Niels Joaquin
@nielsj.bsky.social
I think my favorite object at The Met's Divine Egypt (even though there are big ones like a scarab) is this coiled-snake game board. In an era when Catan gets a multi-picture deal at Netflix, it's oddly comforting to know that people were also playing board games > 4000 years ago
November 25, 2025 at 5:59 PM
I think my favorite object at The Met's Divine Egypt (even though there are big ones like a scarab) is this coiled-snake game board. In an era when Catan gets a multi-picture deal at Netflix, it's oddly comforting to know that people were also playing board games > 4000 years ago
Finished Angels by Denis Johnson
Johnson's first novel: "the wonder of life assailed him"
Title story of Johnson's last book of fiction: "This morning I was assailed by such sadness at the velocity of life"
Johnson's first novel: "the wonder of life assailed him"
Title story of Johnson's last book of fiction: "This morning I was assailed by such sadness at the velocity of life"
November 25, 2025 at 1:30 AM
Finished Angels by Denis Johnson
Johnson's first novel: "the wonder of life assailed him"
Title story of Johnson's last book of fiction: "This morning I was assailed by such sadness at the velocity of life"
Johnson's first novel: "the wonder of life assailed him"
Title story of Johnson's last book of fiction: "This morning I was assailed by such sadness at the velocity of life"
Out of the Past (1947), in 35 mm. "If I don't talk, I think. It's too late in life for me to start thinking."
I love every Mitchum performance I've seen
I love every Mitchum performance I've seen
November 24, 2025 at 12:11 AM
Out of the Past (1947), in 35 mm. "If I don't talk, I think. It's too late in life for me to start thinking."
I love every Mitchum performance I've seen
I love every Mitchum performance I've seen
Waiting to Exhale (1995), in 35 mm
- Thought of Regina Hall's line in Scary Movie: She don't love herself‼️
- Babyface's work here and throughout the '90s is incredible. The bridge on "Not Gon' Cry," with its subtle shift to glimmers of acceptance, is just a classic Babyface move
- Thought of Regina Hall's line in Scary Movie: She don't love herself‼️
- Babyface's work here and throughout the '90s is incredible. The bridge on "Not Gon' Cry," with its subtle shift to glimmers of acceptance, is just a classic Babyface move
November 23, 2025 at 3:52 AM
Waiting to Exhale (1995), in 35 mm
- Thought of Regina Hall's line in Scary Movie: She don't love herself‼️
- Babyface's work here and throughout the '90s is incredible. The bridge on "Not Gon' Cry," with its subtle shift to glimmers of acceptance, is just a classic Babyface move
- Thought of Regina Hall's line in Scary Movie: She don't love herself‼️
- Babyface's work here and throughout the '90s is incredible. The bridge on "Not Gon' Cry," with its subtle shift to glimmers of acceptance, is just a classic Babyface move
Finished Exile and the Kingdom by Albert Camus
"And what about you," said Rateau, "Do you exist, then?"
[...]
"No, I'm not certain I exist. But one day I will, I'm sure of that."
(Reminds me of this Thoreau sentiment)
"And what about you," said Rateau, "Do you exist, then?"
[...]
"No, I'm not certain I exist. But one day I will, I'm sure of that."
(Reminds me of this Thoreau sentiment)
November 15, 2025 at 5:06 PM
Finished Exile and the Kingdom by Albert Camus
"And what about you," said Rateau, "Do you exist, then?"
[...]
"No, I'm not certain I exist. But one day I will, I'm sure of that."
(Reminds me of this Thoreau sentiment)
"And what about you," said Rateau, "Do you exist, then?"
[...]
"No, I'm not certain I exist. But one day I will, I'm sure of that."
