While Throne of Blood saw Akira Kurosawa adapting Macbeth and The Bad Sleep Well (1960) saw him loosely adapting Hamlet, with 1985's Ran, the great director set his sights on Shakespeare's King Lear. He seizes the opportunity to take advantage of both sides for his own benefit and collaborates with either side to set them against each other. If Im writing a professional review, Im writing for a general audience, he said in a recent phone call. It piqued her interest because Letterboxd lists are formatted to look like a gallery of movie posters neatly positioned side-by-side. louferrigno is using Letterboxd to share film reviews and lists with friends. Rachel Wagner, a member of the Utah Film Critics Association, aptly compares Letterboxd to the popular online book review service Goodreads. The animated film Minions received a heartfelt review from the popular Letterboxd user Sydney Wegner. The social media network has finally left the cinephile niche and entered the mainstream. Posters are sourced from TMDb and Posteritati, and appear for you and visitors to your profile and content, depending on settings. Parasite reigns supreme on Letterboxd and for a good reason. You can make a ''The best animations to watch on a sad day'' list or ''The best romantic movies to watch alone.'' It focuses on Otis and Baby specifically, who make their way across the South in search of their father, destroying anything . Join here. She has worked as a professional writer for over seven years, creating content around IT news and cybersecurity. But what is Letterboxd? His words arent printed in any local magazines or for the Deseret News. Once you do that, you get taken to the IMDb page, and you can check out the rating there, too. And what does it tell us about the future of reviews and film criticism? He's been admired and recognized for his excellent filmography in other ways at least, including by the users of the film-related social media app, Letterboxd. I was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and am Spanish/Venezuelan-American. On its own FAQ page, Letterboxd defines itself as a global social network for grassroots film discussion and discovery.. Otherwise, Anderson spoke to the huge benefits that social media can present a filmmaker in the current moment from getting bums in seats for an indie flick, right through to building a loyal audience. All they could do was flag it and hope a site moderator would see it and take it down. But when the clock strikes 5:01 p.m., he transforms into a film critic. Posters are sourced from TMDb and Posteritati, and appear for you and visitors to your profile and content, depending on settings. Joined April 2017. Because of that I look to you, the reader, in filling this list with as many notable American LB users as possible. Made by fans in Aotearoa New Zealand. Thus, the masses flocked to talk about it and discuss their thoughts, the vast majority of which were highly positive. There are three tiers of subscriptions Letterboxd offers: Free, Pro, and Patron. Dick's novels have inspired films like Blade Runner, Total Recall, Minority Report, and The Adjustment Bureau. He said: "I remember when I started out, it was impossible to break through. The first costs you nothing and gets you access to an unlimited amount of films, diary entries, ratings, lists, and reviews. Here, he tackles the tragedy of Macbeth and puts his own spin on it by setting the action in feudal Japan. Writing full-time for her is a dream come true. Its talented cast, well-written dialogue, and genuinely gripping story will keep audiences glued to their screens with each shocking revelation. Still, it's clearly a film that's resonated with the community, and it's undeniable that this epic-length movie about a grouchy yet compassionate doctor training a new apprentice is a powerful film. Connect letters to spell words; Words must be at least 3 letters long; Letters can be reused; Consecutive letters cannot be from the same side; The last letter of a word becomes the first letter . Letterboxd's explosion in growth is indeed trending young. Readers like you help support MUO. Although May said she is first and foremost a fan of film, and not a professional, she nevertheless now considers herself a critic. While Turek mainly uses his account to post reviews, Wagner uses hers to make movie lists. With Letterboxd quickly becoming one of the better up-and-coming film communities on the web, one asset to the community is being able to see which films are the most popular with community users. "I have secret accounts all over the place," the 'There Will Be Blood' auteur said of his social media sensibilities. The lists are also interactive. The sky's the limit. The top 50 highest rated films on Letterboxd, plus 2 of my personal favorites 209 31 r/Letterboxd Join 17 days ago I always hear about famous directors favourite films, but rarely hear about the movies they disliked. With cult classics like Fight Club and newer releases like Midsommar making it onto the most popular films on the site, it's the perfect time to revisit the movies that havepromptedthe most discussions and reactions amongLetterboxd fans. We love talking about movies, said Gemma Gracewood, Letterboxds editor in chief. Letterboxd is expanding, but its progress hasnt come without a few growing pains. You can create any movie list you can think of. As mentioned, you can keep track of every title you've seen or wish to see and give ratings and reviews. Made by fans in Aotearoa New Zealand. Mobilesite. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of serviceapply. As such, it certainly earns its average Letterboxd rating of 4.1/5. Upgrading to Patron does cost money but it brings about a lot of added benefits to your account that can help you get the most out of the platform. If you explore the film's dedicated page then you'll find lots of information about it. It has a simple story that delivers a wide array of emotions, centering on a bureaucrat whose perspective on life is dramatically changed when his doctor tells him he's terminally ill and won't have long to live. So begins a redemptive tale, with the main character setting out to do as much good as he can in his final days, which includes helping to build a playground in an impoverished neighborhood. Far from being just another action flick, the film's bold commentary on consumerism is portrayed in a creative way. However, the jaw-dropping performance of Joaquin Phoenix (and his malnourished body) was undeniably mesmerizing. In a Tweet that is now deleted, Letterboxd attempted to explain why it took down the review. A list of 50 films compiled on Letterboxd, including Alabama (1985), Alaska (1996), Arizona (2018), Arkansas (2020) and California (1977). This screen capture displays Rachel Wagners Letterboxd profile page. You see how many people have also seen the film, how many have liked it, and in how many lists it appears. That shift toward a younger user base means Letterboxd is finally starting to expand outside the hard-core movie-buff niche and the more than a million new users in 2020 represent a lot of people who arent strictly cinephiles, Buchanan explained. He works all day at Qualtrics, the famous software company in Utah, and the grind is real. And she said that once drawn to the platform, these younger members often soon find their tastes starting to evolve. Some might consider Letterboxd to be a site where amateur movie critics post their reviews, but that doesnt paint the full picture. [11][12], All film-related metadata used on the website is supplied by The Movie Database (TMDB), an open source database. She told the Times that Letterboxds new users are coming on having watched The Princess Switch: Switched Again and discovering (classics like) The Umbrellas of Cherbourg., Matthew Buchanan, one of Letterboxds founders, said the site is not only experiencing an increase in users, but its seeing an increase in use as well. On Letterboxd, you can discover not only new movies to watch, but new critics to follow. Please consider upgrading to a Pro accountfor less than a couple bucks a month, youll get cool additional features like all-time and annual stats pages (example), the ability to select (and filter by) your favorite streaming services, and no ads! He works all day at Qualtrics, the famous software company in Utah, and the grind is real. At the time, he reflected, he used Flickr to share photos and Last.fm to share his taste in music. Dreams ended up being one of Akira Kurosawa's final films, and it stands out from many of his other films, which tended to be historical dramas, contemporary crime films, or samurai movies. Letterboxd is an independent service created by a small team, and we rely mostly on the support of our members to maintain our site and apps. It's another social media experience, with the key word being 'social'. It revolves around a dysfunctional family's arguments after the death of their patriarch and the reading of his controversial last will. The most striking thing about Rashomonis its radical structure, where the same horrific crime is shown four different times, from four different perspectives. It was such a massive hit that it forced the Oscars to add more movies to the "Best Picture Category" it had lines and characters embedded in modern culture, and it was a thrilling action film. Letterboxd gives a chance for both cinephiles and casual movie watchers to share their thoughts on a film they watched, and it doesn't differentiate the opinions of professional critics in a separate category. A lone, unnamed samurai comes to a town, only to find it's fallen into disarray because of a violent gang war. About this list: Still on the lookout for: Montana As a companion piece to my State by State challenge/marathon, I wanted to try and highlight as many talented and/or influential users from every part of the US of A. Joker has one of the lowest ratingsamong the films on Letterboxd's most popular list, which is understandable. As of Jan. 22, Wagner has published 93 lists. As you might expect, some of these are light-hearted, some are fantastical, and others are quite unsettling. There's no doubt that 1994 is one of the greatest years in movie history. And all the additional freebies they get from companies