Six years! Can you imagine?! A random idea that came up to my mind when I was yet a Film Studies student is now celebrating its 6th birthday. The idea was to write about films in a simple and pleasant way so that literally everyone could get inspired and watch something good. Because films are for everyone, so are my recommendations. And it’ll stay this way.
2024 was a difficult year for me, so I couldn’t commit too much to my blog. That is why I shared only 62 recommendations… I hope that despite the low number, you found something among my posts and saw some decent films in 2024. However, a big number of people visited my page, which is over 19 900 people from 169 countries! Each year I’m amazed by those numbers and I’m glad that my recommendations are reaching cinephiles all around the world. We may have some differences, but cinema is what brings us together for sure.
In 2025 I wish myself peace and time to get involved more in developing my blog. I’m thankful for all the connections that I’ve made in the last 6 years and I hope for new ones! I’m also incredibly excited for all the films that we’ll watch in 2025, both brilliant and horrible, because we need something to gossip about as well, right? Stay safe, stay healthy, and stay cinephiles!
Ho, ho, ho! Are you hoping for some overly cute romantic comedy for Christmas? Not this time, buddy. This year has been a real rollercoaster of unexpected events, so I’m about to stay in the mood and today, I have a horror for you. Well, it’s not much of a horror, rather a creepy comedy that’s happening around the Christmas time. But if you asked me about this film when I was yet a child, I’d probably hide under a blanket. So if you want to know what film kept me awake when I was a kiddo, keep reading. It all starts with a man named Randall (Hoyt Axton) who is looking for a Christmas gift for his son, Billy (Zach Galligan). In one store, he finds a cute little creature that looks like a mix of a teddy bear, monkey and Dumbo the elephant. It’s called “mogwai”, which in Cantonese means “devil”. Perfect Christmas gift if you ask me. The little furry devil comes with 3 rules to remember. One – never expose it to light because it may kill it. Two – never let it have any contact with water. Three – a true nightmare of overworked adults – never let it eat after midnight. As you might be already guessing, all those three rules get broken at some point – that’s the fun part of a horror, right? The little devil is given a new name – Gizmo, and step by step smart humans around him break the three rules. Gizmo is accidentally exposed to a bit of light, which doesn’t kill it, but hurts it. Then, Billy’s friend spills some water on Gizmo and… something happens, but it’s for you to see. That part is rather funny, but stay with me, because there’s still the third rule. And that’s the moment when you realise why this adorable creature was originally called “mogwai”… Not sure you want your children to watch the film, because I remember I was seriously scared of some of its parts. However, as an adult, I feel deep nostalgia and even recently I got myself a Gizmo toy. The cashier asked whether it’s for my child and I said: “no, it’s for me, but I promise not to shower it.” – the lady didn’t catch that. So if you grew up watching “Gremlins”, I bet you must be a great person with numerous traumas to discuss with your therapist. Anyway, if you feel some Spielberg’s vibes watching the film, you’re feeling them right because he’s the executive producer and his adventurous nature can be spotted there. However, rumours say he considered giving this project to Tim Burton, which is difficult to imagine for me. I mean, I adore both directors, but each of them is living in his own world. Not sure a mix of both would be such a success. Anyway, if you’re looking for some 80s vibes and something to see this Christmas which will put all the kids to bed immediately, then you know what to choose. And if you enjoy it, there’s also a sequel from 1990. I hope you’ll have a good time, but remember… don’t you dare eating after midnight…
I remember when I was still studying Film and New Media at university, we were also discussing Finnish cinema and its icon – Aki Kaurismäki. Maybe I’m not the biggest fan who could watch his films over and over, but I do like to see something by him from time to time. He has a very specific style of filmmaking, which I like to call “raw and slow”. His characters never hurry nor make us feel energised, quite the opposite. If you decide to watch a Kaurismäki’s film, you choose a rather peaceful evening, during which you’re fine not to drift away with your imagination too much. That’s what I mean by “raw” – his films are way too real, even if sometimes with a pinch of absurd or humour. In today’s story, we get to know two singles, Ansa and Holappa (Alma Pöysti & Jussi Vatanen). The woman works in a supermarket and the man works as a sandblaster, and they both aren’t