Dead poets society - 4.5/5
this was a rewatch, but im damn glad i watched this again since it was so much better on the second watch. its also interesting how two movies center around defying authority, where a character committs suicide due to their suffocating environment, the mentor is removed of, and contains native american references. its so much more emotional during the play, since the dread of what happens next lingers. this a beautiful movie. im so sorry but the -0.5 is for mr.yu, and its not the movie's fault in any way.
Merry Christmas, Please Don't Call by Bleachers
i said in my drag path review that i wont talk about music, but in the spirit of spotify wrapped, i want to articulate why i love this song since this was my most listened. i heard this song last year, also around this time, and im still in love with it even after a year. in many ways, this song encapsulates how i feel about my dad, it captures my resentment and anger towards him, but also my love for him. the lyrics: "just you and your anger", "Don't even tell 'em that you know me" just remind me of all those petty arguments i had with him, the strange hostility he felt for me. But, I think what resonates with me the most is: "And the toughest part is that we both know, What happened to you, Why you're out on your own", because, at the end of the day, he's living alone while the rest of us are here. There's a reason why our group chat with him is less active, there's a reason why our conversation are short, there's a reason why we don't call him. Every call is awkward, full of gaping pauses, and this strange ever-growing realization that we have nothing in common aside from our relatedness – and i feel bad for him, and i feel bad for feeling this way. im hoping things will get better, and maybe one day ill be mature enough to understand him. so yeah, this song deserves my 2025 most-listened spot. also the fact that i apparently listened to this for 67 times (lol).
drag path by twenty one pilots
i will rarely do this since this page is mostly for movies/books. this song recently got really popular on tiktok, and there has been so many edits with this song. I really thought about it, and this song perfectly conveys for appreciation for art that i wanted to say about hadestown. in so many ways, humans have left evidence of their existence throughout the millions of years we have existed. From footprints in east africa, Lascaux, tang dynasty poems, beethoven, vermeer, gaudi, and so many more, people have always wanted to make something that says "i was here". and i think that's really beautiful and something to appreciate. new technologies will develop, and we will probably know even more about how the universe works, but we'll always be thinking about how and why we feel and love, whether about a partner, children, siblings, parents, or maybe even god, and the art inspired by these things will always exist beyond the lifespan of its creator, and others in the future will follow the trail that they left behind. i think thats why this song is so meaningful to me, because art is evidence that humans have been feeling the same emotions for forever, and its a glimpse into the past but also a message to the future – the drag path etched in the surface for others to unravel. in some ways, this website's tiny bundle of code is evidence that i was here. this is a good place to wrap up my november reviews.
lady bird 4/5
I came into this film feeling pretty uncertain. I saw some reviews critiquing it for being a huge whining fest from a white woman. but lowkey, i really enjoyed it hahah like its such a nice coming of age movie and i was so engaged. even though i didn't relate much, it was still emotional, especially the airport scene. I wished i watched this when i was a teenager, cause i know i would've ate it up.
wolfwalkers 4/5
the dad...
one flew over the cuckoo's nest 4/5
its like dps but with mentally ill adults instead.
hadestown (2025 national tour) - 5/5
to be honest, i have not seen many professional live musical performances. however, its safe to say that this performance will linger in my mind forever. i already love greek mythology, and hades/persephone's tale has been my favorite since third grade. the singing and choreograhy was incredible, the way each major phrase is linked to a melody, the leitmotifs of the wind, love, the chips, were so wonderful. and i love hades' performance!! Nickolaus colon's performance is electrifying, and he brought so much aura and prescence to his character – imposing, intimidating, and seductive – and i think he is so much better than the obc. eurydice's characterization was also so nicely done, as she feels more like an individual rather than a plot device for orpheus. every epic was sung so well, there's no doubt that epic iii was my favorite of the three. i felt myself completely dissociate in epic iii, i teared up not because the story is a tragedy, but because the music was so just so moving and beautiful. i love everything about this musical, and seeing it live is life changing. i dont think i have felt such a deep appreciation for art in such a long time, and this musical reminds me so much of the sheer human desire to tell stories, to create art, to make something that lasts beyond our lifetime. art will never die. (sorry its so corny)
yuri!! on ice 4.5/5
ice skating and yaoi, what more can i ask for. -0.5 for not committing enough to the yaoi, and the weird incestuous implications in the italian siblings.
stardew valley symphony of seasons 5/5
i croad 3 times, would've sobbed if i didn't have aura to lose.
