Vivarism's DVD Cabinet

Jean of the Joneses

2016, dir. Stella Meghie

Chaos ensues after the estranged patriarch of the Jones family dies on the doorstep. When the paramedic who answers the 911 call tries to win over acerbic Jean Jones, his attempts are disrupted by old conflicts that come to a boil at the funeral.

Ms. Meghie made this movie for ME!!! And I thank her for it every day, because it became an instant favourite not just for me but for my family. For better and for worse, we have a lot in common with the titular Joneses, and I really see myself in Jean.

Tár

2023, dir. Todd Field

Set in the international world of Western classical music, the film centers on Lydia Tár, widely considered one of the greatest living composer-conductors and the very first female director of a major German orchestra.

You don't need me to tell you that it's rare to see a butch lesbian on the silver screen, (especially black ones), and that's why I'm rarely ever attracted to cinematic portrayals of women. But dear God... I don't care if she's white. I would do anything for Cate Blanchett as Tár. She's a fucking freak! She's articulate and hyperintelligent and egotistical! She even wears a big coat!!! What more could I ask for???

It helps that this movie is rather... dense? Besides listening to whatever pops up when I search "female composer" on Y*utube, I know nothing about classical music. There's a definite learning curve for viewers who are unfamiliar with the world that Tár inhabits, further compounded by the surrealist cinematography and subtle storytelling. But I adore subtlety... My greatest pet peeve in all forms of media is when the author/director/etc. talks down to their audience, spelling everything out for us as if we have goldfish memories and can't be trusted to understand not just their message, but the mere order of events...

Field takes it to the opposite extreme where most everything in this story is implied— left up to interpretation, subject to scrutiny— and it's beautifully done. Tár is a weird movie, and my all-time favourite, second to Jean of the Joneses only because the former speaks to my soul. Tár is not really relatable at all... but it does speak to my mind— by making me feel smart and cultured for enjoying it— and to my body because Blanchett is so hot in this role that I don't know what to do with myself. So... Mostly my body, LOL.

Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Rebellion Story

2013, dir. Akiyuki Shinbo, Yukihiro Miyamoto

Homura fights on alone in the world that Madoka left behind for humanity, but the recovery of her memory brings with it an earth-shattering discovery.

Another movie that I love mainly because of its hot girl protagonist. Akemi Homura is my favourite anime girl in the whole entire world, and— until Walpurgisnacht: Rising finally comes out— this film gives her a chance to truly shine.

Casting JonBenet

2017, dir. Kitty Green

After two decades of media speculation and public fascination, filmmakers explore the macabre legacy of the world's most famous child-murder case.

And my thoughts! Lorem ipsum dolor sit, amet consectetur adipisicing elit. Optio totam neque adipisci ut unde, exercitationem officia assumenda deserunt eveniet quisquam fugit illum rem dolores voluptatibus veniam. Molestiae odit neque autem!

Stoker

2013, dir. Park Chan-wook

After India's father dies, her Uncle Charlie, who she never knew existed, comes to live with her and her unstable mother. She comes to suspect this mysterious, charming man has ulterior motives and becomes increasingly infatuated with him.

I'll just be real with you: besides some very, very niche fanfiction, the piano scene in Stoker is the single most erotic piece of media I have ever encountered and, from the first night I saw it, it created a permanent partition in my brain. If we're talking and my attention drifts, I'm sorry but I'm probably thinking about the piano scene in Stoker. I will never, ever get over it.

(The score at the center of that scene was composed by Philip Glass, who also scored my favourite song from The Truman Show— more on that later.)

As unabashedly as I proclaim my love for this film, I know it is not for everyone. Definitely skip this one if you're sensitive to violence, incest, and creepy John Stamos lookalikes. (I swear they cast and styled Matthew Goode look like an evil Uncle Jesse...!) But if you like unhinged female protagonists, symbolism, and suspense thrillers with jaw-dropping twists... please, give it a try.

THEM: Covenant

2021, dir. Nelson Cragg, Little Marvin

Set in 1953, a Black family moves from North Carolina to an all-white neighborhood in East Compton during the Second Great Migration. The family's idyllic home slowly transforms into an epicenter of evil forces, next-door and otherworldly, that threaten to haunt, ravage and destroy them.

I don't know that non-Black people will be able to appreciate this one, but dear God do I love it to death. Gone are the days where I cheered at the wordless appearance of Black ghosts for 20 seconds at the end of one of the Conjuring movies. Thanks to creatives like Jordan Peele and the many fantastic minds behind THEM: Covenant, we Black Americans are finally getting a taste of horror movies made just for us... and lemme tell you— it is delicious!!!!

Nope

2022, dir. Jordan Peele

A man and his sister discover something sinister in the skies above their California horse ranch, while the owner of a nearby theme park tries to profit from the mysterious, otherworldly phenomenon.

