Annihilation (2018) dir. Alex Garland
Alex Garland's masterpiece in my book. An unnerving, gorgeous exploration of what makes us ourselves and at what comes out the other side of traumatic experiences.
The Babadook (2014) dir. Jennifer Kent
I bought the hand-made book when this came out and I think it's one of the coolest things I own.
The Batman (2022) dir. Matt Reeves
I will never be over Gordon's insistence on calling Batman "man." It is one of the funniest things I've ever heard in my life. It's like he's routinely just trying to be casual work buds and Batman's too busy being emo and listening to Nirvana to be into it.
Doctor Sleep (2019) dir. Mike Flanagan
The first two and a half hours or so are electric. Flanagan's command of the material wins me over on a story I wasn't feeling from the premise. The cast is all top notch and Ferguson makes for one of the most compelling cinematic villains of recent years. The last half hour or so though is a bit rough. Like a theme park ride of The Shining, with ideas that don't feel fully fleshed out. And yet, those first two hours do such an incredible job at making something emotionally compelling and stylistically distinct while effectively recalling the original film that I can't help but love this. It might be Flanagan's messiest cinematic outing due to that last act, but it's also his most ambitious and interesting, closest to his TV shows - which I consider to be his finest work.
Oh, and director's cut all the way here.
Fear Street 1994 (2021) dir. Leigh Janiak
Since 2021, it's not Halloween if I don't watch my gay ****.
The Guest (2014) dir. Adam Wingard
Tight and doesn't waste a second, The Guest clicks together just right and Dan Stevens is electric.
Halloween Kills (2021) dir. David Gordon Green
This movie's hysterical.
Halloween Ends (2022) dir. David Gordon Green
I'm not really a Halloween person. The original is good, a classic, has its place in film history. But it doesn't do much for me. This though? This is great. Biggest problem though is it'd be improved if Michael turned out to have died in the sewers between films.
Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988) dir. Stephen Chiodo
Look at it. How could I not love it?
The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) dir. Henry Selick
Always nice to see a re-release in theaters. I find this one fun, if not terribly substantial. It doesn't hit any emotional points in me, the characters aren't particularly great imo, but I really enjoy it all the same. It's fun and it doesn't overstay its welcome.
One Cut of the Dead (2017) dir. Shinichiro Uedo
The first half hour is a fun time. The second half hour is better. The last act of this is absolutely a blast that had me rolling start to finish.
The Shining (1980) dir. Stanley Kubrick
The use of the then-new steadicam in this movie is absolutely to die for.
The Thing (1982) dir. John Carpenter
It's a pretty good, little-seen film. Recommend this overlooked gem, maybe some day people will have heard of it.
Werewolf by Night (2022) dir. Michael Giacchino
Most Marvel things I enjoy have an asterisk next to them. I call that movie or that show great, but it's great for Marvel. I wouldn't put any Marvel movies in my favourite films. This is an exception to that. No asterisk, this is just killer.