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i watched precious (2009) with one of my best friends yesterday, and was pretty critical of it. my general opinions were that it was quite obvious talent went into making the film and i really enjoyed precious as a character, but the whole film felt like just misery porn. if i were to be a little less cynical, i would say it felt like they put the main character through an excess of suffering because it was the only way to ensure an audience could sympathise with a dark-skinned, conventionally unattractive black woman, and watching it just felt... off. the hopeful message the film seemed to be trying to take just really didn't land for me giveen the circumstances.
that being said, i'm someone who often watches films purely for entertainment value so it was really nice discussing films i'd watched that weren't entertaining (i didn't enjoy precious but i do feel like there can be value in watching films that are brutal to watch, even though i am still quite critical of the people behind the film) and i had so much fun just talking about the film with my best friend. it makes me want to watch more movies this year, even the ones i would never choose to pick up myself.
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i think about this a lot specifically where film is concerned because that's the medium that most resonates with me but i think it could apply to any type of art. consider those "top four favorites" letterboxd videos - every time someone lists a bunch of old or foreign movies, tons of the comments accuse that person of being sooo pretentious, and then whoever picks legally blonde or something gets lauded for being "so real" and "actually honest with their answer". like hello?? you're following letterboxd on social media, watching a video of accomplished filmmakers and artists passionate about their field list their favorite movies, and turn on them when they pick the night of the hunter instead of star wars?? i used to regularly listen to students in film classes with me complain about all the old and "weird" movies we had to watch. i have met tons of people who want nothing more than to make movies or otherwise pursue art yet regularly write things off as too weird, too long, too old, too hard to understand.
what is the point of engaging with art then if you refuse to try and understand it when it's hard, don't look back to the older influences of modern art you enjoy, don't want to step outside of what you know and find comfort in? even if someone's watching all these movies with the goal of having big letterboxd numbers or falsely looking knowledgable about film, at least they're thoroughly engaging with the medium instead of watching nothing but american classics and writing off the rest.
Nov 26, 2024
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You know what I miss, just a casual conversation about movies.
Not everything has to be so deep. Just love the movie for what it is on the surface. The lighting, the shots, the costumes, the sets. ITβS ART.
I know movies are telling a story and sometimes it has a political agenda.
But sometimes itβs nice just to sit back and just watch.
Feb 20, 2025
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i love rewatching movies but my sister hates that i consider them in my count of movies i've seen in a year. besides my belief that you're always a different person every time you see a movie even if you've see it over and over again, i just love the way a rewatch can hurt even more knowing what happens.... i guess i'm speaking more about heartbreaking and bittersweet movies because it just hits different when you linger on moments knowing they will come to an end (DAMN...)
my rewatch of past lives in the cinema last week made me think about this again. i will always defend rewatches, even for movies like the princess diaries or easy a.
does anyone else love rewatching? do you include rewatches in your movie counts?
Feb 19, 2025
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i've been doing little things to make my life a little easier, like leaving a bottle of water, iron supplements and some belvita soft bakes right by my bed so i always have breakfast, water and iron in the morning, and keeping a very condensed set of skincare stuff right by my toothbrush - it might not be as effective as having more but getting myself to use a cleanser, moisturising sunscreen and vaseline every day has already made my skin feel so much better which has just gotten me more excited to do my routine every day. plus, getting body sprays and haircare stuff and just products in general that you really like the smell of is a game changer because now i get to smell like pineapples and caramel every day! it's such little things but it makes me happy and keeps me doing a routine of things that are good for me :))
Jan 30, 2025
i love wearing clothes with fun colours and comfy textures, i feel like it just makes you so much happier walking past mirrors! i got this handmade chunky rainbow sweater with this lovely criss-cross decorative stitching on the outside that makes it look fun and patchworked, and something about the colours just makes me so happy! same with dungarees, i can't believe i only recently picked up a pair because they really do make you feel like the plucky main characters from the books we read at age eleven ( ΛΆΛαΛΛ΅ )~β©β§β
Jan 9, 2025
i went through my instagram and looked at all the posts and all the slides and wow, my friends all look so happy. i miss being the person who takes a million photos because i captured so many happy moments. that side of me still comes out in certain friend groups but theese days i feel like i have less inclination of reach for my camera. some people say it's living in the moment but for me part of living in the moment is the craving to capture it. people criticise social media for only showing the good parts of life, and i absolutely get that, but it's fun to look at when it's yours and you forget how whimsical and lovely life can be sometimes.
lot of yap to say that i love taking photos and i adore my friends but it's par for the course at this point <3
Feb 17, 2025