5 centimeters per second 2.5/5
this was visually stunning, but hella boring. 2.5 only for the first part and the animation.
on gaku: our sound 2.5/5
I respect this movie more than i like it. absurdist humor isn't really my thing and i just did not like the music at all. like i know the point is that it's supposed to sound like doodoo but idk my ears can only take so much.
dou kyu sei (classmates) 4.5/5
a happy ending for the gays.
the naked gun 3/5
the plot device is pretty funny. pam anderson slayed.
Forrest Gump 5/5
this was a rewatch for like the 4th time maybe and im happy to say it still holds up. the rewatch gave me a newfound sympathy for jenny. i love her character so much, and she just embodies the "you accept the love you think you deserve" thingy so perfectly.
Akira 2/5
i wanted to like this so bad since the ratings were so good on letterboxd, but honestly i was just so bored by this movie. i understand the symbolism and all, but that doesn't remove the fact that this movie made me sleepy.
Perfect Blue 4.5/5
Wow i feel like im watching bangers after bangers recently. This movie is so disturbing in all of the right ways, and satoshi kon absolutely nailed the blending of reality and fiction, and im so delightfully confused. idk this plot is crazy. Also this might irk some people, but hear me out. The only edge black swan has over perfect blue is cause the obsessed artist aspect was more engaging for me.
Black Swan 5/5
Might be the most serious review I've done so far. Fully expected this to be another artsy film that will bore me to death. instead i got peak. there are so many ways to interpret the movie, and the allegories feel so tasteful and nuanced. its clear that its a sort of retelling of swan lake, but it's also this raw and sort of perverse coming of age story. the dichotomy between white and black, and the touches of red, are so beautifully portrayed where it was clear symbolism yet visually stunning. i love how the pinks are used to show nina's girllish innocence, but also how infantilized she is by everyone around her. i also enjoyed the exploration of nina's sexuality, on one hand her sexuality was forced and exploited, but it was also a crucial part of her growth to let out this repressed urge inside her. ballet being a physical manifestation of her emotional repression is also done so well, her obsession with perfection was so engrossing and disturbing (in a good way) to watch, especially the psychosis scenes. i also loved the relationship with her mother. i think the mother's overbearing behavior stems from her own experience of being sexually taken advantage of, and she wants to coddle nina and protect her from it, but she takes it to the extreme. there's just so much more to yap about, but go watch it!!
Sinners 2.5/5
I really wanted to like this movie and I tried so hard to lock in but it just wasn't doing it for me. the smokestack twins lore was great, and their dynamic was amazing. its just that i felt like that they wanted to do a music movie but one of the writers just really wanted to add vampires lol
Your Name 4.5/5
I fully thought that this movie will be so corny, but holy shit its so good. im such a sucker for romance, amnesia, and time travelling, and this movie has all of it. the music and animation are amazing, and the characters were so likeable. the romance was done so well, they deadass go against the laws of time/space just to meet each other. the symbolism of the red string of fate with her ribbon is also beautiful. also this movie feels similar to eternal sunshine, and i fucking love that so much. im such a cornball but i love when media portray love as a transcendental force that doesn't gaf about anything and just does its thing depsite what time and space or whatever says. my 0.5 gripe with the movie is how they needed to add jiggle physics on a highschooler, no bueno.
I want to eat your pancreas 2.5/5
i dont know why there is so much hype with this movie. i cant deal with the manic pixie dream girl trope anymore. like the mc's personality is that he has no tomodachis like buddy...otherwise the plot is fine, just highschoolers dealing with a very strange and messy relationship. looking back, i actually quite like this weird dependent dynamic they had, but its just that the male mc had nothing to offer lol. the twist was kinda crazy tho, i really liked that. i like how you know the girl dies but not how, and that reveal definitely made me feel something. watch it if you want, the visuals are stunning and the plot is fine if you need a self-insert.
Look Back 4.5/5
This movie was absolutely devastating. holy shit its one of the saddest things ive seen, and whats surprising is that the concept isn't that complicated but I fully did not expect the effect it had on me. the movie's strength lies in what was left unsaid. the most heartbreaking part was how the main girl never got to tell her friend how much she truly meant to her. her pride and her desire to be a role model prevented her from really conveying how much she loved her, and it was just heartbreaking. she never got to express how her friend also changed her life, and gave her the courage to pick up drawing again. the film was also just such a visual treat, the coloring and movements feel so dynamic, and so much love was poured into this. i love this movie, definitely go watch it.
