Letterboxd 4 Wednesday - 6/5
Alright. While this is far from the last week of “Letterboxd 4 Wedneesday”, this will be the last week that I’ll use it as the only way to keep this newsletter active for the time being. Now that I’ll be done with my online class this coming week and a lot of stress lifted off my shoulder, except so many exciting things to come on this newsletter this summer and the months to come. But before we get to all of that, let’s discuss what’s this weeks top 4 picks on Letterboxd are, shall we?
Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989), dir. Hayao Miyazaki
As the older I get and the more stressful my life becomes (especially in recent memory), the more comforting this film becomes to my life and I can go back to it as way to not only feel a sense of happiness and awe and wonderment into the world Hayao Miyazaki and the team at Studio Ghibli crafted in this film, but also finding comfort and relating myself to Kiki and her journey of self discovery of being young, feeling tired out about everything around her and her job, her discovering more of her ability as a young witch, and understanding what life has ahead for her. Truly personal and remarkable, yet so comforting and lovely to watch every time I go back and revisit it, and it’s one that I can watch a million times and never get bored while watching it.
Moonlight (2016), dir. Barry Jenkins
I mean what else is there to say about one of the most perfect and most brilliant pieces of art to come out in the 21st century? Barry Jenkins’s masterpiece is a deeply personal look of what it looks like to be alone with yourself, your sexuality, and your environment that you start to distance yourself from everyone and everything around you. All of it is conveyed with some of the exceptionally phenomenal performances, score, cinematography, directing, writing, and overall storytelling ever to be put on screen, and makes you transfixed by it all to the point where you become like a fly on the wall watching it go down and see how real and human it is. Easily one of the Best Pictures of our time and one you need to watch if you haven’t yet.
I Saw The TV Glow (2024), dir. Jane Schoenbrun
The most recent film on this list, and so far its my favorite film of the year. There’s so much I want to say not only only about this film’s brilliance and what director Jane Schoenburn brought to the table, along with my own personal attachment to it. But that will take a couple of more viewings and more self reflection to do that and bring the film justice with words. All I can say now is that it’s a masterpiece for the ages that everyone needs to experience at least once in their lifetime.
Moonrise Kingdom (2012), dir. Wes Anderson
A strong contender for my favorite Wes Anderson film, this is a creative, hilarious, deeply moving, and beautiful look at young love and the desire for a deeper connection with another person. Filled with great performances, fluent direction, a creative sense of wonder and scenery, a great summertime like vibe, and a captivating look of the older and younger generations views of love and connections towards the people we love. Literally everything you can want in a film and more, and it’s an easy film to be entertained and be moved by at the same time.
That’s for this weeks edition. The series will continue, but expect a lot more truly amazing things coming you way on “Diving Into Art”