Anyways, through it all, it’s been the rate at which I’ve been screening that’s kept me alive and in love with living, ultimately, underneath the whole performative shtick of struggle. This past July was probably the best month of screening since the start of the blog! Last minute pulls from the Blu-ray collection with Akshay and Lekha, inspiring new flows from new artists, trips to the city with Vahn and my dad, midday solo screenings as I settled into a new routine without my lil cousin at my side… I even had the chance to screen a working cut of The Immigrant Story for Vahn, as well as a mutual friend, Ahmed, and his cousin, Mohammed, who’s been visiting from Egypt. Incredibly synergistic moments; affirming, pulsating with resonance waiting to be fully felt, still, as I continue to keep moving forward to more, more work, more screenings… I know I gotta appreciate it all more, man. It’s all work—and that’s the blessing!—but I do need to stop intentionally rushing life. Moving this militant feels like an affront to beauty, inherently. And I’ve felt recently that I want nothing more than to better understand beauty.

7/1: It Happened One Night (1934, Frank Capra)

Where: Princeton Garden Theater (Princeton, NJ)
With who: Akshay & Lekha
Expectations: Only ever seen It’s a Wonderful Life, excited to see another Capra! I think this is my first Clark Gabel…? Tried to convince my dad he should come but he said no and immediately clocked the plot as Chori Chori…
Thoughts: Absolutely loved this. We all did. Probably went triple platinum in the Gilmore household.

7/3:

It’s Him (2017, Sophy Romvari)

Where: Home (Criterion Channel)
With who: Solo
Expectations: Second Sophy short. There are a bunch on Criterion so I thought I should watch a few before Blue Heron.
Thoughts: Unfortunately found this really strained & sloppy, though not without an empathetic eye. Romvari seems to have a talent for expressing the unspoken, but comes off tangibly unsure of that talent at this point in her career. Liked Nine Behind way more!

Pumpkin Movie (2017, Sophy Romvari)

Where: Home (Criterion Channel)
With who: Solo
Expectations: Took a lil walk, then thought I’d run one more. I’m expecting something grounded & naturalistic after these first two shorts, but maybe a bit rough around the edges.
Thoughts: Ah, I liked this! A simple, touching premise executed with disarming vulnerability. Novel use of screens. Maybe my favorite of the 3 so far?

Grandma’s House (2018, Sophy Romvari)

Where: Home (Criterion Channel)
With who: Solo
Expectations: Not sure. It’s short, short.
Thoughts: Aw. She’s just like me :’’’)

7/4: Game Night (2018, John Francis Daley & Jonathan Goldstein)

Where: Home (HBO)
With who: Lekha, Akshay, Mili, Amma, Nana
Expectations: It’s my mom’s & my birthday today. We made it. She’s my twin fr. It’s been a great if emotionally turbulent day. They were all prepping & cooking stuff all day for an evening backyard vibe (my mom’s wish) while I was just kickin back. My wish was to pick a movie for all of us to watch afterwards, but I overthought it and got worried no one would be down for something slower or experimental so I went with this crowd pleaser that my sis and I had been talking about rewatching. I bought a brand new 75” miniLED TV as a joint gift for us and was hoping to pick a more significant movie to christen it. Everyone was saying we could do a double header and this and that but they all look gassed after working all day and sitting in the sun (understandable!!). Oh well. I can show my mom some transcendental cinema a different time. I was laying down in the grass with her, stargazing and listening to the wind, before we all came in for the movie, and that’s basically the same thing.
Thoughts: Lol. Banger. A defining Woke 1.0 text. Kyle Chandler and Jesse Plemons both need to do way more comedies. Billy Magnussen and Sharon Horgan have great chemistry.

7/5: Blue Heron (2025, Sophy Romvari)

Where: Princeton Garden Theater (Princeton, NJ)
With who: Lekha, Akshay, Mili, Nana, Amma, Vahn
Expectations: Glad I’m getting to watch this in theaters and with the whole family + Vahn!! More in line with what I had hoped for the actual birthday night lol. I feel like I haven’t seen enough of Sophy’s shorts to get a real sense of what a feature might look and feel like, but I’m assuming it’ll be something slight yet heavy, personal, vulnerable…
Thoughts: How tender… Unassuming yet bold, not exactly subtle, but understated and well measured. Romvari treats memory like the ephemeral substance it is and not the skeleton key to existence. Immediately thought of Aftersun and Tree of Life. Vahn mentioned I’m Still Here and The Secret Agent. Sophy’s got the juice!! The first half is a potent display of well studied classical techniques and the back half confidently dissects the form, making the whole thing feel so vital. I did find that it was a bit too intent on holding its audience’s hand, but perhaps that’s why it resonated so well with everyone in attendance (even Akshay, who fell asleep by the end, and Nana, who said it was “good but a bit dry”). Amma loved it (though she said she found the score distracting), and said she could hear someone sobbing and taking notes in the seat behind her. Minali and Lekha both said it was heavy and had them crying… Lekha wished they explained what happened to the brother more, but understood that the movie was explicitly about not finding that kind of closure. Nana added that he thought it could have used better narration, basically calling it myopic and not readily digestible for “international audiences.” I think he has a point, though I’d argue no work of art needs to cater to everyone at once in order to be of value. There is an insular nature to a film like this, or, say, Janet Planet (which I also showed my parents at Princeton), and the filmmakers don’t always succeed in creating a universal emotional experience that cuts through the set dressing.

7/6:

Killer of Sheep (1978, Charles Burnett)

Where: Home (Blu-ray, 4K disc didn’t work for some reason!)
With who: Solo
Expectations: Vahn got it for me for my bday. Been meaning to watch this for a long time, but don’t know much about it other than it’s a seminal Black independent work.
Thoughts: Quietly disarming—and disarmingly quiet—despite brimming with life and the desire to live. Burnett photographs kids with no artifice, even more natural than a documentary, more honest. This film surely must’ve been an influence on Romvari for The Blue Heron.

Dune (1984, David Lynch)

Where: Lincoln Film Center (NYC)
With who: Akshay, Vahn, Dave, Kevin
Expectations: 70mm bday screening!!! I surprisingly really liked it when Minali, Lekha and I saw it for the first time a few months before Dune: Part Two came out. It’s everyone but Vahn’s first time watching this, I think.
Thoughts: Both more of a frustrating mess in the back half and generally funnier and more engrossing up front this second time around. Maybe the print helped with the immersion, but I regularly found myself in awe of the vision, even at its goofiest or most incoherent. Lynch’s Dune is and always was part and parcel of his publicly stated spiritual philosophies, a story that unfolds prophetically within a karmic universe that speaks to the beautifully terrible capacity for living beings to transform.

7/8: The Tree of Life (2011, Terrance Malick)

Where: Home (Blu-ray)
With who: Akshay, Nana, Amma, Lekha
Expectations: First time for all of them. Still milking my birthday to try and screen some real shit. This would be the first real movie on this TV for all of us. Starting kinda late though, Amma is probably going to fall asleep. And Lekha said she’s really emotionally drained from saying bye to friends all day and probably won’t stay for the whole thing. Totally get it. Wish Milli was here, I’ve never shown her any Malick yet.
Thoughts: She’s grace; he’s nature (Barbie & Ken, frfr). Never realized Malick presents the entire premise like that in the first monologue, the two ways through life. Amma and Lekha both ended up going up to bed, but not before the opening sequences knocked the wind out of all of us. Such a heavy, heavy start. Grief, the big bang at the source of our malcontent. The entire film repeatedly makes you feel—doesn’t just show you, but makes you feel and, in turn, truly believe—that the cosmic is personal, that the existential is ultimately intimate. Amma said it reminded her of losing Murali mama, her youngest brother, to a car accident. Akshay said it was very unique and that he was still processing when I asked him about it the next day, but that he definitely loved the art design & practical effects. Nana said he liked it, but couched any compliments about the performances or camerawork with his usual shit about “these kinds of films” being too abstract.

7/9: North by Northwest (1959, Alfred Hitchcock)

Where: Lincoln Film Center (NYC)
With who: Akshay, Nana, Lekha
Expectations: Okay, think I can move on from watching Game Night on my birthday considering we’ve been on an insane run since then. Been wanting to watch this one for a long time. Saw they were playing it on 70mm at Lincoln! Akshay and Lekha have both been really enjoying the older Hollywood joints we’ve been screening. Nana says he’s never seen this…
Thoughts: I got the time wrong, so we were 10 mins late, but in a strange turn of luck, the projector was apparently having issues and they had to pause every 10 mins or so to switch reels, so we didn’t miss much. We did have to split up to find seats, and that forced Nana and Lekha, who were just having an intense discussion right before walking in, to sit together, but I think the movie helped them move on from their little tiff. The power of cinema. Anyways, this was an all-timer. Wasn’t expecting it to be one of the funniest films I’ve ever seen. Cary Grant, I’m starting to get the hype. Jon Hamm—and Matthew Weiner, for that matter—y’all aren’t slick! Can’t wait to run this one back.

7/10: Mulholland Drive (2001, David Lynch)

Where: Home (4K UHD)
With who: Akshay, Lekha
Expectations: Super hype. Haven’t rewatched since I saw it for the first time at IFC a couple years ago. The 4K disc worked! I was worried my PS5 wasn’t working after the issue with Killer of Sheep. Akshay’s lasting love for Lost Highway made me realize I was slacking by not showing him another Lynch before he leaves. Lekha decided to join, even though she hates horror, because I told her it’s not a normal kinda scary, lol.
Thoughts: Yeah, man. It’s all a tape. It feels like Lynch is hallucinating this film in realtime, like a Young Thug leak where he strips his psyche bare within a four bar stanza, deeply indebted to the entire spectrum of pathos, both a warning and an affirmation. There’s always a price to pay for any lifestyle. Lekha and Akshay both unequivocally loved it, said they’d never seen anything like it.

7/12: The Hole (1998, Tsai Ming-liang)

Where: Lincoln Film Center (NYC)
With who: Akshay and Dave
Expectations: Akshay’s first Tsai!!! New 35mm print. So hype. Dave’s first watch too, I think.
Thoughts: Masculine and feminine fantasies, ultimately borne of innocence and necessary to help translate an isolated life of shame and longing, reconciled, at last, at the end of the world. Vahn first showed me this—possibly the softest film in Tsai’s at times alienating oeuvre—back in 2021, I think, and I couldn’t wrap my head around how prescient it all felt, especially in the immediate wake of COVID. Dave pulled up as a surprise, I thought he wasn’t gonna make it. He said he really liked Tsai’s use of depth (the way he used the foreground in every shot). Akshay said he loved it, especially Yang Kuei-mei’s girl next door performance. One of the things that struck me this time was Tsai’s precise use of lighting, which becomes doubly apparent by how seamlessly he cranks up the dreaminess of those musical sequences. Also, having now seen more Tsai & Lee joints, I find myself really grateful for the physicality that Lee has been able to embody since the very beginning. Maybe it’s an obvious observation to make about an actor who famously doesn’t have very many lines to say, but I feel like for someone as associated with a stoic approach to acting as Lee, his innate charm as a physical performer (the way he makes out with that fire extinguisher makes me swoon) can be overlooked. Last thing I’ll say is that I, once again, find myself the only way to view that ending as tragic—a stark reprimand for lives unlived. Am I just telling on myself? I don’t even think it’s a cynical reading, per say… We all need a reminder sometimes. (One more thing—rest in peace Grace Chang, who passed away just a few weeks after this screening. Hard to imagine any other songs better suiting this film).

7/15: Black Panthers (1968, Agnès Varda)

Where: Home (Criterion Channel)
With who: Solo
Expectations: Been meaning to watch this for a while. Curious about how Varda’s inherently intimate lens captures such radical ideas…
Thoughts: Well, that’s embarrassing! I forgot I’d seen this before! Glad I rewatched it, though. Unassumingly straightforward—which is really the most respect you could show the topic as an outsider—with Varda explicitly stating at one point that the Panthers are, “much less dangerous than the cops and far less fascistic.”

The Invite (2026, Olivia Wilde)

Where: AMC (East Brunswick, NJ)
With who: Akshay, Lekha, Milli, Nana, Amma
Expectations: Akshay’s last night. Olive Garden and a movie. He listed his favorite movies from the past year, off top:

1. Lost Highway
2. Mulholland Drive
3. Sorcerer
4. 2001
5. Yi Yi
6. Vertigo
7. The Master
8. Goodfellas/King of Comedy
9. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
10. Days and Nights in the Forrest
11. Sirāt

I was mad proud. Lynch’s aura is crazy.
Thoughts: Well, it was fun until it wasn’t. Solid chemistry all around, career best turns from Rogen and Wilde, effortless aura from Norton and Cruz, creative yet intuitive blocking—but, like the incessant score or the tepid dialogue, it’s all cute and fun and playful until you realize that a self-satisfied display of these tools is all the film is striving to achieve. Roundabout way to say this felt like a wasted opportunity. It’s really Rashida Jones and Will McCormack I’m mad with, I guess… It’s all so mechanical, from the screenplay up. But I still think Wilde deserves all the praise she’s getting, both as a director and as a performer, for leaning into the strained nature of this whole exercise.

7/17: The Odyssey (2026, Christopher Nolan)

Where: AMC Lincoln Square (NYC)
With who: Mili and Lekha
Expectations: 70mm (couldn’t get the 70mm IMAX tickets - and believe me, I tried! Minali got lucky and got one for herself next week, but is coming to watch it for the first time with me). Akshay left yesterday. Vahn couldn’t make it. Lekha wanted to come so we had her buy a random front row ticket so she could come and sit next to us. I’m not sure what I’m expecting, tbh. I’m familiar with the general idea, but I never read the poem in school. I think everything I like and dislike about Nolan just worked so well for Oppenheimer, and I will say I have been hoping he’d go in a more intimate (if not smaller scale) direction next. But we’re here now, and I get to hear a new Robert Pattisonson accent, so I’m hype. Mili has been mad at me for not being more excited and for not rating Nolan as high as her, despite him admittedly being responsible for a majority of the greatest theatrical experiences of my life (and the most rewatches in an original run with Interstellar (3) and Oppenheimer (4)). She all but called me a poser! She might have a point…
Thoughts: Idk. There’s so much going on! I need to rewatch it. I’m not sure I liked it? The more I think about it, the more it actually feels like a regression for Nolan, on all fronts. Maybe I’m just getting tired of his style of writing, man. It prioritizes effectiveness above all else, often to the detriment of the very melodrama that Nolan clearly has an affinity for. He just can’t let himself sit in any moment for too long, and instead has stumbled upon this pseudo-intellectual take on drama, one that understands the concept of a trope as a narrative tool, but not as representative for very real emotions and feelings. Still, there are a lot of great and effective choices here (and more than a handful of standout performances), but the film just doesn’t sum up to something that moves me at my core like Oppenheimer did (or Tenet or Interstellar for that matter). The ceaseless momentum Nolan and editor Jennifer Lame perfected for Oppenheimer (which Nolan has been tinkering with since Inception) worked in large part due to the character of Oppenheimer himself operating as if his actions were inevitable. Whereas Odysseus’s whole thing is about trying to carve his own way, in direct defiance of the gods. Shouldn’t this inherently call for a more meditative technique? Alas, Nolan refuses to let a single frame breathe. I deep down had such high hopes for whatever Nolan was gonna do next because I felt like he finally understood how to adjust his form for function, but turns out all his tics coalescing for Oppie was a fluke and that Nolan at his core is only capable of making complicated superhero movies, regardless of the material at hand. It’s the sign of a recognizable artist, sure, but a great one? In the weeks since watching this, I’ve read the poem and it’s actually given me more admiration for Nolan’s choices on a screenplay level (bold and memorable recontextualization of ancient pain, repurposing our myths to try and inspire a new future). But I’ve also soured even more on the visual shorthand Nolan deploys for engaging with these themes. Still haven’t had a chance to rewatch, and haven’t necessarily felt the urge. My sister, who loved it first watch, said it did feel like a bit of a drag on rewatch (despite the 70mm IMAX treatment).

7/18: Taste of Cherry (1997, Abbas Kiarostami)

Where: Home (Blu-ray)
With who: Solo
Expectations: Felt like it was time for the rewatch. Especially since Vahn, Dave, and I have been shooting Buji Pandu, and it’s started to take some wonderfully strange and unexpected turns. Wanted to show this to my dad to maybe inform his performance, but then decided against it. Definitely wish I could’ve shown a proper Abbas narrative feature to Akshay, he only got to see those shorts & Homework.
Thoughts: Films about suicide almost always skew too heavy or too irreverent, both defense mechanisms against the existential nature of the premise. Taste of Cherry is maybe the lone film to ever demystify suicide without belittling its severity, to place death on equal footing with life, neither to be exalted, both to be embraced with courage and the support of our community. In life or in death, we need community, collective empathy that extends beyond the knowable, reminders of all life has to offer, including the prospect of not having to face death alone. More than anything, we need reminders that beyond the end is always a new beginning.

7/19: Kundun (1997, Martin Scorsese)

Where: Home (Blu-ray)
With who: Lekha
Expectations: It’s timeeee. Heard about this one since I was a kid but never got a chance to watch. Finally opened my “films of faith” Scorsese boxset. Lekha asked me to wait for her to come home from watching the match w/ her friends so she could watch! She leaves in a couple days, too…
Thoughts: A bit stiff & morally transparent to be a distinctive Scorsese work, but stunning Roger Deakins photography and a psychologically (if not politically) compelling narrative.

7/20: Paper Moon (1973, Peter Bogdanovich)

Where: Home (Blu-ray)
With who: Lekha
Expectations: Promised to show this to both Akshay and Lekha after they loved It Happened One Night and wanted to watch older b&w movies. I explained that this wasn’t that old, but that they used black and white because it’s set in the same depression era as It Happened One Night. I just really been wanting to watch it again ever since I first saw it at Princeton in a couple years back and immediately bought the Blu-ray. Was hoping to show Amma and Nana too but they’re out of town.
Thoughts: As delightful as I remember it, with one of the greatest child performances ever. Lekha loved it too. But she also looked up the backstory afterwards and told me Tatum O’Neil grew up to accuse Ryan O’Neil of being an abusive father, so that sucks! Her smoking cigs (fake or not) as a 9 years old probably should’ve been my first clue.

7/24: Hi, Mom! (1970, Brian De Palma)

Where: Museum of Moving Image (Queens, NY)
With who: Dave
Expectations: 35mm screening!! I’d just bought the Blu-ray recently. First watch was blown away by De Palma’s outlandish screenplay, and by how spry & game De Niro was. Wish I got a chance to show Akshay both this film and the museum itself. Dave’s first time at the museum & first time watching this film. It was a trek to get here for me—took the ferry to Hunter’s Point, ate some over priced Thai, my eczema walking around all day took a ferry to hunters point, ate some over priced Thai, I’ve had a recent outbreak of what I’ve all but determined is eczema, and it’s really flaring up on my neck. I literally had to buy a cold diet Coke can on the walk over her just to cool my neck down. It was so hot and itchy and swollen. I’ve never gotten eczema this bad before. Don’t even know if I ever have to be honest, if this is what it’s supposed to be like. Scaly and rough and discolored. They say eczema can be caused by sweat, dirt, stress, pollution, new skincare products or laundry detergents, etc. I’ve not tried any new skincare products, but just in the past week, Akshay and Lekha both left, I got a new tattoo, I’ve been walking 15K+ steps, and the smoke from the wildfires in Ontario paid us a visit. So, idk, perfect storm, I guess…
Thoughts: How did De Palma write this at the tail end of the 60s? As a 29 year old? How did he direct it? How did an even younger De Niro understand the assignment so clearly? It plays like an extended episode of Atlanta, just perhaps angrier, colder, and as a result, less cathartic. But I don’t think De Palma was going for cathartic. He spends the entire runtime holding up the dirtiest mirror possible, and does so quite gleefully, reveling in the sheened griminess of modernity. Dave surprised me before the movie with baklava from supposedly the best baklava spot in the area (it was great). He thought the movie was a riot, rare to see De Niro that young. It’s so funny watching this one with Dave, considering he accused me of “looking for race” in everything just the other week (because I thought Reichardt’s The Mastermind was about race). I should’ve asked him if he thought this one was about race. Though, I will say, the film is pretty centrist itself, all things considered, implying more than once that race politics are a distraction from more serious issues. Or, if I’m to give De Palma the benefit of the doubt, that we can never truly understand each other’s lived experiences, but must coexist regardless.

7/25: The Straight Story (1999, David Lynch)

Where: Home (Criterion Channel)
With who: Solo
Expectations: Decided to call my film with Akshay The Immigrant Story without ever having seen The Straight Story, what’s wrong with me?? Been wanting to watch it bad in recent years as I’ve caught up with the rest of Lynch’s work. Wasn’t planning to watch this today, but I think it’s time. Also just noticed it’s the same length as the current cut of TIS, which, I mean, great minds…
Thoughts: Ah, man. That ending! This is my Odyssey. Why do people act like this is an outlier in Lynch’s oeuvre? The surrealness here comes from the transcendental representation of life slowing to a halt, a how-to-guide for walking in lockstep with your purpose, until the very end.

