Let's talk about some of my favorite non-horror films...
Don't call it a comeback! Newsletter is back and (hopefully) better than ever!
Hello!
It has been more than THREE months since my last newsletter, where I ranked the episodes of the Netflix anthology ‘Cabinets of Curiosities’. Quite a controversial article for me, it was simultaneously my most viewed yet debated article. I posted the link for that newsletter in a couple of online places and had people venomously criticize my ranking cause you know, there’s no acting normal about fictional projects on the internet.
Anyways, truth is life REALLY sucked for a minute. But we’re in 2023 now, I turned 21 (I’m definitely more of a wine guy) and I think the year is going really good so far. I’m excited for all the things that’ll get done this year and just truly trying to take everything one day at a time instead of getting extremely overwhelmed comparing myself to others. The pandemic (it is still so insane to say in my lifetime I’m living through a pandemic) really has taken years from our lives so not everything is going back to normal really quick. Just truly trying to enjoy every day, life is short and I really don’t wanna waste time overthinking a bunch of shit that doesn’t matter.
Anyways, enough of that and I thought a good way to start of 2023 for my newsletter was to discuss some of my favorite non-horror films!
I’ve been watching a lot of classics for the first time recently but also I just wanna reflect on the non-horror/thriller cinema that has impacted me.
As always, I like keeping things short and sweet and will tell you just the basic premise and a little bit of why I love it.
Let’s go!
The Neverending Story (dir: Wolfgang Petersen) Warner Bros.
Follows a boy who finds a magical book that tells of a young warrior who is given the task of stopping the ‘Nothing’, a dark force from engulfing the wonderland world of Fantasia.
This is actually my favorite film of all time.
I feel like most would be surprised by this, assuming my favorite film of all time would be a horror movie.
This was the first time I felt seen by a movie. Let me explain:
I saw the film for the first time when I was about six or seven (maybe even eight) at my grandfather’s house with my brother. I was a child who lived in my own head, in my own world. I loved writing stories on paper and imagining myself in a far away land, on some grand adventure. ‘Alice in Wonderland’ was one of my favorite movies as a kid, probably cause it was a normal person falling into a grand adventure in a fantastical land.
The lead in the film ‘Bastian’ is a kid who only wants to read and literally skips class to go into the school’s attic to read. While I was a rule follower and wouldn’t have done that, I really related to the immersion Bastian visualizes when he reads the story. I also just loved the world of Fantasia and it felt almost like a dream to me. Also, yes that fucking horse scene was as emotionally devastating to little me as it was to me the last time I watched it.
I don’t watch the film very often, haven’t seen it in years but it is a movie that really feels like a personal, very formative experience for me that solidified my love for not only cinema, but writing and the art of storytelling. It was the spark that made sure I would aspire to make movies one day.
Alright, that was a lot! I promise the rest will be brief, but when you write about your favorite film you can’t really help but expand on why you love it.
Anyways, moving on…
Wild Strawberries (dir: Ingmar Bergman) AB Svensk Filmindustri
Follows an old man recalling his past on a road trip with his daughter-in-law and is forced to confront the emptiness of his existence.
Ingmar Bergman is considered one of the best and most influential filmmakers to ever exist. That is correct, I could write a whole newsletter on how much I love his films.
About two years ago I watched five of his movies and loved most of them (still have some of his to watch). Out of the five I watched, my favorite came down to this or ‘Persona’ and while I do love that film (It’s his most popular overall) ‘Wild Strawberries’ just edges it out.
I actually just went back to a review I posted after I watched it cause for some reason I thought I wrote an actual review. Nope, I gave it 4.5/5 stars and simply said”
‘Why am I crying in the club rn? Absolutely beautiful’.
Honestly? All that needs to be said.
SO many ideas and themes presented here that include nostalgia, memories, aging, love, fear, guilt, regret, philosophy etc.
This might sound depressing, and I guess it is at times but it’s filled with so much care and love that I was left smiling near the end. It’s like life itself: it’s beautiful, sad, melancholic, funny and simple all at once.
