I'll go first. Jennifer Lawrence for her performance in mother! Her best performance ever, and something she deserved an oscar nomination for. Got a razzie nom instead.

My local cinema did a Scorsese run recently. I caught as many as I could, and while it was obviously great fun, the whole experience really opened my eyes to how watching movies in isolation can rob us of something the directors worked so hard to create.

Night one was Taxi Driver. I’ve seen it countless times. However, watching it in a completely packed theatre allowed me to see the story through a whole new lens.

To my surprise, people around me were laughing through the first half like it was a Judd Apatow rom-com. Here’s this goofy guy repeatedly messing up his chances with this absolute smoke show and everyone was laughing at his lack of self awareness. Even the Mohawk reveal got a huge laugh from the audience.

The strange thing is, this caught me off guard. I’d always watched Taxi Driver either alone or with one or two friends. When I first discovered it, most of the takes I heard came from film students a few years older than me. They’d stroke their patchy beards and say the cliche things like, “It’s an observation on loneliness…” or “It’s about the irony of a man becoming isolated in a busy city…”

And, like it or not, I think that primed me to watch Taxi Driver solely as this serious, artsy statement about society. The film left a huge mark on me, but in hindsight those early interpretations shaped the way I approached it.

Most of my subsequent viewings were still alone or with one or two people, so I never really had much reason to challenge that mindset.

Skip forward to this most recent viewing, and the communal laughter genuinely nudged me into a different mode of experiencing the film. Suddenly Travis’s romantic endeavours had this flawed, awkward, very human quality to them that I’d never fully appreciated before. It grounded him as a character, which ultimately made where he goes and the decisions he makes later feel even more disturbing.

It didn’t stop there though, Night two was Goodfellas. Obviously it has some incredibly funny moments (funny how?) Watching it at home I’ll laugh or grin. But in a packed cinema, my face was hurting from laughing.

And strangely, all that laughter pulled me deeper into Henry’s friendship group more than any home viewing ever had. You get swept up in their charisma and the ridiculousness of their world. Which means when things unravel and Henry, Jimmy and the others start making increasingly desperate decisions, they somehow feel bigger.

There were similar experiences with his other work but I don’t want to bombard this post with examples as I think you get the point….

You’re probably reading this thinking, “Duh, cinema beats watching movies at home any day of the week” But that’s not really my point. My point is that these visits reminded me of the importance of simply watching films with a bunch of other human beings.

Something happens to your brain in those dark rooms full of strangers that I don’t think we really have the words to describe. You laugh because other people laugh. You feel tension moving through the room. You notice things because somebody else reacts to them. And I think somehow the collective experience pushes your mind into a more open, human way of engaging with what’s on screen.

So if you ever get the opportunity to see a film you love in a packed cinema, even if you’ve watched it a hundred times, go. You might discover something in it that you’d assumed you’d already gleaned everything you possibly could from. You might even come away with some fresh patchy-beard observations of your own.

Over the past few days I’ve revisited both Barbarian and Weapons. I saw them both theatrically. Barbarian is the one I’ve seen more times and like a little more. Weapons is the better made movie though I have to say from a storytelling perspective. Barbarian is just a little more entertaining to me.

It’s a tough choice, but if you had to choose, do you prefer Barbarian or Weapons?

Cregger has already proven himself to be an awesome filmmaker. Resident Evil should be a blast!!

Thanks for all the recommendations!

Also, I enjoyed OUATI Mexico way more than I should have. Mexican William Dafoe ftw.

Steven Saigal

Not including stuff where the protagonist is villainous

Sid was an artist, I don't think he deserved getting traumatised over fucking around and breaking toys, he most likely grew up somewhat neglected

The woman from Chicken Run was just doing her job, albeit a bit over the top with it, it's not like she treated the chickens badly or anything

City of God is one of the best in the genre in my opinion.

These are some of the East Asian films I’ve watched so far and I would like to discover more gems, any recommendation is welcome, thank you in advance.

please do not recommend by the same directors. I have seen them.

I just need a good cry. Can you recommend me a movie?

How many movies that have been in your radar for a while did you finally watch this year?

Things like Joker 2, Megamind vs doom sydicate and American psycho 2 don’t count

hello! i'm looking for movies that will help me relax, cheer me up when i feel down or exhausted. would love to know your favorites! they can be from any genre.

I organized an AMA/Q&A with actress Jodie Comer. You may know her from fantastic roles in things like Killing Eve, The Last Duel, 28 Years Later, The Bikeriders, Free Guy.

It's live here now in r/movies for anyone interested in asking a question:

https://www.reddit.com/r/movies/comments/1w4bbu1/hi_rmovies_jodie_comer_here_with_michael_sarnoski/

She will be back at 12 PM ET tomorrow (Wednesday 9/2) to answer questions. I recommend asking in advance. Please ask there, not here. All questions are much appreciated!

Thank you :)

Her newest film, The Death of Robin Hood, is out in UK theaters on September 2. It co-stars Hugh Jackman and is directed by Michael Sarnoski (Pig).

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlSDDuWxO_0&themeRefresh=1