My Film Foliage: A Collection of Favorites

Dead Poets Society

Release Year: 1989

Directed by: Peter Weir

Starring: Robin Williams, Robert Sean Leonard, and Ethan Hawke

My Rating: ★★★★★

A classic ode to living passionately, this film is a beautiful reminder to seize the day and make your life extraordinary. My favorite bit is how it shows the importance of studying art, literature and creative subjects and how damaging it can be to belittle someone that loves and is passionate about it.

Look Back

Release Year: 2024

Directed by: Kiyotaka Oshiyama

Starring: Yuumi Kawai, Mizuki Yoshida, Yoichiro Saito, and Kota Oka

My Rating: ★★★★★

Very much like the trademark of a Japanese movie: a lot of things go unsaid, but the visuals just end up saying so much. Why do you wake up in the morning? Why do we do what we do? Why does Fujino make manga? Maybe in small ways. Maybe in a profound manner. It doesn't need to be said out loud.

Interstellar

Release Year: 2014

Directed by: Christopher Nolan

Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, and Jessica Chastain

My Rating: ★★★★☆

A visually stunning and emotionally resonant film that explores the power of love and the human spirit. So many immaculate scenes, astounding sequences, heartbreaking moments, and stunning shots combine into a work that isn't flawless but beautiful because of that. Interstellar is a film that will stay with you long after the credits roll.

The Notebook

Release Year: 2004

Directed by: Nick Cassavetes

Starring: Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams

My Rating: ★★★★☆

"So it's not gonna be easy ... I want all of you, forever." The Notebook weaponizes nostalgia, not love. It's a slow, deliberate drowning in sentiment, masquerading as romance. The film's "epic" love becomes a suffocating embrace, a refusal to accept the inevitable. It's not about love conquering all, but about the tragic, stubborn denial of letting go, even when time demands it. A beautiful, agonizing portrait of clinging to what's lost.

10 Things I Hate About You

Release Year: 1999

Directed by: Gil Junger

Starring: Heath Ledger, Julia Stiles, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt

My Rating: ★★★⯪☆

10 Things I Hate About You is a modern-day adaptation of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew. It's a fun, witty, and charming film that captures the essence of high school romance. The film is filled with memorable quotes, hilarious moments, and a killer soundtrack. It's a feel-good movie that never fails to put a smile on my face.

To All the Boys I've Loved Before

Release Year: 2018

Directed by: Susan Johnson

Starring: Lana Condor and Noah Centineo

My Rating: ★★★★☆

This film is a girl's best friend with its relatable intricacies and the way it captured the reality of stepping out into the world. Topped it all off with an interesting romance trope, To All the Boys I've Loved Before is something I could rewatch a thousand times and never get tired of it.

La La Land

Release Year: 2016

Directed by: Damien Chazelle

Starring: Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone

My Rating: ★★★★☆

La La Land is a cinematic masterpiece, undeniably. Its technical brilliance is outstanding, its performances captivating. But in its grand ambition, it ultimately falls prey to its own romantic illusions. It's a beautiful, tragic aria, a heartbreaking reminder that sometimes, the brightest stars burn out the fastest, leaving behind only the cold, empty vastness of the night sky.

Bones and All

Release Year: 2022

Directed by: Luca Guadagnino

Starring: Timothée Chalamet and Taylor Russell

My Rating: ★★★★★

This film is a raw, unsettling odyssey that burrows under your skin and festers. This isn't a romance for the faint of heart. It's a brutal, unflinching exploration of isolation, otherness, and the desperate search for connection in a world that offers none. The film’s beauty lies in its unflinching honesty, its refusal to sanitize the grotesque reality of its characters' existence.

Everything, Everywhere, All at Once

Release Year: 2022

Directed by: Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert

Starring: Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, Stephanie Hsu, and Jamie Lee Curtis

My Rating: ★★★★★

At its core, this film about connection, about finding love and acceptance in the midst of chaos. It's about the messy, flawed, glorious tapestry of human experience, and the realization that even in the face of overwhelming absurdity, there is beauty, there is meaning, and there is love. One of my best watches of all time.

Isle of Dogs

Release Year: 2018

Directed by: Wes Anderson

Starring: Bryan Cranston, Koyu Rankin, Edward Norton, and Bob Balaban

My Rating: ★★★★⯪

A dog is a man's best friend, they say. Isle of Dogs is a film of quiet beauty and understated emotion. It's a reminder that even in the most desolate of landscapes, amidst the refuse of societal neglect, the bonds of loyalty and love can flourish. It’s a beautifully strange, and deeply moving, testament to the enduring power of connection.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Release Year: 2018

Directed by: Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman, and Bob Persichetti

Starring: Shameik Moore, Jake Johnson, Hailee Steinfeld, and Mahershala Ali

My Rating: ★★★★★

This film is a celebration of individuality, a testament to the fact that anyone, regardless of background or circumstance, can wear the mask. It’s not just a great Spider-Man movie, it's a masterpiece of animation, and a landmark achievement in cinematic storytelling, that leaves you breathless and inspired.

Mickey 17

Release Year: 2025

Directed by: Bong Joon Ho

Starring: Robert Pattinson, Naomie Ackie, Steven Yeun, and Mark Ruffalo

My Rating: ★★★★☆

Robert Pattinson, as the titular "expendable," Mickey, delivers a performance that's both vulnerable and unsettling, navigating the existential labyrinth of repeated deaths and rebirths. It challenges viewers to confront uncomfortable truths about human nature, the pursuit of power, and the very definition of existence. This film left me both in awe and unease.