sydney has written 177 reviews for films during 2017.
-
-
Ladyhawke 1985
loooved the aesthetics of this but found the characters tolerable at best. i'm so susceptible to this kind of bullshit that it should have worked, but all i could think about was kam saying "you guys will do anything to make heterosexuality seem eventful".
-
Shocker 1989
this time around it really struck me how important the male relationships are. even though romantic love saves the day it's the platonic love between friends and fathers and coaches that pulls the hero through. they don't tell him his story is insane, they just ask where to show up. pure male relationships in film are a treasure!
anyway, wes craven is such a sick fuck! but he's also one of the most optimistic and pure-hearted directors! he pulls his… -
-
Down with Love 2003
LA LA LAND is probably going to win a bunch of awards that should be retroactively given to this movie instead
-
Career Girls 1997
it's near impossible for me to talk about mike leigh movies, they're all populated with semi-unrealistic irritating weirdos that sneak up and destroy me. almost every one i've watched, i don't realize how much i care about the characters until i start crying over them. i don't know why. maybe someday i'll figure it out. they're just...really good. what else is there? a must watch entry for the female friendship canon.
-
Joy 2015
went from being underwhelmed yesterday to slightly insulted today. your woman's picture about strong women is not a woman's picture if a brief scene starring a man overshadows the rest of the movie, not only giving it the only burst of energy but actually highlighting how bad the rest of it is in contrast. david o. russell apparently thinks i won't understand what this movie is about unless all of his depthless characters repeat it over and over again. this…
-
The Zero Boys 1986
some of the lamest and dumbest slasher teens ever (except kelli maroney who is dumb but at least in a likeable way), but this is kinda like madman or the final terror where the slow pace and creepy atmosphere make the kills satisfactorily shocking. this is so gorgeous though, largely thanks to the arrow bluray transfer, which makes the fog machines look extra foggy and the lighting look extra extraterrestrial and reveals the gimmicky camera movements for what they truly are - a fine ballet. criterion who?
-
-
City Limits 1984
this is so ridiculous and stupid and bad but not in a "wow this is lowkey a beautiful trash masterpiece" way, it's just bad. obviously i loved it a lot but don't come crying to me if you watch it and it bores you half to death. if you dare, it would make a good double with radioactive dreams for john stockwell 80's movies about how good an idea it would be if kindhearted fashionable teens ruled the post apocalyptic…
-
Ninja III: The Domination 1984
yes, it's exactly as racist and sexist as you think a 1984 cannon production about the spirit of an evil ninja possessing the body of a sexy telephone company worker/aerobics instructor is going to be, but it's also even more amazing than you're imagining it is
-
Massacre Gun 1967
this is very good until the last ten minutes, and then it's great. i'm not convinced this doesn't take place in a post-apocalyptic wasteland where almost everyone died and the survivors were left to go to war over resources and had unlimited access to the fashionable spoils of the rich people who left them behind. mvp for me is the mysterious musician, a lovely spiritual predecessor to seu jorge in the life aquatic.