April was filled with great films, with 13 movies watched. New categories would help me choose one and also broaden my cinematic horizon. I would highlight the titles that I strongly recommend. Reviews linked will lead to my Letterboxd account. Do follow me there!
Horror Mondays – horror films and thrillers
They Live (1988) – 2.5/5 stars For the reputation this film had, I was somewhat disappointed in it. It was rather boring even though the premise was fascinating.
Classic Tuesdays – classic films
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) – 4/5 stars Brilliant Monty Python film made with a shoestring budget but still somehow, amazingly holds up almost five decades later.
The Meaning of Life (1983) – 3.5/5 stars Not as great as other Monty Python movies but still pretty great.
Nerdie Thursdays – films that every self-respected movie nerd should watch 😀
Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022) – 4.5/5 stars A whimsical, brilliant and unique film with sensational cast and action scenes and is also funny while packing a strong emotional core that tucks at the heartstrings of the Asian in me.
Random Sundays – whatever my heart desires
The Grey (2011) – 3/5 stars A depressing Liam Neeson thriller, with wolves.
I’ve converted my Actor’s Profiles into lists on Letterboxd, where you can also find my rankings to the movies. 😀 Check them out here! Also, follow me on Instagram @MovieMignon and on Letterboxd/MovieMignon for more reviews! See you next week for May movie reviews!
I know I know, it is literally July now. I did watch movies the last four months, I just didn’t write any reviews or write anything substantial on my blog. 😀 But I’m back! At least I try. Reviews linked will lead to my Letterboxd account. Do follow me there!
Horror Mondays – horror films and thrillers
The Cursed (2021) – 3.5/5 stars I loved the fact that this horror film was made. The werewolf period piece doesn’t exactly pull in crowds nowadays.
Classic Tuesdays – classic films
Taxi Driver (1976) – 4/5 stars A fascinating and somewhat terrifying portrayal of an incel, before it was a thing.
Nerdie Thursdays – films that every self-respected movie nerd should watch 😀
The Princess Bride (1987) – 4/5 stars Although I wasn’t a fan of the titular princess, I love everything else about this movie.
Premiere Fridays – new films that just came out
The Batman (2022) – 4.5/5 stars A near perfection of a movie. I might be biased since I adore Pattinson. What can I say, I love me a broken Bruce Wayne.
The Adam Project (2022) – 3/5 stars Worth a watch if you really like Ryan Reynolds. Like I do. 😀
Turning Red (2022) – 3.5/5 stars A very entertaining animated movie, especially if you are an Asian who moved to a Western country as a kid. 😀
Dog (2022) – 3/5 stars I mean, it’s a dog movie. And Channing Tatum. 😀
Death on the Nile (2022) – 2.5/5 stars I’m not a big Hercule Poirot fan, but it did look pretty. And that cast, laaawd.
I’ve converted my Actor’s Profiles into lists on Letterboxd, where you can also find my rankings to the movies. 😀 Check them out here! Also, follow me on Instagram @MovieMignon and on Letterboxd/MovieMignon for more reviews!
February was pretty mellow, with only 12 movies watched. New year, new categories. Since I sometimes struggle with choosing a film, I created a movie week schedule too! 😀 Only one month in, I’m really having fun with the schedule and it led me to watch a lot of great films. Reviews linked will lead to my Letterboxd account. Do follow me there!
Horror Mondays – horror films and thrillers
Psycho (1960) – 4/5 stars There’s a reason ‘Psycho’ is a classic, and after seeing it, I completely understand why.
Classic Tuesdays – classic films
The Godfather (1972) – 4.5/5 stars I’ve been really enjoying watching these classics and am extremely happy that they had more than earned their spot in cinematic history. There was a special screening of ‘The Godfather’ in a small movie theater near me and I was so happy that I got to see this in a big screen. Now I understand why this is so often hailed as the best movie of all time.
Profile Wednesdays – films for actors’ and directors’ profiles
Cosmos (1996) – 4/5 stars A film that had six stories in them, one of them directed by Denis Villeneuve. I really admire Villeneuve’s work, I dare to say that he made me fall for the sci-fi genre in a whole new way. I’ve never seen a bad movie from him. So I’m quite excited to start exploring his older films, starting from ‘Cosmos’.
Nerdie Thursdays – films that every self-respected movie nerd should watch 😀
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) – 5/5 stars It has been a while that I’ve seen this, and I don’t remember it to be this fantastic. I love love love it and I can’t wait for rona to be over so that the special Halloween screenings could come back. ❤
Clue (1985) – 4/5 stars I seem to be on a Tim Curry binge. This is by far the best movie based on a game (whether videogame or tabletop). For one, it was hilarious and Curry was exquisite in it.
Premiere Fridays – new films that just came out
The 355 (2022) – 2/5 stars I think there is an increasing number of big-budget films that even from the trailer you know would be only mediocre at best. ‘The 355’ is one of those film, despite the stellar cast jam-packed with great actresses. What a waste of talent.
