life.

it’s kind of hard to narrow down T>T i’ve watched 183 movies so far (catching up to today which is day 185, not far behind!!) but these are the ones that stood out to me…honorable mention to akira kurosawa’s dreams, the innocents (1961), the abominable dr phibes, four flies on a grey velvet and deep end.