jon ursenbach

Software engineer by day, trash cinephile after dark.

Favorite films

  • Sorcerer
  • The Guardian
  • Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
  • Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

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All
  • The Last House on the Left

    ★★½

  • Rope

    ★★★★★

  • Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome

    ★★

  • Bugged

    ★★★

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  • Speed Racer

    Speed Racer

    ★★★★½

    Fully understand why this bounced with audiences and why its partial Robert Rodriguez Spy Kids green screen nightmare is a turnoff for most people but there is so much creativity present here that I am surprised that not only did it not forever change live-action anime but that we haven't seen anything else as bold as it before.

    There hasn't been any cinematic moment in a long time that's given me goosebumps quite like Speed doing a barrel roll through the finish line. Like holy fuck. When the movies are great they are fucking great.

    WB, remaster this for a 4K UHD release you cowards.

  • Mr. No Legs

    Mr. No Legs

    ★★★★★

    Most all movies I buy I buy completely blind. No trailers, no synopsis. Usually it's either from Letterboxd recs, boutique labels, or batshit art. This is one of those, and rarely do any of them slap as goddamn hard.

    The last film that hit all points of my personal canon was Andy Sidaris' Seven (from the same year, no less!). Mr. No Legs rolls up in a wheelchair with double shotguns on the side and blows it's ass away. It…

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  • The Last House on the Left

    The Last House on the Left

    ★★½

    Hooptober X: 5 of 31

    With how reviled this was I'm unclear if I'm a monster pervert or this is the tamest of tame.

    Amusing that Sean Cunningham reused the "mother avenges her dead child" beat in Friday the 13th; I'm curious how Wes Craven felt about it.

  • Rope

    Rope

    ★★★★★

    Hooptober X: 4 of 31

    It's been a hot second since I've seen a Hitchcock for the first time and good lord his composition and scene transitions gets me hootin and hollerin each time. What a treat Rope is, huh?

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  • 1991: The Year Punk Broke

    1991: The Year Punk Broke

    ★★★

    Maddening that Thurston Moore had to go and cheat on Kim Gordon, destroying their marriage, and Sonic Youth, in the process. Dumbass.

  • The Monopoly of Violence

    The Monopoly of Violence

    ★★★★

    Seeing a smattering of people on here saying that they wish this gave more context to the gilets jaunes protests depicted here, and do you really require that to understand the framing of the film?

    Mélanie Ngoye-Gaham, a social worker depicted being hit by a police grenade in the back of her neck gives a powerful monologue after rewatching the footage of her attack:

    They award the violent. They give medals and bonuses to the most violent cops. So only…