I haven’t forgotten it since I’ve seen it and it’s a work that transcends time. I love it a lot clearly.
Let’s move on!
Black Narcissus (dir: Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger) General Film Distributors
Based off the 1939 novel of the same name, the story follows the growing tensions within a small convent of Anglican sisters who are trying to establish a school and hospital in the old palace of an Indian Raja at the top of an isolated mountain.
The premise I listed above makes this sound like a different movie than what it actually evolves into.
It’s a psychological melodrama that gets more feverish and claustrophobic as the time goes on.
It’s directed by dream team Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger who have made some of the most visually stunning films of the 1940s (they’re most well-known film is ‘The Red Shoes’, another visual phenomenon with one of the best ballet sequences I’ve ever seen put to film).
I love this movie. It’s so well-directed, well-presented, well-performed, well-written and has one of the best matte paintings I’ve seen, creating the illusion of a deep cliff. I was shocked when I found out it was a painting. Bring back matte paintings!
Ok, moving right along:
Coraline (dir: Henry Selick) Focus Features
Based off the 2002 novella, the story follows a young girl named Coraline who discovers an idealized parallel universe behind a secret door in her new home, unaware it contains a dark and sinister secret.
Alright, this one might be kinda a cheat.
It is categorized as a dark fantasy horror film.
Well to those who found it scary I say,
IF YOU A BITCH JUST SAY THAT.
Kidding! Just kidding, I saw it in theaters when I was seven and while I wasn’t personally scared or really that frightened, the button eyes definitely creeped me out. (alright and maybe the spider mom too).
As I said above, I’ve always been someone who loves stories of normal people discovering a fantastical world. So this movie has been right down my alley. I’ve seen it multiple times and it’s one of my favorite animated films.
It’s stunningly animated (stop motion ftw), the story’s fantastic, the voice acting is engaging and it’s just a great time. I don’t know what else you could want?
Okay cool, next up!
Parasite (dir: Bong Joon-ho) Neon
A poor family who schemes to become employed by a wealthy family, infiltrating their household by posing as unrelated, highly qualified individuals.
Bong Joon-ho is one of our greatest living filmmakers. Any movie of his could’ve made the spot.
This is also won the Oscar for Best Picture. The first foreign film to ever win the award.
I would sincerely hope that you’ve seen this by this point.
It is a masterfully constructed dark comedy that morphs into a thriller. It is a critique of capitalism and the wealthy, without being over-the-top and overtly preachy.
Every cylinder is fired perfectly. Every domino set up correctly.
There are so many things to catch on repeat viewings regarding not only the themes but staging, camerawork, foreshadowing etc.
Please watch it if you haven’t seen it yet! You’re missing out.
All Quiet on the Western Front (dir: Lewis Milestone) Universal Pictures
Based on the 1929 novel of the same name, we follow a realistic and harrowing account of warfare in World War I.
I’ve never been a huge war movie fan.
I just haven’t, it was one of the few film genres I wasn’t really drawn to.
As far as they went, I loved ‘Full Metal Jacket’ and the parody/comedy ‘Tropic Thunder’.
Within the last few months I’ve watched a good amount of them, including the three adaptions of the 1929 novel ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’.
The first one, the 1930 one, won the Oscar for Best Picture. It’s deserved as it’s the best adaption of the story.
(The 1979 one had a lower budget as it was a TV movie, but I still liked it more than most people and it has my favorite version of Kat.)
(The 2022 version, which is currently up for Best Picture, is a solidly made war movie on its own, but not a good adaption that leaves out the most important parts of the story: AFTER the war).
Watch the 1930 version, it’s really well-acted, well-crafted and a very thoughtful, sensitive exploration of that time period and the unfortunate brain-washing of the youth.
Well, that’s all folks!
I wrote this really quickly and didn’t really do a spell check, so sorry if there’s some unfortunate grammar.
I will try to get another newsletter out before the end of the month!
I will also love to do a part two cause I only listed six non-horror movies and I have a gigantic amount more that I love.
Anyways, thanks for reading!