7/26:

News from Home (1976, Chantal Akerman)

Where: Home (Blu-ray)
With who: Solo
Expectations: Vahn’s been telling me to watch ever since I started working on The Immigrant Story. Haven’t watched any other Ackerman except Jeanne Dielman… which has, without a doubt, become a huge influence on me in the years since.
Thoughts: Yeah… That’s the stuff. Great pull by the Vahnster. It’s like her 2024 CAVES. It’s hard watching this knowing whatever little I do know about the context of her passing…

Her Private Hell (2026, Nicolas Winding Refn)

Where: AMC (Freehold, NJ)
With who: Vahn
Expectations: Vahn is a Refn stan. I was on the verge of becoming a Refn stan in college (loved Only God Forgives even more than Drive), but I never ended up doing the deep dive & haven’t kept up with any of his films or (two, I believe?) TV shows. Very excited for this, despite (or because of, tbh) the pans.
Thoughts: I fell asleep!!! And missed the entire climax apparently (and literally). What I do remember tapping into before the film’s unassuming pace lulled me into the best sleep I’d had in days, was something of a futuristic noir, bold in its gaudiness, confident in its goofiness. Not what I was expecting at all. The pacing did feel intentionally hostile though, like a form of branded anti-pretension pretentiousness. There’s a difference between intentionally challenging your audience and inconsiderately affronting their senses. In my opinion, one should operate genuinely, without even thinking of an audience. Like, whether you’re a crowd pleaser like Drake, or a self-proclaimed disrupter like Ye, an overfixation on the audience almost always handicaps the work. Vahn said the film really does build up to some incredible set pieces though. And he’s the only one who saw the whole thing. As a Refn-head, he said it felt both minor and major, building on the foundation laid by Copenhagen Cowboy, with the same self-referential irreverence and fixation with B movies aesthetics. I kinda wanna run it back, if only to see Charles Melton blow smoke out of his nose & and Sophie Thatcher bark like a puppy.

7/27: The Bad Guys 2 (2025, Pierre Perife)

Where: AMC (East Brunswick, NJ)
With who: Solo
Expectations: You know it’s summer when you’re walking to an 11 a.m. Monday morning showing of a children’s movie… is what I used to think when I was 19 and home from college for summer break. At 32, I try not to even think about the implications of my being available to engage in these activities. Anyways, I did love the first one, which I saw at my cousin’s ninth (I think?) birthday. An Ocean’s reboot crossed with a Madagascar sequel. Made in a lab for me. I’m not sounding any younger, am I? Whatever. I wanted to watch this sequel with Pandu, but didn’t get a chance, and saw that it was randomly playing in theaters again this week, so decided to run it.
Thoughts: Fell asleep again. Two days in a row! I know I’ve been exercising harder than usual lately and working long hours on TIS, but that’s crazy. I liked the vibes I was conscious for! Sam Rockwell’s George Clooney is too on point.

7/28: Manhunter (1986, Michael Mann)

Where: IFC
With who: Vahn and Nana
Expectations: Never seen, Nana either. Didn’t realize there were Hannibal Lecter films before Silence of the Lambs, or that he was played by Brain Cox lol Hyped to see more early Mann, as Thief is still one of his best to me. This is apparently a restoration + new directors cut, but I saw somewhere there weren’t many major changes?. Love that I get to screen this with my two dads. Today’s also amma and nana’s anniversary! We’re going to this 10:30 am screening so we can get back home before Amma’s back from work and then go to temple and dinner together.
Thoughts: the source of all the detective films and shows to follow. So beautiful right off rip. Such grand use of colors both natural and artificial. The blue of the laser followed by the red of the ink scanner thing. The green and blues on the killers home. The sunset in the beginning and sunrise at the end

7/29: A History of Violence (2005, David Cronenberg)

Where: Home (4k UHD)
With who: Nana
Expectations: Been very hyped by Vahn & basically everyone online. One of the Cronenberg joints I always forget is Cronenberg. Been wanting to watch it for a while, but no idea what to really expect. Vahn (who says him and his mom love this one) suggested I watch it with the whole family for my bday but I was too pussy, worried about it being too graphic for amma. It is Cronenberg, after all! Watching with Nana now though…
Thoughts: My god. Viggo is insane. One of the greatest performances ever?? Totally immersed in his character’s truth in the first half, wholly believable, to the point where it makes you an as audience member feel like a cynic for doubting him. He so believes his own lies that it renders our opinion of the unfolding situation moot—then to see that all unravel like that? His acting in the scene with his son after the killing, shifting from anger to disgust to shame to grief. The film also works on multiple levels, and shifts between layers of text without ever tripping up the viewer. The subtext never becomes the text, but the plot is never exalted either, and there isn’t this unnecessary distancing effect that Cronenberg himself, and especially all of his acolytes, often deploy when dealing with heady material. Instead, this strikes the melodramatic so precisely that Nana can call it a “good masala film” and compare it to Hum with Amitabh Bachchan, while I’m over here reeling about how much the film (and the way Viggo’s character is invited back to the table at the end) has moved me on a spiritual level. I don’t know how much of the subtext worked for Nana—the stuff about guilt, and growth, and transformation, about identity and performance and masks—but the film is genuinely engaging on a more literal level as well (that action choreography??). It also just looks so good (inject those nighttime driving shots into my veins). And on top of that, it actually felt like a graphic novel at times (something I feel like I would’ve noticed, even if the film didn’t tell us the story is adapted from a graphic novel). Loved the colors, too. Fall. Transformation! Vahn said I gotta watch Eastern Promises ASAP.

7/31: The Neon Demon (2016, Nicolas Winding Refn)

Where: Home (Blu-ray)
With who: Solo
Expectations: Borrowed from Vahn, figure it’s time to finally catch up on some Refn. Never saw his movies pre-Drive besides Bronson, and nothing since Only God Forgives. Been feeling like I should run Her Private Hell back while it’s still in theaters, but in the meantime… I know nothing about this other than it was even more polarizing than Only God Forgives. I’ve heard it’s the favorite for a lot of real Refn heads, including Vahn (this and Copenhagen Cowboy I think?). Cast looks crazy.
Thoughts: First hour might be Refn at his best, when he’s least concerned with getting across whatever points he thinks he’s making and more preoccupied with establishing the visceral mis en scene. At its best, when deconstructing American industry and the nuclear family unit, it feels like Refn is channeling Lynch, but then he gets caught up in over-explaining himself, torn between abstract expressionism and more didactic finger-wagging. For a film so rife with symbolism, Refn misguidedly sacrifices the subjectivity of these symbols for shock value.

FAVORITES (unranked):

1. It Happened One Night (1934, Frank Capra)

2. Blue Heron (2025, Sophy Romvari)

3. Killer of Sheep (1978, Charles Burnett)

4. The Tree of Life (2011, Terrance Malick)

5. North by Northwest (1959, Alfred Hitchcock)

6. Mulholland Drive (2001, David Lynch)

7. The Hole (1998, Tsai Ming-liang)

8. Black Panthers (1968, Agnès Varda)

9. Taste of Cherry (1997, Abbas Kiarostami)

10. Paper Moon (1973, Peter Bogdanovich)

11. Hi, Mom! (1970, Brian De Palma)

12. The Straight Story (1999, David Lynch)

13. News from Home (1976, Chantal Akerman)

14. Manhunter (1986, Michael Mann)

15. A History of Violence (2005, David Cronenberg)

-sincerely cng

Cue, Tezzus & diamond*, South Atlanta natives and co-founders of the Phønk Dølla Wørldwide crew, which in recent years has grown into the ØWAY collective, a Wu-tang sized crew with 13 distinctive members. Thug recently signed the two founders, ushering in a new era of YSL with, to be honest, very little effort on his part. Each member of ØWAY has been dreaming of this moment since infancy. Tezzus and diamond* are both already a decade into their music-making practice. In that sense, Thug discovering Lil Keed, and his biological younger brother Lil Gotit, was more of an overnight success story than what’s happening here. What Tezzus and diamond* have accomplished here is pure manifestation.

On their hastily assembled coming out mixtape under YSL, UY SCUTI BØYZ, Tezzus’s chaotic, unbridled energy is the yang to that of diamond*’s flow-state yin, but the b sides on the tape betray just how much DNA these two rappers share. Dig even deeper into their archives, and you find two young kids essentially learning to rap, to create memorable hooks & show-stealing verses, to structure songs and create never-before-heard ad-libs, together, lockstep in the dungeon. This mix I made favors these earlier, messy collabs, and attempts to put them in context with their burgeoning mainstream appeal.

SPOILERS:

Montreality Interview

1. KØWBOY KILLA

2. Strapped

3. NU NU (w/ Billi0n)

4. I Spy

5. X PILL

6. PISCES

7. Exotic Smiles

8. Brand New (w/ Percaso)

9. BYAAAATCH (w/ Yung Fazo)

10. Chill Øut

11. Ice Øn

12. Løve Løst

13. Temptation

14. ØH MY GOD

15. Ew (w/ EA TJ)

16. Gøat (w/ Percaso)

17. Head @ !!

18. LA LA LA

19. TRASHCAN

20. I’m an Artist

21. Duality

22. DrugsRus (w/ A-Don)

23. Trap House Blues

24. DANTES INFERNØ

25. UY SCUTI (w/ Young Thug)

26. Bada Bing Bada Boom

-sincerely cng

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

fin.

-sincerely cng

It’s not like rap has been replaced in any meaningful way, though. I think it’s just that as music has become content and content has essentially become highly personalized advertising (it always was), the distribution of our collective attention has finally begun to more accurately reflect the sort of splintered, fractioned-off trends you find online; micro-niches, micro-celebrities, micro-attention spans. So it doesn’t matter if you’re Kendrick Lamar or Drake, Beyonce or Justin Bieber, Olivia Rodrigo or Morgan Wallen, there is no more seizing of the zeitgeist, especially not for more than a handful of months, max. I promise you those days are done! At least until we all find god and unplug from the algorithms.

I guess what I’m trying to say is, if it’s taken an extinction level event—the end of consensus itself—for rap to “fall off”, can you really call it a fall off? Hip-hop’s DNA is still in literally everything, as has been the case for over three decades now. It’s still the voice of the disenfranchised, worldwide. There would be no new slang without it. Nearly every major streamer is indebted to rap music in some form. Every pop act, regardless of genre, still wants to be a rapper (both aesthetically, and musically). And, on top of all that, some of the greatest practitioners of the art are still living and breathing and thriving. (MIKE’s 10k label and his Young World Festival becomes a more sturdy & awe-inspiring bridge between generations with each passing year; and Thug, settling into his YMCMB Birdman/1017 Gucci Mane era, is currently leading by example, doing what he always promised he would: embracing those who wear his influence openly and consistently putting on people from his neighborhood, slowly but surely doing his part to try and bridge the gap between the mainstream and one of raps many eclectic underground scenes).

I said something similar to all this last year, but I wasn’t as personally convinced that time was up on music as a world-unifying art form as I am now. You had a good run, music. It’s the age of reels now.

Still, in protest, here are some of my favorite albums, songs, and new rappers of 2026 (so far), plus some albums/artists I tried and failed to get into…

Favorite Rap Albums (no order):

1. MIKE & Earl Sweatshirt - POMPEII // UTILITY

2. DORIS - Everything Else

3. Sideshow - Tigray Funk

4. xaviersobased - Xavier & el xav del 34 EP hosted by djrennessy

5. Lancey Foux - FIRST DEGREE: 2ND CHARGE

6. black kray - POSTED WHERE DA SCARECROWS PLAY

7. Myaap - Pixie Dust

8. WIFIGAWD - HOT AS HELL 3

9. Jaeychino - IF YOU KNEW

10. diamond* - BLING SLIME VØL 1: HOSTED BY DJ HØLIDAY

11. iyrus - ii & iii

12. Fox BD - Suxh An A*****e & Finessin Distribution Deals

13. Starker - LTD Vol. 1: North Face Nace

14. 70th Street Carlos - STILL CFWM

15. Wiki - Ancient History

16. E L U C I D & Sebb Bash - I Guess U Had To Be There

17. Isaiah Rashad - IT’S BEEN AWFUL

18. 414JungleBaby - JUNGLE THIS JUNGLE THAT

19. NBA Youngboy - ML2

20. R8 - Dawn Chorus

21. Dr. Grim - Reaperville (Dec 2025)

22. $amaad - Hardball

23. Key! - Epiphany Man

24. Lucki - DR*GS R BAD

25. Teezus & diamond* - UY SCUTI BØYS

26. Zukenee - ZUMINATI & TRAPPED IN DUNGEON & TRAPPED IN THE DUNGEON 2

27. AOB Trey - Intent to Sell

28. Chief Keef - Skeletor

29. St6 JodyBoof - STRIKE CLUB

30. Scissor’s - ScUp & Today’s Tomorrow

31. bby kell - STRAIGHT POP & girlypop

32. bbymutha - rent due

33. fakemink - The Boy who cried Terrified . & Terrified .

34. Fastmoneyfendi - AND THEN THE SUN CAME OUT

35. Xang - GroakDontCroak vol. 1

36. Omari Lyseight - Digital

37. Kodak Black - Kodak The Blessing

38. slayr - Half Blood (BloodLuxe)

39. Lulrose- ROSE VOL. 3

40. Lelo - Mastiff - EP & Mastiff : Pink Tiles

41. Babyfxce E - Da Realest

42. sk8star - Designer Junkie

43. Lil Gotit - Red Butterfly

44. Lil Gotit & Lil Keed - Fraternal: Gotit Edition

45. NBA Youngboy - Slime Cry

46. Veeze - Y’all Won

47. BiggKutt8 - 2Hard 2Guard 2

48. Future - The Real Me

49. EA TJ - Redemption

50. Blu & Exile - Time Heals Everything

51. LuhBrod7 - Return of 7

52. Boofinese - Blank Canvas

53. Zel - Still Right Here

54. Indica - Indica Buds

55. Tezzus - THE RESURRECTIØN

56. Oddisee & Heno. - From Takoma With Love

57. MexikoDro - Stayed Down the Ep

58. Vince Staples - Cry Baby

59. Black Milk - Ceremonial

60. Che - Empty Clip - EP

61. billi0n - REVENGE + PT. 4 RELOADED + Compound Circus - EP

62. SlimeGetEm - MIC

63. LAZER DIM 700 - The Rule Of Success

64. Lil Shine - Get Rich Or Die Sippin’

65. Lil Double 0 - Laying Da Walkdown + B Side

66. Lil Righteous - Soaring - EP

67. Rylo Rodriguez - S.K.A.T.E.

68. Lerado Khalil - Black Flag

69. Rico Nasty - Rx

70. B6 - Cooked in 6

Honorable Mention (unranked):

1. BashfortheWorld - Dinero. Dolores y Dios

2. Montana 700 - Sadetra’s Son

3. Pz’ - No Turning Back

4. Latto - Big Mama

5. 63OG - 63PROBLÈM

6. ShawtyRokk - BetterLivinNøw & RøkkGøtti

7. EA TJ - Last Hit

Favorite Rap Songs (no order):

1. Fred again & Young Yhug - “Scared”

2. xaviersobased - “iPhone 16” & “Zelle You” & “Mask On” & “Clorox” & “Heart Felt (ft. Rio Da Yung OG)” & “Harajuku”

3. Lil Keed - “Rappin Shit”

4. Nosaint: “DiE BOUT RESPECT”

5. Lil Righteous - “33 Days” & “Finishline”

6. Sk8star - “ForMyFolks” & “NSD ft. Tezzus & diamond*” & “Double C (ft. Pz’)” & “BleedLike Me”

7. Zukenee - “GLOCK BACKSHOTS (ft. Sk8star)” & “DRACO BOW”

8. LAZER DIM 700 - “samsung phone” & “Log Off” & “Diary” & “Madusa” & “Quik Think”

9. Mike WiLL Made-It - “ROOMS (ft. NBA Youngboy & Chief Keef)”

10. Kodak Black - “Gods Plan”

11. Myaap - “Beep Beep” & “What You Wanna Do” & “Outside” & “Er Time” & “Mamacita”

12. Sideshow - “ALOVENARCOTIC” & “EXPERIMENTAL RAP (BLACK CROSS+)” & “KILL FROM THE HEART” & “BANDIDO GENEROSO” & “I AM DA CAPTAIN” & “MARTYR MOST HIGH” & “WAR GAMES” & “HAPPY MACHINE (ft. Niontay)” & “ALENA(ኣለና)PARADISE LOST” & “Signs+Symbols (ft. Sexworks)” & “P***y Riot!” & “Volume Metric”

13. Domani - “Ms. Jackson”

14. Rio Da Yung Og, YN JAY & Babyfxce E - “The Big 3”

15. Nino Paid - “Holding Me Back”

16. Lil sinn - “rubberbands”

17. Lightris - “Up Down”

18. Pz’- “COVER GIRL $WAG” & “FANTASTIC 5” & “Intercontinental”

19. Tezzus - “Crakkin (The Øne)” & “Gangsta (ft. Pz’)” & “AUBREY” & “Jeffery Williams” + “Tezzus Mane La’Flair” & “YE” & “Sølange” & “ØWAY” & “Lil Røkk” & “Da Fuck (ft. Young Thug & Rylo Rodriguez)” & “JØTP (feat. Sk8star, EA TJ, & Lil Righteous)”

20. Tezzus & diamond* - “UY SCUTI (ft. Young Thug)” & “CHILL ØUT (ft. ShawtyRokk)” & “I’m An Artist”

21. diamond* - “MAN ØN THE MØØN” & “STFU” & “GG” & “HEDIS N PELLEWS (ft. Pz’)” & “HIGH FASHIØN” & “ALMIGHTY DØLLA” & “3phones” & “CHANEL & CAMEL CRUSH” & “LV BAG” & “MATTER ØF TIME” & “WYD2” & “BURGERS N FRIES (feat. Southsidesilhouette)”

22. 2sdxrt3all - “Time after Time” & “U lit”

23. 414JungleBaby - “Yo Baby”

24. Lil Gotit - “Feelin Good Kid” & “Obviously” & “Like Ye”

25. Ye- “ALL THE LOVE (feat. ANDRÉ TROUTMAN)” & “Punch Drunk”

26. Glorygirl2950 - “Pink Water”

27. Scissor’s - “Let Go Kurt” & “let it go” & “zero below” & “Australia”

28. Lelo - “Hollowed Bricks”

29. Dr. Grim - “ABC’s (ft. Fox BD & KG DTK)” & “MR. POTATO MAN” & “Luv Oxy” & “G7 Wicked”

30. Fox BD - “My Unkles” & “Free Jr. Foxx” & “Baby Bruh” & “New Sheriff In Town” & “Bxches Everywhere (ft. AOB Trey)” & “Sxratxh My Bakk, Ima Stratxh” & “Keyboard Gangsta” & “Baffled” & “Pharmacy R Us (ft. Babyface Ray)” & “Im Adapted” & “Lmaooooooo” & “Hear Me Out, Just One Time”

31. 13th HOUR - “HAVE u HEurd?”

32. ADHD - “Costa Rica (feat. B6 & 3hard)”

33. pz’ + bleood - “legendary loot” (prod. luc1us + venexxi)

34. billi0n - “Donnie Darko (ft. Southsidesilhouette)” & “6am (ft. Boofinese & RAFA)” & “DAYDREAMIN” & “BILL 730@M TEZZUS” & “SKYRIM” & “ØN THE ROAD (ft. Pz’)”

35. Rocket Rese - “MISS MY CHOPPA”

36. EA TJ - “Call On Me” (ft. Tezzus & Bossy)

37. Rylo Rodriguez - “Low Top Vanz” & “Art” & “Kount Ya Hat (ft. Veeze)” & “Neighborhood Starz (ft. Lil Baby & Kevin Gates)” & “Ever Drank Tris” & “Endless Cups”

38. diamond*, iyrus, Teezus & 1300Saint - “New Generation Freestyle”

39. 70th street Carlos - “Talkin To Myself” & “Torch” & “Rodeo (ft. 7807 Teezy)” & “Drumline”

40. Wiki - “One Time” & “Marm Era” & “Park” & “7 Deadly Sins”

41. Jaeychino - “FOR MY DAUGHTER” & “AKEELAH” & “CREOLE” & “THE GREATEST”

42. iyrus - “2hollis” & “I Luv Botched Bodies” & “Habibi” & “Erd Tee” & “Das Strange” & “N0ise (ft. diamond*)” & “Spam (ft. Zukenee)” & “Get Money” & “Beat Da Feds”

43. Lerado Khalil - “Touch N Go”

44. Future - “Cast a Spell” & “2018” & “Money Over Everything” & “Hollywood”

45. MexikoDro - “My Girl (f.t ManMan Savage)”

46. ST6 JodyBoof - “PERFECT MY SHOT” & “RUSH (ft. Jaeychino)”

47. Chief Keef - “Breaking Down” & “Mark of Buddha” & “Harry Potter”

48. DORIS - “D Presents Notes From Heaven” & “D Presents blackfish”

49. MIKE - “Man of the Month” & “Shutter Island”

50. Earl Sweatshirt - “rectangle lens” & “Ew!” & “Hot Water (Cahuilla)”

51. LUCKI - “a theme atp…” & “Free Mr. Banks” & “No Stars in Maybachs (ft. Veeze & Rylo Rodriguez)”

52. Veeze - “Bruce Wayne Coupe” & “Old Shit” & “Listen to me” & “Birdman”

53. Omari Lyseight - “Like Or Repost (ft. MIKE)” & “East End (ft. 454)” & “High (ft. Cletus Strap)”

54. Cletus Strap - “nonchalant (ft. Earl Sweatshirt)”

55. BiggKutt8 - “Rolling Loud” & “TONGUE KISSING” & “Wish You Would Wish You Could”

56. Navy Blue - “Residuum (ft. Armand Hammer)” & “Circa (ft. KA)” & “Next Life”

57. Bby Kell - “2019” & “TERP” & “DAS A M” & “POP OUT” & “rickyo” & “1st part”

58. Rico Nasty - “Kiss N Make Up”

59. Shawty Rokk - “Øn The Røad (feat. Tezzus)”

Favorite New Rappers (the date I discovered them + who put me on if I can remember—will write more about these artists end of year):

1. (1/?/26) Teflon Zay - Heard on zone1eric’s 4wtro and more on a Hariroc beat tape

2. (1/28/26) $ilkMoney - Been meaning to listen to bro since the top of ‘24. Listening to the ‘25 album today. Like an underground stylistic jukebox

3. (2/?/26) iam3hard (wanted to peep ‘25 after whyceg tape but didn’t) - Peeped World War 3

4. (2/4/26) babystaydown (wanted to peep ‘25 after whyceg tape but didn’t) - Hard song on Hariroc tape

5. (2/4/26) LuhBrod7 (wanted to peep ‘25 thru Babystaydown) - Peeped Return of 7 - EP

6. (2/9/26) Dragnutz (had seen billdifferin post about him I think and finally decided to peep hardstyle song, which was hard)

7. (2/9/26) Fox BD - Peeped the new 2026 tape (Caleb told me to deep dive after I posted HariRoc song w AOB Trey)

8. (2/12/26) - Pz’ (didn’t get around to listening last year, Mano asked me about him early 2026 Feb), finally heard him on “Stikk Party” w/ Lil Righteous song. Went ahead and listened to all his other loosies (like two dozen or so?) but only liked some songs. Talented for sure, but nothing’s really captured me yet

9. (2/17/26) sosocamo - Isaac (who does PR for soso) put me on to an early copy of Big Country. Really like his voice!