thrilled with what they do. They happen to meet at a karaoke bar, but not like in most romantic comedies, so their relation doesn’t move forward that fast. In fact, it doesn’t move at all, because they didn’t even exchange names or numbers. Their single and pretty gloomy lives go on, but it wouldn’t be a romantic drama if those two didn’t meet again, right? They do, but still, not in a movie way. I kind of felt like watching a documentary about singles in their 30/40s, because all the situations those two are involved in are rather awkward and usual. But at the same time, you feel a real connection between them – just like a connection some of us may have with another human that we’re dating. If you expect two pretty actors in fancy clothes bumping into each other in snow, staring into each other’s eyes and immediately falling in love – then Hallmark productions are waiting. However, if you want to experience “raw” chemistry between two simple people, then this film is a good choice to make. To be honest, it’s actually a quite comforting story, especially since we’re surrounded by all those overly cute and idealistic romances. I’m glad we have such filmmakers like Kauriskmäki to remind us that love can be also presented without filters. The older you are, the more life baggage you carry, so your romantic relations must be different, often more complex. And there’s nothing to be ashamed of, and definitely you shouldn’t feel like love is no longer meant for you. Maybe we should stop following celebrities on social media presenting fake realities, and just grab that nice person we know and go to the cinema? Boring? Nah, it’s just a beginning of a new adventure, just in less saturated colours.
No matter how much one wants to avoid following the news, especially those bad ones, I guess most people know about the current war between Russia and Ukraine. Personally, I try not to get too political in writing my posts, even if I have some strong opinions and what’s happening out there is not indifferent to me. However, I’ve just seen this documentary and I really wish you to hear about it, because I believe it may interest cinephiles and simultaneously teach you about the power of propaganda that’s present in Russia. The film was made by a Ukrainian filmmaker who wanted to discuss Russian cinema and its influence on people. I was aware of the fact that Russian filmmakers must be including some political allusions and manifest their aversion to other nations, but what I saw in today’s documentary blew my mind. All the countries that have ever had any conflicts with Russia are always presented as offenders, while Russia is always the one that strives for peace and justice. Before making films about “bad Ukrainians”, there were films about “bad Chechens”, “bad Georgians” and so on, and so on, so it seems like the idea for their national cinema doesn’t change much – they just choose a different nation to cast as an antagonist. To be fair, I guess there’s no country which hasn’t produced a film full of stereotypes, or a film in which they’re not offending another nation. For example, in Russia it’s common to present sex workers or people from the lowest social class as Ukrainians. I know several films from different countries where people from mine (I’m not Ukrainian) are presented as such. Is it nice? Not really, but I cannot say that it’s not partially true, because I’m sure there are some migrants from my country who might do such jobs or behave in a certain way. However, when another nation is presented as neo-nazis who are against Russians, then I believe the propaganda level went over the limit. Or making historical films based on made-up stories just to strengthen the idea of eternal Russian innocence. It’s terrifying, because cinema can be a very strong weapon. A few people will read a book, but millions will watch a film. And if they live in a country with the access to such films only, then there’s no surprise that even civilians support the military actions that result in murdering innocent people. Recently, I saw a documentary about North Korea and the scenario was the same – North Koreans had to leave their country to understand what mystification they were living in. I definitely recommend you to watch “Zinema”, because it may help you understand the quality of information provision in Russia. And also, it may encourage you to reflect on the power of cinema that is used all over the world. Quite disturbing if you analyse it…
