our December/January film roundup

Hello familiar stranger!

We took a little break from posting this January, but we're thrilled to be back; sharing the films we held onto as we said goodbye to last year, and watched the new one take its place.

Disclaimer!

These monthly roundups tend to include more mainstream titles than our usual lists, as our goal here is to document anything we watched in the past month.

It can be hard to keep up with regular movie-watching when so many other things are happening in the world, so we do this to remember first, share second, and uplift third.

That being said, we hope you enjoy this installation of our monthly roundups! Feel free to leave a comment with your October watches, or tell us what you think about ours.

This list is available on our Letterboxd here.

atlanta’s picks

Queer (2024)

directed by Luca Guadagnino

I have deeply mixed feelings about Guadagnino’s back catalogue, and his films are usually about twenty minutes longer than they need to be, as if they cannot work out how to find their way to a satisfying conclusion. This is definitely the case for Queer, which whilst aesthetically beautiful, neither picked up on the pathos of the original William Burroughs book nor made it sufficiently new to free it from its source material. Kudos to Daniel Craig for continuing his gay-for-pay streak, following the trend set by his lesbian icon wife Rachel Weisz.

Available: at your local cinema

Return to Oz (1985)

directed by Walter Murch

In honour of Wicked, I circled back to the much maligned sequel of the original Wizard of Oz, Return to Oz, in my eyes one of the exemplary texts of 1980s dark fantasy. The simplicity of the plot allows for the beauty of the crafted sets, props and costumes to thrive. It's 'dark' take on the story of Dorothy Gale (if a contemporary attempt was made she would be a high school student with a psychedelic problem, her yellow brick pals a polycule), isn't particularly dark according to our standards of 'twisted' fairytales, but it has its own unique depths that make it well worth a watch once you’re done with Ariana and Cynthia.

Available: on Disney Plus

Beyond Clueless (2014)

written and directed by Charlie Shackleton

I am a sucker for a deranged teen movie so Beyond Clueless, an ode to this special genre of American cinema, was a dreamy spectacle of many of my favourite films. It's truly a thoughtful, inclusive consideration of the appeal of teen cinema, narrated by the iconic Fairuza Balk, of The Craft fame. Musing on not just the genre, but how it shaped our cultural ideas of adolescence, Shackleton, the director, proposes that our treatment of teens as visualised in cinema might have a damaging effect on their transition from childhood to adulthood. Like many films about films, it runs the risk of simply being a collage, chronological account, without adding much commentary, but Beyond Clueless evades this by offering fresh insights that left me pondering the genre long after the closing credits and all the teens had gone off to college.

Available: on Vimeo, Amazon Prime

danis’ picks

Never Rarely Sometimes Always (2020)

written and directed by Eliza Hittman

Before watching this film, I thought I was going to get a character study type of film, where we follow and witness the experiences of an individual under duress, or just a slice of what their life is about, but, this movie is much more than that. It is a film that is so attentive and caring when representing its characters and the subject of abortion in a way where I feel most films have not attained this standard yet, specifically when representing teen pregnancies or abortion in film. The performance by the actors were so personal, and the cinematography isn’t anything extravagant, but it doesn’t have to be, instead it did its job in putting us up close and personal with all the sensitive parts of the film without force-feeding it to us. In simple words, it made us feel like we are on this journey with the characters of this film, dealing with the issue of abortion and all the other underlying complexities that comes with it. For anyone who is unfamiliar with the title of this film or as to why they named it this way, well, all I can say is that I was rooted to the core and had to process all the instant emotions I was having after learning about it.

Available: on Apple TV+

MadS (2024)

written and directed by David Moreau

If you love an outbreak film, especially the ones that include how an outbreak started but never really gives an explanation as to what is actually happening, well this French film is definitely for you. This film understands how to portray chaos in a way that is both exhilarating and sad. Although this trope has been done before, the performances from the actors in portraying their characters’ changes throughout a whole entire day - be it physical, mental or emotional - definitely deserves tons of applause and praise. Everyone from the camera department, lighting, editing, basically everyone that worked on this film, should be nominated for some award that recognises what they’ve achieved with this work of art.

Available: on Shudder

Rebel Ridge (2024)

written and directed by Jeremy Saulnier

From the director that brought you Blue Ruin and Green Room (you know the one where Patrick Stewart plays a neo-nazi), Jeremy Saulnier has managed to once again prove that he knows how to combine both social-commentary and a relatable story that pushes our own perception of law and order. Aaron Pierre plays the role of an ex-soldier to a tee, and the dialogue and writing for this film is to die for. It could easily be a simple run of the mill type of action flick, but it has so much depth and things to learn from, especially when it comes to police brutality and just how much autonomy a citizen may have towards the police.