10. (2/18/26) Baby Bally - forgot who put me on, had 2025 album saved

11. (2/25/26) Myaap - been heard about her for a minute (2024 when I was getting into the scene) but never peeped. noz Feb mix put me onto “Beep Beep”!

12. (2/25/26) Babyfxce E - heard “ptp” song last year but that was it (via Al), came across new album thru the Rio feature

13. (3/3/26) Jay Luciano - only heard his verse on the Boofinese which was really great

14. (3/4/26) Bby Kell - Jemel sent her to me saying people were comparing her to glory. Heard “TERP” so far, which I loved.

15. (3/18/26) slayr - seen his name around, Eli told me to peep Halfblood deluxe a few days before Mano dropped his review and hit me up about him too. Not bad, kinda endearing.

16. (3/19/26) Bleood - saw the name for a while, song on PBM convinced me lol

17. (3/19/26) Lightris - heard “Up Down” via Mano and p4k, won me over + I wanna hear more

18. (3/26/26) iyrus - saw junkiesrpeople (Tyler) posting about iii and decided to tap in sometime late March/early Apri, been obsessed since.

19. (5/14/26) Dakota Unique - heard a feature w/ Lil Gotit and rly liked it, that’s all for now

20. (5/15/26) Dr.Grim - heard “ABC’s” yesterday w Foc BD & listening to his 2026 tape rn. It’s weird but catchy lmao

21. (5/20/26) 70th Street Carlos - forgot who shared him on Twitter, guess he’s been around for a while but I was never hip!

22. (5/28/26) Starker - I guess I’m mad late here, a lot of NY underground that I’m realizing I’m not familiar with at all. Gotta catch up. Great album.

23. (6/2/26) Billi0n - didn’t like his album last year but came across him again via XA tape. Finally realized he’s also part of øway. Øway as big as Wu Tang lmao. Really liking his 2026 stuff.

24. (7/19/26) Fastmoneyfendi - saw mad people posting him, think he’s 10K associated? New album was great.

25. (7/20/26) BigKutt8 - saw @chemjay3000 posting him. 2hard 2guard 2 is hard

26. (7/22/26) $amaad - seen the name for a while, finally heard him on the Lulrose tape the other week and checked out Hardball today, which I really liked. Didn’t realize he was from Cali but I can hear it now!

Try & Fail 2026:

1. Jripey - I should like this. Like 2017 melodic Baby or 2018 melodic Thug or 2019 melodic Carti, but though technically proficient with glimpses of soul, it feels too much like imitation of his already apparent influences. Wanted to initially check him out last year after the Whyceg tape but didn’t.

2. lil2posh - 1017 Posh has some admirable swings but he can’t sell this kinda darker style the same way as the bubble gum swag shit. I’m just not sold + lyrics are just so boring and the flows aren’t exiting!

3. Samosthated (wanted to check out in ‘25 but didn’t) - Twomorrow’s Not Promised album did nothing at all for me. Unsexy sexy drill music.

4. Baby Keem - Casino

5. skaiwater - wonderful this one sucking hurt, will try to revisit later in the year and write more/see if my opinion changes.

6. 1300saint - Savior (Deluxe) 1300 is always good for like two good songs every project, I guess

7. Mike WiLL Made-It - R3set - felt super low effort

8. ezcodylee - STUNT 4 LIFE - I mean it’s definitely novel! Like he’s speeding running through all the popular ug styles (OsamaSon, skaiwater) and lathering it all with this scenecore sheen that I just don’t care for.

9. BULLY

10. Iyrus - Hottest In Philly - EP bro’s only dropped bullshit since I’ve cosigned him smh

11. Lil Gotit - PG13 - Gotit gotta stop bullshittin around and lock in, it’s his time!!!

12. Che - I get it, none of his stuff is bad, but it’s not for me. I liked brokencyde when I was 13 too. Out of all the newer stuff I’ve heard, I like the Empty the Clip - EP the most. Never checked out the REST IN BASS deluxe, might have to…

13. Protect - Slimedude2003 - some cool beats and catchy flows (esp when he’s not biting OsamaSon) but it’s like listening to YBN Nahmir or something content wise. And when he gets “deep” it’s like a sensitive middle schooler’s diary entry

14. Pz’ - this one’s complicated because as much as basically none of his official releases work for me, I have, at this point, heard at least a dozen or so features & leaks that I genuinely fuck with. More on this later…

15. Tierra Whack - Whack’s Museum - self-serious, navel-gazing, Mountain Dew raps from someone I genuinely fuck with.

16. Fatboi Sharif - I’m sure it’s opening someone’s third eye somewhere but to me the style is too oblique. “Recognition” and some of the other more straight songs are only I enjoyed.

17. Slayr - AVANT NOVA this kid is either endearing or insufferable no in between

18. Nosaint - THE TRUTH - please just quit rapping and produce Barter 7 for Thug.

19. Glo - Dark Stereo - some endearing stuff but mostly terrible lyrics and extremely derivative (from Uzi to Thug to Roddy to Che) + f bomb!! Grow up!!

-sincerely cng

It’s so odd writing this after the fact—next month’s entry will probably feel even more surreal as the first two weeks are full of last minutes screenings we caught and films we watched at home before he had to head back. It’s an effective way to confront and process my behavior though, recognize where my frustrations may have been shortsighted and misguided, where I could’ve expressed myself better, where I could’ve been more present… It’s been such a special year with him. Not sure I can even properly reflect on it just yet, but I will say for as much as I tried to be a mentor/role model/big brother to him, it was just as life-affirming for me to have someone who was so present and engaged with not only the interests we shared, like art, but open to learning about and experiencing so many new things.

I hope he understands how proud I am of him. We really were connected at the hip the entire time, man. And while I tried my best to be a good role model and an encouraging mentor, I know (and so do you, if you’ve been keeping up with these entries) that I haven’t always been proud of my overly codependent and regularly emotionally immature approach. I do think we both tried our best in our respective roles, though. It was an important and transformative year for both of us, to say the least. We literally shot an entire feature film together for cryin’ out loud!! (I’m still in post with The Immigrant Story, but I can’t wait to share it with the world—it’s a character study in the purest sense, an observational account of a young man discovering autonomy and responsibility while navigating self-doubt; it also serves as a study of codependent family dynamics, particularly within the Indian diaspora). None of it would’ve been possible if it wasn’t for the love we have for each other.

6/1: The Piano Teacher (2026, Michael Haneke)

Where: Princeton Garden Theater (Princeton, NJ)
With who: Akshay and Vahn
Expectations: Forgot to note beforehand. I saw it for the first time back in 2021. I think Vahn said it’s been even longer since he’s seen it. I remember it really getting under my skin.
Thoughts: Definitely one of the greatest—and probably most important—films of the century. Draws perhaps too straight of a line between internal torment and external manifestation, strictly tying its commentary on sexual repression to a forced ascetic lifestyle, but Haneke nevertheless creates a profile of a certain kind of sexual repression that only rings more true (gender reversal and all), in the present day, begging me to wonder if we as a species will be roleplaying these power dynamics for all of eternity, to never once, even for a brief generation, be free from stigma & shame... Are we just cursed to never understand the importance of gratitude and empathy, to never learn how to have grace for one another, mother and daughter, teacher and student, lovers turned exes, friends turned enemies, alike?

6/2: Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975, Chantal Akerman)

Where: Metrograph
With who: Solo
Expectations: 35mm! Hype to finally rewatch. Was blown away when I saw it for the first time back in 2023. Akshay unfortunately couldn’t come—stayed home to study for his upcoming interview.
Thoughts: As I said in my LB review, it felt like this old print was being torn apart by the promise of violence imbued in each frame. Isolation begets violence, in some form, always. Can’t believe I saw this and The Piano Teacher back to back days. Akerman makes Haneke seem melodramatic by comparison. While they both methodically contextualize the psychology of their main character’s, Haneke makes the mistake of explicitly tracing his protagonist’s psychosexual manifestations back to specific people and specific societal ills. Akerman, on the other hand, stares deeper into the soul, stripping the diagnosis down to its essence: isolation. She renders the banality of existence specifically through the perpetually sidelined perspective of the modern women, but does so with enough tact that anyone (regardless of gender or generation) can empathize with her plight.

6/8: Andrei Rublev (1966, Andrei Tarkovsky)

Where: Metrograph
With who: Solo
Expectations: My first real Tarkovsky, and on 35 mm! Very excited. Feel like I really need these kinda watches rn—I’ve been talking about wanting to watch longer, slower works all year, so it’s time. Also been feeling like I need to see the feature I’m working, The Immigrant Story, in a new light. I feel like I’ve been very rigid with how I’ve been cutting it.
Thoughts: Not what I was expecting from Tarkovsky, having only seen The Steamroller and The Violin and heard such grand things about how awfully challenging his works could be. Was expecting like proto-Béla Tarr but instead got proto-Scorsese?? Experimental, yes, but pretty straightforward, narratively speaking. I was expecting something more abstract. Or do I only feel like this is “straightforward” because of how much Tarkovsky making works like this has influenced the directors & films I’ve loved in my lifetime? Such elegant camera movements and enveloping mise en scene. Not just proto-Scorsese, but proto-Malick, and proto-Ridley Scott too? Lol. I feel like I’m doing the Boss Baby meme now.

6/10: The Birdcage (1996, Mike Nichols)

Where: AMC (Freehold, NJ)
With who: Akshay
Expectations: Never heard this before! Should be a good break from this self-curated bleak streak I’ve been on lol The premise sounds fun. I’m curious to see how it’ll read in 2026…
Thoughts: What a fun, funny, sweet film. Full of hilarious performances—Nathan Lane, I wasn’t familiar with your game! Hank Azaria stole every scene he was in, though. Gene Hackman was also pitch perfect. The film doesn’t exactly land the dramatic beats (the son’s selfish turn seems off from the very beginning, but maybe that was intentional to show how self-centered even the most well-meaning cis allies can be?), but the attempt is endearing in and of itself.

6/11: Tuner (2025, Daniel Roher)

Where: AMC (Freehold, NJ)
With who: Akshay and Nana
Expectations: Idk, it looked generic but it’s got Dustin Hoffman + my dad loves heist movies + I like the main kid from The White Lotus (+ my sister keeps telling me to watch One Day), so I figured we’d go. Also, like, if it’s actually the Thief ripoff it seems to be, it can’t be that bad can it?
Thoughts: It was fine. Script was formulaic & I found the edit to be heavy-handed, but Woodall’s got young Gosling energy, not for nothing…

6/12: Disclosure Day (2026, Steven Spielberg)

Where: AMC (New Brunswick, NJ)
With who: Akshay, Nana, Amma, Lekha, Mili
Expectations: Forgot to note, but I was very excited. Lekha’s first Spielberg, I think? In terms of Spielberg alien movies, I know none of us have ever seen Close Encounters of the Third Kind, but Amma, Nana, Mili and I have seen E.T. lol I’ve also seen War of the Worlds. I showed Akshay Jaws (basically an alien movie) last year, and we almost saw a 70mm print of Close Encounters in LA back in January but it was sold out. Apparently this opening day showing has a “live” IMAX Q&A that’s being streamed from the Lincoln Square AMC in the city?
Thoughts: Fuck, Akshay and I were late because my dumbass wanted to smoke a joint (and he hung back with me), and we missed most of the Q&A! Apparently it really was Spielberg and Blunt, live, and you could send in questions. Pretty cool! Anyways, not sure if I liked this as a whole, but I been wanting to rewatch it ever since… It kinda gets dumber the more I think about it, but it’s also rife with symbolism that I want to further investigate, and it genuinely made me ask myself the question: would I care if this happened irl? Do I live up to Spielberg’s personal vision of hope in humanity? Because that’s what this film is, right? Spielberg, in his twilight years, feeling morally compromised, desperate to absolve humanity so we can jump ahead to reimaging it…

6/13: Police Story (1985, Jackie Chan)

Where: Home (Blu-ray)
With who: Akshay and Lekha
Expectations: Asked Lekha and Akshay to choose a few films from my library so that we could pick one to watch at random. Lekha chose 24 Frames (because she thought her friend might’ve mentioned it once), and Memories of Murder, and Goodfellas! Akshay chose Police Story, which Lekha immediately glommed onto, so here we are! Not exactly what I had in mind for tonight, but I know it’s a banger. Only saw it for the first time a couple years ago, and was blown away (gave it an instant 5 bagger on LB).
Thoughts: Banger! I’ve never seen a Mission Impossible movie, but Tom Cruise wishes!! Can’t believe he directed this too. The opening set pieces are such an insane flex—the scale of the stunts, the taught visual storytelling, the subtle promise of endless jokes to come. It’s really such a finely tuned film. Fascistic copaganda done right!!

6/15: Cruising (1980, William Friedkin)

Where: The Roxy (NYC)
With who: Solo
Expectations: Akshay was supposed to make it but decided last minute he couldn’t make it. Said he didn’t realize I already bought tickets last night. I got (what I can now see in retrospect was) unreasonably mad (especially since he was staying home because he had his interview tomorrow). It’s just that I only booked this cuz he was talking about young Pacino recently & he agreed to it! I got triggered because there have been numerous times over the past year where I think we’ve agreed to something only for him to say we never confirmed, or something along those lines. But it’s okay. I shouldn’t take it so personal. I’m excited to see this one regardless—I’ve heard of it before, but never realized it was Friedkin.
Thoughts: Kinda ridiculous? Pacino plays it so unreadable it’s almost Bressonian. It’s ultimately an engrossing mood piece & staunchly empathetic towards the gay community (idk how anyone could read something otherwise). Also pretty anti-cop! I just don’t know if the film added up to be more than the sum of its parts, at least on this first watch.

6/17: The Producers (1967, Mel Brooks)

Where: Princeton Garden Theater (Princeton, NJ)
With who: Akshay
Expectations: Loved Blazing Saddles, but didn’t care for Young Frankenstein—only Mel Brooks I’ve seen so far. Akshay’s first Mel Brooks, and first Gene Wilder film!
Thoughts: So, so good. All time opening credits sequence. Zero Mostel is a riot, not sure if I’ve ever seen him anything before! Gene Wilder is always so effortlessly charismatic. Also not familiar with Dick Shawn, but he absolutely stole the show. Akshay and I haven’t stopped talking about L.S.D. since. A movie about how Netflix has been operating for the past ten or so years.

6/18: The Furious (2025, Kenji Tanigaki)

Where: AMC (East Brunswick, NJ)
With who: Akshay, Nana, Amma
Expectations: Heard good things! Wasn’t expecting Amma to join, especially since it’s a workday, but she’s apparently a big martial arts fan!
Thoughts: Pretty good! Sets the bar high with its thrilling & emotionally compelling first act, but eventually reveals a purely functional narrative. And even the set piece showdowns feel redundant and increasingly cartoonish by the end, creating a tonal dissonance that I’m not sure was intended. And if it was, the film doesn’t have the tact (sincerity to pull it off. I’d still watch at least three more of these + one prequel to explain wtf Wang Wei’s backstory is. We walked in a little bit late, so I thought I might’ve missed something, but I don’t think I did…

6/22: Toy Story 5 (2026, Andrew Stanton)

Where: AMC (Monmouth, NJ)
With who: Vahn
Expectations: Thought I remembered 4 being kinda whack, but I watched a recap and it was actually kinda hard?? I think it just didn’t resonate emotionally with me like the original trilogy. I gotta run it back. Either way, I’m hype. Vahn’s been a Pixar stan since a child. I missed the 90s joins and only tapped in with Finding Nemo/Incredibles/Cars. Still have never seen Monstors, Inc.! I eventually caught up with the Toy Story movies when I was like 17, like a year after the third one came out.
Thoughts: Banger!! Really nails the messaging but without feeling like it exists solely as a PSA, which is easier to do when the animation is this distractingly good. The use of lighting, in particular, felt so intentional & essential in creating a memorable cinematic language. Vahn and I talked about how we’re not sure if it’s late with its explicitly anti-technology messaging, or if it’s just taken this long for us to finally start seeing the tech shift of the past two decades (with the advent of smart phones & social media) with the necessary lucidity. Of course this is only in relation to corporations co-opting what normal people have been screaming about for generations prior to these most recent developments. You know we’re already beyond fucked when the major studios start telling us to get off our screens. Regardless of intention/function, it was gutting to see how zombified the kids get when they go on their tablets. Too real. I think this might be the strongest story that centers the actual kid out of all of em?

6/23:

Meshes of the Afternoon (1943, Maya Deren, Alexander Hammid)

Where: Home
With who: Solo
Expectations: Have heard so much about this one (and it’s influence on Lynch), but don’t know much about Deren or Hammid, or what this short is actually about. It’s finally time.
Thoughts: The use of silence in the score was so eerie!! And that mirror man/woman is like an even more terrifying vision of the sleep paralysis “man in the hat”. The camera floats like a spectre, and Deren matches that fluidity with her body. Not entirely sure what it’s all about, but it seems to be about the need for women to listen to their subconscious about the men in their lives. The part with multiple versions of her and the key was so sick!! How did they even film that? Just overlaying? Can definitely see how this is a major influence on Lynch, Mulholland Drive in particular, but all his work, generally speaking—even Dune.

At Land (1944, Maya Deren)

Where: Home
With who: Solo
Expectations: Haven’t heard of any of Deren and Hammid’s other stuff, but I’m super excited to watch.
Thoughts: Didn’t find it as intoxicating as Meshes…, rather kind of stiff by comparison. That dolly shot of her crawling across the table at the beginning was sick though. The rest just felt like it was tryna be symbolic but also purposefully unexpected & obtuse at the same time, which in turn made the whole thing entirely too whacky for me.

Nine Behind (2016, Sophy Romvari)

Where: Home
With who: Solo
Expectation: Haven’t had a chance to catch blue heron yet but really want to. Have seen Sophy Romvari’s name on Twitter for a while. It’s really cool & inspiring to see how her debut is being received. Very curious about her style, as she seems like a fellow slow cinema aficionado while being a product of the film school system.
Thoughts: Cool! Found it a bit stilted but ultimately well-considered and a strong showcase of staging and sound design, as well as narrative voice.

6/24:

Family Viewing (1987, Atom Egoyan)

Where: Home
With who: Solo
Expectations: Absolutely loved Egoyan’s debut, which I saw like almost six years ago now, and still haven’t seen anything else by him. This is his follow up I believe, or the one shortly after. On paper, his filmog looks an absolute mess the closer you get to the present, and I’m so curious to continue tracing the arc lol Premise of this one sounds every bit as morbid (and viscerally upsetting) as Next of Kin, but with the same potential for catharsis.
Thoughts: Ahh, I dunno! I found it stylistically off-putting off rip, and that never quite went away, even as Egoyan’s writing would intermittently win me over. Idk, can’t say I liked it this time around, but could click for me if I ever get a chance to revisit. My reservations aside, it’s an undeniably interesting mash of like Hal Ashby tonally with philosophical aspirations/fixations akin to Cronenberg.