(Reminds me of this Thoreau sentiment)
Finished V. by Thomas Pynchon. Right out of the gate, he was already so brilliantly imaginative, lyrical, hilarious. It's intimidating to think about the intellect and creative power it took to conjure these narratives out of the horrors (and occasional joys) of the 20th century
November 11, 2025 at 12:45 AM
Finished V. by Thomas Pynchon. Right out of the gate, he was already so brilliantly imaginative, lyrical, hilarious. It's intimidating to think about the intellect and creative power it took to conjure these narratives out of the horrors (and occasional joys) of the 20th century
Trafic (1971), in 35 mm. The absurd camper van is the funny version of this thesis from The Society of the Spectacle: "glorifying the latest commodities at a time when increasingly extensive campaigns are necessary to convince people to buy increasingly unnecessary commodities"
November 6, 2025 at 7:11 AM
Trafic (1971), in 35 mm. The absurd camper van is the funny version of this thesis from The Society of the Spectacle: "glorifying the latest commodities at a time when increasingly extensive campaigns are necessary to convince people to buy increasingly unnecessary commodities"
Wake Up Dead Man (2025). Rian Johnson is so good at these! I'm just really heartened by the popular success of his original screenplays. And the thematic depth and emotional richness of this one really fortify his genre hijinks. My favorite installment so far
November 4, 2025 at 1:44 PM
Wake Up Dead Man (2025). Rian Johnson is so good at these! I'm just really heartened by the popular success of his original screenplays. And the thematic depth and emotional richness of this one really fortify his genre hijinks. My favorite installment so far
¡VIVA LA REVOLUCIÓN!
October 31, 2025 at 10:27 PM
¡VIVA LA REVOLUCIÓN!
The Castle of Purity (1972). My first Arturo Ripstein—had never even heard of him until this BAM series!
October 25, 2025 at 3:25 AM
The Castle of Purity (1972). My first Arturo Ripstein—had never even heard of him until this BAM series!
Bugonia (2025). I enjoyed a Lanthimos! The thing that annoys me about something like The Lobster is that its universe is so explicitly constructed to set up the easiest targets for satire. Bugonia's humor is sharp, bleak, well earned; its ending leaves you exactly where it should
October 21, 2025 at 6:08 PM
Bugonia (2025). I enjoyed a Lanthimos! The thing that annoys me about something like The Lobster is that its universe is so explicitly constructed to set up the easiest targets for satire. Bugonia's humor is sharp, bleak, well earned; its ending leaves you exactly where it should
Finished The Society of the Spectacle by Guy Debord, as well as Comments on the Society of the Spectacle. Shout-out to lint_ax (on Twitter), from whose posts I learned about Debord
October 20, 2025 at 2:48 PM
Finished The Society of the Spectacle by Guy Debord, as well as Comments on the Society of the Spectacle. Shout-out to lint_ax (on Twitter), from whose posts I learned about Debord
Onibaba (1964), in 35 mm. One of the best depictions of food insecurity AND of sexual desperation? "Dover Beach" speaks of "the turbid ebb and flow / Of human misery," where there actually are no demons, and we're simply left to ourselves at the "naked shingles of the world"
October 19, 2025 at 1:46 AM
Onibaba (1964), in 35 mm. One of the best depictions of food insecurity AND of sexual desperation? "Dover Beach" speaks of "the turbid ebb and flow / Of human misery," where there actually are no demons, and we're simply left to ourselves at the "naked shingles of the world"
Cat People (1942), in 35 mm. I love all the ways that Schrader and team expanded this into (IMO) a richer film, but the original is wonderfully effective in its smaller scope. Night of the Demon is similar in how it plays with the gradual tension of giving way to the supernatural
October 18, 2025 at 1:13 AM
Cat People (1942), in 35 mm. I love all the ways that Schrader and team expanded this into (IMO) a richer film, but the original is wonderfully effective in its smaller scope. Night of the Demon is similar in how it plays with the gradual tension of giving way to the supernatural
Queen Kelly (1929, released 1932), DCP. And that rounds out my NYFF this year. Remember to balance out your schedule with some revivals! Always inspiring to see this kind of restoration work
October 8, 2025 at 2:05 PM
Queen Kelly (1929, released 1932), DCP. And that rounds out my NYFF this year. Remember to balance out your schedule with some revivals! Always inspiring to see this kind of restoration work
Marty Supreme (2025). Good Time to Uncut Gems to Marty Supreme is a legendary filmography in the making. As intense as those films (if you can imagine), with a complex role for Timmy, delusional and despicable, charming and scrappy. What a team (Khondji, Fisk!) across the board
October 7, 2025 at 2:38 PM
Marty Supreme (2025). Good Time to Uncut Gems to Marty Supreme is a legendary filmography in the making. As intense as those films (if you can imagine), with a complex role for Timmy, delusional and despicable, charming and scrappy. What a team (Khondji, Fisk!) across the board
Miroirs No. 3 (2025). Going for a climactic musical performance when you already made one of the best ones!
