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Nathan S

nathan_s
Member Since
08 Nov 2006
N/A
TCI
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2449
ratings
2357
Films
87
Shorts
4
TV Series
1
TV Episodes
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0
collections
0
Recent ratings
2202
Minireviews
2662
Starred reviews
See all TCIs
2357
Films
87
Shorts
4
TV Series
1
TV Episodes
See all ratings
0
Recent ratings
2202
Minireviews
2662
Starred reviews
Bio: Since my early teenage years, cinema has been my primary form of education. A travelogue which has afforded me experiences I otherwise haven't had the opportunity of enjoying: different eras, locations, languages, cultures, methods of thought. It's a fulfillment damn near spiritual.



My ratings are divided into five points for a more generalized representation of quality. The less reliance on nitpicky numerology, the better. I have awarded a sixth point to films which have had the largest and longest lasting influence on my own cinephilia. They are my all-time favorites, hence a movie is never given a six on first viewing.



The filmmakers who are most important to me include Chantal Akerman, Woody Allen, Robert Altman, Paul Thomas Anderson, Olivier Assayas, Ingmar Bergman, John Cassavetes, Joel & Ethan Coen, Jules Dassin, Terence Davies, Robert Eggers, Werner Herzog, Alfred Hitchcock, Buster Keaton, Masaki Kobayashi, Hirokazu Kore-eda, Stanley Kubrick, Akira Kurosawa, Fritz Lang, Spike Lee, Sergio Leone, Sidney Lumet, David Lynch, Terrence Malick, Jean-Pierre Melville, Hayao Miyazaki, F.W. Murnau, Yasujiro Ozu, Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger, Satyajit Ray, Nicolas Winding Refn, Kelly Reichardt, Jean Renoir, Eric Rohmer, Roberto Rossellini, Martin Scorsese, Isao Takahata, Hiroshi Teshigahara, Francois Truffaut, Ming-liang Tsai, Denis Villeneuve, Orson Welles, Billy Wilder, and Kar-Wai Wong.
Recent Ratings
4 74%
The Wonder (2022) - Rated 13 Jun 2026
It's a volley of themes, some explored more satisfying than others. The memetic importance of stories, the clash between science and spirit (and the misappropriation of both), self-serving municipal authority, ritual appeasement of grief and trauma. Nicely textured with light and costume, a no-nonsense performance from Pugh, and a strange ethereal score. It's imperfect, but I quite like it.
5 93%
Birth (2004) - Rated 16 Apr 2026
Why bother with so much fuss about literal interpretations of the plot? It's about irrationality and perception borne from trauma. It's mysterious and irresistibly alluring. Really incredible performances. Kidman's close-up at the opera is devastating.
4 74%
The Dead (1987) - Rated 05 Apr 2026
Literary and cerebral, but undeniably warm and in its best moments moves beautifully. The texture of the images, the light and costuming. A montage of trinkets and memories against an old woman's warble. The final soliloquy over the Irish snowscape. It is a sad film, all the more an appropriate elegy for an important director, aware of his impending death, collaborating with his children for his final work.
2 20%
Project Hail Mary (2026) - Rated 25 Mar 2026
Initially quite enjoyable, the astronomic and biological exposition is really interesting. But it kept gradually losing me. Cute, funny, and clean, which altogether feel like inappropriate adjectives for the material. It's a cliché turn of phrase, but this movie is never allowed to breathe, to bask in the austerity, majesty, or direness of its circumstances. A scene where Rocky obnoxiously interrupts Grace attempting to "have a moment" on a space walk really encapsulates the entire experience.
2 20%
Spider-Man 3 (2007) - Rated 12 Mar 2026
Strained between too many plot threads, and with the exception of Cool Guy Peter Parker, which is hilarious, never really quite as quirky as the previous entries.
3 45%
Wuthering Heights (2026) - Rated 10 Mar 2026
Doesn't really inspire much great feeling or reaction from me, but it's alright.
4 74%
Altered States (1980) - Rated 29 Oct 2025
Psychonautical quest for external realization of memory, or truth, or what might be called God. Something of a Frankenstein apotheosis of high-minded hard sci-fi, acid surrealism, and primitive creature feature. Exhilarating imagery. Clearly recalls 2001 in the best ways, while perhaps presaging Nolan and Aronofsky in the worst. I've never seen a film so undermined at the literal last minute. It's fine if love is the cosmic singularity, but this flagrantly turns barely subtext into maudlin text.
5 93%
Sorcerer (1977) - Rated 28 Oct 2025
My god, how this film inspires such visceral, physical distress. The soiled, soaking texture. The desperation of damned souls. The unwavering tension which erodes into delirium. It's no exaggeration to say that this film is every bit as nail-biting as anything Clouzot or even Hitchcock ever made.
3 45%
The Perfect Neighbor (2025) - Rated 26 Oct 2025
Not a revelation, but deserves plenty of credit for being willing (or able) to stray from the tried and tired formula from which Netflix cookies are cut.
3 45%
Demon Pond (1979) - Rated 26 Oct 2025
This film doesn't exactly move me, but I was surprised by its commitment to theatricality. There are some really unexpected formal choices made here with costuming and set dressing, plus a churning sound design. I appreciate and have fun with this level of sheer weirdness.