Vertigo (1958, Alfred Hitchcock)

Where: Princeton Garden Theater (Princeton, NJ)
With who: Akshay and Nana
Expectations: Finally Akshay’s second Hitchcock after we watched Rope as a family what feels like a lifetime ago now, long before enrollment in the Narsh School of Cinema. Embarrassingly, this is also my first time watching Vertigo, though it’s gotta be the last famous Hitchcock outside of Psycho and North by Northwest that I’ve yet to see. Nana’s seen it before but (surprisingly) was up for a rewatch! I think my hissy fit a couple months ago over how he never watches shit with me these days actually worked…
Thoughts: What an ending. Honestly kind of vertigo inducing with how it gives you all the closure and absolutely no closure at all. Brilliant use of James Stewart’s naturally unassuming & charismatic affect. A film about being obsessed with fantasy, ostensibly in the search for truth, but ultimately out of a self-serving need for importance.

6/25: The King of Comedy (1982, Martin Scorsese)

Where: Princeton Garden Theater (Princeton, NJ)
With who: Akshay and Vahn
Expectations: Akshay first time!!! Vahn’s first rewatch in a minute. I saw it most recently at IFC (I think?) just last year. Was an instant favorite and top 5 Scorsese for me when I was in high school. In some ways, I think it’s more prescient than Taxi Driver. When we were chopping it up before the screening, Akshay asked us to rank De Niro performances in Scorsese films, and I said: Raging Bull, The King of Comedy, Taxi Driver, Goodfellas, Mean Streets. Vahn had Mean Streets before Goodfellas, which, honestly, I might agree with these days. He was so electric in that early period. I recently ordered Hi, Mom! and hope I get a chance to screen it for Akshay (don’t think Vahn has ever seen it either!).
Thoughts: A masterpiece. Probably says a lot about me that I find this film to be almost unbearably realistic in its portrayal of isolation, obsession, and social maladaptation. I’ll never understand how De Niro was able to craft such a nuanced performance of what is essentially an autistic adult, and how Scorsese (and writer Paul D. Zimmerman) were able to convey so much empathy for every character in this darkly comedic yet heartbreakingly sincere story. It’s grown to become uncomfortably prescient about the perversion of celebrity culture, especially post-social media, not by making sweeping generalizations about the future, but by commenting directly on the contemporary world it exists in, where folks were already being sold this dream that you were only one phone call or chance encounter away from changing your life, being discovered—seen—and, as every single person hopes for, deep down, understood, if not lauded. The only real predication the film makes is that this behavior would be rewarded in the information age - and, well, well played…

6/27: Police Story 2 (1988, Jackie Chan)

Where: Home
With who: Lekha and Akshay
Expectations: Hype. Helped Lekha move out of her apartment tonight as she wasn’t able to get her visa due to some bullshit clerical errors and now has to go back to India next month. No update from Akshay’s interview either, which means he might have to leave as well in just a couple weeks… They both wanted to watch the sequel—I’d never seen it either.
Thoughts: Ahh, I don’t know about this one! Not nearly as electric as the first. Too much story, not enough action, and bizarre pacing. Lots of details to love, like Jackie Chan & Maggie Cheung’s chemistry, or that equally batshit crazy crew he assembles after becoming a detective again, but it’s all undercut by the structure of the film. Still hilarious, and still contains some unbelievable stunts. Definitely still want to check out the other installments one day.

6/28: Young Frankenstein (1974, Mel Brooks)

Where: Princeton Garden Theater (Princeton, NJ)
With who: Akshay
Expectations: I didn’t vibe with this when I first saw it at home a few years ago, but after The Producers hit like crazy for both of us, Akshay and I felt like we had to run this (Akshay’s first watch).
Thoughts: Okay, the (goofy, slapstick) humor registered better in a theater with a big crowd, but that last act (which I forgot about entirely) still kind of takes the wind out of everything. After such a strong start (both narratively and comedically), it ultimately feels like they didn’t know where to go with this, which is a shame because everyone—from Wilder to Teri Garr—is so hilariously committed to their roles, and I would have especially loved to see more of Peter Boyle as the monster (outside of the rape jokes). His scene with a young Gene Hackman as the blind man had me dying.

FAVORITES (unranked):

1. The Piano Teacher (2026, Michael Haneke)

2. Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975, Chantal Akerman)

3. Andrei Rublev (1966, Andrei Tarkovsky)

4. The Birdcage (1996, Mike Nichols)

5. Police Story (1985, Jackie Chan)

6. The Producers (1967, Mel Brooks)

7. Toy Story 5 (2026, Andrew Stanton)

8. Meshes of the Afternoon (1943, Maya Deren, Alexander Hammid)

9. Vertigo (1958, Alfred Hitchcock)

10. The King of Comedy (1982, Martin Scorsese)

LEAST FAVORITES (ranked):

1. Tuner (2025, Daniel Roher)

2. Police Story 2 (1988, Jackie Chan)

-sincerely cng

These songs, like last year’s pair of songs, were born out of the all too predictably existential months prior to my birthday, as I tried (and failed and tried again) to sit with my feelings. Last year, I found myself spiraling about failing to be a good role model for my younger siblings; this year, I couldn’t help but fixate on the lack of role models in my own life… I think making these kinds of uncomfortably vulnerable songs is good for my soul. I think they force me to sit in my feelings longer than I’d like, while also providing an avenue to transmute those feelings, reframe the self-hate/pity/aggrandizement into something healthier.

The video for these songs came together after the fact, though the synchronicity between the lyrics & the images might lead some to believe otherwise. The “gorgeous” footage is repurposed from 20 year old mini DV footage that I recently had transferred from an old tape I found in my Uncle’s camcorder (I had yet to see the footage when I wrote & recorded “gorgeous”). And the “panic” footage is from a more recent Super 8 film my cousin and I shot on our road trip through the midwest this past April, on the way to my MFA graduation in Missouri (I had, once again, yet to see the footage in question). This sort of serendipitous re-contextualizing of art—of life itself—is all I’m ever searching for when I make art. In that sense, this feels like one of the most important releases of my life.

You can watch the video on YOUTUBE and listening to the EP on SOUNDCLOUD. As always, thank you for reading, listening, and watching. Hope it resonates.

-sincerely cng

If you’re new here, these playlists are time capsules of the songs I ran back the most during any given season of the year. They often have very little to do with the season itself, though I’m not immune to the sad songs during winter and cookout music during the summer dynamic.

Fall ‘24 Playlist

Winter ‘24 Playlist

Spring ‘25 Playlist

Summer ‘25 Playlist

Fall ‘25 Playlist

Winter ‘25 Playlist

I spent a big chunk of this past spring on a road trip with my cousin, the one who I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned has never listened to an album in full before. We got into quite a groove, driving around Colorado, running through multiple records from Prince, MJ, Jimi Hendrix, Miles Davis, Little Richard, all before I finally dropped all pretenses and got to the main event: Barter 6, Jeffery, and Beautiful Thugger Girls. The rest of that shit was just to appropriately set the stage for the GOAT. To my delight, he seemed just as taken by Thug as the rest of the line up :’’’)

As far as my solo listening habits, I didn’t really venture too far out of my comfort zone - though I did finally do a full dive into MIKE’s discography, something I’ve been meaning to do for years now. What a pen, man. Introspective, of course, but more than anything, it’s the earnestness MIKE possessed as a teenager that really struck me. Such a stark contrast from how disillusioned he sounds these days. Even as a kid, he was no less heavy in his themes, but he seemed so much more eager to express himself. I’m a big fan of his latest works, but that sort of hunger does seem absent (from his delivery, if not his pen)…

Now, for what you regulars have been waiting for: time to hit shuffle on the 132 song playlist and check out what ten songs pop up first…

1. Lil Gotit - “Feeling Good Kid”

Over the past year or so, Lil Gotit aka the Hood Baby aka Top Chef Gotit aka Thottie has slowly been reclaiming his spot as one of the most influential stylists in the underground Atlanta rap scene, seemingly nurturing the new class of YSL - helmed by Tezzus and his Øway/Dølla Gang crew - symbolically passing along the baton that was once held by his late brother, Lil Keed. Gotit, despite never officially signing with YSL like Keed, was always one of the more distinctive rappers to come from Thug’s lineage, and now, after taking a few years to recalibrate his plans in the wake of his brother’s passing, he seems ready (and eager) to stamp his influence on the scene. “Feelin Good Kid,” the best of the many recent singles he’s released on streaming, sees him toning down the lingo for a more straight-faced reflection on where he’s at these days. Though this single recently ended up on a lukewarm EP called PG13, I have high hopes for his forthcoming album, Everything Or Nothing, which seems intentionally curated to both solidify his underrated legacy & boost the new class, amongst who, at only 27, he somehow finds himself the OG.

2. 414JungleBaby - “Gangsta (ft. Montana 700)”

I am obsessed with 414JungleBaby’s voice, or, rather, what she seems willing to do with it; gruff & stoic to Def Loaf smooth, soulful & pained to chipmunk squeaks. Her recent album, JUNGLE THIS JUNGLE THAT, only her second official project to date, is effortlessly catchy while retaining a spirit for actually rapping that I find endearing (it’s also home to the song of the summer, “Yo Baby”). I’m already seated for whatever she’s got cooking next.

3. Scissor’s - “Let Go Kurt”

Not sure if there’s anyone else in the world (outside of Scissor’s and his team) who has heard this song more than me (considering it’s got 6 views on Youtube). When he’s not stretching his vocals to freaky YNW Melly lengths, Scissor’s’s tone lands somewhere between Slime Season 2 Thug and early UnoTheActivist, sultry (for lack of a better word), nonchalant, inherently infused with charisma. But beyond his distinctive voice, I just love this dude’s disregard for traditional song structure, always fully committed to seeing where his hyperactive brain takes him.

4. Brotherkupa - “Pain freestyle”

I don’t really know what other make of Kupa. Clearly talented and brimming with creative energy, but I find like every song of his handicapped by laziness. At least he called this one a “freestyle” - maybe if he just called everything a freestyle I’d be less critical. Hope he tightens things up moving forward.

5. Chief Keef - “Slide (ft. G Herbo)”

The longer the intro to a Chief Keef song the crazier he goes when it’s time to start rapping. He’s become such a good producer over the years man, it’s been so beautiful to witness. He’s figured out how to make shit sound unbelievably cinematic without ever feeling gauche or gaudy.

6. xaviersobased - “Heart Felt (ft. Rio Da Yung OG)”

Beautiful. Real music. FUCK Martin Shkreli. Was not expecting Rio to catch the pocket like that (and still be so funny). GOAT.

7. diamond* - “CHANEL & CAMEL CRUSH”

Probably already said this somewhere on the blog but nØ idØls is still the best tape to come out of the ATL underground this decade and every other single diamond’s dropped since has somehow been as good, if not better, than the best songs on that tape. He’s outta here.

8. MIKE - “Shutter Island”

All of you are wrong about the MIKE half of this album and should go repent.

9. Fox BD - “Baby Bruh”

Fox BD delivers the most fucked up bars (don’t even think you can call them jokes) with such a matter of fact tone that it took me a few listens of his album (one of the best of the year) to even register what he was going for. He plays everything straight, from the disarmingly bleak punchlines to the spit-take inducing ad-lib tags. In this sense, he really feels like the first real Rio da Yung OG successor.

10. Earl Sweatshirt - “rectangle lens”

I HAD WIDE OPEN GILLS FOR THE FLOOD FACE.

Alright, fine. Maybe the Earl side is better. But y’all still bugging about POMPEII idc.

-sincerely cng

5/9: Ponyo (2008, Hayao Miyazaki)

Where: Ragtag Cinema (Columbia, MO)
With who: Akshay
Expectations: Haven’t seen this one! Excited. Also heard great things about this theater from my Columbia native MFA classmates.
Thoughts: Didn’t realize it was the dub going in, which was unfortunate—there were more than a few distractingly recognizable voices lol. Still, what a ride! A riff on The Little Mermaid that speaks to our collective inherent desire to transcend not just our nature, but the natural world itself, and how important it is that we reconcile this potentially self-destructive impulse. It’s a bit redundant (and reductive) to call a Miyazaki film “magical,” but Ponyo captures a specific childlike wonderment in this one that I think is only matched by My Neighbor Totoro, eschewing more cynical commentary for sheer adventurous spirit. To Miyazaki, every single object—animate or otherwise—possesses a spiritual quality worth deifying, and he has spent a lifetime trying to codify this philosophy, make it inextricable from the act of watching his films. His films have never been escapist in nature—in fact, there is no possibility of compartmentalizing our place in this reality when watching a Miyazaki film, only sheer reckoning. Watching Ponyo clarified to me why The Boy and the Heron continues to stick with me like it has: somehow, after a lifetime of trying to split the difference between hiding the medicine in a story aimed at children, or trying to inspire childlike awe in spiritually suspended adults, I find Miyazaki has finally managed to craft a tale which conveys the entire spectrum of existence, the whimsy and the gravitas in equally important measure.

5/10:

The Devil Wears Prada (2006, David Frankel)

Where: Home (HBO)
With who: Akshay and Lekha
Expectations: Never seen! Have obviously heard good things. Going to the sequel tonight for Mother’s Day so figured I’d tap in. Akshay’s first time, too (his only other Anne Hathaway movies have been The Intern and, more recently, Mother Mary). Lekha has seen it a hundred times.
Thoughts: Honestly… kind of a hoot! Emily Blunt, I was unfamiliar with your game (yeah, yeah she’s a solid dramatic actress, but this has me wishing she’d star in a sitcom or something!). Same with Stanley Tucci lol I can see why this shit was quoted to death during my childhood. Ton of memorable characters and moments. Pretty astute about the American workplace and interpersonal dynamics therein.

The Devil Wears Prada 2 (2026, David Frankel)

Where: AMC (East Brunswick, NJ)
With who: Akshay, Amma, Nana, Mili, Lekha
Expectations: idk but the first one was cool!
Thoughts: I dunno man, I forgot to jot some notes down back when we watched it and it’s been almost a month since then and I barely remember anything about it. My Letterboxd review calls it a “gilmore girls a year in the life ass movie,” which I think says it all.

5/12: Goodfellas (1990, Martin Scorsese)

Where: Home (blu ray)
With who: Akshay and Nana
Expectations: Akshay first watch!! Nana has deff seen it before but was having trouble placing it (ridiculous, smh) and wanted to rewatch with us. I wanna watch Casino too with both of ‘em.
Thoughts: Akshay loved it but was thrown off by the ending—classic first time Goodfellas experience. I still go through the same thing with every rewatch. It all worked wonderfully for me this time—as intoxicating as this extended, delirious dream becomes, the crash is as equally sobering, uncomfortable, and entirely mundane. Goodfellas really is the proto-The Wolf of Wall Street in every way, which is what makes the misinterpretation of the latter (claims of “glorification” and negative influence) so frustrating. Scorsese, expecting audiences to be keyed into his ethos—since he’d spent over three decades making the same points about guilt and shame and culpability and hubris—chose to be even less didactic than usual with Wolf—a decision he clearly regrets, if you view the explicit self-critique of The Killers of the Flower Moon ending as a retroactive apology for the complicity of his own works. Anyways, they made this shit look so effortless, man. The set design and costuming/make up across 30 years is absolutely sublime. De Niro is unreal, the definition of aura. Pesci is electric. And, all these years since my first view as a De Niro stan, I can see Liotta really does pull his weight, imbuing the character with several subtle quirks and nervous tics that trace his sociopathy throughout the years. The way he hollers like a hit dog when he’s laughing is nuts. Also, Dr. Melfi!!! Akshay was losing his mind at every Sopranos cast member that popped up on screen (I’d only told him about Lorraine Bracco).

5/18: Michael (2026, Antoine Fuqua)

Where: AMC (New Brunswick, NJ)
With who: Akshay
Expectations: Akshay’s been wanted to peep. Amma almost came with us even though her and nana already saw it while Akshay and I were on our roadtrip. She said she had a blast lol but I think all she cared about was hearing these songs in the theater. Nana said it wasn’t anything special but that Jaafar Jackson did a good job.
Thoughts: I don’t have much to say. I found it offensively bad on so many levels. Even Akshay thought it felt like a “summary of MJ’s life” and “not a real movie.” Insultingly shallow (both as it pertains to the creative process and the family dynamics), irresponsible framing (seriously, what the fuck where they thinking teasing a sequel at the end there?), and some stunningly awful performances to boot (someone needs to save Coleman Domingo—he’s way too talented for this bullshit). Even Jaafar, who is the only saving grace of this whole debacle, ultimately isn’t asked to do much more than a one-note impersonation of his Uncle, forced to shirk any real gravitas. It genuinely felt like I was watching an a.i. prompt that was fed the first ten lines of Michael Jackson’s Wikipedia and asked to stretch it into a two hour “film.” Apparently, the third act was initially going to address the 1993 child sexual abuse allegations that preempted the rest of Jackson’s controversial life—and, to the film’s credit, you can see how they were trying to foreshadow this turn with the focus on Jackson’s own physical abuse at the hands of his father, his arrested development after becoming a child celebrity, and the festering dysmorphia that came to a head after the Pepsi commercial fire—but to rewrite and shot this entire climax and end it on that kind of “cliffhanger” is so morally reprehensible and artistically bankrupt. And even if you ignore all that, these existing elements that could have made for a compelling (if standard) “before the fame” biopic (the abusive family dynamics, the early stardom and success, the self-hate) are presented so superficially, with zero added insight, so as to make you wonder why you’re in this theater and not just listening to his albums in the privacy of your home.

5/19 : Miroirs No. 3 (2025, Christian Petzold)

Where: Princeton Garden Theater (Princeton, NJ)
With who: Vahn, Akshay
Expectations: Hyped to finally see another Petzold, have only ever seen Transit and Phoenix. Vahn rewatch (saw it at the NYFF last year). Akshay’s first Petzold.
Thoughts: What a slight, surreal, oddly therapeutic experience! Personal trauma subsumed by interpersonal malaise and ultimately transformed into life-affirming conviction. Boldly paints every single one of us as well-intentioned, if maladapted, romantics.

5/20:

Shrek (2001, Andrew Adamson & Vicky Jenson)

Where: AMC (New Brunswick, NJ)
With who: Akshay
Expectations: forgot to note - fought with Akshay beforehand over some dumb shit (me being super neurotic about him trying new things & pushing himself, not giving him any credit for all the effort he’s put in over the past year). Said sorry to him as the movie started and ended up crying silently for like the first half hour of the movie lol.
Thoughts: Classic ofc. Peak of American civilization. Akshay said he loved it :’)

The Sheep Detectives (2026, Kyle Balda)

Where: AMC (East Brunswick, NJ)
With who: Akshay, Nana, Amma
Expectations: Forgot to note beforehand, but had heard great things and it seemed like something both amma and nana would like (nana who only ever wants to watch mystery or heist films, and amma who’s been saying she’s sick of violence after two decades of watching Law & Order and all its spin-offs and children (and grandchildren) religiously).
Thoughts: Nice! We all enjoyed it. Would’ve been a real banger if Nicholas Braun could actually act though. To advertise Hugh Jackman and then have Braun bumble around for a majority of the human-led screentime should be grounds for a lawsuit. The film was honestly humming when it was just the sheep on screen. I’ve never seen The Lorax or any of Balda’s other work, but he’s got these cutesy, inoffensive vibes down pat.

5/21: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000, Ang Lee)

Where: AMC New Brunswick
With who: Akshay
Expectations: Akshay’s first time, I really liked it when I finally saw it for the first time a few years back.
Thoughts: Akshay really liked it! Said he recognized Zhang Ziyi from Rush Hour 2 lol. He was as caught off guard as I was my first time by how complex the story gets, said he was expecting something “way goofier” or more “straight action,” and not so “deep.” What I was really taken by this time around was how not convoluted it all is. Despite the never-ending twists and turns, the film retains a poetic quality from its first frames. From the theatrics of the wire-work and hand-to-hand combat to the inspired subtlety of the sound design, Lee dares to sweep the audience up both viscerally and cerebrally, and in the process makes an unexpected spiritual impact as well. That final shot really got under my skin this time, whereas the first time I may have found it a bit goofy. I suspect I’ll have a different read of it with every watch, but I found it so unnerving this time around; literal or symbolic, it’s such a beautiful depiction of the simultaneous pain & joy of shedding your preconceived self.

5/22: Obsession (2025, Curry Barker)

Where: AMC (Freehold, NJ)
With who: Nana and Akshay
Expectations: Vahn was a fan—said he rly loved the lead. Movie’s been going viral. Invited Nana too—we used to go to so many bad R rated horror/gore movies together when I was young.
Thoughts: We all liked it! Though I was maybe not as high on it as my dad or Akshay. Inde Navarrette was fantastic—not just for her physical contortions or full-send line reads, but for the way in which she was able to maintain the humanity of her character despite it all, buffering and seizing up under not just the cosmic weight of the possession, but the psychological torment of being chained to this guy who, very quickly, knows he’s doing some evil shit, but has no intention of stopping. The film, which I found generally uncreative, tries to take the piss out of her character (literally) multiple times, trusting that they could rely on a few strategic moments for empathy, and they’re proven right solely due to Navarrette’s skillful tightrope walk. The film is a tonal mess otherwise, though it’s a lot funnier than I expected (come to find out Barker and Cooper Tomlinson apparently did sketch comedy together before this). To its credit, it’s often laugh out loud funny or scream out loud startling, but it’s never unnerving for long enough to really get under your skin post-viewing. That one bedroom scene where she’s standing in the corner, and that one car scene where he’s on a call with the customer service from hell, were truly unsettling, but that being said, it’s so by the numbers otherwise. I don’t really see what Vahn sees here (he was praising Barker’s aesthetics and made comparisons to Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s Pulse, which to be fair, I haven’t seen yet). There is great art direction, for sure, a carefully curated air of dread, but it’s all at the service of a Goosebumps ass shower thought. And even the (admittedly effective in eliciting yelps of “fuck off” and “fuck no”) execution is ultimately formulaic set up-punchline with no tact, never daring to let the uneasiness truly linger. I guess I’d rather this sort of success go to fresh blood rather than, like, the Ari Aster original starring Joaquin Phoenix and Ana Taylor-Joy that we would’ve gotten in a different timeline, but I don’t find much here to chew on. Akshay pointed out how the movie was about Bear’s obsession more than anything, and thought it should have spent more time exploring the dude’s ego & insecurities, instead of just suggesting it. And I agree! It’s a film about incel mentality that’s more interested in being a comedic creature feature than anything else.

