film

first blog post of 2025 + my august-october library picks :-)

I haven’t posted anything here all year… I honestly don’t even know what to say or what would be significant to share lol. Right now I’m trying to update my website; it hasn’t been updated (redesigned) in almost three years?? sooo… ya we’re working on that.

Right now these are my most recent watches and reads from the library! * listed without spoilers *

1. The Psychic (1977) - I swear I watch this movie every other month lol, also, I think 1977 was one of the best years for film.

2. The Girl Can’t Help It (1956) - Starring the beautiful and iconic Jayne Mansfield. I love this movie so much. Jayne was a huge inspiration to me when I was in high school, I even based my entire senior prom look off of her lol. This film also features the architect and blueprint of rock’n roll, LITTLE RICHARD! I admire Little Richard so very much; he was laid to rest in my city, about 10 minutes away, and I often visit his grave to give him his flowers… literally (especially on my birthdays– he’s a fellow sagittarius).

3. Suspiria (1977) - ANOTHER 1977 classic and movie I check out often lol. Giallo has my heart <3

4. Close-Up (1990) - This one is a new one for me; a beautifully refreshing, neorealist, Iranian film. I’m actually going to rewatch this one tonight before I have to return it!

1. The Filmmaker’s Guide To Production Design - ★!!! now this book I’m going to go a purchase, I’m so sad I have to return it :-( lol I keep renewing it because it’s helped me so much in the past few months. While, yes, I consider myself an artist and graphic designer– those both overlap with my passion and lifelong love of film/direction. As I get older, and branch out into different avenues, I see myself ultimately producing in the future. Everything I love in life from design, music, art, photography, dialogue, storyboards, visionary concepts, location scouting, etc., it all amalgamates into producing.

2. Movie Lust: Recommended Viewing For Every Mood, Moment, and Reason - this was a super cool book that recommends movies for every occasion lol I never knew this series existed… but I took hella notes for some movies I’ll be watching for the rest of the year.

3. Parker Posey: You’re On An Airplane - QUEEEEEN!!!! I’ve been in love with Parker Posey since I first seen her on “Josie and the Pussycats” back in 2001. Fun fact, I was in 1st grade when I seen that movie, and it was the first time I’d ever gotten in trouble at school. I quoted “YOU MESSED WITH THE WRONG PUSSY” while fighting a boy on the playground and my teacher overheard me and told me to never say that word again lmao then I had to sit at the wall until it was time to go inside. To this day I still do her “let’s gossip!” pose and quote her “–eternal love slave” monologue from “The Doom Generation”. I’ve probably seen every movie she’s been in, so when I seen her memoir at the library, I was stokedddd! Not to mention, the fact it was at the library following her iconic role as a librarian in “Party Girl”… it was a no brainer. Parker is a talented and comedic genius. ‘You’re On An Airplane’ was everything I could’ve hoped for.

new black moon

i saw nosferatu last night and loved it! i’ve been excited ever since the movie was announced and the title card released.

it turns out designer/typographer teddy blanks designed both the nosferatu and wicked title cards— BOTH designs i fell in love with and had saved to my phone as inspiration.

watching nosferatu on a new black moon felt fitting for its shadowy, death and rebirth aspects… while also keeping in mind themes of vitality vs. decay, confronting your shadow side, and embracing the unknown. i loved this version just as much as the 1922 original. i’m actually going to go back and watch the original tonight so i can compare some shots that i think the new version pays homage to.

similarly, wicked evoked the same emotions from me with the themes of confronting your shadow side and embracing the unknown. even though i was a theater kid all through high school, and seen a million musicals, i’ve never seen wicked! the wizard of oz was one of my first loves (and the wiz), but i never thought i’d be interested in wicked because it wasn’t canon to any of the original wizard of oz stories, and seemed a bit far off and complicated— i was so wrong! i actually really liked it. i cried (for the first time in so long) when watching wicked.

all in all, the best title cards of 2024 by teddy blanks and two great movies to cap off 2024 <3

happy twilight zone day!

today my local library is celebrating ‘twilight zone day’ where they will be playing episodes all day until closing! i’m super excited because the twilight zone is my all time favorite show (next to 1st gen star trek). twilight zone day is “officially” recognized on may 11th– but the show premiered october 2, 1959. this year marks 65 years!

at the library, they’ll be playing episodes 1-10, and the 3 episodes us ~library goers~ voted for :-) my fingers are crossed that at least one of the episodes i voted for gets picked lol

they’ll be playing:

  1. “where is everybody?”

  2. “one for the angels”

  3. “mr. denton on doomsday”

  4. “the sixteen-milimeter shrine”

  5. “walking distance”

  6. “escape clause”

  7. “the lonely”

  8. “time enough at last”

  9. “perchance to dream”

  10. “judgment night”

i’ll update this blog post tonight after the fan votes are in… meanwhile, here are two posters i designed in a typography class back in 2018. the assignment was to design two posters for your favorite tv show or movie using expressive type to convey the overall feel of the show. i wanted to do a broken glass effect to mimic the opening sequence of the show; and then a smoke effect to honor the ICONIC rod serling and his famous cigarettes lol. looking back, this may not have been my best work, but my professor and classmates really loved them.

also, a plug for thriftbooks.com, this book was one of my first purchases from thriftbooks and i felt like i hit the lottery! it has 30 of the original stories before they became official episodes.