The King’s Man (2021) – 3.5/5 stars The origin story of one of my favorite film ‘Kingsman’, this was pretty fun. It is not as great as the original and it has some pacing issues but I did enjoy the ride and wouldn’t mind a sequel.
Kimi (2022) – 3.5./5 stars I wanted to gear up to watch ‘The Batman’ by watching a new film starring the new Catwoman, and ‘Kimi’ turned out to be a great choice. A contained little film that is short and to the point and very entertaining.
Scream (2022) – 3/5 stars Maybe, just maybe, it’s time to put this franchise to rest.
Spencer (2021) – 4/5 A prime example of how to do a biopic (kinda) right. I am not a big Stewart fan but she is pretty great here, despite the fact that I still can see Stewart in this role.
International Saturdays – movies from all over the world
I’ve converted my Actor’s and Director’s Profiles into lists on Letterboxd, where you can also find my rankings to the movies. 😀 Check them out here! Also, follow me on Instagram @MovieMignon and on Letterboxd/MovieMignon for more reviews!
January was pretty chill, with 19 movies watched. New year, new categories. I had a lot of fun with my workout week schedule and since I sometimes struggle with choosing a film, I created a movie week schedule too! 😀 I’m not saying I’m going to watch a movie every single day but if I have the time and mood to watch one, this schedule would help me choose one and also broaden my cinematic horizon. Reviews linked will lead to my Letterboxd account. Do follow me there!
Horror Mondays – horror films and thrillers
Prisoners of the Ghostland (2021) – 2.5/5 stars It’s Nick Cage so I just have to watch it. 😀 But it’s also Sion Sono, a Japanese filmmaker who had made numerous masterpieces in his homeland, among others Suicide Club. He is known for bizarre and disturbing imaginaries that would live rent-free in your head for the rest of your life. So to say that I was disappointed with his latest film would be an understatement. He simply shouldn’t direct anything he didn’t write himself.
Diabolique (1955) – 4/5 stars A classic French horror that remains one of the best mysteries I’ve ever seen. Will highly recommend.
Classic Tuesdays – classic film
Witchfinder General (1968) – 3/5 stars Supposedly one of the cult horror classic, I found it almost hilarious without it really trying to be funny. 😀 I have to admit though, that witch-burning scene was quite spectacular and something I’ve never seen. Kudos for that!
Profile Wednesdays – films for actors’ and directors’ profiles
Michelle Williams’s actor’s profile: After the Wedding (2019) – 2.5/5 stars Wonderstruck (2017) – 3/5 stars Deception (2008) – 2.5/5 stars Blue Valentine (2010) – 4/5 stars – heart-breaking romance from beginning till the end Mammoth (2009) – 4.5/5 stars – an intimate portrayal of everyday life, brutal yet beautiful Take This Waltz (2011) – 4/5 stars Meek’s Cutoff (2010) – 3/5 stars I’m Not There (2007) – 4/5 stars – a masterpiece biopic of Bob Dylan, if only I know him and his music more Fosse/Verdon (2019) – 4.5/5 stars – one of the best mini-series about showbiz I’ve seen in a while
Nerdie Thursdays – films that every self-respected movie nerd should watch 😀
Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) – 3/5 stars I’ve never been a Star Trek fan and I’ve never seen any of the series. I’ve seen the new films though and I quite enjoyed them. So I decided to watch the old films too. I’ve hardly ever seen any sci-fi film so enamored with its own supposed beauty that it took way longer than the story had any right to. 😀
Premiere Fridays – new films that just came out
Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts (2022) – 4/5 stars The first ‘movie’ I saw in 2022, it’s more of a series of interviews. For a Harry Potter fan, this was a treat and so nostalgic and really, a perfect way to start the year. 🙂
Copshop (2021) – 4/5 stars – One of the best action films I’ve seen in a while. With a simple plot and well-acted and super entertaining characters.
International Saturdays – movies from all over the world
[REC] (2007) – 3.5/5 stars One of those cult horror films that I have never seen. It’s in the found footage genre and I was afraid it would be too hand-cam-y. I’m happy I ended up watching it, I enjoyed it.
Random Sundays – whatever my heart desires
Cyrano (2021) – 3/5 stars Haley Bennett was stunning in this and the songs are catchy. I wasn’t that into the story itself but I kinda liked the irony in the end. I am a fan of that ending.
I’ve converted my Actor’s Profiles into lists on Letterboxd, where you can also find my rankings to the movies. 😀 Check them out here! Also, follow me on Instagram @MovieMignon and on Letterboxd/MovieMignon for more reviews! See you back here next month!
Like many of us in our 30s, Dawson’s Creek was like a right of passage. I remember that it was the first (and remained the very few) TV shows that were big enough to have an ad at my local movie theater before premieres. I remember not liking the pretty blond girl who swept Dawson off of his feet cos I was Team Joey. I watched many seasons and the ending but I think I missed some of it in the middle. But Jen remained one of the most memorable characters in the show. I don’t think Michelle Williams would be the type to be easily forgotten.
