Rebel Without a Cause embodies old Hollywood for me. Like River Phoenix, James Dean is immortalized to me as a kind of Peter Pan, forever angelic, never growing old. This movie isn't necessarily remarkable on its own, but I think as an artefact of the kind of Hollywood star we might never get again, I think it's important.

Paris Is Burning —— 1990 dir. Jennie Livingston

I really wish I could've watched mother! without identifying the (very plain) allegory so early in the runtime. I think it's more interesting as a bizzare horror movie to those "uninitiated" with Genesis than as a heavy handed biblical retelling.

High Life —— 2019 dir. Claire Denis

La haine —— 1995 dir. Mathieu Kassovitz

Haneke isn’t subtle at all in Funny Games, but I think the end product still works well. All the performances are perfectly tuned and this doesn’t feel, to me at least, so much a slap in the face as an enjoyable thiller. Or maybe a funny game perhaps…

I think First Reformed is one of the only interesting movies about religion or climate change I've seen. Paul Schrader is ripping everyone off (including himself) but the end product is violently new. Also Ethan Hawke is a G.O.A.T.

I’m a sucker for a good conspiracy so I have a big soft spot for Eyes Wide Shut, it’s consisent with the rest of Kubrick’s stuff — long and beautiful — but the overwhelming presence of paranoia in the background keeps it engaging for the entire runtime.

Clueless —— 1995 dir. Amy Heckerling

American Graffiti is peak pointless teen movie. Tons of the movie takes place in (and between) cars. Glowing neon signs of the last vibrant American small towns reflecting off the shiny exterior the teens’ vehicles. The classic teen movie stereotypes are here, but the visuals alone elevate it above its trashier peers.

In Beach Rats, Eliza Hittman translocates the French homoeroticism of Beau Travail to contemporary Brooklyn. This is a restrained, violently masculine coming‐of‐age movie. It’s more impressionistic than plot‐driven, but steadily aims toward an uncomfortable climax.

Michael Haneke might be a sicko but it doesn’t matter — this one is good. I remember crying on the floor where I was sitting watching this when it ended. I really doubt I’ll watch Amour again, but if you haven’t seen it at least once you should watch. This movie is in French with subtitles available in English.

I think this is the best movie about family that I’ve seen. I heard someone once say that it’s only been foreign directors who’ve managed to capture America in a geniunely novel way and I think that’s true. The America of Paris, Texas is a familiar America but it doesn’t look like any you’ve seen before.

Phantom Thread is so beautiful. This is Daniel Day–Lewis’ last movie and I think it’s the best send-off he could’ve done. The score is also I think one of the best in recent years. I would kill for a re‐showing of this somewhere. If you like dress‐making, classical music, or sickos you’ll like this one.

If you like Aphex Twin, dancing, or LSD, you’re sure to like Climax from Gaspar Noé! The only two career actresses in the movie are Sofia Boutella and Lea Vlamos, everyone else is new. Lea Vlamos inspired Noé to create the movie after she took him to a ball! Gaspar didn’t write out any dialogue in the screenplay, the actors and actresses chose what they wanted to say. There’s also a fourty-two minute long shot.

Gus Van Sant’s My Own Private Idaho is my favourite movie of all time. It stars River Phoenix and Keanu Reeves, and Flea is also in it for some reason. River’s agent refused to let him look at the script so Van Sant got a mutual friend to smuggle to him. It's set in Portland, Seattle, Rome, and Idaho. It’s a loose adaption of Henry IV, but that isn’t really the point. The point is that River wrote the campfire scene — you’ll see what I mean if you watch it.