…and showing some love to the complete box set i was gifted for christmas; the design is gorgeously embossed AND holographic (i tried to capture it the best i could with my phone lol)

 

SO YES…. I SHALL BE BACK LATER

there’s so much more i want to say, but i’m typing all of this with long ass acrylics and i’m gettin tired…

"eye of the beholder" is one of my favorites too; i designed a poster for that too when i was in school. i like this episode cause they all got my nose lol

OKAY I’M BACK!

i had an awesome time. 2 of the 3 episodes i voted for ended up being shown at the end of the night (‘eye of the beholder’ and ‘nightmare at 20,000 feet) lol and there was free popcorn. i got a chance to talk to some of the older patrons who grew up watching the original series in real time— it’s like they were kids again, which made me so happy and grateful to be there <3

 

i also got a cute free button :-)

meta graffiti (2008)

 

meta graffiti: graffiti art films is a short film series (of about 20 films) released in 2008/2009 featuring artists out of stockholm, berlin and copenhagen. while these short films test the overall framework of graffiti, they still maintain the two key elements of what makes graffiti culture what it is: STYLE and MISCHIEF.

dorothy in wonderland

a venusian from planet jupiter, navigating this world– a fantastical world of hidden luck, that challenges my perception of reality. as i navigate this world, i’m discovering my inner strength and resilience before finding my way home.

"there's no place like home… there's no place like home"

-dorothy in wonderland

(below is the short i made titled, lucky you)

support your local library

 
 

at the very beginning of the year, i told myself one of my main objectives is to cater to, and heal, my inner child by doing all of the things i loved to do (and always wanted to do). one of the things i loved as a kid was going to the library, whether it was the local library or the school library. naturally, my first move was to get a library card! pictured are some of the checkouts i’ve gotten since january (i apologize for the sucky quality, these are screenshots from my tiktok).

to my surprise, i was able to find a lot of my comfort movies on my first visit! death proof was one i’ve never seen, but was so excited to find! yes, that movie has been available for free on youtube for so long, but i love watching dvds— i even have my own personal dvd collection that i’ll make a post about one day! while streaming movies is amazing and convenient, there’s not always going to be wifi around… that’s my philosophy— plus, there’s nothing like flipping through the booklet and exploring all the features in the dvd menu (from a graphic designer’s point-of-view anyhow). fun fact, my graphic design professor in college actually designed a lot of dvd home screens for movies!

these are the films pictured (click for trailers):
hausu (1977)
run lola run (1998)
death proof (2007)
paprika (2006)
ichi the killer (2001)
night of the living dead (1968)

i also found a book, 1000 record covers, which was a great inspiration early on in the year when i was designing a lot cover art. this book i want to purchase myself soon! another book i got was style tribes - the fashion of subcultures. this book was super informative and provided great visuals of current (at least up until 2014) fashion trends around the world and their origins.

the gist of this blog post is… SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL LIBRARY! why? our local libraries are important to our communities because they offer a wide range of free services, resources, and opportunities that aid in personal growth and community learning. supporting our libraries ensure that the services they provide can continue to run.
also, it’s free information, the internet doesn’t always provide the truth.

here are some ways you can support your library:

1. donate - libraries rely on donations from individuals, organizations, and businesses to fund programs, services, and resources.
2. volunteer - volunteers are always needed to help with various library programs, including shelving books, hosting events, and reading to children.
3. attend library events - attend library events and programs to show your support and enjoy the many benefits of the library.
4. spread the word - share information about the library with others to promote its services and attract new patrons.
5. use the library - make use of the library's services and resources, borrow books, movies, and music, and attend programs to show your support

modulations (1998) - cinema for the ear

 

i watched this documentary the other day, and i’m rewatching it now. it’s called “modulations”, brought to us by filmmaker lara lee. it’s so well done! the visuals, paired with the heart-pumping beats, beautifully encapsulates the time. documenting where humans and machines merge, it traces the evolution of electronic music as one of the most profound artistic developments of the 20th century.

although i was only a baby at the time this documentary came out, watching it now takes me back to my childhood. i was raised by a mom who grew up in germany– and i have a gang of family members who still live there… of course, they are certified electronic/techno/club/house heads! this documentary takes it all the way back to the 1910s– personally, i love electronic music from the late 50s and 60s by the likes of the amazing else marie pade (whom i’ve drawn so much inspiration throughout the years.

modulations takes us on a journey through europe and the states, to hip-hop, to metal. check it out!

“the world is not meant to be good/bad, black/white, one or two, one or zero. it’s not binary. it’s chaos.”