and sponsors that the rest of us mere mortals have to pay for, but thats another discussion for a whole other time. The growth has brought the platform to a new level of success, and Buchanan sees even greater potential. Knives Outis alove letter to classic murder mysteries and fun whodunnits, with its countless twists and turns, exciting accusations, and fast-paced sequences. Philip K. Dick was an American writer who was known for his work that explores varied social and philosophical themes. Letterboxd is also incredible for curating lists. Letterboxd has reported that their app gets used by a primarily young audience, with the largest demographic ranging from 18 to 24 years old. It's a crime/thriller about a wealthy executive being extorted for money after one of his worker's sons is kidnapped and held for ransom, with the film largely centering on the detectives who are enlisted to track down the kidnapper. It's not hard to understand why Seven Samurai sits at a 4.5/5 rating on Letterboxd, and within the top 10 of the site's top 250 movies of all time. Akira Kurosawa is arguably the most acclaimed and widely. "Letterboxd is something I need to spend more time on. He recently guested on Letterboxd's podcast. Learn more. 6. It doesn't only prompt you to rate films but also encourages communication. It also helps that when the unnamed protagonist is required to show off his fighting prowess, the action ends up being satisfying despite its brevity. She finds this modern wave of criticism on Letterboxd interesting, because a lot of the old rules are being thrown out the window., Theres now less shame when lower ratings are handed out to acclaimed older films, and theres more love to go around for things like rom-coms, she said. Let's take a look at what Letterboxd offers its members. From the exhilarating world of The Dark Knight to the haunting story of Parasite, the fans on Letterboxd have chosen their best movies of all time. We may not be able to go to the movies, but as the success of Letterboxd shows, we still want to talk about them. I would call myself a Letterboxd-era critic, she said. Licorice Pizza is in theaters across the country. All members can rate films, review films, and tag them with relevant keywords. Documentaries films released (or planned to be released) in the year of 2019. You can do this by going onto a movie's page and looking at the "fans" section. Asked by IndieWire whether he's a "lurker" that's to say, he secretly browses the likes of Instagram, Twitter, and Letterboxd from an anonymous burner account the director elaborated: "I have secret accounts all over the place. Letterboxd has been around since 2011, but the platform blew up in popularity in 2020 during the pandemic, doubling its members and reaching three million users in total (it had 1.7 million the year before). [13] In September 2019, the site partnered with JustWatch to display online viewing options for films. Paul Thomas Anderson Reveals His Secret Letterboxd Account, 'Licorice Pizza's Alana Haim Calls 'The Goofy Movie' The Best Film of All Time. She makes lists to rank her favorite Jane Austen movies, superhero flicks, Hallmark specials and more. It's more than IMDb and different from Rotten Tomatoes, and it's worth exploring. It read: That explanation was met with a backlash that prompted the site to post a follow-up message: For Letterboxds managers, the incident proved to be an invaluable lesson on how difficult it is to monitor an online community. Their correspondences serve as a mirror into their real personalities and desires, and sometimes, they express certain unexpected feelings. Of course, you don't have to upgrade from the free account, but if any of the perks the other two member tiers offer entice you enough, they are pretty affordable. But the lack of rules or structure can also lead to some interesting, unconventional criticism, and offers a platform to voices that might otherwise not be heard. The platform is made with users in mind as it's incredibly straightforward and intuitive. The film's controversial and somewhat derivate approach to telling its story has its moments but also had its slips. [14] In March 2022, the site partnered with Nanocrowd to show "nanogenres" and recommendations for similar films to users.[15][16]. IMDb was a database; it wasnt, in essence, social. Letterboxd fosters an environment that bolsters friendly discussions and leads to people discovering new titles they might enjoy. It helps if the movie is more niche and less general though. For example, if you were to click on the Toy Story. poster on Wagners list, Letterboxd would redirect you to a separate page dedicated to that movie. It still casts a massive shadow on both DC and the superhero genre as a whole but is still worth watching today. Paul Thomas Anderson is another high-profile industry figure to reveal he too is a Letterboxd user, but unlike Robbie, nobody has been able to uncover his activity so far, although theres a distinct chance hed have awarded Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings top marks based on his surprising love for the Marvel Cinematic Universe blockbuster.