Speaking of Mr. Peele... I liked Nope! Definitely my favourite of his so far, mostly because of Keke Palmer's peerless charisma and star power, but also because of the excellent soundtrack and unique story. My least favourite character in the film says something like, "wow, that's so unbelievably stupid!" with a huge smile on his face. I think the same can be said of a lot of the imagery in Nope, but Peele executes the story so expertly that, instead of being distracted by the absurdity, I'm just crushed under the full weight of his wacky, wonderful story.

Bobbi Jo Under the Influence

2021, dir. Brent L. Jones

Bobbi Jo Reed uses her testimony as a "blueprint of hope" to transform lives and provide keys to recovery in Kansas City's most dangerous neighbourhood.

Everything, Everywhere, All At Once

2022, dir. Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert

When an interdimensional rupture unravels reality, an unlikely hero must channel her newfound powers to fight bizarre and bewildering dangers from the multiverse as the fate of the world hangs in the balance.

The mother-daughter movie of the century.

Amy Tan: Unintended Memoir

2021, dir. James Redford

From her painful past to her successful career after The Joy Luck Club, groundbreaking writer Amy Tan shares her life story.

One summer, I read Tan's The Bonesetter's Daughter, cried my eyes out, and brought the book home to my mom. She read it, presumably also cried her eyes out, and then, a couple years later, we watched this biopic on the author together, too. It was a beautiful use of my evening. Being an aspiring writer myself, I treasure every gleam of insight into the lives of the authors I most admire.

Even if you're not a writer or very interested in creative pursuits at all, Amy Tan is still a phenomenal woman with an interesting history and perhaps, after all the hardship she endured and ultimately overcame, an enviable and inspirational life.

The Truman Show

1998, dir. Peter Weir

An insurance salesman discovers his whole life is actually a reality TV show.

Laura Linney is, like, my 3rd favourite white woman in the world, and this is where we were first introduced. She's just phenomenal in this role— my 2nd favourite thing about this movie. My 1st favourite thing is the piano score composed by Philip Glass, "Truman Sleeps." And the climactic scene at the very end of the film... it defies numbered rankings. At this point, it's just a piece of my soul.

(Somewhere out there is a fantastic Ramuda Amemura fanart taking Truman's place in that scene. I don't have it anymore, haven't seen it or tried to find it in like 5 years, but if you know what I'm talking about then OMG please send it to me.... I'd love to see a version with Sans, too. I might have to draw that one myself.)

I Love You, Now Die

2019, dir. Erin Lee Carr

Michelle Carter stands trial for sending aggressive texts to her boyfriend encouraging suicide before he was found dead by suicide in his car.

She would never have described herself that way, but the fact that Michelle Carter is essentially a Glee fictionkin is fascinating to me. There are not nearly enough studies into the imaginary worlds of teenage girls, and that's why I so treasure the works of my favourite documentarian, Erin Lee Carr. She never disappoints.

Mommy Dead and Dearest

2017, dir. Erin Lee Carr

In this documentary, the murder of Deedee Blanchard by her daughter Gypsy Rose is explored, as well as the circumstances leading up to the event.

And my thoughts! Lorem ipsum dolor sit, amet consectetur adipisicing elit. Optio totam neque adipisci ut unde, exercitationem officia assumenda deserunt eveniet quisquam fugit illum rem dolores voluptatibus veniam. Molestiae odit neque autem!

Thought Crimes: The Case of the Cannibal Cop

2015, dir. Erin Lee Carr

A probing look into the potential future of "thought policing" through the headline-making case of the NYPD "Cannibal Cop," who was charged with conspiring to kidnap and eat women.

Unlike my other favourites from Carr, this one is not about the imaginary world of a teenage girl— not directly, at least. In order to do that, I have to relate it back to myself first. As someone who is also guilty of thought crimes, this movie doesn't just intrigue me, it vindicates me.

I do believe the crux of the matter rests on actions taken in the real world. Certainly, "what the mind can imagine, the hands can do," but what are those hands actually doing? In the case of the worthless scrote at the center of this story... neglecting his wife and young child, stalking women in his family, and abusing his power as a police officer.

Beware the Slenderman

2016, dir. Irene Taylor Brodsky

The mythos of a faceless, digital-age bogeyman known as Slenderman was created on the Internet, but his influence was felt in the real world when two 12-year-old girls lured their friend into the woods for a brutal murder.

More than anything, Beware the Slenderman is a grounded and tasteful look into the often oversensationalised "Slenderman murder." It's so easy to get lost in the bizarre circumstances of the case, or give in to the compulsion to gawk at the extreme mental illness and neurodivergence on display. Instead, Brodsky explores the lives of these maladjusted preteens with compassion for everyone involved— not just the attempted murderers, but the community surrounding them: everyone. The survivor, their friends and families, their classmates, the Creepypasta Fandom itself, and children all over the world growing up in a world where bullying, mental illness, and screen addiction is on the rise.

