Speilberg's War of the Worlds
Incredibly medicore and Spielberg's most forgettable film. I just like it for nostalgia reasons. This movie scard the fuck outta me as a kid.
CGI was done by ILM, a studio founded by George Lucas. Like the Star Wars prequel trilogy, this movie was demo of sorts for ILM. The effects are somehow better in the daytime scenes which is strange because it's much easier to hide flaws in night scenes. The bloom effect in some scenes is very comical especially at the very end.
Tom Cruise as a divorced dad is a nice change of pace. Dakota Fanning screams too much, but she was a child being directed. She wasn't a terrible actor as a small child honestly.
The soundtrack does NOT fit the vibe. Spielberg had to have his buddy, John Williams, write the score, but it just doesn't fit the movie at all. It just feels a bit too goofy. The sound design is super cool though! This movie was nominated for an Oscar because of the sound design. Here's why.
Not good, but kind of fun.
Apocalypse Now
If you want to feel kind of fucked up just for fun, watch this one. The cast is all high as fuck, the setting is maddening, and there's just so much going on.
Martin Sheen plays Captain Willard and is tasked with hunting down a rogue Colonel in the jungle. He rides a PBR with a diverse crew. This crew represents all the different men that were drafted to Vietnam. Ones with dreams of their future, 18 year old boys that love music and girls, and just normal people.
The filming was disasterous. Storms destroyed equipment, the actor for the antagonist was a dickhead about his role, Sheen had a heart attack, and everyone is actually going mad in the jungle. It did add to the film in an interesting way.
Great just don't be high while watching it. Watch the accompanying documentary too.
Pacific Rim
This movie is so much fun. This movie feels like Guillermo del Toro's baby. A lot of love went into making it a blast.
If you love giant machines and kaijus, I highly recommend this. It's like if the Godzilla universe clashed with transformers. Sometimes, you can just tell that a movie was fun to film, and this is one of those.
Idris Elba appears as Marshal Stacker Pentecost who is so badass, and he still takes his role seriously even if the movie is goofy. Ron Perlman plays Hannibal Chau, a black market kaiju organ dealer. He taps into that somewhat goofy Hellboy persona for this character, and he just suits this skeezy, blinged out black market guy. I love Perlman. He's so awesome.
The main character has some questionable acting skills, but it's not a huge deal. This movie is far from serious, and it's still good. This effects look great too.
So fun. Don't watch the other movies. Just watch the first one.
LOTR Series
I got deep into LOTR in high school. I adore them. I much prefer LOTR over Harry Potter. Lk I kind of hate Harry Potter even before the transphobic shit with Rowling.
I think Sean Bean, Viggo Mortensen, Liv Tyler (I love her..) and Ian McKellan are easily highlights in all three movies. While not the main characters, they still make strong impressions. I adore them.
My favorite part of the series is when the ents fight back in the Two Towers. I always love big tree guys.
I highly suggest watching the lotr reunion call video. It's a blast.
Yippee. I love these. The Hobbit movies sucked though.
Star Wars trilogies
There's not too much for me to say about Star Wars. I love Star Wars. I grew up watching the original and prequel trilogies over and over. I destoryed the episode 2 DVD because I watched it so much. I'm nostalgic for both of those trilogies, and seeing episode 1 + 3 in the release in theaters was so much fun. They look better on a smaller screen..
I only saw the sequel trilogy once. Episode 7 on my phone sort of out of obligation, and episodes 8 + 9 in theaters. I honestly don't remember much, but I do plan on watching them again. I am not a hater like a lot of annoying Star Wars fans do. Seeing the deadnought get destroyed in theaters was amazing. In the credits, it says "In Loving Memory of our Princess Carrie Fisher" and I cried. Impossible not to.
If you haven't seen Star Wars, it's never too late. They're fun.
Star Wars one-offs
Rogue One is a must. It's so worth the watch especially if you plan on watching the show Andor. I definitely need to rewatch it when I finish Andor season 2.