5/25: Is God Is (2026, Aleshea Harris)

Where: AMC (East Brunswick, NJ)
With who: Akshay, Amma, Nana
Expectations: Vahn said it was good and makes some cool choices, esp w/ the soundtrack, but that it was too tv movie visually… I’m excited to see Sterling K. Brown in this kinda role. Not sure if it’ll be too heavy/graphic for Amma, but she decided to come.
Thoughts: Wow, I kind of hated this? Not often I feel like leaving a movie early (considering sitting in a movie theater is akin to returning to the womb for me) but I found myself itching to leave. Visually flat (despite—or due to?—all the flair) and thematically trite. It gets sort of interesting during the climax but then reverts right back to empty provocation with nothing interesting, let alone novel, to stay. The play this is based can’t be any better, can it? Nana thought it was whatever, Amma and Aksahy both thought the ending was “too much.” Only saving grace for me was the chemistry between the two sisters, played by relative newcomers Kara Young and Mallori Johnson, though the insufferably stylized dialogue kept threatening to sour their chemistry. Janelle Monáe kinda went off too, wish she was given more to do (same with Brown, though he was given plenty to do, just nothing of substance).

5/27: I Love Boosters (2026, Boots Riley)

Where: AMC (New Brunswick, NJ)
With who: Akshay
Expectations: Vahn said he kinda hated it lol I remember liking Sorry to Bother You well enough, but have never revisited. Didn’t invite Amma because I heard it gets freaky & she swore to disown me if I ever bring her to any explicit movies. I wanted Nana to come but he ended up staying home with Amma.
Thoughts: Akshay said he liked it even less than Is God Is—found it goofy and cringey. I probably should’ve given him more of a heads up on what Boots Riley is all about, thematically speaking, but I doubt that would’ve made much of a difference since it’s the execution of said ideas that he found grating. I found it more interesting technique-wise than Akshay (the color palette, practical effects, overall Looney Tunes vibe), but the belabored pacing and overly didactic narrative made it such a drag by the end. A string of gags and politically charged quips that builds to toothless wish-fulfillment. I feel like if Riley wants a film like this to inspire hope and action, then he needs to spend less time “educating” (lecturing) and more time making the audience actually feel something. As it stands, his films don’t necessarily do a great of educating the uninitiated anyways (too tongue in cheek when it should be sincere, too dense when it should be simple), ultimately painting the political theory these films are meant to be a vehicle for as fantastical as the rest of the hijinks. But at least Akshay and I left the film talking about socialism and Marxism and dialectical materialism—so, that’s a point for Riley.

5/29: Tenet (2020, Christopher Nolan)

Where: The Roxy (NYC)
With who: Eli, Kevin, Jesse, Mano, Akshay
Expectations: I was a fan of Tenet off rip, having watched it in theaters during Covid. Never understood people’s issues with it—everything, from the muddy sound mix to the overtly ludicrous & self-involved plot, felt like an intentional rebuke of all the overly literal fans Nolan had amassed over the years. My last rewatch, also in theaters, almost made me cry by the end. Saw it was playing at The Roxy on 35 mm (!) and felt like inviting a bunch of the homies to join. This is gonna be Akshay’s third Nolan after Oppenheimer and Memento lol He said he’s excited about seeing Rpats in an action movie (he hasn’t seen the Matt Reeves Batman yet).
Thoughts: This is a movie about becoming and remaining an artist in an increasingly capitalist world; having “faith in the mechanics of the world,” but learning to take things into your own hands, working not against or in spite of your past, but in lockstep with your history so as to forge ahead to a new present, one that you can’t describe but could always intuit. It’s a film about choosing to persist, not merely survive, a declaration that this present moment—which is all there is—is both the catalyst for and the result of all that has happened and has yet to happen. It was such a blast to see this with such close friends, especially those I don’t often get to see in the flesh. Hope to see all of them at the beginning again one day.

5/31: Backrooms (2026, Kane Parsons)

Where: AMC (East Brunswick, NJ)
With who: Nana, Akshay, Rama, Minali
Expectations: Excited! Vahn said he didn’t love it overall, but that he was very impressed by certain aspects. I’m familiar with the original meme of course, but never watched Parsons’s Youtube work.
Thoughts: Okay, so I’ve definitely thought about this movie a bunch since this screening and have now seen a couple interviews with Kane Parsons that lead me to believe he’s got a great head on his shoulders, but this was a bottom three movie going experience of my life—which, ironically, is a pretty good indication that movies are BACK. This shit brought out multiple large groups of children, two of which seemed to be a group of twelve year olds seated right next to us, and an equally immature group of high schoolers seated in front of us. The latter tried to switch seats early on into the film (you know, the tense, quiet VHS intro) and got told off by some other patrons, while the former kept making “funny” sounds every time the movie got quiet and having nonstop dialogue with each other (not even about the film, but whatever they were actively engaging with on their phones). My sis started to get pissed at them but I told her I thought they were really young and we just gotta suck it up. But then after another fifteen minutes of their entirely purposeful disruptions, I loudly told them to “please stop,” to which they burst out laughing and then proceeded to shut up for the rest of the film. Win for unc, I guess. Anyways, I was very impressed with how abstract Parsons was willing to go, even if it’s all undercut by a wonky, unsatisfying structure and glaringly studio-mandated exposition and “world-building.” Still, that this 20 year old kid has something even remotely interesting to say about memory, reality, collective and individual trauma, makes me excited to see what else he’s got rattling around in that noggin of his. Hopefully he doesn’t get relegated to IP hell, a fate he seems acutely aware of in his interviews (though I do hope he makes that rumored Portal movie - first time in my life I’m even mildly intrigued by the prospect of a video game adaptation). What this kid needs more than anything else is like 5 years to watch some real cinema—and, surprisingly, he already seems like the kind of curious person to do so, without my dusty two cents.

FAVORITES (unranked):

1. Ponyo (2008, Hayao Miyazaki)

2. Goodfellas (1990, Martin Scorsese)

3. Miroirs No. 3 (2025, Christian Petzold)

4. Shrek (2001, Andrew Adamson & Vicky Jenson)

5. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000, Ang Lee)

6. Tenet (2020, Christopher Nolan)

LEAST FAVORITES (ranked):

1. Michael (2026, Antoine Fuqua)

2. Is God Is (2026, Aleshea Harris)

Damn, I was kinda harsh about this month up top but after seeing it all laid out like this… it wasn’t too shabby! There was just a streak of mid-to-awful screenings towards the end of the month that left a sour taste, I guess… And now, seeing it up there next to the genuinely putrid Michael, I feel like I’m being way too harsh about Is God Is (and not harsh enough about Obsession, or Backrooms, or, like, The Sheep Detective lol).

-sincerely cng

I wrote & recorded a majority of CAVES over the course of 2024, as I traveled to remote locations around the states, self-isolating out of habit, and harboring a newfound desire to transmute my inherent loner tendencies into something beautiful. Not for nothing, I think I succeeded with the album. But this film, which is essentially an experimental “making of” documentary accompaniment to the album, does an even better job of capturing the essence of what I think I’ll spend my entire life trying to adequately convey: community is everything. It won’t look the same for everyone, but our only purpose on this planet is to pour into each other.

I originally wanted to drop this along with the album, but I got too nervous. Can you blame me? It’s nearly an hour and a half of meditative meandering. I thought about hosting a screening - or even trying to replicate my “caves” experience with some sort of performance piece where people could only buy tickets to watch this solo, one at a time (maybe I’d even perform the songs for the audience of one! I’m only half-kidding) - but the thought of putting myself out there like that also made me too nervous.

But, hey! Here we are, a year later, more certain than ever that this is the exact kind of stuff I should be making and releasing and standing on. Here’s to better managing my nerves and releasing things in a more timely manner moving forward - maybe I’ll even have a proper screening (gasp!) for the next one. Until then: be kind, be brave, find salvation in your caves and come out warriors of light!

-sincerely cng

SOUNDCLOUD

YOUTUBE

the warrior of light chooses to persist; despite, in spite, and in conjunction with ego... the warrior of light is not a warrior at all; a child, with a heart overlarge and hope, resilient and true... strengthened by love, and emboldened by forgiveness, the warrior of light offers their life to this here art; the art of living is resolved with a resounding round of applause... the light washes over us all!

credits:
1. cherish (prod. by rezzy)
2. PURE (WTF) (prod. by chebhawk)
3. do gooder (prod. by chebhawk)
4. the buck stops here! (prod. by de tovenaar)

-sincerely cng

4/1: Cure (1997, Kiyoshi Kurosawa)

Where: Princeton Garden Theater (Princeton, NJ)
With who: Akshay
Expectations: Saw this for the first time in 2024 and loved it. Still have only seen two Kiyoshi joints, this and Cloud. Akshay’s first, but we’re going to IFC tomorrow for Chime and the OG Serpents Path so this screening couldn’t have come at a better time.
Thoughts: Yessir! Akshay loved it, “the vibe, the performances, the confusing ending.” What a sinister, insidious, gnawing film. Better than every one of the films it’s influenced because it allows itself to become mesmerized by the very evil it attempts to diagnose. The film all but throws its hands up by the end, declaring some shit too evil to even attempt to intellectualize.

4/2: Chime (2025, Kiyoshi Kurosawa)

Where: IFC
With who: Akshay
Expectations: Cloud was great, but Vahn says this is even better.
Thoughts: Jeez… Where does this guy pull this stuff from?? And what the fuck is his problem? If Cure attempted to diagnose turn of the century social malaise, Chime eschews all pretense and lays bare Kiyoshi’s longstanding hypothesis: we’re all cosmically fucked and there’s no explaning away any of this. Modern society creates spiritual distance which fosters unending rage. Violence begets violence begets violence. I’m not sure if I agree with Vahn that this is better than Cloud, though it is clearly the more refined cinematic exercise of the two, but that speaks more to my narrative tastes than anything else.

Serpent’s Path (1998, Kiyoshi Kurosawa)

Where: IFC
With who: Akshay
Expectations: Vahn says both are good but he likes this version more than the 2024 remake. Thoughts: Okay, I don’t know if the Kiyoshi heads are gonna feel me but this might be my favorite of the four I’ve seen so far?? Where I find certain aspects of Cure too broad, even melodramatic at times, this inherently soapy premise somehow finds even more surreal psychic depths to dredge. And it’s all done in the same off-the-cuff unfussy manner, understated to the point of being mistaken as slight, but brimming below the surface with an abundance of cinematic and philosophical ideas. I would love to watch this again some time soon.

4/3: The Drama (2026, Kristoffer Borgli)

Where: AMC (New Brunswick, NJ)
With who: Akshay, Nana, Minali, Amma
Expectations: Seeing mixed reviews, but Rpatz and Zendaya, man.. I have no choice but to tap in…
Thoughts: Okay, so we all had a fun time with it, but I’ll be honest, this shit has only gotten worse the more I’ve thought about it. Just so toothless. No bite. And sort of cowardly, all things considered, meek and noncommittal in the face of all the big, bold questions it raises (about guilt, shame, accountability, acceptance, love, race and gender). First thing my sister said after we left was that it would’ve been nice if the film actually explored any of the themes it brushes up against. The Drama poses a bunch of admittedly interesting questions early on, but then, instead of attempting to answer them like an adult, it proceeds to string together a bunch of South Park-grade bits meant to tantalize a discourse-obsessed audience. There is no art to the craft, just smoke and mirrors meant to signify prestige when, in reality, the material is plainly pedestrian. Also, the director is definitely a pedo and this film is definitely a way to smuggle in his morally bankrupt POV under the guise of a crowd-pleasing romcom. Fun performances though (I, for one, happen to hink Alana Haim is a good actress).

4/5: Raging Bull (1980, Martin Scorsese)

Where: Home (blu ray)
With who: Akshay
Expectations: Continuing to open my blu ray collection with Akshay has been so much fun. He went for Raging Bull right off rip, but then got distracted by Malcolm X, Silence, Kundun, Barry Lyndon… Eventually narrowed it down to Raging Bull, Before Sunrise, Chungking Express, Memories of Murder, and Goodfellas (which he felt he wasn’t “ready for”). I threw Do the Right Thing in there. And then we used a randomizer which landed on Marty. Ahh the thrill of watching another Scorsese! Ooh boy. This is what life’s about. I forget if I’ve mentioned this before (and I’m sure I’ll mention it again a million times before this blog comes to an end), but my top 5 films at, like, 17 used to be Taxi Driver, Goodfellas, Raging Bull, The Godfather Part II, and There Will Be Blood lmao.
Thoughts: We started the film pretty late and Akshay was super sleepy by the end. Said that it felt long but that the acting was great. Talked about it more the next morning and he was saying how shocked he was by the sadness De Niro shows at times, like after losing the fixed match and in the jail cell. Also loved Pesci’s performance. Can’t wait to continue watching more Scorsese with bro.

4/6: The Killer (1989, John Woo)

Where: AMC (New Brunswick, NJ)
With who: Akshay
Expectations: Loved Face/Off when I saw it for the first time a couple years ago. Been waiting for a chance to finally watch more Woo. Mad Nana and Amma couldn’t make it (Amma wasn’t feeling well).
Thoughts: Fire. Akshay spent the whole film slowly realizing that this (and probably other Woo films) have inspired mad shit he’s seen, everything from anime to this Telugu movie, called Athadu, that he used to watch on DVD as a kid, every day during the summer while having lunch with his friend. I loved how homoerotic this shit was. That’s the real problem with American action movies. Not nearly gay enough. I gotta watch more John Woo, man.

4/7: Before Sunset (2004, Richard Linklater)

Where: Home (blu ray)
With who: Akshay
Expectations: Bro what a day. I’ve been trying to shoot a short film with my folks for the past year, but we’ve only had a chance to do two small shoots so far. Today was shoot #3 for Buji Pandu, and the first with all hands on deck - Vahn as DP, Dave and Akshay as ADs, with Dave’s Sony Fx3 and on location at my dad’s friend’s pool hall, with my dad and his other buddy, Prakash Mama, acting… All very surreal to be honest. Everyone’s energy was so great. I felt so in sync with Dave and Vahn, even though this was the first time the three of us have done something like this. Really felt like the universe was aligned. Nana only told me afterwards that he was mad nervous about messing up and “wasting” our time. He very rarely expresses his feelings like this - the power of art!! The power of cinema!! He’s got nothing to worry bout though cuz he’s got aura oozing out his pores. Akshay was locked in too. Beautiful to see. And humbling for it all to have been at the service of some ideas I’ve been daydreaming about for the past year. And now we’re watching this shit?? Whew!! We flipped a coin between this and Chungking Express - I’m glad it landed on this, though I do wanna show him Chungking soooooon. Akshay really liked the first one (both characters were the same age as he is now!) and I’m curious how this clicks for him.
Thoughts: Akshay loved it! He’s eager to watch the third one, wondering if it’ll be a “happy ending”. Oh boy. Before Midnight has always been my favorite of the three, but the ending to this one is so transcendent. Undeniable stuff. Makes you swoon, frfr.

4/8: The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928, Carl Theodor Dreyer)

Where: Princeton Garden Theater (Princeton, NJ)
With who: Akshay
Expectations: Akshay’s very curious! He’s been wanting to watch more “historical” films - not necessarily older films, but films about history. This happens to be both! Can’t believe we’re coming up on 100 years. I only watched this for the first time a couple years back and was blown away by the compositions - how intimate the staging is and how that only heightens the feeling of dread.
Thoughts: I wasn’t aware this showing had a live accompaniment! I forget what version I watched my first time. Something that was, understandably, way more operatic than what this trio of musicians was able to conjure up. Still, they did a great job of matching the film’s melodramatic structure. I gotta watch Bresson’s version stat, I’m so curious to see what he cooked up after shitting all over this version lol. Akshay loved the “crazy close ups” and the live score, and was commenting on how ridiculous it was that all of the men in the film were acting like they were powerless when they all had the power to save her.

4/10: 2024 CAVES (2026, Narsimha Gour Chintaluri)

Where: Home
With who: Akshay
Expectations: A long time coming. I haven’t shown anyone this since I made it last year. We are about to leave for our month long road trip tomorrow so it only feels right. He also recently asked what it’s like to raw dog life for long periods of time and I was like, wait, I have just the film for you.
Thoughts: I get why I’ve been so insecure about releasing this or even showing anyone, but at the same time, I really do have something I’m tryna say, even if it’s too heavy for me to fully articulate. Akshay said its an “acquired taste of course,” but called it a “moving meditation” and said he loved all the interesting shots. I might gotta properly release this soon. One year anniversary of CAVES, the album, is right around the corner…

4/13: The Terminator (1984, James Cameron)

Where: Chicago Airbnb (HBO)
With who: Akshay
Expectations: First movie of the road trip! Spun a wheel to choose between Ex Machina, Game Night, Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai, The Terminator, Chronicle, and In Another Country lolol Don’t think I’ve seen The Terminator since I was like a pre-teen? I’m an Avatar stan at this point so I’m excited to revisit.
Thoughts: We both started to fall asleep towards the end (a fifteen hour train ride will do that to you!) and finished it the next morning. Crazy to see how far James Cameron has come. Crazy how good of a movie he made with three objectively bad leads lmao.

4/14: Hoppers (2026, Daniel Chong)

Where: AMC (River East) (Chicago, IL)
With who: Akshay
Expectations: Vahn was hype about this (always surprises me he’s a Pixar stan) Reviews look good. This AMC we came to is pretty sick!! Even nicer than the ones in NYC fr. Seems like there are a ton of spacious yet intimately designed rooms with high quality screens and seating. Oh shit, they even have seat warmers lmao I’m always torn between wanting a theater to be bare bones and almost slightly uncomfortable, so people don’t treat it like their living rooms, and this sort of luxury experience. I will say, these seat warmers feel like a godsend after spending the day walking around the city.
Thoughts: Akshay thought it was just “good”, but I think it was great!! said great Akshay said good lol It’s like Avatar for kindergarteners (extremely compliminary). I wanna run it back!

4/15:

So Can I (1975, Abbas Kiarostami)

Two Solutions to One Problem (1975, Abbas Kiarostami)

Homework (1989, Abbas Kiarostami)

Where: Doc Films (Chicago, IL)
With who: Akshay
Expectations: Excited to visit Doc Films with Akshay! This Homework screening, accompanied by two shorts from the 70s, is surprisingly being shown for free! Wish I knew about Doc Films back when he was going to school in Chicago. But, to be fair, he wasn’t the burgeoning cinephile he is now back then. Everything happens at the right time! These are gonna be his first Abbas joints after all the hype from me and Vahn. He said he has no idea what to expect, despite all the yapping I’ve done - which, I mean, good. It’s hard to verbalize anyways. I’ve never seen any of these, but I love how Kiarostami directs kids. And with my own substitute teaching arc - and the Buji Pandu production - in full effect, feels like this couldn’t have come at a better time.
Thoughts: Great introduction for Akshay, who said he loved all three but is now even more confused as to what a proper feature film by Kiarostami is gonna be like. I felt myself drifting during Homework, but the ending took my breath away. Kiarostami has such an understated technique, incisive and patient, always lucid, even when playfully convoluted. Also, I was shocked by how much the editing style of Two Solutions to One Problem reminded me of Wes Anderson!

4/20: Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009, Wes Anderson)

Where: Estes Park, CO Airbnb (Disney+)
With who: Akshay
Expectations: Seen it so many time but Akshay is hype and we saw an actual fox today on our hike so fuck it let’s screen!! Imma try to watch as if it’s my first. Shouldn’t be hard with my high ass. Akshay said, “My man is in this! What’s his name? G something…” He was talkin’ bout Geroge Clooney (who he’s been a fan of since O Brother Where Art Thou lmao).
Thought: Akshay thought it was a bit simple for him and didn’t realize it’d be a kid movie? I, on the other hand, fell in love all over again. I always thought the interpersonal dynamics here (amongst family, friends, coworkers, coconspirators) were so sharp. Rings more true to me than most of Anderson’s non-animated works!