I've always loved scary stories, but my childhood interest in creepypasta was surface-level at best. I mostly stuck to reading "Pokémon medium" blogs and the occasional SCP entry. For a week or so, I was really wrapped up in those first-person POV blogger-fanfics about people hiding from Slenderman, but then I read on TVTropes that if you take an interest in Slenderman, he will take an interest in you, too... So. Not wanting to steer my 10 year-old ass straight into a paranormal situation, I promptly turned off the computer and tried to forget all about it. As a grownup, I felt brave enough to watch Marble Hornets with an old friend, but it failed to captivate me.

So, obviously, this film did not hit me as hard as it might have for those who were in the Creepypasta Fandom proper. That said, I can definitely relate to having an overactive imagination and a life derailed by early-onset mental illness. Watching stuff like this reminds me to be grateful that, even during my most severe disconnects from reality, my pathology is not at all violent.

American Psycho

2000, dir. Mary Harron

A wealthy New York City investment banking executive, Patrick Bateman, hides his alternate psychopathic ego from his co-workers and friends as he delves deeper into his violent, hedonistic fantasies.

And my thoughts! Lorem ipsum dolor sit, amet consectetur adipisicing elit. Optio totam neque adipisci ut unde, exercitationem officia assumenda deserunt eveniet quisquam fugit illum rem dolores voluptatibus veniam. Molestiae odit neque autem!

Boss Baby

2017, dir. Tom McGrath

A new baby's arrival impacts a family, told from the point of view of a delightfully unreliable narrator -- a wildly imaginative 7-year-old named Tim. The most unusual Boss Baby (Alec Baldwin) arrives at Tim's home in a taxi, wearing a suit and carrying a briefcase. The instant sibling rivalry must soon be put aside when Tim discovers that Boss Baby is actually a spy on a secret mission, and only he can help thwart a dastardly plot that involves an epic battle between puppies and babies.

An outlier on this list not just because it's a kid's movie, but because it's one of the few films I would happily recommend to pretty much anyone— especially people who have worked corporate jobs. I am not exaggerating when I said the marketing jokes always make me bust out laughing... and the climactic scene always brings a tear to my eyes. I love everything about this film: its humour, its message, the artistry and playful storytelling, even the soundtrack. I could do without the gross-out jokes, but I feel better about them when I think that Sans would laugh— not so much at the jokes themselves, but at my disgusted reactions.

All in all, it's a great movie to watch with friends and family, or on a plane, or when you just need some easy laughs.

Misha and the Wolves

2021, dir. Sam Hobkinson

A woman's Holocaust memoir takes the world by storm, but a fallout with her publisher-turned-detective reveals her as an audacious deception created to hide a darker truth.

One of the greatest indicators of whether or not I will like a documentary is if there are a lot of women talking. I have straight up turned off programs where there were "too many" male interviewees.

The Woman Who Wasn't There

2012, dir. Angelo J. Guglielmo Jr.

Tania Head's jaw-dropping tale of escape from the south tower was the most astounding: the unimaginable hell she witnessed, the injuries she suffered, and the tragic loss of her fiancé, Dave, in the north tower. She rose to national prominence when she became President of the World Trade Center Survivors' Network.

And my thoughts! Lorem ipsum dolor sit, amet consectetur adipisicing elit. Optio totam neque adipisci ut unde, exercitationem officia assumenda deserunt eveniet quisquam fugit illum rem dolores voluptatibus veniam. Molestiae odit neque autem!

Generation Wealth

2018, dir. Lauren Greenfield

Lauren Greenfield examines materialism, celebrity culture, and social status and reflects on the desire to be wealthy at any cost. This visual history of the growing obsession with wealth uses first-person interviews in Los Angeles, Moscow, Dubai, China and around the world to bear witness to the global boom-and-bust economy, and to document its complicated consequences.

I wish I could remember which billionaire's teenage daughter said, "if a lot is good, then more is better," because that quote has lived on in my memory for years. Very astutely put, whoever you are...

I also really liked Greenfield's film, The Queen of Versailles, but I don't have enough to say about it or remember enough of it to write a whole blurb.

Goodnight Mommy

2022, dir. Matt Sobel

When twin brothers arrive home to find their mother's demeanour altered and her face covered in surgical bandages, they begin to suspect the woman beneath the gauze is not who she says she is.

At the time of writing, I actually watched this film for the first time just a few days ago. I went in with pretty low expectations and it ended up totally blowing me away. The child actors are genuinely talented, and of course Naomi Watts delivers a great performance as usual. I did not see the twist coming— they had me right up until the end! I can't say much about everything I loved in this film without spoiling the story, so... Just give it a shot.