Available: on Netflix

Oddity (2024)

written and directed by Damian Mc Carthy

Irish folklore horror at its finest. It is seriously wicked and terrifying, but would also satiate that hunger for more original folk horror to be made in today’s modern day film landscape. The plot is somewhat reminiscent of a couple of paranormal horror films that we’ve seen before, (Insidious and The Conjuring) but where this film shines is in its editing. The amount of well-timed cuts that would deliver a shivering stake to your heart and its manipulation of sounds could cause even the most hardcore horror movie fan to start imagining ghastly, nightmarish visions in their head. All in all, this is a solid folk horror film from Ireland, and I can’t wait to explore further into this genre of horror.

Available: on Shudder

emmanuel’s picks

Home Alone (1990)

directed by Chris Columbus

This movie needs no introduction, the bigger question is: does it still hold up? And for me, it does. It’s simply too iconic: from the premise to the over-the-top acting, the hilarious physical comedy, all while still having a strong emotional heart. I totally did not cry when Kevin reunited with his mom and when old man Marley reunited with his family (gosh darn it John Williams). I sincerely hope to continue rewatching this film for many more Christmases to come.

Available: on Disney+

Don’t Move (2024)

directed by Brian Netto and Adam Schindler

I watched this for Kelsey Chow, stayed for the interesting premise that turned a bit surreal and absurd in how it plays out. The cold open sets the tone for the rest of the film: it’s intriguing in the somewhat silly terror it instils and at least the writers had fun with the plot. Feels a bit like campy M. Night Shyamalan but without the plot twists. Not a particularly scary film but it’s a fun timepass.

Available: on Netflix

Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (2002)

directed by Kelly Asbury and Lorna Cook

The score by Hans Zimmer and the simple but effective storyline of a character trying to find their way home is already solid. The animation in the expressiveness of our titular stallion and the beauty of his environment is also a standout. I have mixed feelings about the narration and Bryan Adam pop song interludes. But do you remember the last time you ran? Like, forgot about everything, everyone and just ran? To simply move fast through this world and feel the wind in your face? This film captures that uplifting thrill and energy. And for me, that’s a big win in my books.

Available: on Netflix

komal’s picks

Late Night With The Devil (2023)

written and directed by Cameron & Colin Cairnes

Planned to watch a few scenes and quit it to sleep, but I physically could not take my eyes off the screen. From concept to execution, this movie delivered above and beyond expectations. A must-watch for contemporary horror lovers, and skeptics.

Available: on Netflix

Aashiqui 2 (2013)

directed by Mohit Suri

It’s almost hard to talk objectively about the production quality of this film, cause the story pissed me off SO BAD. This movie delivers a stunning set of original music, and a stellar performance by Aditya Roy Kapur, but it can brag almost nothing else. I’m serious when I say I’m too mad to write a real review, let me get back to you in a month or six.

Available: on DVD

OK Jaanu (2017)

directed by Shaad Ali

Extremely healing after the horror film that is Aashiqui 2 (2013). With beautiful cinematography and photography direction, soundtrack and score, with performances that make you drool, OK Jaanu is a rom-com classic for the books. Punctuated equally with moments of harsh reality and unrealistic delusional dreaminess, this movie is feel-good in every sense of the word. Aditya Roy Kapur lookalike contest in my bedroom this Friday, btw.

Available: on Netflix

milaine’s picks

The Franchise (2024 - Present)

created by Jon Brown

I’m really in my TV era this year I guess? Trying not to be a HBO stan but failing… The Franchise is a show about a producer trying to lead his crew to create a Marvel-esque superhero movie while the world (literally) burns around them. There are difficult actors, desperate re-writes, insane edits made last minute to hide the fact that production execs absolutely hate women, and directors having mental breakdowns because Martin Scorsese thinks Marvel is ruining art. At the heart of it, there are people who love movies, love making them, and feel their hearts breaking from how disposable their labour seems to be in an industry that cares less and less about the human experience with each passing day. Anyone who is tired of the endless churn of the Marvel-Disney-IP-DC Industrial Complex should watch this, and not just because there’s a hilarious scene of an actor who has to do an ad for radioactive milk to appease the Chinese market. There’s also a VFX guy who animates a sequence of himself stabbing his eye out after working for two weeks straight without sleep. You should watch it for that, too.

Available: on Max

Jerry Maguire (1996)

written and directed by Cameron Crowe

I signed up for a movie about Tom Cruise falling in love with Renee Zellweger and found that it was about so much more. This is one of those movies that you watch and realize halfway that it was made 30 years ago but you almost can’t believe it because it feels so relevant to your present life. There is something so modern about its depiction of the relationship in how it recognizes that everything Jerry Maguire does is guided by his deep self-loathing, including marrying a woman just because he finds it easier to lie to her for the rest of his life rather than to accept that he might be the villain in someone else’s story. He wants so badly to be good but is physically, financially, and spiritually prevented from being the man that he wants to be.