4/21: Catch Me If You Can (2002, Steven Spielberg)

Where: Estes Park, CO Airbnb (Pluto TV)
With who: Akshay
Expectations: Akshay wanted to pick some directors and let me choose the films. Ended up naming six directors (PTA, Speilberg, Bong Joon Ho, Wes Anderson, Nolan, Scorsese), for which I chose Magnolia, Catch Me If You Can, The Host, The Royal Tenenbaums, Tenet, The Color of Money. We also threw The Sopranos in there because that’s the next show I been wanting to show him. The wheel landed on The Color of Money but it wasn’t anywhere on streaming (neither was Tenet which it landed on next), so we ended up going with Catch Me If You Can lol I’ve only seen this once before, when I was in high school and started to become a Leo fan. Don’t remember much, outside of the fact that it’s a sort of true (super embellished, if not outright fake) story. I was telling Akshay that from what I remember, Leo’s performance kind of has the same energy as Timmy in Marty Supreme.
Thoughts: Cut it short cuz there were so many damn ads & we were both pretty tired from the day, but finished it the next morning. Akshay liked it! Me too, of course - Leo’s performance is too charismatic not to get swept up. It’s got the scope and tenor of a Scorsese film, but it’s too melodramatic and overly sentimental for me. And I honestly found the visual style distracting (even grating at times). Idk! Maybe it was just the way we watched it. Would prolly eat my words if I ever got to see it in a theater lol

4/25: CODA (2021, Sian Heder)

Where: Estes Park, CO (Apple TV)
With who: Akshay
Expectations: Forgot to note, MFA watch
Thoughts: I really liked the lead performance! Actually, the entire family + the music teacher were all great! I just didn’t like how myopic the mother was written to be. I think they were going for a mix of overprotective, codependent, jealous, but instead just made her out to be unreasonably antagonistic. The entire premise feels forced - here you have a deaf working class family of fishermen, but the entire story is about how they’re incapable of understanding why their saint of a daughter might want to go off into the world one day? Forget singing, did they just think she’d never want to go to college? Get married? Did they never have any other hopes or dreams or ambitions for her outside of helping them with their shit? In this film, where every basic, reasonable emotion is treated like a shock, I guess so…

4/26: Mother Mary (2026, David Lowery)

Where: Cineplex (Colorado Springs, CO)
With who: Akshay
Expectations: Idk, Green Knight (the only Lowery I’ve seen) was visually interesting but emotionally flat and a bit of a drag overall. Vahn was hatin’ on this without having seen it because despite casting his goat, FKA Twigs, Lowery was in interviews talking about how Taylor Swift concerts inspired him, and that didn’t sit well with him lmao. Akshay is excited because the only Anne Hathaway film he’s seen has been The Intern (which was also the only De Niro he’d seen up until these recent months lol)
Thoughts: Man… that was some mid. An offensively cheesy tale about creative partnership/friendship/love and the blurred lines therein. Neutered body horror, distracting edit, and non-existent sense of rhythm and pacing. Twigs renegade tho maybe I gotta watch The Crow.

4/29: Old Joy (2006, Kelly Reichardt)

Where: San Luis, CO Airbnb (HBO)
With who: Akshay
Expectations: Was an early favorite Kelly of mine. Excited to show Akshay, feel like it’ll be super relevant to the times (both of us have been trekking around Colorado for the past week and a half, bonding as his time in the States comes to an end, but also trying to shoot stuff for this short film idea I have).
Thoughts: This film has seeped deep into my subconscious since I first watched it. Pacific Northwest Malady. Having now seen a handful of Apichatpong films as well, I feel like I’m just generally drawn to stories about fleeting/missed connections/reconnections, told with consideration for the spiritual toll they take. Akshay drifted in and out many times (he had drank a 100mg THC drink earlier in the evening because apparently bro is a tank and edibles “don’t work” on him), but said what he was able to take in was “nice” lol

FAVORITES (unranked):

1. Cure (1997, Kiyoshi Kurosawa)

2. Chime (2025, Kiyoshi Kurosawa)

3. Serpent’s Path (1998, Kiyoshi Kurosawa)

4. Raging Bull (1980, Martin Scorsese)

5. The Killer (1989, John Woo)

6. Before Sunset (2004, Richard Linklater)

7. The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928, Carl Theodor Dreyer)

8. Hoppers (2026, Daniel Chong)

9. Two Solutions to One Problem (1975, Abbas Kiarostami)

10. Homework (1989, Abbas Kiarostami)

11. Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009, Wes Anderson)

12. Old Joy (2006, Kelly Reichardt)

LEAST FAVORITES (unranked):

1. The Drama (2026, Kristoffer Borgli)

2. Mother Mary (2026, David Lowery)

-sincerely cng

since apparently just sharing links to the music i love with the people i love is insufficient, i will now attempt to make mixes of the stuff im listening to, typically featuring an array of artists, but occasionally spotlighting a singular fixation. we all know more micro-curation and less self-driven digging/discovery/engagement is the answer to our cultural malaise. i sound bitter, i know. but i promise i had fun making this and you’ll have fun listening to it. generally speaking, i have been wanting to make more mixes, if not exactly DJ, so i should just shut up and embrace this opportunity to get better at the craft (i have no craft at the moment - i just sequence the songs in Audacity and add some slight transitions when appropriate). all that being said…

There isn’t much out there about iYRUS yet - a 20-something Nigerian-American rapper based out of Philly, who sounds like he came of age during the first Culture rollout. He refers to himself as the “Igbo boy”, poses with the Nigerian flag draped over his face, and often reps Young Thug’s label, YSL. He’s dropped a trilogy of tapes over the past six months, and has over twice as many songs scattered across his Soundcloud page and the pages of fellow collaborators and producers. I’ve been pretty obsessed with the kid’s distinctive voice and infectious energy since I ran i for the first time about a month ago. This kid could be 21 or 31 with the way he draws inspiration from very specific pockets of 2010s Atlanta: the auto-tuned ad-libs seem deliberately keyed into Quavo’s Culture-era preset (the monastic humming, the low-octave “yeahs” and “heys” and other robotic beeps and boops that I can’t exactly verbalize); the self-effacing swag rap recalls I Came from Nothing-era Thug (“I’m rocking tight ass skinny jeans, it’s making my ASS hurt,” he confesses on “Bag Secured”); and the moody, atmospheric rags-to-riches cinematics feel explicitly modeled after Gunna’s underdog mixtape trilogy, Drip Season. If you know me, you know why I feel like this shit was made in a lab for me. It’s homage-rap, sure, but it sounds less like shameless replication and more like a well-studied championing of a curated aesthetic. As of now, the content is mostly just swaggy drip-talk - even the Igbo identity that he so proudly reps begins to feel more like a costume than a sincere element of his ethos - but there are occasional flashes of autobiographical detail that make it obvious that iYRUS has a story tell. One that I’m more than ready to hear.

Read below for SPOILERS aka a tracklist, with producer credits as best as I could decipher (for example, i believe PERIOD5IVE, involved in a lot of the more ambient production, is now going by SNAXS808?)…

SPOILERS:
Live at Washington D.C. (Intro)
1. Igbo Man (prod. by MaxFlames x Neilaworld)
2. Belvedere (prod. by Nova x Sleepyxi x PERIOD5IVE (SNAXS808))
3. Sampan On Tuesday (prod. by Nova & Vuko)
4. BIP (prod. by iYRUS x Nova)
5. Morimoto (prod. by Nova x PERIOD5IVE (SNAXS808))
6. State Lines (prod. by Project)
7. khrome@thegallery (prod. by iYRUS x Nova)
8. Bag Secured (prod. by Chi Chi)
9. Spam ft. Zukenee (prod. by Truebeatzz & drewmfs)
10. Noise ft. diamond* (prod. by PROJECT4PLAY)
11. 2hollis (prod. by cppo x vuko)
12. Scarlett Johansson (prod. by vuko)
13. Wonka (prod. by safari x kesh x iYRUS)
14. RickBoots (prod. by vuko x dutchboy x PERIOD5IVE (SNAXS808))
15. Balmain Swag (prod. by Cade + nova + o2andres)
16. Designer Problemz (prod. by cade + revisitingearth + ero)
17. xSport (prod. by shaungobrazy x back2bally x PERIOD5IVE (SNAXS808))
18. phd (prod. by nova x iyrus x dregotbanned)
19. Habibi (prod. by PROJECT4PLAY)
20. Mercy (prod. by PERIOD5IVE (SNAXS808))
21. pdiddy (prod. by boyred x vuko)
22. 44A (prod. by nova x envy x PERIOD5IVE (SNAXS808))
23. window (prod. by nova)
24. 5STARWHiP (prod. by PERIOD5IVE (SNAXS808))
25. Goyizzy (prod. by nova)
26. Lying Ass Girl (prod. by nova)
27. i luv botched bodies (prod. by iYRUS x nova)
28. Get Money (prod. by vuko)
29. fukdafeds (prod. by vuko x boyred)
30. 4:48 am (prod. by thaddparis)

-sincerely cng

Non Rap Albums (2025) (UNRANKED):

1. Cameron Winter - Heavy Metal (Dec ‘24 release)

2. Dijon - Baby

3. yeule - Evangelical Girl is a Gun

4. FKA Twigs - EUSEXUA & AFTERGLOW

5. Olivia Dean - The Art of Loving

6. Blood Orange - Essex Honey

7. DORIS - electric hot (Single)

8. Oklou - choke enough

9. PinkPantheress - Fancy That

10. Selvnatt- Empty Life EP

11. Novulent- BEFORE EVOLUTION (Single)

12. Rosalia - LUX

13. Geese - Getting Killed

14. Oneohtrix Point Never - Tranquilizer

15. Rochelle Jordan - Through the Wall

16. Anysia Kym - Purity

17. Smerz - Big city life

18. Wednesday - Bleeds

19. aya - hexed!

Fav rap new to me (2020, or older) (UNRANKED):

1. MIKE - tears of joy (2019)

2. Navy Blue - Àdá Irin (2020)

3. ANKHLEJOHN - As Above So Below (2020)

4. Estee Nack & Al.divino - Triple Black Diamonds (2016)

5. Pig the Gemini - Destined (2016)

6. SpaceGhostPurrp - Blvcklvnd Radio 66.6 (2011)

7. Papo2oo4 - Ballaholic (2020)

8. Scarface - The World is Yours (1993)

9. Soulja Slim - Give it 2 Em Raw (1998)

10. 1100 Himself - Funk Theft Auto (2020)

11. Aesop Rock & TOBACCO - Malibu Ken (2019)

12. Sleepy Hallow - DON’T SLEEP (2019)

First Listens (non rap, not incl. 2025) (FAVORITES BOLDED):

1. Steve Reich, Richard Maxfield, Pauline Oliveros - New Sounds in Electronic Music (1967)

2. Lulo Reinhardt & Latin Swing Project - Bawo! (2013)

3. Louis Jordan - Somebody Up There Digs Me (1956)

4. Harold Budd - The Pavilion of Dreams (1978)

5. Roxy Music - Roxy Music (1972)

6. Ichiko Aoba - Kamisori Otome (2010)

7. Ichiko Aoba - Origami (2011)

8. Angie Stone - Black Diamond (1999)

9. Beach House - Teen Dream (2010)

10. Bats (Perth) - Truthless Faithless (2017)

11. Hype Williams - Find Out What Happens When People Stop Being Polite, And Start Gettin Reel (2010)

12. Roxy Music - For Your Pleasure (1973)

13. Nico - The End (1974)

14. Off Minor - The Heat Death of the Universe (2003)

15. Oneohtrix Point Never - Magic Oneohtrix Point Never (2020)

16. Unwound - Leaves Turn Inside You (2001)

17. Sun Organ - Sun Organ (2019)

18. Sun Organ - Your Doomed (2017)

19. Marvin Gaye - What’s Going On (1971)

20. The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds (1966)

21. King Krule - 6 Feet Beneath the Moon (2013)

22. Wolf Alice - My Love is Cool (2015)

23. Julee Cruise - Floating Into the Night (1989)

24. Hail the Sun - New Age Filth (2021)

25. Turnstile - Nonstop Feeling (2015)

26. Turnstile & Mallgrab - Share a View EP (2020)

27. Oklou- Avril (2014)

28. The Beach Boys - Surf’s Up (1971)

29. Mazzy Star - Among My Swan (1996)

30. Moodyman - Black Mahogani (2004)

31. Dorando - Let My People Go

Try & Fail (2025):

1. Osamason - Jump Out

   1. He just doesn’t grab me like he used to! I feel for the massive hard drive leaks he’s had to put up with, but I feel like he’s traded rapping well for being the defacto “torch bearer” or whatever for this style of deafening rage music. Time for a new trick imo.

2. Nine Vicious

   1. Empty-headed aping pushed to vapid extremes - sounds more interesting on paper than it actually is in execution. Liked a song or two early on but his whole shtick got tired so quick. Reheated Whole Lotta Red. Weightless Young Thug cosplay. Neither as endearing nor as abrasive as it should be.

3. Feng - What The Feng

4. 1300Saint - ALL HAIL & SAVIOR

   1. He’s good for like two songs per tape though, no hate

5. Ken Carson

   1. Apes everyone from his influences to his peers, lyrics are nonsense, I don’t care about the production value, and none of it is interesting enough to carry the amount of bullshit on these last couple outings. I feel like if you’re gonna shun coherence outright, you gotta possess some base level charm or something, man…

6. 2hollis - Star

   1. “burn” & “girl” were kinda cool

7. Sleepinrelics - As Within, So Without

   1. Cool ideas!

8. Diorvsyou - So C**t

   1. Liked other shit I’ve heard enough but, like, dude just isn’t that memorable to me. Nondescript as hell. “Outta Hea” and “1 Mistake” and “Royal Rumble” are cool But even when he does something interesting, it doesn’t feel natural…

9. LAZER DIM 700 - Sins Aloud & GANGWAY

   1. Hurts me to admit that maybe Injoy was a fluke?? I don’t enjoy hearing LAZER search for hooks. I like when every third couplet is catchy enough to be a hook. “Dripp” sounds like Famous Dex (derogatory). There’s no urgency anymore. GANGWAY is better, more loose, but still feels like the gleefulness is missing - even the “fawks” sound deflated as hell.

10. Gunna - The Last Wun

11. Kevin Gates :( Was excited to tap back in after his Youngboy feature, but this is really some unc shit

12. Reezy X

    1. He’s technically solid and aping a sound I like, plus I like the people he collabs with, but I just don’t find his work compelling (yet, I guess)…

13. Offset - HAUNTED BY FAME

14. Thirteendegrees ° - BLACK FRIDAYZ

    1. Literally the first tape of his I don’t outright love. I gotta run it back to see if I’m missing something, but none of these songs have stuck with me.

15. Rio Da Yung OG x Bfb Da Packman - Olympic Shit Talkin

    1. Rio been on a tear, but this one’s just not for me. Generally not a Bfb fan to begin with.

16. TopOppGen

    1. Not for me same way Juice wasn’t rly for me. Surface level emo cosplay. Some cool production choices. I liked “bones and all”. “kms” and “affectionate” too. “They say it’s a big ocean, but you my lil' fish.” Okay, he’s definitely rappin on here. Interested to hear how he evolves, for sure. Even Youngboy was spotty for me until that run before the debut album. Also, Roddy Ricch’s vocal inflections have such a strong grip on the younger generation, lol

17. Boosie Badazz x YoungBoy Never Broke Again - 225 Business

Best Performances for the Worst Written Characters (2025):

1. Gerard Butler, Den of Thieves 2: Pantera

   1. What the fuck was this sequel? It was like they all collectively hallucinated the plot day by day, except for Butler, who they kept forgetting was even in the film until day of and was only given his sides half-hour prior to shooting. He swaggers through it regardless, though, because that’s what movie stars do.

Some Things I’m Proud of (2025):

1. Started interviewing and freelancing again!

2. And substitute teaching :’)

3. Released an album, two EPs, and a handful of music videos throughout the year

4. Wholeheartedly put my art out there for the first time

5. Collaborated with more artists

6. Began filming Buji Pandu

7. Got a short story published in the Garfield Lake Review

-sincerely cng

warrior of light ep so so soon.

-sincerely cng

Anyways, I’m already late on posting this, so let’s just dive in…

3/1/26: Fruitvale Station (2013, Ryan Coogler)

Where: AMC (New Brunswick, NJ)
With who: Akshay
Expectations: Remember thinking it was maybe too melodramatic or something when I was younger, despite being moved by MBJ’s performance and Coogler’s intimate direction. Very curious to rewatch after all these years and in context of how both of their careers have developed.
Thoughts: Earnest, heartfelt, and heartwrenching. The soapiness is more than earned, and Coogler should be praised for how he makes you really sit with the reality of Oscar Grant’s premature death. MBJ had a tendency to come across a bit stilted when he was younger, but I feel like he’s really begun to outgrow that self-consciousness and would love for him and Coogler to tackle something grounded again (not necessarily some serious drama either — I could see them making a great family comedy together!).

3/2: Oscar Nominated Shorts: Animation

The Three Sisters (2024, Konstantin Bronzit)

Forevergreen (2025, Nathan Engelhardt & Jeremy Spears)

The Girl Who Cried Pearls (2025, Chris Lavis & Maciek Szczerbowski)

Butterfly (2024, Florence Miailhe)

Retirement Plan (2024, John Kelly)

Where: Princeton Garden Theater
With who: Akshay and Hawk
Expectations: Forgot to note but was curious, esp for Akshay and his own drawing/animation journey. I’ve never watched a panel of nominated films like this before lol
Thoughts: Really cool experience! All of ‘em were dope, but Akshay and I felt Butterfly had the coolest art style. Retirement Plan resonated the most with me personally as it just so happens to be the same kinda seize the day messaging that I been tryna preach to Akshay on a daily basis (I missed the first few minutes because I had to pee, and he basically whispered as much to me when I sat back down). Forevergreen and The Girl Who Cried Pearls both had great stories (a feature version of the former would definitely get me to cry lmao). The Three Sisters was funny (and I liked the detailed ambiance of the art style) but, like, what was the point? Did I miss something? It’s just about three horny old goats?

3/3: Send Help (2026, Sam Raimi)

Where: AMC (Freehold, NJ)
With who: Akshay and Vahn
Expectations: Idk looks fun. Glad Raimi’s back in the mix. I’ve still never seen Evil Dead smh.
Thoughts: Lmao kind of a riot? Sat down stoned as fuck and couldn’t tell if I was being punked or not for the entire first act (complinetary). Raimi and the writers (Damian Shannon and Mark Swift) didn’t seem to know where to take the story (or how straight to play this absurd premise), which resulted in nagging tonal inconsistencies, but Rachel McAdams (queen) and Dylan O’Brien (who I was only vaguely familiar with beforehand) both fully, fully commit. Need to watch it again at home ASAP.

3/8: Frownland (2007, Ronald Bronstein)

Where: Home
With who: Akshay
Expectations: Forgot to note. MFA watch. Curious about ground zero for the Safdie/Bronstein era
Thoughts: Like if Buster Bluth was born into a lower middle class family and kicked out of the nest too young. It’s endearing enough, but also takes one too many tangents to really coalesce. Wish Bronstein kept at it, but I heard him say in a discussion with Josh Safdie once how much of a herculean feat getting this thing made was, and how much he didn’t like the version of himself that got it made. This sort of hyper self-critical neurosis is on full display here, admirably, for better or worse. I gotta finally watch Daddy Longlegs.

3/9: Train Dreams (2025, Clint Bentley)

Where: Princeton Garden Theater (Princeton, NJ)
With who: Akshay
Expectations: Everyone’s been ranting and raving about this one. Never heard of Clint Bentley. Heard it’s based on a great novella? I know Vahn and I were talking about it potentially just being Malick-lite, but Jennifer (one of my classmates) said she loved it, so I’m curious!
Thoughts: It was… okay? Egerton does moving work but every beat was spoon fed, either by the mind-numbingly redundant voiceover or the obvious visual storytelling. The book can’t have been this superficial could it?

3/13: Harold and Maude (1971, Hal Ashby)

Where: Showroom Cinemas (Asbury Park, NJ)
With who: Akshay
Expectations: forgot to note but fell in love w this few years ago excited to show Akshay
Thoughts: brazen to the point of being hokey at times but still so beautiful. Akshay loved it

3/15: Project Hail Mary (2026, Phil Lord & Christopher Miller)

Where: AMC Lincoln Square (NYC)
With who: Akshay and Minali
Expectations: Reserved tickets for 70mm at Lincoln Square a while back (not 70mm IMAX). Definitely willing to run it back if it’s as good as the early raves make it out to be. I finally read the book after a coworker recommended it two years ago and thought it was generally interesting, despite the freshman humor and cadence. Not really confident the film is gonna be any more compelling, but Vahn has been excited to see what Lord and Miller have been cookin’ up.
Thoughts: Gimme a fuckin’ break. If this is the middleground for blockbuster “event” cinema we have to accept post-Marvel then maybe we should just burn everything to the ground and start anew. Somehow both more juvenile and more dramatically inert than the book. Felt so proud when Akshay started roasting it for trying to evoke 2001 (which he just saw for the first time, on 70mm, the other month). Mili also said it didn’t really connect for her logically or emotionally lol. I genuinely don’t understand what everyone else is seeing in this one other than something inoffensive and easy to digest. I guess we’re all just that starved of light-hearted, hopeful romps. Maybe it could’ve been something if it was packaged entirely differently. Ryan Gosling — doing his best Shah Rukh Khan impression — and Rocky’s puppeteer, James Ortiz, are innocent. Well, actually, I take that back for Gosling. He gets one — maybe two — more slops like this and Barbie before I demand he get back in his bag.

