recs on recs
some things i've enjoyed recently, and bonus recs if you enjoy them too
I watched…
Listers: A Glimpse Into Extreme Birdwatching
Both of my sisters recommended this doc to me, and I was DEEPLY skeptical (I’m the oldest… you girlies know how it is!!!). I know birds are future dinosaurs, but they don’t show me any respect; why should I devote two hours of my life to watching two fun stoner dirtbag brothers trying to see as many bird species as possible during a “big year” of birding? I was very delighted to be proven wrong, because this documentary was gorgeously shot, very funny, and has a really creative, DIY vibe to it (there’s a ton of absolutely vibrant stop-motion animation and beautifully hand-drawn birds). Check out the trailer; the whole movie is available to stream for free on YouTube.
If you liked Listers…
American Movie
I first watched American Movie in college and fell in love with it. It’s a doc about a Wisconsin man named Mark Borchardt who is trying to enlist all his friends and family to help him make an ultra-low-budget horror movie called Coven (not pronounced how you think). Much like Listers, it shows the triumphs and pitfalls of following an insane passion to the point of madness; it’s also extremely funny and has a ton of heart. Every time I watch it I feel inspired to create something, even if I don’t know if anyone will ever see it. Does everybody have brown gloves? (Available to rent on the usual platforms.)
I watched…
Doppelganger
My cousin told me I had to watch this Drew Barrymore movie from 1993, so I did. She said it had one of the most ludicrous twists she’s ever seen in a movie, and boy was she right! Nothing made a lick of sense but it was kind of a fun watch (and it’s on Tubi, baby! Save your money!). It’s one of those erotic thrillers from the 90s that is about as hot as rubbing coffee-soaked cardboard on your genitals, and the turns it takes are, frankly, unforgivable. (Also, every scene is very subtly drenched in Vertigo-ripoff lighting.) But if you check your brain at the door, there are some great moments in here, like when someone uses “You like quiche?” as a pick-up line. (Also, someone DOES say “It’s the ‘90’s!” because it was, in fact, the ‘90’s.)
If you liked Doppelganger…
Wild Things
If you like an erotic thriller with not just one but a series of absolutely ludicrous twists, this is the movie for you. It’s pure nonsense running on adrenaline in a Florida swamp, everyone is horny and murderous, and you will get to be less than six degrees from Kevin Bacon’s dick, if you know what I mean (you will see his dick). Sometimes if you give up on the concept that a movie has to make sense to be good, you will achieve nirvana!!! This movie is like Showgirls in Florida, except with Matt Dillon instead of Kyle MacLachlan, and boats instead of scenes where grown women talk about how much they love eating dog food. (It’s streaming on Pluto!)
I watched…
Mother Mary
Anne Hathaway is a pop star who sings Charli XCX songs while wearing aggressive headpieces and Michaela Coel is a fashion designer who is her estranged lover (?)/former creative collaborator. When Anne shows up on her doorstep in desperate need of a new dress, we slowly start to tease out what happened between the two women, and also, there are ghosts! This got pretty mixed reviews, but I could have watched two more hours of ghostly intrigue. If you’re looking for something that clicks together effortlessly like a puzzle, you’ll probably leave Mother Mary disappointed. But if you surrender to its slowness, its theatricality, and its gorgeous visuals, I think you’ll enjoy being a part of David Lowery’s world. (Available to rent on the usual platforms.)
If you liked Mother Mary…
The Green Knight / A Ghost Story
Both David Lowery joints. A Ghost Story is haunting (no pun intended), methodically slow, and Casey Affleck IS in it but he spends most of the movie under a fucking sheet (spoiler alert, he’s the ghost). The Green Knight is one of the most deeply strange and beautiful movies I’ve ever seen; the language crackles with mystery, it perfectly captures the way the past can feel like an alien country, and the ending is one of my very favorites. Both movies are deeply concerned with timescales that extend far beyond the present day and the ways that humans can be seen, heard, and remembered long after they’re dead. But also, you can watch Rooney Mara eat a whole pie in AGS, and that’s cinema, baby! (Both are on Tubi; TGK is on Netflix.)