2025 Films

Absolutely boring. Why tf is reddit so obssessed with it I will never know.

All montages and no <i> substances </i> huheuheuhehee.

No but fr, it's like watching an episode of Black Mirror (derogatory), and is as stimulating as one.

Beautiful color palette. The hyperzoom/wide lens is either cinematic or obnoxious. Since I didn't like the film, I've leaning towards the latter. Once again, beautiful, beaaaaaaautiful color palette but nothing original about the setting. We get it, furutistic sterile but still grounded in the present because the story is soooooooooo topicallllllll to today's society.

Script is very clumsy. Fall short (like all the usual overstylistic, French, Oscar-baited piece) in terms of tell rather than show. You can't just intersperse action with montages and call it a day. I can barely tolerate it with Lars von Trier and I actually like some of his film.

Not going to talk about the plot since it's so predictable and heavy-handed. But I will mention that the glaring mistake that showed this movie spend more time on cinematography than story is the characterisations. Elisabeth/Sue doesn't act like a person. Her character development (or the jump-cut/lack of one) is motivated on the writer wanting her to be cautionary tales with legs. There is no organic progression to her downfall. I guess there didn't need to be, since you can pretty much predict what is going to happen in this 2h+ film from reading IMDB sypnosis.

I like this even LESS than Anora, which is a feat.

Started because Station Elevent creator + The Mother.

I swear, everytime I'm not paying attention Cristin Milioti just sneak around to do something interesting.

Rewatch

Errrr, kinda bad but charming? Guilty pleasure?

Rewatch

Remember when this first came out and we thought we're going to get a Disney Renaissance? Good times.

A love letter to food, yes. But also a love story.

I am now convinced that any French movie powered by a couple who used to be married will <i>always</i> be good (s/o to The Portrait of A Lady on Fire). There is just so much history between Binoche and Magimal.

During the first half of the film, there was so little dialogue that doesn't revolve around found. But the secondary story is told through framing and story so delicately that it is impossible to miss that the film is about human connection.

The monologue Juliette Binoche delivered the start of the film was done so completely artfully and without guile. I usually do hate having the theme of the story shoving down my throat, but this is a masterclass of how it can be done well without pandering.

Special shout out/personal freak out over that scene where Eugenie sits alone eating the oyster, surrounded by opulence and soft, warm light. My introverted queen, absolutely glowing with contentment. A scene that could intrisically be so lonely yet not because Dodin is clearly there with her in spirit through his food. Cinematography is so intentional here. The way she situated to the side of the frame to show empty opposite seating but not the empty chair itself, it highlight both absence and presence of her dining companion at the same time. Her pearl stud earrings and pearl hair ornament, prior to knowing she's being served oyster? YOUR HONOUR, THEY ARE CONNECTED.

This film is a lot about a conversation being had through food. Not just between Eugenie and Dodin, but Dodin and his circle as well (s/o to the squad. 10/10 homeboys).

I really would've been happy with beautiful montages of food and minimal plot (as these food porn movie usually are) but the end result is much more tender than expected. Haute cuisine is always portrayed as such a fast-paced, sterile, beautiful thing. This movie hit that perfect middle ground between that perfectionism and a warm hearth of a home. Every dish is matriculately planned, yet a little splashes here and there on the dish as it was plated and served. (Also... warmth? hearth? let's not forget about the cinematogpher uses of warm/natural lights when Eugenie is presented and the cold light kitchen when she isn't. So simple yet so effective. The use of diegetic sound (and absence ofit) really was effective at cranking up and tone down the coziness of the scenes. The same style as seen in the previously directed The Scent of Green Papaya).

Admittedly the end (not the end"ing", mind) was a bit weak. And I laughed every time that child actress show up cos she really have no business being there nor being that bad an actor. But didn't take away too much of the overall story!

First good movie of the year, bless.

Convinced whoever cut the trailer hate this film, since the trailer looks boring enough for me to decide to watch it from home rather than in cinema.

But in the end, a lovely and heartfelt film. Garfield and Pugh delivered stellar performance which really help elevate the story.

Tale as old as time- boy meets girl, boy fell in lov with girl, the highs and lows of life told in non-linear narrative- proves yet again that stories can be retold as long as humanity continues, so long as it's told well.

*I docked the point from 7 to 6 for the last 15 minutes because the movie really can't resist itself with the sappy, we're-going-to-be-alright post-montage. You're better than that. You could've been better than that. Leaving something to audience's imagination (did Almut miraciously recover? did she pass? how lond did they have with each other since the competition?) would have been a better service to character that has been more richly than the Perfect Dead Mom trope she was reduced to. Bye.

Finally, some fucking good food.

The ending feels a bit muddled and distracted. I understand what the script is going for, but it feels like it suddenly take a hard right (or left?) into an entire different movie. Nonetheless, stellar acting from Fiennes and Diehz smoothen over a lot of these bumps. Stellar acting from everyone, actually.

Would not be surprised (and would be appall) if this doesn't win Best Picture.
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Just found out that Carlos Diehz has <i> just </i> started acting. Holy shit. Can we appreciate that? Since he has such a limited screen time yet has such a strong presence and acting chop. Fucking amazing.

NGL kinda boring

Really found it footing in this 4th season :D

Rewatch.
What a nice, comforting series ne.

One thing I say to people when they watched Lanthimos for the first time is: his movie is weird, but once you realised you're allowed to laugh, it's really good.

Fucking fantastic. Very reminescence of Dogtooth. I'm quite glad he didn't lose his edge after directing a lot of pieces meant for a wider audience.

Baffling to me that this is released the same year as Poor Thing, which is a lot more accessible (air quote, since it's still a Lanthimos film) to novice film critics and artsy folks. I liked Poor Thing <i> a lot </i>, but the first thing I said to Jon when we leave the cinema (also, glad we've seen that in the cinema) was 'it was really good, but I'm a bit sad now that he seems to consciously be catering his recent movies to a wider audience.' So am quite glad to see he's still flexing creative muscles (weird muscles) in a more unconstraint way elsewhere.

Credits to Emma Stone too, especially seeing her here vs. in Poor Thing. She really must've absorbed his direction like a sponge and understood his artistic vision like they are brothers. It's also a great case to make that Lanthimos' stilted line delivery is a directorial choice rather than bad writing/directing.

Fantastic Fantastic Fantastic. Easily one of my favorite Yorgos Lanthimos film (though i say that about every of his film whenever I just finished it).

JJD3 from Letterboxd said it really well: "A step back in the direction of absurdity and deadpan weirdness, Kinds of Kindness hits that alienating groove that longtime fans fail to explain to others when trying suggest watching it (for a third time)."

Hey, Jon really liked this too (thank god, or I'd have to divorce him). Wasn't even watching it with him, just watched it in his vicinity. So this testimony wasn't forced out of him.