Michelle Williams started her acting career in her early teens. Years before Dawson’s Creek, she had small and big roles in seven movies such as Lassie, Species, and Halloween H2O. During Dawson’s Creek she also six more films, among others Dick alongside Kirsten Dunst and Prozac Nation. One of them was also Me Without You from 2001 and it was a daring role that I enjoyed quite a bit.
After Dawson’s Creek Williams starred in many smaller films, which would explain why I didn’t hear about her back then. It also explained why it was impossible to find some of her earlier films anywhere. But I did find The United States of Leland and The Station Agent. I was quite fond of Leland. And The Station Agent and Peter Dinklage were simply brilliant.
In 2005 came the film where I rediscovered Williams after Dawson’s Creek. Brokeback Mountain not only became one of my favorite films of all time but I was also blown away by Williams’s performance in it. In fact, it remains my very favorite performance of hers, and believe me, it was a tough task to rank her performances. Following that phenomenal performance, she starred in only small roles for the next few years. I couldn’t find ‘The Hottest State’ (2006) or ‘The Hawk is Dying’ (2007) but I did get my hands on the absolutely brilliant I’m Not There, a fantastic film about Bob Dylan.
The year 2008 began with Incendiary which was lowly rated but I happened to like it, it was about a grieving young mother. Then came Deception, a very bad crime thriller that criminally under-utilized Williams. But then she did four films in a role, each of them more brilliant than the other: Wendy and Lucy (2008), a quiet little film about the bond between a girl and her dog and Williams’s first collab with writer-director Kelly Reichardt; Synecdoche, New York (2008), a quirky little film starring a spectacular Philip Seymour Hoffman about a theater director who attempted to create a life-sized replica of New York and it was just as weird and magical as it sounded and fell instantly in love with the film; Mammoth (2009), unexpectedly beautiful and heartbreaking stories of people in different countries and different situations in life and it was a genuinely portrayed that I couldn’t help but be deeply moved by it; and finally, the gut-wrenching Blue Valentine (2010) that chronicled the beginning and the end of a relationship. Williams was magnificent in all of the films mentioned above and by this point, I was thoroughly convinced that she is simply a force of nature who can take any role and make it hers.
There were two more films in 2010, a big-budget film in ‘Shutter Island’ and the second collab with Kelly Reichardt in Meek’s Cutoff, a Western drama that wasn’t my favorite but decent. In 2011, Williams gave us an enchanting performance as Marilyn Monroe in My Week With Marilyn. The film itself wasn’t great but her Marilyn was nothing short of mesmerizing. In the same year came a quieter role in the colorful Take This Waltz which I liked a lot.
Well into the new decade, Williams was appearing consistently in films big and small. Some of them are not so great like Oz the Great and Powerful (2013) but she was definitely not the reason why it wasn’t great. Some were okay like Suite Francaise (2014), a story about a small French town occupied by the German troop in WWII. After 2015 Williams started to pick up speed again, starring in five films in two years, starting with an Oscar-worthy Manchester By the Sea (2016). Then came the third collab with Kelly Reichardt in Certain Women, a film featuring stories about three strong-willed women. The year 2017 was the year of smaller roles, first as a mother to a very special boy in Wonderstruck, as the wife of B.T. Barnum in the surprise hit ‘The Greatest Showman’ and finally as Gall Harris in the mediocre Oscar-bait All the Money in the World (2017).
In 2018, Williams got to jump into the superhero bandwagon in a smaller capacity as the beloved of Eddie Brock in ‘Venom’. The movie itself was not great but I still liked it enough because of Williams and Tom Hardy as a hot mess. 😀 She reprised her role in Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021) and in the upcoming Venom 3 too. But let’s backtrack a bit cos there was still some great things in 2019. It wasn’t the film After the Wedding but the sensational mini series Fosse/Verdon where Williams played Gwen Verdon to Sam Rockwell’s Bob Fosse, the director of ‘Cabaret’ (1972) among others. Michelle Williams was a revelation in that mini-series, I tell ya.
Williams is definitely one of the greatest working actors today in Hollywood. She continues to tirelessly bring us great performances and interesting films. She has four upcoming projects lining up. The Fabelmans directed by Steven Spielberg, set to come out in 2022, is a drama loosely based on Spielberg’s own childhood. And the fourth collab with Kelly Reichardt comes in Showing Up which is about an artist on the verge of a career-changing exhibition. In Fever, Williams is playing Peggy Lee. I’ve even had one Peggy Lee song featured here on my blog: Is That All There Is? I’m pretty excited about that film. And finally, a super exciting project for a Tudor freak like me – a psychological horror film set in the Tudor court in Firebrand with Williams playing Catherine Parr aka the 6th wife of Henry VIII, the wife who outlived him. And Jude Law is set to play Henry. I am ridiculously thrilled about this.
This actor’s profile took me 1.5 months to finish but I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I was well aware of how great Williams was but I had no idea just how brilliant she is. After watching 20 films of hers I haven’t seen before, she is truly marvelous. All her four Oscar nominations are well-earned and I have no doubt in my mind that she is going to win sooner or later.
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