All Film Reviews
Rated from 0.5 to 5 stars.
Twin Peaks: The Return — Parts 13–15 (2017)
David Lynch
"This show just doesn't stop building from the first episode. Once again amazing to rewatch in the theatre."
Watched: March 24, 2026
Theatre: Alamo Drafthouse, Mountain View
Universal Language (2024)
Matthew Rankin
"I finally found somewhere to watch this movie on an Air Canada flight to visit my old roommate. I'd been fascinated with the concept since I'd seen the first trailer, as it was so interesting to me — this notion of people in Winnipeg speaking only Farsi. The film is partly in Farsi and partly in French and I think some English as well? It is quite surreal, but also very cozy like a traditional old Persian movie. There is a vast warmth in the film as well as a great absurd sadness. While it is definitely not perfect and some parts left me wanting more, I really highly recommend a watch."
Watched: March 7, 2026
Twin Peaks: The Return — Parts 1–4 (2017)
David Lynch
"I loved seeing these in the theatre. The scale is just so much grander. It was also amazing to see this with my friend who was seeing it for the first time. It really lived up to the hype."
Watched: February 22, 2026
Theatre: Alamo Drafthouse, Mountain View
Twin Peaks: The Missing Pieces (2014)
David Lynch
"It may be surprising for those of you who know what a big Lynch and Twin Peaks fan I am, but this was the first time I'd seen The Missing Pieces. These are a series of deleted scenes from the shoot of Fire Walk with Me and there are some that I really think should have made their way into the film. There are three scenes in particular: two were completely missing — one showing Annie and one with Ed and Norma — and one was a different version of the Phillip Jeffries scene (David Bowie). That scene really showed his version of the story in a much clearer way."
Watched: February 21, 2026
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992)
David Lynch
"I love the world that Lynch creates in Twin Peaks. This movie sets up the whole atmosphere for the third season, and I watched it in preparation for seeing the Return in theaters the following day."
Watched: February 21, 2026
Fallen Angels (1995)
Wong Kar-wai
"Wow, what an experience. There may be no other movie that captures loneliness quite like this. The cinematography is truly excellent."
Watched: February 15, 2026
Road to Zanzibar (1941)
Victor Schertzinger
"Wow this was a terrible follow-up in the double feature. This was genuinely racist and nothing really redeemed it. I did enjoy Bing Crosby to start off the film, but it grew quite tiring hearing him sing all the time. I hadn't expected a musical at all. Overall, not great."
Watched: February 13, 2026
Theatre: Stanford Theatre, Palo Alto
The Ghost Breakers (1940)
George Marshall
"I was very pleasantly surprised by this movie. There was a warning before entering the theatre about how racist the double feature was going to be but I hadn't expected this. Regardless, I couldn't help but find it quite funny and enjoyed the story. A really good laugh."
Watched: February 13, 2026
Theatre: Stanford Theatre, Palo Alto
Meshes of the Afternoon (1943)
Maya Deren & Alexandr Hackenschmied
"Wow, what an interesting and truly original silent short. I read somewhere that this inspired Lynch for Twin Peaks and I can see its presence in Inland Empire as well. There is also a scene that looks a lot like a scene in Christopher Nolan's Inception. The way this film portrays time and perspective and its usage of doppelgangers is quite innovative. My, what a curious ending as well. Very impressive that the creators, a married couple, did everything for the project: producing, directing, editing, cinematography, and starring in it."
Watched: February 5, 2026
Hard Boiled (1992)
John Woo
"This was amazing to see. What a great 4k restoration, and what beautiful non-stop action. As John Woo himself said in the interview after, it was like choreographed dance."
Watched: January 25, 2026
Theatre: Cinemark Century 16, Mountain View
Twin Peaks: Episodes 10-13 (1990)
David Lynch & Mark Frost
"Season 2, Episodes 2-5. Watching in the theater is just spectacular."
Watched: January 24, 2026
Theatre: Alamo Drafthouse, Mountain View
Twin Peaks: Episodes 7-9 (1990)
David Lynch & Mark Frost
"Season 1, Episodes 7-8 and Season 2, Episode 1. Amazing to see this in the theaters."
