Honestly, I’ve always felt a massive connection to the lead in Tarkovsky's "Nostalghia"... mostly because I find myself constantly identifying with those lonely, eccentric characters... and he played that part so flawlessly, even while performing in a language that wasn't his own . The most gut-wrenching scene for me has to be in that crumbling house, where the protagonist is desperately asking the other guy to carry a candle across the pool for him—because, of course, everyone else thinks he's lost his mind or is just looking for a way to drown himself . Basically, he pours his heart out to him... and the other man just responds with this hesitant, shaky "Va bene" . The protagonist snaps back, "Va bene?"... before throwing it right back at him with this sudden, sharp bitterness etched all over his face: "Va male!!" . It's just incredibly powerful .
I can’t get that scene out of my head—you know, the one where Richard, aka Dick, crashes into Paulov’s room? It’s just pure chaos. They start dancing to George Michael, there’s carnations everywhere, shots of Jack Daniel's being passed around, and then those moms showing up and sipping vodka mixed with pills... honestly, I was absolutely losing it. It was so hilariously perfect. The whole sequence hits exactly the right note, and honestly, the movie itself is just one of those things you put on when you want to completely turn your brain off and enjoy a long-form music video. 😲
In Angel City, Solveig Dommartin passed away on January 11th of this year. To me, the film is primarily breathtaking because of her—she looks absolutely stunning in it... honestly, she might just be the most beautiful actress to ever grace the screen. And that scene on the trapeze? It’s incredibly sexy (it’s wild to think she mastered all those moves in just eight weeks). Plus, the cinematography during those dreamlike sequences over Washington, D.C. is just insane. After the credits rolled, I felt like I was waking up from the most beautiful dream... 🙂
I’ve been spending way too much time lately obsessing over this director, mostly because I can't get over how much ground he covered in such a tragically short life. It’s honestly wild when you look at his filmography—he managed to build this massive, incredibly rich body of work in what feels like the blink of an eye. You look at the sheer volume of what he left behind, and it makes you wonder how someone could pack that much vision and intensity into such a limited window of time. I honestly have no idea how to actually track down his movies. I don’t know a single soul who even owns one of his films, let alone has them on streaming services. It’s a struggle. But, there might be a silver lining if you're looking for a deep dive: in mid-March, there’s going to be an exhibition dedicated to Martin Scorsese over in New York City at the Institute of Contemporary Art. They’re calling it "Scorsese: Taxi Driver," focusing specifically on that iconic series.
So, I’ve been sitting here thinking about this—do you actually know this guy's work? Have you ever sat down and really let one of his films wash over you? I mean, I was rewatching some old classics the other night, nursing a lukewarm coffee, and it hit me how much people still sleep on his filmography. It's one of those things where you think you get the vibe, but then you see the way he frames a shot or handles a character's slow descent into madness, and you realize you haven't seen anything yet. Honestly, if you haven't spent some quality time with his stuff, you're missing out on a massive piece of cinematic history.
Honestly, it would be about time if CNN finally decided to air that 13-part series *Taxi Driver*. I mean, let’s face it—we’re all pretty much obsessed with gritty, heavy-hitting cinematic masterpieces anyway, so why not give us something substantial to chew on? We already spend half our lives consuming everything coming out of the European art scene, so we might as well lean into it and actually watch something legendary for once.
This is hands down my absolute favorite romance flick. Bohringer was honestly incredible in this, and the whole thing has that perfect sense of mystery you just need in a love story. I totally agree that this is Monica Bellucci's best performance, by far. Cassel is just a total icon, as per usual, and the movie hits me so close to home that I always find myself associating it with that classic Balašević track "Branislav."
The way he’s just waiting for Park, watching her from the shadows, that shoe salesman bit, or that scene where he wakes up next to Bohringer instead of Bellucci... it all just sticks with you.
HBO should really bring this one back; I think they aired it about four years ago.
David Keith Lynch and his body of work. A lot of people will probably claim his stuff is just some kind of mental gymnastics, but honestly, that conclusion usually comes from people who simply don't grasp what's actually unfolding on screen. I feel like I have to pull a Nietzsche quote out here: "Once something becomes clear, it ceases to be of interest to us." And that's precisely the point—Lynch is such a singular figure that I don't even view him as just a director; he's an auteur, a cinematic painter. To me, the sheer weirdness and eccentricity of his films feel like a carefree, surreal dream (personally, I find even his nightmares beautiful). It’s one of those "try doing this yourself if you think it's so easy" situations. Regardless, Lynch has already cemented his legend status by proving with Mulholland Drive that he can leave the "regular folks" behind after showing them with The Straight Story that he actually knows how to command a camera. Lynch is this unique synesthete who keeps all of Hollywood and the entire American film industry feeling like a pebble in his shoe, essentially tormenting the establishment with the raw energy found in Mulholland Drive. Just as Tarkovsky had that profound, intuitive connection to the spiritual, religious, and the natural world, Lynch possesses an unparalleled instinct for the bizarre and the uncanny. You see it in everything from his casting choices to the atmosphere itself—like how Sheryl Lee manages to look hauntingly beautiful in his other works, or the presence of the great Jack Nance, or the way Isabella Rossellini's nakedness in Blue Velvet feels so visceral and unsettling.
Now, regarding Inland Empire. Everything I've seen so far—the clips, the trailers, the shots of Grace Zabriskie looking absolutely unhinged, the photos, the discussions—it has all just ramped up my anticipation and impatience. My only real frustration is the scheduling; apparently, it's playing in Austria this March, while it was running in Slovakia back in mid-January. We aren't even on the schedule here, and I am dying to catch this on the big screen in a theater.