October 7, 2025 at 2:19 PM
Miroirs No. 3 (2025). Going for a climactic musical performance when you already made one of the best ones!
Little Boy (2025). The best structural films make you slow down and focus so intensely that you realize how the normal pace of life has warped your ideas about what deserves attention. I just came across a relevant phrase from Debord: "the empire of modern passivity"
October 6, 2025 at 1:30 PM
Little Boy (2025). The best structural films make you slow down and focus so intensely that you realize how the normal pace of life has warped your ideas about what deserves attention. I just came across a relevant phrase from Debord: "the empire of modern passivity"
The Fence (2025). Just as in his first collaboration with Denis, Isaach De Bankolé shows his immense power even in characters who have to hold back their emotion
October 6, 2025 at 1:29 PM
The Fence (2025). Just as in his first collaboration with Denis, Isaach De Bankolé shows his immense power even in characters who have to hold back their emotion
Sholay (1975). This was on my watch list for a long time—I first heard about it from Mark Cousins's The Story of Film. Lucky to experience the brand-new restoration with a cheering audience, especially since I have almost no exposure to Indian cinema outside of the Apu Trilogy
October 5, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Sholay (1975). This was on my watch list for a long time—I first heard about it from Mark Cousins's The Story of Film. Lucky to experience the brand-new restoration with a cheering audience, especially since I have almost no exposure to Indian cinema outside of the Apu Trilogy
Mare's Nest (2025). DeLillo's play within the film is a very concentrated dose of his language: what it signals, how it collapses. Thought of The Names: "language ... existed mainly as a medium of politeness between people, with odd allowances made for the communication of ideas"
October 4, 2025 at 1:34 PM
Mare's Nest (2025). DeLillo's play within the film is a very concentrated dose of his language: what it signals, how it collapses. Thought of The Names: "language ... existed mainly as a medium of politeness between people, with odd allowances made for the communication of ideas"
Portrait of a Young Girl at the End of the 1960s in Brussels (1994); I'm Hungry, I'm Cold (1984). There's a shot in Portrait where Akerman just lingers unhurriedly on her protagonist's face, and you feel so much empathy for all the self-doubt and sexual confusion of adolescence
October 3, 2025 at 5:29 PM
Portrait of a Young Girl at the End of the 1960s in Brussels (1994); I'm Hungry, I'm Cold (1984). There's a shot in Portrait where Akerman just lingers unhurriedly on her protagonist's face, and you feel so much empathy for all the self-doubt and sexual confusion of adolescence
Finished Panegyric: Volumes 1 & 2 by Guy Debord
September 28, 2025 at 3:47 AM
Finished Panegyric: Volumes 1 & 2 by Guy Debord
One Battle After Another (2025), in VistaVision 35 mm. Scene report from 11:00 PM showing: projection went black two times early on, but the projectionist fully recovered! 🎞️
I was surprised by how similar VV felt to IMAX 70 mm, with its squarish frame and incredible quality
I was surprised by how similar VV felt to IMAX 70 mm, with its squarish frame and incredible quality
September 26, 2025 at 12:59 PM
One Battle After Another (2025), in VistaVision 35 mm. Scene report from 11:00 PM showing: projection went black two times early on, but the projectionist fully recovered! 🎞️
I was surprised by how similar VV felt to IMAX 70 mm, with its squarish frame and incredible quality
I was surprised by how similar VV felt to IMAX 70 mm, with its squarish frame and incredible quality