I haven’t been touched by a documentary that much in a while. In my whole life I’ve always been very empathic and supportive, so the reality of people with different disabilities is pretty known by me, even though I’m not one of them. I’ve been volunteering and working with people with special needs and everyday I admire their strength and motivation to keep going. Remember that ad with Duracell Bunnies? This is how I see people struggling with any serious health issues – they are those bunnies. Powerful and always going forward. So when I found out there’s a documentary about some inspiring young man with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, I had to watch it immediately. DMD, shortly speaking because I’m no doctor, is a disease that makes a person’s muscles slowly weaken and disappear. At first, they lose weight and have troubles walking, but then it even leads to breathing problems. Unfortunately, as you might be guessing, life expectancy is not high in this case. Today’s documentary tells the story of Mats Steen who fought hard, yet the disease finally took him away from us when he was at the age of 25. The older he was getting, the less he could actually go out and do what his peers could do. Therefore, he found some comfort in the online world, and most specifically in his favourite game World of Warcraft. For those who have very little knowledge about games (like me) – it’s an online multiplayer game, where you can create your own avatar and interact with other people’s avatars as well. In the same game you can also explore landscapes, do some quests and generally experience another version of life. Or like Mats – experience the only life he had. He had a wonderful and loving family, there’s no doubt about that, but the disease made him a prisoner in his own body. After his death, the family wanted to inform people online about this fact, so they logged into Mats blog and wrote a post. What happened next is truly moving. Lots of people who were reading his blog and played with him were writing e-mails to the family describing what a great person Mats was. The character he played in WoW was named Ibelin Redmoore and many players were grateful for his company. Not only he was helping them in some quests, but he also supported them like a real friend. They could talk to him, share their problems, ask for advice. A lot of people who interacted with Mats were introverts with difficulties in real life, so finding someone who understands them in the game was truly therapeutic. He also united many people and helped them find long-term friendships. And all that was kept in secret from his family, so imagine their reaction when they find out about Mats’ second life and how incredible it was. As I said at the beginning, I was absolutely moved by this documentary and I recommend you all to see it. Rest in peace, Mats Ibelin Steen.
Fly Me to the Moon, We Are the World and even The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air – all those songs have one man in common and that man is Quincy Jones. We’ve just lost a true legend responsible for producing historical tracks. If you haven’t heard of his name (which is fair, because we rarely hear about producers), I definitely recommend you to watch today’s documentary. It was made in 2018, so it’s pretty fresh and it summed up Quincy’s career quite decently. There’s no point in describing you the film, so I just share some random thoughts I have about it. First, it’s full of music he made happen, so high quality music. Not only I enjoyed learning facts about Quincy, but also bounced to those magnificent songs. Second, I have this feeling that he was no ordinary producer. He was powered by music and helping others create music was what actually kept him alive for so long. You’ll find out from the documentary, but let me just say – this man was incredibly lucky to live up to 91. Not only he had health problems, but he also didn’t slow down for a second. As I said, music was his never-ending battery and you can tell how much happiness it gave him. What I also noticed was his ability to appreciate others, which isn’t that common. He was praising talent and hard work, and that definitely inspired many artists. Third, according to him there are only two types of music – good music and bad music. And I couldn’t agree more. One day he’s playing the trumpet in a jazz bad, then produces an absolute pop hit, and later he spoils hip-hop fans with something fresh and catchy. Personally, I truly admire such range of interest and, let’s face it, professionalism, because not many producers can succeed in various genres. Also, he’s an EGOT winner with almost 3000 songs recorded and a father of 7 children (with 5 different women). When he got asked about one thing that he could be better with, he answered “marriages”. Well, I guess that’s a good answer, because I can’t imagine being even better in the music industry. No matter if you’ve heard of Quincy or not, this documentary is worth watching, especially now. You may learn a lot about the history of music thanks to this one human being. Fun fact, I rarely follow famous people’s lives and connections, so it was a true shock when I found out that one of Quincy’s daughters is Rashida Jones – the one and only Ann Perkins from “Perks and Recreation”. I learn new things everyday. And how adorable that she was one of the directors of the documentary about her father. May he rest in peace.