Rosemary's Baby 4/5
I missed the first part of the film but I still really enjoyed it. what was so striking was just how ahead of its time this movie was. it was just so sad to see rosemary being gaslit and manipulated for the entire film and have no agency over her own pregnancy. the metaphor with the devil baby was also done so well, and really solidifies the message. I highly reccomend this movie.
Little Miss Sunshine - 3.5/5
I really liked this movie, it was so cute and the characters were so lovable. I love depressed gay steve carell. and the end credit song was great! It definitely left a good impression, and im a sucker for dysfunctional families, and i thought that i would hate the teenager guy, but i ended up really liking him and actually got sad when he found out he was color blind. my only gripe with this movie was that it made me cringe when they did sth crazy hahaha.
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood - 5/5
I think i just saw peak. this show is honestly so amazing, and i love every single character, every dynamic, and every bit a of detail. the female charcters are written so well, which is so refreshing for an amime, like I love how hawkeye kept mustard in check, i love how winry is kind and caring without forsaking her strength. every plot point and character had a purpose and had meaning, and acted as a foil to one another. i love alphonse and edward's relationship, its so touching one of the best depictions of siblinghood in media like ever. every homonculi is so intricately written, and i love greed/ling, and the character development. i could yap about this show for the rest of my life.
Link Click S1 - 3.5/5
I was overall very impressed with the production value of this show, and i was very delightfully surprised by the yaoi undertones lol. i really like the animation and i love the intro and outro song. The transition into the outro is also so peak. i just wasnt always that locked in on the show, but i will watch season 2.
K-pop Demon Hunters - 3/5
It's a great movie and nearly all the songs hit. this movie is such a breath of fresh air from the slop that disney and pixar are making recently. this movie is so creative and you can really feel the passion from the people involved, and this movie proves that kids movies can still be enjoyable. also i love jinu!!!! only reason its 3/5 is that I wouldn't really watch it again since it do be a kids film, and im a little too grown for cornballs.
the secret history by donna tartt - 4/5
despite the length of the book, it never felt too long. i love the dark academia vibes and i was just as engrossed as richard was with the greek students. like i never read a book quite like this one. my gripe with this book, which is kinda big is that most of it was vibes rather than substance, and sometimes richard would say some random ass shit and im like bro sybau. also i wish i got to see more of richard's manipulative and impulsive liar trait. another thing is that after they murdered bunny, it was just like random slop for a bit.
perfume by patrick suskind - 4/5
This book was such a ride. it was dark and moody, and so gross but so addictive. the descriptions of each scent was so incredibly vivid, like it was so peak. not much to yap about but its a good book if you like romantically gross stuff.
11/22/63 by stephen king - 3.5/5
this is probably one of the longest books i have ever read and funnily enough, i felt like not much happened?? i actually really loved the plot when the main guy went to texas and lived his life there. it was so slice of life and charming. weirdly enough, i was not a big fan of the lee harvey oswald parts and it feels especially frustrating when everything he does becomes irrelevant towards the end of the plot (like how his plan barely worked bruh). the ending was appropriately bittersweet, and i loved the relationsip the main guy had with the librarian lady. overall, decent read.
the book thief by Markus Zusak - 3/5
im going to get so much flak for this. this book was fine, but did not blow me away. the prose was too flowery for my liking, and it felt like it was trying too hard to be a modern classic. it has been a couple months since i read this, but i cannot say that it made a lasting impression on me. the thing that actually did make me sad was when Rudy died and that final quote from death.
East of Eden by john steinbeck - 5/5
This is one of the best books i have ever read. every character feels so real, and they have so much depth. i love every everything about this book, the message was clear and not in a cringe way. i dont know, i was so hooked for the entire thing and i loved the able and cane allegory, and the naming of each character was so deliberate. every arc of the generation was written so well, and i especially liked Cal's pov as we got to see the perspective of the "inheritenly evil" character, and sympathize and grow with him. there's themes of nature v nurture, evil and good, redemption, family, jealousy, and love, and Steinbeck ties it all together in such a masterful way. I love this book with all of my heart.
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini - 5/5
I am so glad i finally read this. wow. this book felt like a loving punch to the gut. it is so unapologetically descriptive about the trauma Hassan went through, and the sheer guilt that the mc felt. I felt like screaming at the mc so many times, and its weird cause i can perfectly imagine myself acting the same way as him. i wanted to cry so bad for this book but i was at work, and i cannot lose aura there. i will definitely read more from Hosseini.