Watched: January 17, 2026
Theatre: Alamo Drafthouse, Mountain View
Casablanca (1942)
Michael Curtiz
"A very enjoyable experience, though there are some cheesy parts of the movie. Regardless, what a classic."
Watched: January 16, 2026
Theatre: Stanford Theatre, Palo Alto
On the Silver Globe (1988)
Andrzej Zulawski
"Wow have I been moved. The ending of this film and the narration throughout with the POV shots is really something else."
Watched: January 8, 2026
Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair (2025)
Quentin Tarantino
"Seen on film in the midst of my finals season. Despite my feelings for Quentin Tarantino as a human, his films are almost always strong, and I loved seeing these back to back. I originally didn't like Kill Bill 2 all that much and seeing it right after the first changed my mind completely. It's a very nice, slow burn after the first."
Watched: December 7, 2025
Theatre: Alamo Drafthouse, New Mission SF
Sentimental Value (2025)
Joachim Trier
"I saw this alone, and honestly it was probably good that I did. This film moved me very much, and as my friend mentioned when suggesting I watch it in the theatre, the film was filled with so many tender and human moments. I particularly disliked Joachim Trier's prior film, but this was a tremendously strong rebound."
Watched: November 20, 2025
Theatre: AMC Mercado 20, Santa Clara
Train Dreams (2025)
Clint Bentley
"The cinematography of this film was gorgeous. Having read the novella, I was very excited to see this. While it is incredibly hard for any movie to live up to such magnificent prose, I thought it was quite strong. However, there were some stark variations from the novella that seemed both out of place and only put in to satisfy certain audience members. Those variations made the film weaker, but I still enjoyed it despite those faults."
Watched: November 6, 2025
Theatre: Alamo Drafthouse, Mountain View
Duel in the Sun (1946)
King Vidor
"Walked out early. Technicolor is always great but it was terrible otherwise. The story doesn't make sense and the characters are unlikable. Went back in after a little bit to see the end, made it even worse."
Watched: October 18, 2025
Theatre: Stanford Theatre, Palo Alto
Wages of Fear (1953)
Henri-Georges Clouzot
""
Watched: October 14, 2025
La Haine (1995)
Mathieu Kassovitz
""
Watched: October 10, 2025
Theatre: Alamo Drafthouse, Valley Fair
One Battle After Another (2025)
Paul Thomas Anderson
""
Watched: September 26, 2025
Theatre: AMC Metreon 16 (70mm IMAX), San Francisco
In the Mood for Love (2000)
Wong Kar-wai
"25th anniversary remaster."
Watched: September 12, 2025
Theatre: Alamo Drafthouse, Valley Fair
Bringing Up Baby (1938)
Howard Hawks
""
Watched: September 6, 2025
Theatre: Stanford Theatre, Palo Alto
Citizen Kane (1941)
Orson Welles
""
Watched: August 24, 2025
Theatre: Stanford Theatre, Palo Alto
Weapons (2025)
Zach Cregger
""
Watched: August 24, 2025
Theatre: Alamo Drafthouse, Mountain View
In A Lonely Place (1950)
Nicholas Ray
""
Watched: August 8, 2025
Theatre: Stanford Theatre, Palo Alto
Beat the Devil (1953)
John Huston
"So bad we walked out early."
Watched: August 8, 2025
Theatre: Stanford Theatre, Palo Alto
I Confess (1953)
Alfred Hitchcock
""
Watched: July 9, 2025
Theatre: Stanford Theatre, Palo Alto
Notorious (1946)
Alfred Hitchcock
""
Watched: June 20, 2025
Theatre: Stanford Theatre, Palo Alto
Shadow of a Doubt (1943)
Alfred Hitchcock
""
Watched: June 20, 2025
Theatre: Stanford Theatre, Palo Alto
Rebecca (1940)
Alfred Hitchcock
"Seen with my parents."
