Need inspiration? Part 2.
Recommendations from a big-time consumer.
I treat watching a movie like it’s a big event even if I’m all alone. I grab my sweet treat, throw my phone across the room so I’m not tempted to scroll, dim all the lights, and park on the couch in the thickest blanket around.
Oh, and when the movie is done? It takes me about five seconds to run across the room, rummage around for my phone because it has disappeared from oblivion, and log the movie into my Letterboxd.
Don’t lie, if you’re on Letterboxd, you do the same exact thing.
Here are some movies I ran extra fast to put into the system:
Palm Springs
Director: Max Barbakow
LIVE LIKE THERE’S NO TOMORROW
When carefree Nyles and reluctant maid of honor Sarah have a chance encounter at a Palm Springs wedding, things get complicated as they are unable to escape the venue, themselves, or each other.
This is just one of those movies that is referenced so often, you have to know why. The color grading is so fresh, plot so effortlessly humorous, and I love it extra because it’s not a story I have thought about before.
House (1977)
Director: Nobuhiko Obayashi
Hoping to find a sense of connection to her late mother, Gorgeous takes a trip to the country to visit her aunt at their ancestral house. She invites her six friends, Prof, Melody, Mac, Fantasy, Kung Fu, and Sweet, to join her. The girls soon discover that there is more to the old house than meets the eye.
This movie is just fucking weird. It’s a Japanese experimental comedy horror film inspired by Jaws. Watch it.
Triangle of Sadness
Director: Ruben Östlund
Models Carl and Yaya are invited for a luxury cruise with a rogues’ gallery of super-rich passengers. At first, all appears Instagrammable, but the cruise ends catastrophically and the group find themselves marooned on a desert island.
The film had its world premiere at the 75th Cannes Film Festival in 2022, where it received an eight-minute standing ovation. It is said to be a satirical black comedy, which I have since deemed to be one of my personal favorite genres.
The Death of Dick Long
Director: Daniel Scheinert
The night things went very south.
Dick died last night, and Zeke and Earl don’t want anybody finding out how. That’s too bad though, cause news travels fast in small-town Alabama.
Yet another black comedy-drama film. Once over dinner with my boyfriend, I went on a 15-minute Adderall-induced tangent (as prescribed by my doctor) about this movie the day after watching it and scarred Gabe for life. He still talks about that dinner to this day. And it’s not because the food was that good.
The Bear
Created by: Christopher Storer
A young chef from the fine dining world comes home to Chicago to run his family sandwich shop after a heartbreaking death in his family. A world away from what he's used to, Carmy must balance the soul-crushing realities of small business ownership, his strong-willed and recalcitrant kitchen staff and his strained familial relationships, all while grappling with the impact of his brother's suicide. As Carmy fights to transform both the shop and himself, he works alongside a rough-around-the-edges kitchen crew that ultimately reveals itself as his chosen family.
A comedy-drama tv series that is worth the watch. This show made me feel viscerally stressed. Your turn.
X
Director: Ti West
DYING TO SHOW YOU A GOOD TIME.
In 1979, a group of young filmmakers set out to make an adult film in rural Texas, but when their reclusive, elderly hosts catch them in the act, the cast find themselves fighting for their lives.
A slasher film set in the 70s. I watched this with my roommate and we were both scarred by the sexually promiscuous 80-year-old woman. One thing that is especially cool is that the same director made a prequel and is currently developing the sequel.
Everything Everywhere All at Once
Directors: Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert
THE UNIVERSE IS SO MUCH BIGGER THAN YOU REALIZE.
An aging Chinese immigrant is swept up in an insane adventure, where she alone can save what’s important to her by connecting with the lives she could have led in other universes.
This absurdist comedy-drama explores philosophical themes such as existentialism, nihilism, surrealism, absurdism, neurodivergence, depression, generational trauma, and Asian American identity. There’s so much happening in this film- it is definitely not a watch one-time and done movie.
The Banshees of Inisherin
Director: Martin McDonagh
Everything Was Fine Yesterday.
Two lifelong friends find themselves at an impasse when one abruptly ends their relationship, with alarming consequences for both of them.
This black tragicomedy is so alike real life. Sometimes, people just walk away and you have no idea why. The funny offsets the sad, but you still may shed a tear or two. If there were no funny bits, I definitely would have been depressed for the next few days after watching this.
Joyland
Director: Saim Sadiq
As a patriarchal family yearns for the birth of a son to continue their family line, their youngest son secretly joins an erotic dance theatre and falls for its transgender starlet.
This Pakistani drama film is unlike anything you have ever seen. It exposes you to a reality largely unknown by western culture and drives the viewer to have gratitude for daily occurrences we so often take for granted.
The Last Black Man in San Francisco
Director: Joe Talbot
FIGHT FOR YOUR LAND. FIGHT FOR YOUR HOME.
Jimmie Fails dreams of reclaiming the Victorian home his grandfather built in the heart of San Francisco. Joined on his quest by his best friend Mont, Jimmie searches for belonging in a rapidly changing city that seems to have left them behind.
This drama film talks of the dreams that keep us going and the lies we sometimes have to tell ourselves to make the world a place worth living.
That’s all I’ll say.
Inspiration can come from everywhere. All you must do is keep your eyes open.