This year I’ve decided to share with you a film from my teenage times. I remember when one of my friends told me about Kuchisake-onna and this film, which back then was a new release. She said that it’s the most terrifying horror she’d seen, so I really didn’t want to watch it, but my curiosity won the battle. Not sure whether I was actually scared of the film or it just seemed spooky because of the general story of Kuchisake-onna, but that was definitely my top horror film back then. I rewatched it after all those years and now I can honestly say that there are much better horrors out there, but the nostalgia hit me so hard that I couldn’t just keep it to myself. The idea for the film actually comes from an urban legend about a slit-mouthed woman, who represents some evil spirit. Her mouth is covered with a mask and she always carries something sharp, especially big scissors. The legend says that if you meet her, she will ask you whether she’s beautiful. If you say “no”, she will kill you. Well, which woman wouldn’t after such answer, right? If you say “yes”, she will uncover her mouth, which is slit from ear to ear, and then repeat the question. If you say “no”, she will kill you. Fun game, huh? However, if you say “yes” after seeing her face, she will… cut your mouth the same way. What a queen! Not only she’s self-confident, but she also wants to help you feel pretty as well. Bestie vibes, if you ask me. Seriously speaking though, it’s just a legend, but it is unfortunately associated with the disappearing of a number of children. Some may say this is just an excuse to explain such tragedy, but I believe that in every story there’s at least a tiny bit of truth. Anyway, the film I’m recommending you is actually covering the story, so you may visualise what I’ve just written here. As I said, to me this horror is no longer scary, but back then, knowing the whole background about Kuchisake-onna, it gave me chills. Still, I believe there aren’t that many horrors that are truly terrifying and most of us watch horrors to have a laugh with a pinch of excitement. So if you’re looking for such film to see, I definitely recommend you the pretty lady with scissors. By the way, if you accidentally meet her and you don’t want to die or have your mouth slit, just tell her she’s “average”. Apparently, it works. But don’t try it with living women – you may experience something worse than death.
Who would have thought that Clooney and Pitt go so well together on the screen? It’s not the first time those two actors meet in a film, but I guess for the first time I fully appreciated the duo. Maybe because the relation between their characters isn’t clear till the very end, so watching this comedy is actually quite engaging. The story starts with a woman named Margaret (Amy Ryan) whose companion in her hotel room ends up dead. That was some random young man she met at a bar, so calling the services would complicate her life, especially since she’s an attorney. Therefore, Margaret calls some mysterious man who always takes care of such… problems. Then, George Clooney appears and is about to start “fixing” the situation when suddenly Brad Pitt walks into the same room. Turns out that he’s also such “problem-solver” and he was called by Pam, the hotel owner. Which owner needs a dead body in their hotel, right? The two “fixers” aren’t thrilled by these circumstances, but they begin cleaning the room and find a big amount of drugs in the dead man’s bag. Their task is not only to get rid of the body, but also to return the drugs to the person they actually belong to. Sounds like a doable thing until the young man’s body suddenly gets back to life… No worries, this isn’t another part of Paranormal Activity, there’s a very simple explanation for this comeback. Generally, the plot is rather simple and the main focus is on this ridiculous relation between Clooney and Pitt. Each of them wants to prove he’s better at this job, yet until the case is solved, they have to cooperate. They kind of look like siblings who are forced by the parents to clean the house and they actually do it, but don’t want to miss the chance to tease each other. I had fun watching this film and I hope you’ll enjoy it as well. The ending is definitely worth waiting for and it’s the reason why I rated the film one point higher (so now you have to watch till the end). Another element that was a big plus for me was the soundtrack, which made me feel as if I was watching a film from the early 00s – great time machine. I also want to add a few words about the title. If you’re a grammar nazi, you’ve already noticed the mistake. The plural of “wolf” is “wolves” – and that title hurt my eyes as well. But I decided to do some research about it and someone explained it: it’s on purpose, because the word “wolves” indicates that it’s a pack of wolves, a group that are one, but in this film the two “fixers” just work together, but they are still going solo, so that’s why it’s “Wolfs”. Yeah, I also didn’t expect such depth when it comes to an action/comedy film, but here we are. Enjoy!