Watched: June 14, 2025
Theatre: Stanford Theatre, Palo Alto
The Freshman (1925)
Fred C. Newmeyer & Sam Taylor
""
Watched: June 10, 2025
Theatre: Stanford Theatre, Palo Alto
Rolling Home (1926)
William A. Seiter
""
Watched: June 10, 2025
Theatre: Stanford Theatre, Palo Alto
Unusual Occupations (1941)
Jerry Fairbanks
""
Watched: June 9, 2025
Theatre: Stanford Theatre, Palo Alto
That's My Daddy (1928)
Fred C. Newmeyer
""
Watched: June 9, 2025
Theatre: Stanford Theatre, Palo Alto
The Phoenician Scheme (2025)
Wes Anderson
""
Watched: June 5, 2025
Theatre: AMC Mercado 20, Santa Clara
Charade (1963)
Stanley Donen
""
Watched: May 16, 2025
Theatre: Stanford Theatre, Palo Alto
Sinners (2025)
Ryan Coogler
"In my opinion, this movie displays so many problems about today's industry: the oversexualization of both women and men in the name of empowerment and freedom, the use of artificial technologies to create cinematography that then is nominated for awards, and the failure to make important aspects of stories historically accurate. Having Irish singers be the vampires and the villains of the movie when the Irish were incredibly downtrodden back in the day by their Anglo-counterparts left a particularly bitter taste in my mouth. At the end of the day, this movie says a lot about absolutely nothing. And the scene that everyone talks about as being so amazing in the middle of the film looks like a poorly animated Disney flick. It is sad to see audiences eat this up, but unfortunately it is unsurprising in this day and age."
Watched: April 26, 2025
Theatre: AMC Mercado 20, Santa Clara
Warfare (2025)
Alex Garland & Ray Mendoza
""
Watched: April 19, 2025
Theatre: AMC Mercado 20, Santa Clara
Heaven Can Wait (1943)
Ernst Lubitsch
""
Watched: April 6, 2025
Theatre: Stanford Theatre, Palo Alto
Inland Empire (2006)
David Lynch
"It just gets better every damn time."
Watched: March 30, 2025
Theatre: Alamo Drafthouse, New Mission SF
Docks of New York (1928)
Josef von Sternberg
""
Watched: March 22, 2025
Theatre: Stanford Theatre, Palo Alto
Morocco (1930)
Josef von Sternberg
""
Watched: March 22, 2025
Theatre: Stanford Theatre, Palo Alto
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936)
Frank Capra
""
Watched: February 2, 2025
Theatre: Stanford Theatre, Palo Alto
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
Frank Capra
""
Watched: February 2, 2025
Theatre: Stanford Theatre, Palo Alto
I'm Still Here (2024)
Walter Salles
""
Watched: January 31, 2025
Theatre: AMC 14, Saratoga
It Happened One Night (1934)
Frank Capra
""
Watched: January 26, 2025
Theatre: Stanford Theatre, Palo Alto
Nickel Boys (2024)
RaMell Ross
""
Watched: January 24, 2025
Theatre: AMC Mercado 20, Santa Clara
The Brutalist (2024)
Brady Corbet
"I really disliked this movie. The first moments of cinematography with the music are so grand and beautiful that one thinks that the story will have a lot of meaning. Sadly that is not the case. The characters' motives are often contradictory and make no sense. Their daughter especially was so poorly written. This is only a spectacle of Panavision and score. The writing, dialogue, and characters have no substance and didn't bring any emotions out of me."
Watched: January 10, 2025
Theatre: Alamo Drafthouse, New Mission SF
Seed of the Sacred Fig (2024)
Mohammad Rasoulof
"This is not at all what I expected this movie to be about. I thought it would be a lot more about the man's job as a judge, but I was pleasantly surprised to see that it was more about the women in his life and his changing relationship with them. The cinematography was gorgeous, and Rasoulof's use of real footage from the Women Life Freedom protests in Iran evoked a lot of emotions in me. While the ending was a little bit predictable, it was still accomplished successfully."
Watched: December 22, 2024
Theatre: AMC Kabuki, San Francisco
Conclave (2024)
Edward Berger
"This movie was so well-structured and very well-acted throughout. However, the twist of the ending really makes it all come crashing down on itself. The actor who plays that character also is pretty terrible in my opinion. Perhaps it was the director who gave this direction, but in either case, both director and actor are at fault."
Watched: November 23, 2024
Theatre: AMC Mercado 20, Santa Clara
Anora (2024)
Sean Baker
"Special screening with Q&A with Director Sean Baker and Producer Samantha Quan."
Watched: October 22, 2024
Theatre: Alamo Drafthouse, New Mission SF