Letterboxd — Your life in film

Saw this in 2010 during an AFI tour. The short was part of what the film school calls “cycle films” — projects students shoot in their first year solely for practice, learning, and experimentation. Because of this, they’re unfortunately kept internal and never made public — screened only to aspiring students on tour, for instance, but I thought this short was so damn good that I’ve been hoping, for the past 10 years, that someone would just put it up online already. Release the cycle films, AFI!!

I watched this gem at a USC DGA screening in 2012 and thankfully, it inspired me to not drop out of film school. One of my all-time favorite shorts!

Fuckin’ A. Just as awesome as I remembered. *jumps out of helicopter* “PHOENIXXXXXXX!”

Grew up watching this film all the time as a kid. A guilty pleasure for sure. It holds up surprisingly well on rewatch (but with a lot of 80s camp, of course). And they were definitely onto something with the civilians wearing masks outside!

This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.

It's so sad that this movie is underperforming at the box office. I loved it!

My favorite movie of the year. It’s certainly not everyone’s cup of tea, but for those who share the same (dark?) sensibilities, you’ll know you’re watching something really special just a few minutes in. There’s a scene towards the end of the film so perfectly crafted that I still reflect on it... with boundless admiration and artistic envy. Masterfully written & directed by Cory Finley with a pair of phenomenal performances from Anna Taylor-Joy and Olivia Cooke (my new on-screen crush). Don’t miss this gem!