3/17:

Sirāt (2025, Oliver Laxe)

Where: IFC (NYC)
With who: Akshay
Expectations: Forgot to note. Was intrigued by the mixed reception I’d seen and Akshay and I both thought the synopsis sounded hard. Wasn’t familiar with Oliver Laxe.
Thoughts: Damn we both really liked it! Felt like if Vahn directed Sorcerer lol Cool technique, awesome sound design, and a taught edit. But if Sorcerer is the apparent touchstone, then there is a subtextual finesse that is entirely missing from this film.

Days and Nights in the Forest (1970, Satyajit Ray)

Where: Film Forum (NYC)
With who: Akshay
Expectations: Damn, my first Ray! Akshay too. Nana — who’s seen Pather Panchali and maybe one or two others when he was younger — says he hasn’t heard of this one. New 4K restoration.
Thoughts: Loved it. The Wes Anderson intro was really revealing — he admitted to straight up jacking the ice breaker game from this for Asteroid City. I found the whole thing disarmingly funny, incisive social critiques, and shot with admirable care for the frame. Really inspiring stuff, especially the way Ray seems to turn the setting (the space and its inhabitants) into the main character. Also, and this is neither here nor there, but that pan to the passing trees early on, before those beautiful hand-drawn titles appear, reminded me so much of my own instincts that it actually jarred me for a few minutes. How could someone who makes films that are as visually poetic as this have any issues with Kumar Shahani? If anything, based on the limited works I’ve seen from both now, Ray could’ve stood to adopt some of Shahani’s disregard for traditional narrative structure. Ray’s need to ground everything in an overtly didactic fashion is what ultimately prevented this from being the sort of transcendent experience I was expecting early on. All that said, what a picture. Simi Garewal, more than the others with more screen time — is so charming, problematic use of blackface aside (though, in practice, it does feel spiritually akin to the stunt casting for Cassavetes’ Shadows, intentionally incendiary and meant to unsettle/disorient, rather than a racist trope being deployed without thought). Forget Bollywood, we don’t even get films this rich and thorny from Hollywood these days. Imagine if The Drama (ugh) actually had something to say? Or created characters that weren’t caricatures? If it was made for adults in the real world instead of middle schoolers/perpetually online anti-social types…

3/21: Afternoon Clouds (2017, Payal Kapadia)

Where: Home
With who: Solo
Expectations: 4am watch, Akshay passed out, been wanting to for a minute. Not sure what to expect w its short length, but something poetic I’m sure. Vahn was a fan
Thoughts: Huge fan of Kapadia. One of the brightest voices in cinema at the moment. But this made me feel very little. Felt forced, like it was made just as an exercise to see if she could pull off some combination of Tsai and Apichatpong. It was one of her projects for film school, to be fair. The shots are hard though, with a great spatial awareness that helps heighten the spiritual distance between these characters, and the sound design is equally well-considered (wouldn’t be an Apichapong riff if it wasn’t) — it’s just that where the aesthetics of Tsai and Apichatpong seem to draw directly from the settings they choose to inhabit and embody, this feels like a filter was placed over the actual reality of this space and these characters. Kapadia apes her influences here to the point of draining the piece of its own unique energy.

3/22: Life Is Beautiful (1997, Roberto Benigni)

Where: Home
With who: Akshay
Expectations: MFAa watch. Apparently this movie was huge?? I’d never heard of it! Won multiple Oscars, including best foreign picture and was the first time a non-English man won best actor… Expecting some sentimental shit. Assuming the title is being cheeky considering the premise lol Akshay has been saying he wants to watch more historical docs and films so he’s curious to check it out.
Thoughts: I mean, it was okay?? It’s a simple film to grasp on an emotional and intellectual level — a father going above and beyond to help shield his child from the horrors of the real world — and I can see how one could easily fall in love with it, but I just didn’t find the filmmaking all that compelling! Writer/director/star Roberto Benigni performs the doe-eyed slapstick with a Tommy Wiseau level of commitment, and therein lies the problem — too much time is spent watching Benigni (and the film by extension) overcommit to the bit.

3/24: Mean Streets (1973, Martin Scorsese)

Where: Home
With who: Akshay
Expectations: Forgot to note but I was geeked. I’ve bought so many blu rays over the years and just like the performative capitalist hog that I am, I’ve yet to open even a handful of them. But to get to start opening a few with my cousin like this makes me believe that everything does happen at the right time… Reading the booklet was such a vibe. Akshay doesn’t know the plot for most Hollywood movies, let alone Scorsese lore — this is his first Scorsese, first De Niro (he said he’s never seen De Niro as anything but the old man from The Intern).
Thoughts: Akshay was stunned!! Mostly by how De Niro looked, but he said he enjoyed the storytelling as well. But yeah, man, De Niro’s physicality in this, and Hi, Mom, is never truly replicated, is it? Maybe King of Comedy? He’s such a wirey, squirmy, wry and shameless presence in these films — Timothée Chalamet take note!! Not a dig — a vote of confidence, actually! After seeing what he did in Marty Supreme, I wholeheartedly believe Timmy’ gotta play more incel-types. Just trust me, bro. Anyways, all of Scorsese’s thematic interests (guilt, shame, temptation, piety) and core-beliefs (in redemption, transformation, growth) are on full display here, and in such an earnest, plainly parabolic manner.

3/27:

Inherent Vice (2014, Paul Thomas Anderson)

Where: Metrograph
With who: Akshay
Expectations: Akshay was out of town for that 70mm Lincoln Center screening for my bday last year. He’s since seen his first PTA — One Battle After Another (Lincoln Square 70mm IMAX, and then again with my folks in IMAX) — followed by those 35mm screenings of The Master at New Beverly and Punch Drunk-Love at the Egyptian (gorgeous print) when we were in LA He loved the former so much he went and accidentally signed up for scientology the next day. Wonder how this one will hit…
Thoughts: Classic. All time edit. Melancholy on celluloid. Was almost in tears less than two minutes in. Akshay was surprised by how much of it he felt like he was able to follow, but wasn’t sure how he felt about it overall. I gotta ask him for his PTA ranking.

Kontinental ’25 (2025, Radu Jude)

Where: Film Forum
With who: Akshay
Expectations: Planned for a proper double header today after hitting up Sirāt and Days and Nights in the Forest on a whim a few weeks back. First Radu Jude. Q&A as well I believe? I’ve seen a ton of hype for his recent works (especially for Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World), so I’m excited! The premise for this sounds brilliant.
Thoughts: Okay, so I loved a lot about it, especially the long, lighthearted takes, and the curiously compelling staging (didn’t know it was shot on an iPhone beforehand, but kept wondering about those autofocus distortions that I’m familiar with from my own phone), but I also felt like it was missing a certain bite to it? Maybe it wasn’t mean enough? I loved the lead though, Eszter Tompa, I’d listen to her tell that same story a hundred more times.

3/30: Taxi Driver (1976, Martin Scorsese)

Where: Home
With who: Akshay and Nana
Expectations: DVD my sister got me for my 21st bday (along with Goodfellas & Raging Bull). Tried watching last night but got Akshay too high and he fell asleep. He was rocking with it heavily though. Nana decided to watch with us cuz he realized he’s never seen it (despite me obsessing over it as a teen).
Thoughts: Akshay was floored by De Niro’s acting. The physicality. The anger. The sadness. I, for some reason, found myself a bit at a distance with the film this viewing, for the first time ever. Not sure if its age, or the fact that this ever-prescient film has finally been outlapped by the banal absurdity of real life — there’s a Travis Bickle on every block and in every chat now. His characterization felt a bit flat too me this time, as did the little office romance tangents which, I understand, were meant to juxtapose Travis and Tom, to help the audience view our self-hating, self-marginalized protagonist from an empowered, romantic angle, if only for a brief moment, but I feel like the time could’ve been better used to track his time in the army and relation to other vets or something. The film ends up making Travis’s condition more a result of interpersonal issues rather than systemic ones, and I’m not entirely convinced that was the right approach!

3/31: Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (2010, Apichatpong Weerasethakul)

Where: Open Kitchen (Englishtown, NJ)
With who: Akshay, Vahn and Dave
Expectations: Never seen omg!!! Every Apichatpong I’ve seen so far has had me levitating at one point or another. He’s been one of Vahn’s goats for over a decade. Think this one is an all timer for him? I’ve been aching for a new watch for a while. Vahn let Akshay choose between this, Knight of Cups, and Hill of Freedom — his first Apichatpong, Malick, or Hong.
Thoughts: Akshay said it was unpredictable and beautifully shot. I, on the other hand, was a bit of a hater, not gonna lie!!! It just didn’t reach that same level of transcendence as the other works I’ve seen. Feels like a more convoluted approach to a style he already fleshed out with Tropical Malady. Can be seen as a stepping stone towards making a masterwork like Memoria, I guess? I dunno man, found it way more stiff than I expected. All the lore kept taking me out of the moment. But I know there’s a ton of subtext I’m missing. Interested in reading more about the film and, of course, catching it in theaters at some point.

FAVORITES (unranked):

1. Fruitvale Station (2013, Ryan Coogler)

2. Send Help (2026, Sam Raimi)

3. Harold and Maude (1971, Hal Ashby)

4. Sirāt (2025, Oliver Laxe)

5. Days and Nights in the Forest (1970, Satyajit Ray)

6. Mean Streets (1973, Martin Scorsese)

7. Inherent Vice (2014, Paul Thomas Anderson)

8. Kontinental ’25 (2025, Radu Jude)

9. Taxi Driver (1976, Martin Scorsese)

LEAST FAVORITES (unranked):

1. The Three Sisters (2024, Konstantin Bronzit)

2. Project Hail Mary (2026, Phil Lord & Christopher Miller)

-sincerely cng

You know the drill! These playlists are essentially a live log of all the songs (new and old) that I ran back the most during a given season. This is my “winter playlist,” but maybe it some of these tunes can soundtrack your spring or summer <3

Fall ‘24 Playlist

Winter ‘24 Playlist

Spring ‘25 Playlist

Summer ‘25 Playlist

Fall ‘25 Playlist

This was a particularly long winter (one that doesn’t seem to want to give it a rest), but it was mostly a blast, really. Had a big family Thanksgiving, celebrated my sister’s birthday for like a week (spoiled princess), got a new mic & audio interface, a new (used) digital camera, went to LA with Akshay, locked back in on #the #fitness #journey. I was kind of spiraling last summer and fall, losing faith in the process, getting caught up in old cycles and patterns, and the winter was kind of a hard reset, fr.

As for my listening habits, I guess I didn’t really branch out genre-wise or double down on discovering new artists or anything like I’d pledged to do in previous posts. I spent most of the season just catching up on a lot of the stuff I missed from earlier in the year. Didn’t make as much of a dent as I’d hoped, but still managed to cobble together a few respectable lists at the end of the day. And that’s what it’s all for, no? Lists.

Anyways, as usual, Imma hit shuffle now on this 146 song playlist for shits and giggles and see what first ten songs come up:

1. skaiwater - “blink twice”

Okay, crazy this is the first song to pop up on shuffle because I just saw skai live for the first time last night and, again, the 12 year old child of Ye and Kim Kardashian (or a very convincing body double) came out on stage to “perform” this song that she “produced”. The song (apropos the club bounce curated by North West & Will Frenchman (her potential ghost-producer?)) opens with the lyric: “Red molly pills on her tongue”…

Look, I’m not sure what to make of all this, and maybe its just the unc in me being unnecessarily hypervigilant, but I’d be lying if I said the show didn’t have a bit of a skeevy vibe, long before the blue-haired North and her pink-haired friend (and their photographers) made their way onto the stage and then up into the balcony, where they remained for the rest of the set (no guardians present, as far as I could tell). Now, I will say, skai themselves appeared the consummate professional, turning this half-packed weeknight show into a night I know all of the high schoolers there will never forget. They embraced every fan who made their way past the extremely lax security guard and wound up on stage (I kid you not, the first kid to hit the stage overstayed his welcome by multiple songs), they got down into the crowd themselves, took pictures and videos with fans’ phones (even one person’s laptop, if I recall correctly??),and somehow managed to routinely screech with the power of 10,000 Playboi Cartis without blowing out their voice for the more downtempo numbers (which they not only performed sans backing track, but delivered in such an delicate manner that it retroactively underlined the intentionality of the first half of the set). All that said, I do catch shades of the post-hardcore, pop-punk, Warped Tour-aesthetic of my youth, and just as the emotionally stunted predators that proliferated that scene should’ve been called out and held accountable far sooner than they eventually were, the fast and loose “underground” aka Opium/YSL/Twitch-adjacent scene should be kept as honest as possible. Reminder that Ian Conner’s bitch ass still seems to have his grimy fingers in everything.

Not for nothing though, “blink twice” is one of the best songs on wonderful, which I found otherwise awkward and clout chase-y, self-consciously curated for (tragically) socially inept American teenagers.

2. G Herbo - “Radar”

G Herbo has always been a vivid storyteller. Fifteen years into his career and he still remains particularly capable of disarming the voyeurs, making his pain felt in earnest.

3. G Herbo - “Reason”

I guess the Shuffle Gods felt like reiterating G Herbo’s greatness. I love the way he stretches the simple rhyme scheme in the first verse, complicating it with both his tags and his inflections, subtle yet potent; the way he flips his demeanor on a dime in the second, after spitting, “think back, if it wasn’t for rap, where would I be instead?” is arresting. Lil Herb might be his best work in nearly a decade.

4. billi0n - “Project GR”

Probably the least distinct Øway associate, but fun song from a fun tape!

5. iam3hard - “Bearcoat”

Don’t know much about 3hard yet, but I see on socials he’s managed by Atlanta producer Whyceg. “Bearcoat” might be my favorite track of his to date, mainly because he pulls this ridiculous free car inspired flow @ 0:58, but this very specific iteration of it that I think I’ve only heard from this other DMV-influcned Palestinian rapper, Otsha (though I can’t seem to find the specific example). This has been bugging me for weeks now. If you know what the fuck I’m rambling about, hit my line!!

6. Sideshow - “I AM DA CAPTAIN”

“I’m speakin’ from a point of view, boy, be quiet!”

TIGRAY FUNK AOTY.

7. Sk8star - “ForMyFolks”

Seems like Atlanta will always be at the cutting edge of discovering new funny voices to rap in. Sk8star has been putting in work for a number of years now, and it’s been great to see someone as consistent as him start to break through in a real way. Also been cool to see Lil Gotit’s influence stamped in a real way.

8. Rio Da Yung Og - “Morning”

I don’t think Rio has stopped rapping since he got home. I’m still playing catch up. This one felt like a back to basics joint, basically a demo — no hook, no structure, a rough vocal mix with a muted beat that kinda makes it sound like Rio just recorded it on his phone while the beat played off a laptop nearby. Lyrical exercise type shit. And, as proof of concept, the quotables start snowballing the longer he goes.

9. Myaap - “Beep Beep”

Damn! I’m glad this one came up. I actually had the chance to interview Myaap the other week for No Bells. She’s got a super fun album coming out in April, catchy as hell. On my daddy!!

10. Baby Osamaa - “NOPICTURES”

Forgot to mention up top that Baby Osamaa, my current GOAT, has been opening up for skai on this tour and we MISSED HER SET. I could cry. A majority of SKIDMARKS (yes, you read that right), Osamaa’s latest and most intentionally off-putting album, has grown on me immensely. “NOPICTURES” is a toxic, maladjusted song, a rebuke of both the industry and herself, a portrait of a rising artist drowning self-hatred. “I was young and dumb, they all tried to groom me”, she sneers, shortly before a distorted, glitched-out breakdown, over which she screams: “I tell that fuckin’ hoe, “don’t come over, and save yourself””. Out of all the recent half-hearted attempts at fitting in with her contemporaries, it’s a song like this that I feel best marries her unpredictable, genre-defying roots with the vulnerable, confessional style of songwriting that’s become her calling card.

-sincerely cng

hope this resonates with y’all… <3

-sincerely cng

To be fair, if you’ve been keeping up with the monthly movie diaries, you know that a lot of time has been spent galivanting with my 23 year old cousin, who moved in with us last June after graduating from his master’s program and has since been trying to find an entry level role in this late-stage hellscape. In that sense, it’s actually been a wonderful year of sharing my love for cinema with the lad, a genuinely life-affirming experience that I’ll save for a different post.

Our collective global psyche is clearly afflicted by the disparate corporate interests that continue to churn ingenuity into stagnation, empathy into indifference, and passion into panic. Every other film in 2025 was about the dread of raising a kid in this current nihilistic climate. But the best ones don’t succumb to the nihilistic impulsive themselves. They strive to remain curious in the face of mounting existential uncertainty.

Movies taught me how to empathize. They exposed me to new politics. They’ve, on more than one occasion, inspired a genuine paradigm shift within myself and inspired me into action. The best movies of 2025 respect this power.

You can find last year’s write up here: FAVORITE FILMS 2024. And you can find this year’s full list on Letterboxd. I also made sure to include a list of the (21!) films I’ve yet to watch at the end of this post (many of which I may just include for next year’s list because, well, fuck you and your rules).

Now, without further ado…

Top 25 (ranked):

1. It Was Just an Accident (Jafar Panahi)

   

   As American and European filmmakers cower behind “subjectivity” and PR sanctioned apolitical political messaging both within their art and during press junkets, seemingly content with posturing for social capital, and nothing more, while multiple active genocides flare around the world, Jafar Panahi — who was first imprisoned for producing “propaganda against the regime” back in 2010 — can be found at Bafta, the same British award ceremony where Wim Wenders just claimed “films are the opposite of politics” and Paul Thomas Anderson asserted he would “ultimately fail” if he attempted to verbalize his actual political ideology, condemning the recent murders of student protestors in Tehran, this so soon after the Iranian government publicly sentenced in absentia Panahi to one year in prison and a two year travel ban following the release & success of It Was Just an Accident.

   This is not the first go around for Panahi, who was already under a 20-year travel and work ban, one that has yet to impede his feverish passion for morally searing filmmaking. Panahi most recently spent 86 days incarcerated after daring to question the arrest of a fellow Iranian filmmaker, Mohammad Rasoulof (who himself was only detained for trying to deescalate violence against protestors). The success of Panahi’s 2022 film No Bears (a metafictional look at the role of tradition under an oppressive regime) probably didn’t help his case (Rasoulof would later flee Iran after shooting & releasing The Seed of the Sacred Fig in 2024, a film which harrowingly depicts the feminist protests of 2022 and resulting state violence and mandated internet blackout). Panahi was held in Evin Prison, an infamously cruel detention center, freed only after engaging in a hunger strike.

   It Was Just an Accident is uncomfortable, it’s tense, it’s fraught with morally complex decisions, yet it maintains a rigorously empathetic lens, tempering the blistering cynicism inherent to the film’s conceit with a radiating dignity that prevents one from ever reading this as defeatist. Panahi manages to focus the brunt of his critique on the system that corrupts people while still holding the corrupted accountable for their individual choices — to the extent that they even believe they have a choice to begin with. This sort of direct confrontation of the “banality of evil” is so much more interesting to me than the sort of aesthetic fetishization presented by something like The Zone of Interest. For an ostensibly didactic film like this to hit on such a visceral level is a testament to Panahi’s understanding of film as not just a soapbox, but a mirror and a scale.

2. On Becoming a Guinea Fowl (Rungano Nyoni)

   

   Zambian-Welsh filmmaker Rungano Nyoni made her writer-director debut in 2017 with I Am Not a Witch, a starkly courageous and heart wrenchingly black satire, as furious as it is delicate, a film that manages to pull off oblique tonal gambits and courageous, messy, visual experimentation all while retaining a warm focus on the vulnerable subject at the center of the story. Her sophomore effort, On Becoming a Guinea Fowl, is a maturation on all fronts, and positions Nyoni as one of the most incisive new voices in the cinema. She digs deeper, spares fewer, and dreams bigger; in essence, both these films are about transmuting pain into progress, but never at the expense of those who are burdened (cursed, really) with bearing the brunt of this pain, those who have historically been sacrificed at the altar of progress. Maybe it’s a dream too big for this world — in which case, the only option is to transform oneself, in turn transforming the nature of the world itself.

3. Marty Supreme (Josh Safdie)

   

   Marty Supreme is less of a coming of age film and more of an exorcism of youth. Ronald Bronstein, filmmaker & screenwriter who began collaborating with the Safdie brothers nearly two decades ago, has developed a trademark style of storytelling that is visceral, propulsive, and often tragic. Nick Nikas, Howard Ratner — even Mark Kerr, the subject of Benny Safdie’s 2025 debut as a solo director — are all, more or less, self-fulfilling prophecies, studies of institutionalized Americans driven mad by The Dream, consumed by their id, chewed up and spit out by a vacuous world. Marty… is no different. It’s fair to dismiss this film as a retread of familiar themes — Josh & Ronald flexing their craft, sure, but ultimately working within the A24-approved parameters of their previous successes. However — and this wasn’t something I was able to suss out until a rewatch — what makes Marty… so potent is that it is a break from what I view as the nagging cynicism previously representative of this camp’s work (including Mary Bronstein much-lauded debut from this same year, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, co-written by her husband).

