Letterboxd Recap: January!

I started using Letterboxd in December to keep track of every single movie I’ve watched so far, especially those in the horror genre. Here are my noteworthy watches for January! 

Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)

"There’s a lot of attitudes going on around here... don’t let me get one.”
This is an overall brilliant stop motion film that is witty, hilarious, unique and fun. I found the dialogue in this film overly amusing, and the animation beautifully quirky and distinct. If you find this film boring, you’re dull and are devoid of any personality.

Pig (2021)

“The critics aren’t real, the customers aren’t real, because this isn’t real. You aren’t real... Every day you wake up and there’ll be less of you. We don’t get a lot of things to really care about. Now, Dennis, where’s my pig?" 

The plot of this film is nothing I would have expected. I was truly expecting another dark revenge film like that of Mandy, where Nicholas Cage destroys every one of his enemies. Instead, I got a story that had me suppressing the urge to cry at least three times throughout the film. Pig, in a sense, is an anti-revenge plot that deconstructs existentialism and showcases the profound effects grief has on us, subverting every expectation you have from scene to scene. I really loved this film, and Cage’s performance. It was quite the emotional roller coaster, that has stuck with me ever since. 

 
Ratatouille (2007)

"In the past I have made no secret of my disdain for Chef Gusteau and his famous motto, 'anyone can cook'. But I realize, only now do I truly understand what he meant." 

15 years (wtf) later, and I’ve FINALLY watched this Pixar classic! I was really sleeping on this one. Ratatouille is easily one of Pixar’s top three films. I really loved the unique story line, beautiful animation, and the sheer emotion this film brings out in you at every twist and turn of the movie’s journey. 

 
The Neon Demon (2016)

“What's it feel like to walk into a room and it's like the middle of winter, you're the sun?” 
“It’s everything.”

The Neon Demon is the rare example of a slow burn horror that I actually enjoy. Call me shallow or vain, but I savored every moment of this film based on its aesthetic alone. I loved it all… the makeup, the wardrobe, the vivid colors and visually stunning scenes. The opening scene alone had me hooked within seconds. I could only DREAM of doing a beautifully executed horror shoot such as the one Elle Fanning’s character finds herself in. I also appreciate the dark aspects of this film. It falls in line with other films like The Black Swan and Last Night in Soho that satisfy that yearning in me to see both beauty and death intertwined in a beautiful dance together. I can see why this film is so polarizing as it’s a disturbing work of art that can be seen as both sensationalistic and pretentious. Not to mention, the cannibalism, necrophilia, and sexual predatory behaviors sprinkled into the film. However, that’s mere child’s play in the eyes of a season horror fan, right?