I saw Solo in theaters, and I thought it was just okay. I do think Star Wars should be camp instead of more serious like the more recent Star Wars media is. Solo is just a good time and it does hark back to the campiness of the original trilogy. It's not a bad movie. It's just not a fave of mine.
Watch them both. It's definitely worth it.
Sicario
This movie messed me up more than I thought. I think it's the triller aspect of it that left my stomach in knots. There's not a single person that the main character can trust, and she feels alone yet stuck in this sketchy operation.
This movie highlights the sketchy aspects of American influence and interference with the illegal drug trade. You see the end result of people tortured by the cartel yet the only part of active torture in the movie is done by Americans. I can't help but think of the School of the Americas and how torture methods that cartels use were taught by the USA.
I recommend it if you wanna feel like you're gonna puke.
A Miku Who Can't Sing
This movie makes a lot more sense if you play Project Sekai. I do not, but I was still able to catch on with what was happening. I was intimidated by the reviews saying that it was hard to follow with all of the characters. It's easier than you think, though. The characters exist in groups. You just gotta remember the groups.
I'm not one to watch anime movies, but I had to for Miku. I joked that the main Miku is a Miku for people with depression. She's sad that no one is hearing her music while all other Mikus are popular. It's really hard to explain Sekais, but the movie kind of explains it.
Cute, but not riveting.
The Thing 1 + 2
The Thing is a classic and one of my faves. The special effects still hold up, but in a fun campy way. The vibe is harrowing, and the main character is cool as fuck. I want to be like him. If you have a list of classic horror/thrillers to watch, start with this one. At the very least, do NOT skip this one.
The Thing 2 shows more of the alien, but it does not live up to the first one. It is a prequel to the first movie, but honestly doesn't add anything. It's like using AI to expand an image and add more to the exterior of it.
First one is good. Second one is whatever.
Repo! The Genetic Opera
I understand there's contraversy with those involved in this. I watched this before I knew about any of that, but just know that there is contraversy with one of the main actors. No, it is not Paris Hilton. Yes, she is in this movie.
I'm not a fan of musicals at all. I actually actively hate musicals. I despise them, and this one is on thin ice. I do enjoy it mostly for the vibes. I love the idea of the night surgeon and repoing organs. I think I just adore strange subcategories of punks. This movie falls under splatterpunk.
Okay music. Cool ass vibes.
2025 Oscar Nominated Short Films
Magic Candies was my favorite. It's a young kid who eats some magical candies and is able to talk to things in his house or like his grandma who is dead. It's really cute. I teared up when the fall leaves said "bye bye!"
Yuck! was just okay to me. It's about kids discovering kissing, but in this world, people's lips glow when they want to kiss. I thought it was whatever.
Wander to Wonder is stop motion and follows these little old puppets who used to make a kids show with a large human man. The man has died, and the film is the little puppet's decent into madness. It was fantastic.
Beautiful Men follows three brothers who travel to Turkey for hair transplants. The film is about their small misadventures and rediscovering their self confidence. I left it feeling unsure of what the motive of the short was. It didn't really leave a "love yourself" message or a message at all.
In the Shadow of the Cypress is an Iranian short film about a father who suffers from PTSD and a daughter trying to live with him. The mother is gone. It's emotional and despite not a word being spoken, you know exactly what they would be saying through their body language.
Overall, a good time. I liked more than others. Just glad that there was not a pixar short.
Twister + Twisters
Twister tries to be serious, but it's hard to take it seriously. It is a lot of fun, though. I would still recommend it to people. If you are even remotely interested in weather, you gotta watch it. Just know that it is wildy inaccurate. Also, the tornadoes seem alive?
Twisters is soooo fun. It just feels like a current-day take on what storm chasing is now. You got Reed Timmer types, Ryan Hall types, evil insurance companies, etc. It's great. Again, not accurate, but it's fun. If you're a weather nerd, you'll catch some things like settings and such. Also, this is probably one of the few movies where I enjoyed the romantic tension. I am usually a romance hater.