How thrilled I was when I noticed that there’s “The Platfrom 2” on Netflix. When I think of sci-fi productions that I like, I always remember the first part of this story. I’m not that much into spaceships and creatures with big heads speaking some unknown language, but instead I just adore when the film makes me question human nature. For those who haven’t seen the first part, I highly recommend you to see them in the right order, because if you see the 2nd film, you might not feel that excited about the mystery of the first one. So, I assume that if you’re reading this, you’ve already seen “The Platform” numero uno, because I’m about to share a few words about the 2nd part. Here, we’re beginning already knowing what the idea of this strange place – it’s a prison with 333 floors, on each floor we have two random people and each month they are rearranged to new floors. Just like in the first part, there’s still that damn hole in the middle and the prisoners can find food on the moving platform. However, since the people there are already used to this environment, we get to observe two social groups – those who follow the rules and those who don’t. The rules are simple – no matter which floor you’re at, you only eat the dish you ordered before entering. However, if someone else has eaten your dish, you’re not allowed to eat anything else – this way the loyalists believe one day everyone will learn and obey the Law. Sounds lovely, but it can be quite frustrating to follow the rules and keep starving because of those who don’t care about them. In such circumstances, patience is very much limited. I’m actually glad the producers didn’t repeat the same story just with different characters – they kind of presented the follow-up in the same environment. Personally, I’m a huge fan of this idea, because it’s simple and lets us observe another process taking place in the prison. I know such platform seems abstract, yet both films say a lot about humans in society. No matter what rules you make, no matter how hard you try to be fair, in the end, each person cares mostly about themselves. Sooner or later, they put themselves first, especially if others don’t care to cooperate. Another thing that I find an unfortunate lesson about humans is that the moment we reach the top, we immediately want to get revenge and do everything we couldn’t do before, just 3 times more intensively. Just like in this prison – if after a month of being on one of the lowest levels you’re reassigned to one of the highest, you eat whatever you want – just like those people above you the previous month. Who cares that this time someone else is starving down there, right? Hard to imagine the same processes in our real life, but if you analyse it, we really live together and care only about our own self. That’s it. And that’s why I appreciate such productions – for feeding my lack of hope for humanity as a collective. Sad summary, but this film is worth seeing, so go for it.
Who wouldn’t like to stay young forever? Yes, you may argue with me now that “getting older is noble” and “the older you get, the wiser you are” and such. But if you asked me – I’d love to get smarter and stay in a body of a 20-year-old. Especially considering the potential health issues – meds are so expensive right now. People generally try to hold on to their youth either by exercising, following a healthy diet or asking plastic surgeons for some help in that matter. But in the end, we’re all getting older and no surgery or protein shake can change that. Then, we get “The Substance” and it turns out that anything is possible. The character we follow is Elisabeth (Demi Moore), a 50-year-old actress. Except winning an Oscar, she’s also famous for being the star of an aerobics show on TV. Indeed, the woman is sporty and very attractive, so she seems like a perfect fit for such program. However, the producer is no longer satisfied with her and decides to find a much younger star. Elisabeth is devastated because she knows it’s the end of her career. At some point, she finds out about a mysterious substance that makes you younger. It’s no silly face cream, my dear readers, but a strange serum that you need inject into your body and then something unbelievable happens. Your body creates a new you, yet much younger and more beautiful. The whole process and what happens next is for you to see, because even if I described it now, you wouldn’t believe me. This film is weird and disgusting, let’s face it. But I have to say it’s my kind of weird, and not my kind of disgusting. You see, I could say it’s like a mix of “Black Mirror” and Cronenberg’s mind – the first one I adore, the second one I avoid (I’m sorry Mr. Cronenberg, I really tried…). Personally, I love the idea, the main character who wants to win with time, the substance and the rules that come with it – also amazing, in my opinion. But then the ending happens and I hear people in the cinema room laughing (at least those who still stayed till the end). If they’d cut the last 20-30 minutes, I’d give this film a strong 8/10, because it shows how much we don’t understand what we want as humans. We would love to be young, pretty and popular, but all that comes with a huge price to pay. So instead of wishing the impossible, let’s just cherish what we have and work on loving ourselves more. It’s difficult for me to understand why they finished the film is such unfortunate way… to make it more controversial? Well, it worked, but I bet more people would have appreciated it if the production team stuck to the aesthetics of the main part of the film. Still, I recommend you to see it and judge yourselves. Also, try to find popular films references – I spotted several of them, like “The Shining”, “Carrie”, “2001: A Space Odyssey”, or even “Doctor Who” series. Good luck finding them all!
I have nothing to watch 