   Loosely based on the life of an actual Jewish table-tennis hustler-turned-champion from the late ‘40s, I feel like context is crucial to unlocking this film, regardless of whether or not you ever empathize with Marty Mauser himself. Marty is, ultimately, a shameless 23 year old. He is hellbent not only on proving himself as an all-time great, but on pulling an entire community out of poverty. And that’s before he’s hit with the news of his lifelong best friend’s pregnancy (I don’t think, to him, it even matters if he’s the father or his friend’s husband — the responsibility is still his, and contrary to how the film ostensibly paints him, as unreliable, selfish, manipulative, I am utterly convinced he would wear that responsibility as his own). In his (own extremely neurotic way), he is trying to break generational curses. You may not agree with his actions, but if you’ve ever felt the desire to prove yourself, you will empathize.

   But none of this is the break of form I was referring to — you can also empathize with all of the past Safdie leads, or with Rose Byrne’s Linda — the break here lies in the unironically hopeful ending, where Marty, having achieved some maligned yet still thrilling version of his dream, returns to the partner who has had to bear the brunt of his abuse and their newborn child, and breaks down in tears of (?)... Some speculate it’s despair, at having to give up his dreams and “face reality” — as if he’s had his head in the clouds until now. I’m more inclined to believe those were tears of joy, at the sight of his love and his child, at having the kind of love in his life that lets him back in, allows him a chance at redemption.

   I also think there is a bit of sorrow, sure. Of course he’s mourning the death of one of his dreams. But I also think that dream has successfully been supplanted by a new one. What I don’t think his tears represent is regret, or shame, or doubt, which is what might be rubbing people the wrong way, making the ending feel unearned. However, If you truly believe Marty has had some sort of spiritual breakthrough during this recent odyssey, which I wholeheartedly do, then the ending can’t be entirely unearned, can it?

4. Avatar: Fire and Ash (James Cameron)

   

   It’s hard for me to write about the Avatar franchise because 1) it sounds ludicrous on paper 2) it has to be felt, not intellectualized. I’m also realizing these films don’t really work as separate entries, at least not in the expected mode of Hollywood sequels. These films feel like a continuous stream of consciousness, dense yet coherent, free-flowing yet carefully structured so as to emphasis patterns, not at all adherent to the rote setting and resetting of stakes, characters, plots, worlds, jokes, even entire premises, that is so typical of contemporary franchise slop. It’s all very novelistic in that sense, and I can see how that may not resonate with audiences that have been so unfairly influenced by the Marvel-ification of everything. I promise though, if you give these films your attention, show them with the same respect they show the audience, I promise initially heavy-handed and goofy stuff like “unobtanium”, as well as the awkward race dynamics and ostensible Orientalism, morph into something more lucid and more deeply felt, if yes, harder to communicate to others.

   All three of these films, even at their worst, are about deeper things than the 1:1 sociopolitical allusions one can cast onto the plot. This third installment in particular is about letting go of your conception of self in order to reclaim your autonomy: Lo’ak and Payakan refusing to be unjustly relegated by their communities, Jake’s refusal to accept his mantle as Toruk Makto, Quaritch’s refusal to shed his previous memories, the Tulkan finally mounting a resistance against the poachers — every single character is wrestling with their identity (don’t even get me started on Neytiri and Spider!).

   As the lore deepens, and as Cameron & co. operate with even greater ambition, the seemingly messy broad strokes of the original continue to prove less a flaw and more of a function, allowing for this unique exploration of universal themes.

5. By the Stream (Hong Sang-soo)

   

   Over the past decade, across a dozen or so films with her personal & creative partner, Hong Sang-soo, Kim Min-hee has played actresses, painters, writers, sales agents, and now a lecturer, often scorned by love (familial, romantic, or otherwise) and left alone to contend with an explicitly patriarchal world. By the Stream finds Kim, for the first time, playing a character at the cusp of breaking this pattern, embodying a character that is every bit as doe-eyed and naive as her previous roles, but whose maturation comes fast and swift, like the phases of the moon. After spending a lifetime idealizing her elders and trying to protect those younger than her, the cognitive dissonance required to simultaneously commit to both of those actions has started to wear on her…

   On the surface, the stylistic flourishes Hong has developed over the years may seem like workarounds rather than the makings of a deliberate framework. However, a film like this one reiterates that his work is an active interrogation of the use of filmic language in service of traditional narrative structure. How do you convey the cyclic nature of life in a linear manner? How do you observe something without altering it? Hong’s work with Kim can be read as an abstracted metatextual reflection on their own controversial lives (Hong, who is still legally married to his estranged wife, just had a son with Kim last year), but as much as these films are Hong’s way of commenting on himself, they are just as much about the women surrounding the men, and the younger generations attempting to learn from the bumbling, drunken adults meant to guide them.

6. Die My Love (Lynne Ramsay)

   

   Surrealist Lynne Ramsay’s latest, starring Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson, is a tightrope walk of heightened theatrics and naturalistic domestic study. Based on a novel by Argentine author Ariana Harwicz, Die My Love is less about the intrapersonal experience of motherhood and more about the interpersonal dynamics that can make a new mother feel so alienated from, quite literally, everyone and everything in the world, their romances, their work, their art, the natural world around them — everything, except their own child.

   I imagine it all feels so alien when seen anew through the psychic vantage of your newborn. Even if the ultimate takeaway is one of joy & pride, translating these new feelings to those not in your shoes probably feels like a herculean task, especially if the other mothers in your life have themselves not fully reconciled with the transcendental nature of this experience. At one point in the film, when a fellow parent bemoans about how people don’t talk about the difficulties of motherhood, Grace snaps back, “that’s all anyone ever talks about.” That Grace feels caged is self-evident, even without all the evocative photography that underlines this point, but why she feels caged and how she can possibly free herself is beautifully left up for interpretation at every turn.

   There are no clear or clean answers in this often devastatingly hilarious film, but there is an abundance of emotion threatening to collapse every one of these feral yet intimate scenes onto itself. Ramsey’s style of visual storytelling is deliberate and unapologetic, always executed with aplomb, with no guardrails for the uninitiated. As a result, she builds a tenuous house of cards out of these vivid yet abstracted scenes, and rather than sturdy the foundation by overtly explaining away the subject experience we’ve been embodying, she instead doubles down on her aesthetics and chooses to metaphorically (and literally) set the whole house on fire, leaving us to sift for meaning in the ashes.

7. Eephus (Carson Lund)

   

   Eephus is an achingly beautiful film. Bittersweet, wistful, ambitiously patient and fussy about all the right details. The directorial debut of New England native Carson Lund — who cut his teeth as an usher at the Harvard Film Archive and as a film student at Emerson College — the film is about baseball the same way Goodbye, Dragon Inn is about the movies. It is a stealth meditation on recreation, on downtime and boredom, and on the loss of the shared spaces where we could once tackle these existential feelings in a communal manner.

   Co-written by Lund, Nate Fisher, and Michael Basta, the script miraculously manages to balance a deep roster of interesting faces and voices (mostly unknown, occasionally iconic), allowing space for each of these emotionally stunted men to lament the unraveling of their world in their own unique way. It is as hilarious as it is poignant, shifting seamlessly between elegiac and irreverent, exalting the romance of America’s favorite pastime in distinctly American fashion; crass, crude, defiant, aspirational. Ostensibly a sports flick, Eephus is disarmingly unconcerned with competition in the traditional sense. These men are already fighting a losing war against time.

8. The Mastermind (Kelly Reichardt)

   

   On top of everything else — the incredibly timely and relevant satire, the gorgeous, painterly frames, the Josh O’Connor of it all (white boy of the decade) — The Mastermind is also one of the funniest movies of 2025. This is Kelly Reichardt at her most scathing, yet she somehow manages to couch the acerbic wit in a way that will undoubtedly disarm every first time viewer. It’s really one protracted punchline, a sly, “sideways” look at history, a tear down of white mediocrity and moral indifference.

9. One Battle After Another (Paul Thomas Anderson)

   

   An admirably ambitious — if a bit tonally bungled — take on contemporary race politics that features near career best work from everyone involved. This is a film about how communities function, how they’re built and how they’re maintained, in that it all begins on the individual level with your sense of accountability to the next person, be it your daughter or a stranger. This is the kind of blockbuster filmmaking the industry has all but forsaken, and while I don’t think the film’s success will change anything, I do hope seeing people in PTA’s position make something with teeth will inspire others to get their heads out of their asses.

10. Magic Farm (Amalia Ulman)

    

    The second feature film written and directed by Argentine-Spanish performer and filmmaker Amalia Ulman, Magic Farm is a mesmerizing farce about an American social media “documentary” crew so fried, so self-absorbed and callous, that they miss the truth at every turn. Starring Ulman, Chloë Sevigny, Simon Rex, Alex Wolff, and a bunch of other newer, equally interesting looking faces, the film presents so many fresh archetypes for the post-global pandemic age of corporate ennui and government-mandated indifference. And it all feels so honest, perceptive about our current moment in a way few other contemporary filmmakers have been able to achieve.

11. Sentimental Value (Joachim Trier)

12. Urchin (Harris Dickinson)

13. Sinners (Ryan Coogler)

14. No Other Choice (Park Chan-wook)

15. Cloud (Kiyoshi Kurosawa)

16. The Shrouds (David Cronenberg)

17. beautiful gorgeous day & and still theses eyes do cry (Razvan Gabor)

18. Black Bag (Steven Soderbergh)

19. The Secret Agent (Kleber Mendonça Filho)

20. The Phoenician Scheme (Wes Anderson)

21. Sorry, Baby (Eva Victor)

22. Bring Them Down (Christopher Andrews)

23. Highest 2 Lowest (Spike Lee)

24. Friendship (Andrew DeYoung)

25. Presence (Steven Soderbergh)

Honorable Mentions:

1. Superboys of Malegaon (Reema Kagti)

2. Sacramento (Michael Angarano)

3. A Nice Indian Boy (Roshan Sethi)

4. Splitsville (Michael Angelo Covino)

5. The Smashing Machine (Benny Safdie)

6. Wake Up Dead Man (Rian Johnson)

7. Resurrection (Bi Gan)

8. Jay Kelly (Noah Baumbach)

9. Roofman (Derek Cianfrance)

10. Bugonia (Yorgos Lanthimos)

11. Blue Moon (Richard Linklater)

12. Weapons (Zach Cregger)

13. If I Had Legs I’d Kick You (Mary Bronstein)

14. Elio (Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina)

15. Zootopia 2 (Jared Bush, Byron Howard)

16. Mickey 17 (Bong Joon Ho)

17. Materialists (Celine Song)

Films from 2025 I’ve yet to watch:

1. Dry Leaf (Alexandre Koberidze)

2. Magellan (Lav Diaz)

3. Misericordia (Alain Guiraudie)

4. Hedda (Nia DaCosta)

5. What Does That Nature Say to You? (Hong Sang-soo)

6. Mirrors No. 3 (Christian Petzold)

7. Debut, or, Objects of the Field of Debris as Currently Catalogued (Julian Castronovo)

8. Nouvelle Vogue (Richard Linklater)

9. Peter Hujar’s Day (Ira Sachs)

10. Invention (Courtney Stephens)

11. The Chronology of Water (Kristen Stewart)

12. Sirāt (Oliver Laxe)

13. Sound of Falling (Mascha Schilinski)

14. Souleymane’s Story (Boris Lojkine)

15. Father Mother Sister Brother (Jim Jarmusch)

16. Kontinental ’25 (Radu Jude)

17. The Voice of Hind Rajab (Kaouther Ben Hania)

18. April (Dea Kulumbegashvili)

19. Afternoons of Solitude (Albert Serra)

20. On Falling (Laura Carreira)

21. Train Dreams (Clint Bentley)

-sincerely cng

2/2: The Testament of Ann Lee (2025, Mona Fastvold)

Where: Princeton Garden Theater (Princeton, NJ)
With who: Akshay
Expectations: I have no idea what to expect, Akshay has even less of a clue. I’ve heard about the basic premise and the musical elements. Generally only heard good things about it until Vahn told me he didn’t vibe with it.
Thoughts: I can’t outright say it’s poorly made (even though specific things others seem to commend, such as the choreography and staging, did nothing for me). Maybe it’s just a taste thing? Not my kinda craftsmanship at all — I all but stopped giving a fuck by the climax, if I ever was made to care at all. Didn’t like how it moved or how it looked, the camerawork rote, the edit heavyhanded, and the parts of the script that actually resonated with me felt like tonal mishaps by the end because of the overall self seriousness. Longest 2.5 hours ever. Flat, stiff, tedious. Such interesting themes (the psychosexual trauma to cult pipeline, the way her continued self-repression is tied to both this early abuse and the subsequent loss of her kids, the relationship with her brother) that are explored so incuriously. The topics feel observed and recounted at a distance, by people who don’t even have much interest in the subject matter to begin with. To be fair to Fastvold, I didn’t like how The Brutalist was written either (this might actually be better written than her husband’s film, more astute with its approximation of interpersonal psychology — if directed worse). Both films feel insincere on a fundamental level, a whole lot of prestigious posturing with only tangential interest in the actual subject. I almost walked out during that feet washing scene like 90 minutes into the movie where she and her brother just recap cool shit that’s happened recently instead of, I dunno, SHOWING IT??Also, just absolutely god awful use of narration. What the fuck was the point of the voiceover? The whole film has this boring dull affect, the opposite of the vibrance and gorgeousness promised to me by the marketing, or the psychedelic splendor promised to me by the theater employee before we entered. If only. (Seyfried remains innocent and is a real saving grace).

2/6: Eighth Grade (2018, Bo Burnham)

Where: Uncle’s House (Maryland)
With who: Akshay and Neha
Expectations: So excited to watch!!! I’ve been an Eighth Grade truther since it dropped. One of the best contemporary coming of age flicks of last decade. Neha (my 13 year old cousin) said she wanted to watch a movie (but I know it’s really just to get me to order her Taco Bell). We were finally gonna watch Fantastic Mr. Fox, which I’ve been promising to show her since she was like eight, but this came to mind and I felt like pivoting. She said she hates seeing people embarrassed, but she’s literally finishing 8th grade and having crushes and beefs and secrets and shit and, like, I feel like it’s a perfect time!
Thoughts: A bit clunkier than I remembered, but Neha seemed to really like it!! Same with Akshay. I feel like I made her look in a mirror a bit lol, but I think she’s strong enough for it. Smart girl, fr. Wish Bo explored the father/daughter dynamic from a few different angles, instead of just the awkward father of the year shtick. Still super earnest & heartfelt nonetheless.

2/8: Shadows (1959, John Cassavetes)

Where: Home
With who: Akshay
Expectations: MFA watch. We’re allowed to occasionally choose our own viewing list for this last semester, and I wanted to focus on some important American independent films I’d never seen. Not sure what it’s about, but I think I’ve heard it’s about race on some level? I’ve only seen Husbands by Cassavetes so far, but been wanting to take the plunge for a minute. I didn’t realize he made this before he really even blew up. I always thought he started directing after he became a famous actor.
Thoughts: Oh man. I really didn’t know what to expect, but I definitely wasn’t expecting something so daring. Not just in the sense that it covers taboo topics, but even the execution is brazen — the purposefully confused casting, the naturalistic ways in which the scenes play out, the lively edit… The film is also disarmingly sentimental, and unafraid to lean into it! Really cool stuff. Lelia Goldoni was brilliant. That scene after she loses her virginity is an all-timer. They really improv’d this whole thing??

2/10: Ali (2001, Michael Mann)

Where: AMC (Monmouth, NJ)
With who: Akshay
Expectations: Saw it at home for the first time almost three years ago to the date, and found Mann’s direction riveting, even if Will Smith’s performance didn’t always land for me. Hype to show Akshay, said he’d never even heard of it until lately.
Thoughts: I remember the first time I watched it, I thought it had one of the hardest intro sequences I’d ever seen. This time around, the second act felt absolutely electric. Maybe the whole thing is just that good. It’s like three movies in one and never misses a step interweaving the various subtextual beats. Incredible screenplay from Mann, Roth, Wilkinson and Rivele. Fantastic physical work from Will Smith (even if the words are ultimately a bit like gum in his mouth). Our dumbasses unfortunately missed the intro this time, but I made sure to make Akshay watch it once we got home.

2/11: Before Sunrise (1995, Richard Linklater)

Where: Princeton Garden Theater (Princeton, NJ)
With who: Akshay
Expectations: I mean come on. First time showing Akshay. Last time I ran the trilogy was Dec 2020. I believe each one is better than the last (Before Midnight truther), but this has a special place in my heart.
Thoughts: Awww, I forgot they’re 23, just like Akshay! We’ve watched so many films/tv shows lately where characters are in their early 20s (if not exactly 23). He said he really liked it! Said he was never fully sure of the dude’s intentions, but that he found the girl sincere and loved her performance. I love the movies. Hawke and Delpy feel so present in every take, even during the film’s most artificial sequences (a gift that pays dividends, as the series becomes quite over-staged by the third entry).

2/18: Arco (2025, Ugo Bienvenu)

Where: Princeton Garden Theater (Princeton, NJ)
With who: Akshay and Vahn
Expectations: Forgot to note. Looked interesting knew nothing about it (not even language of origin), just saw something about it being “Ghibli-lite” and inspired by Interstellar? Lol
Thoughts: Really cool! Unique animation style, considerate storytelling, disarmingly funny. Focused entirely on emotional catharsis and not dumb plot shit. So, of course, Akshay and I overheard a group of guys arguing about the logistics of time travel on the way out. Lol.

2/19 : Love & Basketball (2000, Gina Prince-Bythewood)

Where: AMC (New Brunswick, NJ)
With who: Akshay
Expectations: Been aware of this movie since a kid (as someone who moved to the states in Feb 2000 + lived in a day one House (M.D.) household), but never had a chance to watch. Expecting something funny and maybe a bit dated? Lol idk
Thoughts: We loved it??? Such a sweet & well-considered script, a pitch perfect cast, delightful needledrops and general showmanship from Gina Prince-Bythewood. It’s basically a late-90s Bollywood movie. My only gripe is that I don’t think bro did enough to win her back by the end. But perhaps that’s meant to say something about their dynamic.

2/22: Mississippi Masala (1991, Mira Nair)

Where: Home
With who: Amma, Nana, Akshay
Expectations: Nana can be so frustrating sometimes. Him and amma are now joining us to watch the film, right after he spent ten minutes arguing with me about how he never needs to rewatch anything and that movies aren’t art they’re only entertainment and there’s nothing he’s ever missed in any movie ever and blah blah blah blah. Idk what happened between ten minutes ago and now, but I’m guessing Amma probably reminded him that I just, you know, enjoy watching shit with him, because, you know, I love him or whatever, and that probably opened him up enough to come downstairs. Lol. Also, right after that argument, Akshay and I had gone to the backyard to film something real quick, and nana followed us outside did an impromptu performance for the short film we’ve been working on, Buji Pandu — it might be the greatest thing I’ve ever filmed. What a trip of a man. Anyways. Hype to finally watch this one. Only Akshay’s second Denzel film after Highest 2 Lowest. Amma says she might have seen it with Nana back when we first moved to the states, but doesn’t remember.
Thoughts: Immediately, like literal minutes into the film, my dad is pointing out 35 different things he’s forgotten about/never noticed the first time around. Great bit. This was so good. Probably would’ve changed my life if I saw it when I was young. God, we really used to make movies, huh? Akshay said Denzel was out acting everyone. I will say, Sarita Choudhury was great for a first timer, if a bit awkwardly deadpan. Roshan Seth really carries the dramatic heft of the film. Nana recognized Mohan Gokhale and the other comedic relief characters. We haven’t had a chance to speak more about it since, but I’m curious to know more about how this resonated with Akshay, having been born in Mumbai and raised in Dar es Salam, Tanzania, and now months from potentially being deported from the States…

2/26: The Revenant (2015, Alejandro González Iñárritu)

Where: AMC (New Brunswick, NJ)
With who: Akshay
Expectations: I haven’t seen it since it came out, but I remember being a bit of a hater. Only other Iñárritu I’ve seen to date is Birdman.
Thoughts: Amazing. Don’t know what I could’ve been hatin’ on. Maybe it’s because there is an artificiality to the whole thing — despite shooting only with natural light and in such breathtaking locations — that often threatens to undercuts the emotional resonance, but like, it’s all so riveting, immaculately stitched together, and so convincingly performed by all involved. Akshay, who loved it too, put it perfectly when he said that the photography was so undeniably beautiful that any of the initial awkwardness he felt gave away to a natural sense of awe and wonder. Him and I have been filming the sun and moon a lot lately, using a new digital camera I got, so it’s just cool to see that kind of eye blown up to IMAX scale and powered by the talent of Emmanuel Lubezki (one of Vahn’s goats — I keep pissing him off by forgetting his name lol). I found myself taken by the sheer feat of what was accomplished here, as much as any other narrative beat, but I will say that the nagging distance between the technical complexity of what we’re seeing and the emotional weight of the subject matter is never quite fully resolved.

FAVORITES (unranked):

1. Eighth Grade (2018, Bo Burnham)

2. Shadows (1959, John Cassavetes)

3. Ali (2001, Michael Mann)

4. Before Sunrise (1995, Richard Linklater)

5. Arco (2025, Ugo Bienvenu)

6. Love & Basketball (2000, Gina Prince-Bythewood)

7. Mississippi Masala (1991, Mira Nair)

8. The Revenant (2015, Alejandro González Iñárritu)

LEAST FAVORITES (unranked):

1. The Testament of Ann Lee (2025, Mona Fastvold)

-sincerely cng

-sincerely cng

p.s. more new music, so so soon