Why did I think this understanding of straight male psychology was invented in 2020? You’re telling me that the world has known about this aspect of human society since 1996, but we’ve done nothing to resolve it? Now you’re wondering if there is actually something very flawed in our belief that history moves along a linear line towards progress, because how could the world at large have watched Tom Cruise speak about the cynicism of the world with tears in his eyes, only for us to have become even more cynical, even more lonely? Or maybe that’s why it won the Oscar and disappeared forever - because everyone knew it was saying something real but nobody felt brave enough to do anything about it.

Available: on Netflix

Conclave (2024)

directed by Edward Berger

Beautiful movie misrepresented by its trailer. I think the promotions have set the movie up to seem like a psychological thriller centered around finding who murdered the Pope, but it’s actually just Ralph Fiennes having a midlife crisis over the career he’s chosen, and really, isn’t that all of us? There’s actually no detective element or murder, except maybe for the death of my fantasy that Ralph Finnes and Stanley Tucci will have clandestine Catholic romance in the Vatican. The cinematography is gorgeous… I know that religion shouldn’t come down to aesthetics, which was Martin Luther’s whole point, but the Catholics really know how to build a cvnty building and tailor a wee cassock beautifully!!! Worth a watch for visuals alone but your experience will surely be enhanced if you enjoy a little paranoia about the clash of Abrahamic religions.

Available: on DVD

The Social Network (2010)

directed by David Fincher

Does anyone really use Facebook anymore? Like is anyone seriously, actively scrolling on Facebook and reading blurbs ever since Zuck let it be taken over by fascists and real estate agents trying to con retirees into buying beachfront properties that they will never use? I don’t know how to separate the virtues of this movie (excellent writing, acting, editing, one of the best) from the way time has eroded its subject matter. Everything about this movie was perfect when it first came out at the brink of Facebook’s IPO because we were so desperate to understand how geniuses work. The concept of a rich and powerful nerd was so seductive to all of us shuttling towards desk jobs without any hope for upward mobility, that we all wanted to assign complexity and depth to him. This movie allowed us to do that. One Myanmar genocide, an AI revolution, and a founder rebranding later, it now feels awkward and a little embarrassing to see how far Zuck has fallen from the pedestal he used to live on. I got through this movie by watching it in 15 minute intervals and cutting out whenever it felt too difficult to reconcile the Facebook of the past with the Meta of the present. In a meta kind of way, this film fell victim to the need to like its protagonist.

Available: on Netflix and Max

taie’s picks

Le Sang d'un poète (“The Blood of a Poet”) (1932)

written and directed by Jean Cocteau

Sound has become a staple in film, with an entire category dedicated to sound recording, mixing, designing, and production, but what happens when you haven’t a library of examples to follow? Do you do as others do or forge your own path? Jean Cocteau does the latter, taking up the challenge to use anything he could think of to create this avant-garde film, detailing the life of a poet, or even an artist. From a pounding heartbeat to the voice of the female statue from the Greek myth of Pygmalion, Cocteau’s style fully utilises the novelty of sound in filmmaking that simply cannot be replicated ever again. EVER.

Available: on DVD

Pink Flamingos (1972)

written and directed by John Waters

I’m convinced that with or without context, this film will make you question how far filmmaking is allowed to go and how much you’re willing to accept as a film to be watched. Pink Flamingos pushes the boundaries in a unique way, tackling taboo topics with no intention other than to put them on screen. Does this make Waters a director who takes pleasure in spotlighting taboo content for no reason than just to do it? You may just have to decide for yourself.

Available: on DVD

卍 (まんじ) (Manji) (1964)

directed by Yasuzō Masumura

Manji tells the story of a love affair between two women that turn into something darker as it drags their male lovers into a crazed state, forming something akin to a small personal cult. This movie is weird and I love it for that. The way it portrays obsession and love between the two principal women, Mitsuko and Sonoko, playing a game of push and pull with each other, motivated by each other’s wiles leaves you yourself feeling a little crazed. Confusion will strike you through its cinematography as Masumura breaks the 180 degree rule, making you question if you were even paying attention. Finally, a film that portrays these two seemingly sapphic women not as pure feminine innocent women but as women who may just be trying to make themselves look good, to feel good, even if it’s at the expense of others. Or rather, especially at the expense of others.

Available: on DVD ;)

Severance (2022 - Present)

created by Dan Erickson

With its second season unfolding in the next few months, I had to catch up and would you believe me if I said this is one of the best TV shows ever? It sounds like an exaggeration, but I promise from the top of my head to the tip of my toes, this show deserves all the love and praise. The show takes ‘work-life’ balance to the extreme, taking the concept of your work-self and personal-self as two different entities. Every episode is purposeful and full of detail. The environment and set design are eerie in the ‘everything is too clean and convenient’ way and with every interaction, you’re left with so many questions but also… fear to discover what it may mean for the characters? It’s funny, dramatic and… scary at times. And it’s full of twists that will make your eyes pop out of your head. If you’re into that, what are you waiting for?

Available: on Apple TV