cogsdoc

Can’t always sit at the cool kids’ table. Park Chan-wook is hit or miss for me, and so far, more miss. Fun elements here and there, but the tone left me vacillating between confused and bored. The stylistic flair is undeniable; the fun wasn’t.

Not as inventive or thrilling as Weapons (probably my favorite film of 2025), but a lot of fun, in a really depressing way. The two leads are fantastic. Horror continues to be where the most interesting movies are coming from.

Watched across three late-night sittings — probably robbed it of some emotional jolt. Enjoyed it nonetheless. Art no doubt has the power to communicate what we are either unwilling or unable to communicate more directly.

Not sure if it’s the teen psychologist in me, the magic of Zendaya, or just the film doing exactly what it’s supposed to; but I was team Emma the whole way. Morally ambiguous, well-acted, heartfelt, and genuinely fun. Wouldn’t mind Zendaya and Pattinson as leads in just about anything. More of this, please.

Definitely my flavor of sci-fi. Grounded in both fascinating concept and rich emotion. Grief and inspiration packaged together beautifully.

Uncomfortably melodramatic at times and I probably could have done without the race play by play, but let’s face it there is nobody cooler than Brad Pitt and nobody films high speed vehicles more beautifully than Joseph Kosinski.

I had never read Mary Shelley‘s Frankenstein. Nor did I have a good understanding of the themes behind it. But I have to say the movie landed pretty well for me. I never would have believed the one aspect of this version that didn’t work for me was Oscar Isaac. But as a result, the first half of the movie really dragged for me.

Oddly paced at times, but I have to wonder if that’s a feature not a bug for this story imbued with mounting paranoia and tension. Gene Hackman as great as ever. It’s been a while since I failed to see where a storyline was headed. It’s great to be surprised for a change.

In a movie filled with flawed people…Kiefer come on manProbably my favorite Kirsten Dunst role. The absolute depths of depression and depression. Brought back memories of Sunday evenings in elementary and middle school, the absolute dread until finally accepting peace in my fate

Beautiful to look at, there is no beating the black and white faces and European streets. Fairly predictable, though to be fair, I’m sure I have heard the story told along the way, even if I hadn’t seen the movie before. Really only felt engrossed when Orson Welles was on screen, and that’s just way of small of a percentage of the time spent watching.

At its best when it leaned into the grief and depths of sadness. But unfortunately it focused too much on the horror elements which I found less successful.

The craftsmanship is undeniable, yet I found myself trying to understand why I didn’t fully connect with it. I may have arrived with preconceived expectations of beauty and awe, so when what I found instead was isolation and meaninglessness, it left me a bit cold. This one may require a rewatch.

Came in with fairly high expectations, but this easily surpassed them. I was on the edge of my seat for most of the runtime, and it further cements this franchise as the best zombie/undead series out there. The biggest surprise, though, was the depth and emotional weight. Very excited for The Bone Temple.

I expected to enjoy this much more on a second watch, but I was still surprised by how much more I liked it. When I saw it in the theater, my expectations were sky-high based on everything I’d heard—and I was seated in front of a couple of truly obnoxious people. More than that, though, I think I was expecting something different. You’d assume a rewatch would dull the humor, but I actually found it far funnier—knowing the tone this time around let me relax and stop bracing for tension. The biggest surprise was how much more emotionally affecting the father–daughter elements felt.

Not sure what was more surprising. That there seemed to be only one song in the entire world of this movie? That Arnold Schwarzenegger showed up as an unnamed henchman? Or that ending. I don’t believe I’ve seen a young Elliot Gould in a film before. I definitely get the appeal. He’s an interesting watch—love the wry sense of humor. He’s easy to root for, but I’d hate to see CT of his lungs.

Some of the story beats work, but mostly I felt no connection to the plot or any of the characters. I was in awe of the ingenuity and visuals of the first one, a fantastic theater going experience. The wait for the second one, combined with a new water environment made it interesting enough. This one didn’t have the benefit of the space between movies or the visuals of a novel environment. The result felt soooooo long, soooooo corny, and soooooo repetitive.

While watching, I found myself wondering, “When was the last time I felt this tense worrying about the plight of a character I dislike this much?” The obvious answer is the last time I saw a Safdie movie. But this felt like a step above Uncut Gems—propulsive, extremely well acted, and an absolute thrill to watch. A painful, anxiety-inducing, what’s-around-the-bend kind of thrill.

Very heartwarming. Also terribly sad that I had to feel tense and worried for Harper as much as I did because of what I know to be true about the state of acceptance in the US.

Despite bordering on a teenage television melodrama at times, I found Turtles All the Way Down, to be incredibly touching and mostly well acted. The love interest was a 2D sketch in a movie otherwise containing a lot of depth. Speaking from the perspective of a clinical psychologist, the depiction of OCD is as real to the experience described by my patients as I have encountered in film.

I have essentially zero memory of the first one which I also saw in the theater. I do remember falling asleep while watching. Wouldn’t you know it, I was asleep again in the first ten minutes of this one. I powered through and stayed awake for the majority, but found most of it boring and inane. I perked up when the sloth showed up, but otherwise I think my dreams would have provided better entertainment.

Very funny at points, but overall just not enough of those. I have a complicated relationship with Tim Robinson. I don’t fully understand why I keep coming back…but I do.

An absolutely devastating and beautiful depiction of grief and loss, with exquisite performances across the board. Paul Mescal is predictably exceptional, but Jacobi Jupe’s turn as the titular Hamnet caught me completely off guard. Still, it’s Jessie Buckley’s film—and she delivers. I’ve loved her in every role, and I don’t think anyone matches her ability to convey such complex, intense emotional experience. The accolades are long overdue, but she more than deserves them for this.

For what it was that movie was near perfection. Easily the most fun I’ve had in a movie theater in over a decade. My only regret is that I wasn’t able to avoid the trailer before seeing it. Would’ve loved to go in having only seen the teaser trailer, knowing as little as possible. Really enjoyed Barbarian, but this is a step above. Excited to see what Zach Cregger does next.