Formative Films From My Life
tbh they're just movies I really like and they're not formative in any way.
Today’s post is going to be a little bit different from our usual garment-loving, jawnz-jorking posts… but I guess you could say it’s adjacent(?) and don’t worry. I’ll link it back to clothes in some form or some way, I promise.
If you knew me in my early twenties (which hurts to say because I am not longer in my early twenties and I’ve been having a year-long existential crisis about it), you would know me as someone who would spend hours each day watching movies — usually spending time watching more than one a day. I love cinema. I love movies. I hated capeshit (because I was too pretentious to enjoy them as simple mind-numbing content).
I was that guy. The movie guy. The cinephile. The weirdo who watched movies so depressing it moved the viewer to the point of suicide and I love it. I loved movies to the point where I had a serious thought of becoming a writer/director — Instead I became a writer for some silly little newsletter.
To this day I would still say that I love film, but I don’t watch it nearly as much as I used to. Partly because the realities of life prevent me from watching 6 hours worth of movies a day, and the other part is because my wife can only enjoy a movie if the two main characters get together at the end of the film (lowkey, she public enemy number one with my film-loving downfall).
Sidebar: I showed my (now) wife and my friends the movie Midsommar thinking it would be an awesome viewing experience… It was not. They all hated it, and they were all upset with me for showing it to them. To be honest, I can understand that now because they were not as receptive to watching such provocative content the same way I was. At the time I was just incredibly embarrassed for showing them something that they had a visceral reaction to. It was a learning experience for all involved — For me to be more mindful of my movie choices and for them to not trust my movie judgement.
Anyways, back to the topic at hand. Film was an integral part of my life, and I was recently envigorated to watch movies again (that sounds so lame, but it’s true)! Film was definitely a gateway into the world of fashion as fashion and film have a large overlap in the Venn diagram of pop culture. It’s great! It’s awesome!
There’s also the argument of movie merch, how merch is dead, and how it can be tasteful (usually vintage film merch). To this day, I still wear a fair amount of movie merch, and while I talk about some of my favourite films, I will share some juicy gear that goes along with it.
So without further ado, let’s get into it.
(Also, I’ll make sure whatever I talk about is spoiler-free so if you choose to watch any of my recommendations, then you’ll be able to go in blind).
Longlegs (2024) Dir. Oz Perkins
Please let me go on record and start by saying I can’t classify this as one of my favourite movies because it just came out and I’ve only seen it once; however… this movie was pretty fkn fire. This was the movie that relit the fire in my heart for loving cinema and gave me the inspiration for today’s post. I’m actually trying to find a time where I can rewatch this movie again in cinemas because I think this movie deserves a cinema screen to be really appreciated.
The premise of the film is that you follow an FBI detective (played by Maika Monroe) as she investigates these murders that are seemingly connected to the antagonist, who goes by the name of Longlegs (played by Nicholas Cage)… but maybe it’s something more sinister afoot…
Stylistically, this movie is a 10/10. The cast, the sets, the sound design, and the cinematography were all amazing. There were so many minute details throughout the film that really gave it that “there’s no escape” type beat, which can be really hard to execute effectively — The only one I can think of off the top of my head was that one scene in Hereditary (tbh the movie as a whole has so many minute details that fill you with dread) where the son wakes up in the middle of the night.
My only pitfall with the film was that the movie felt like it needed to spoon-feed you in the third act to ensure you, the viewer, understood the plot and motivations of the antagonist. Like… it’s literally just an exposition dump from one of the characters saying “This is why ____ is happening and I ____ to do the _____ and if only _____ did not _____ then I would _____”
I think most* people would have figured out what was going on without having to be told verbatim the whole plot right at the end.
*everyone except Marvel enjoyers.
My friend claimed the movie was “too face value,” which I would agree with. It did not leave enough for interpretation (yet still, the pussy-less virgins on YouTube are still getting it wrong in their videos), but the rest of the film was a chef’s kiss.
Here comes the fashion part:
Thanks to Neon (the people who distributed the film), we have been blessed with some pretty epic fire merch; however, if you live in North America, you’re pretty lucky because you’re the only ones to get your hands on it. Unfortunately, I’m gonna have to get Mariano to proxy for me because he’s a darling and I’m a stupid schmuck that lives in Australia. So far they have only dropped a handful of garms, but both are pretty tasty if you dare to cop.
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I really appreciate it when movie merch takes stills from the movie and plasters them onto a shirt. I get that for some it can come across as lazy, but I think it’s simple and nuanced. The short sleeve looks to come in a faded black to give it that ‘vintage’ look — probably to make it look more wearable as everything vintage is wearable, of course.
Scott Pilgrim Vs The World (2010) Dir. Edgar Wright
I first saw this when I was young (13, I think), and it was awesome. It’s a film that I have loved ever since — despite realising Scott and many of the other characters were actually bad people. It was a formative movie in my life in the sense it introduced me to weird indie music and hipsterism (hipstercore???).
The story follows Scott Pilgrim (played by Michael Cera) and his desire to be in a relationship with Ramona Flowers (played by Elizabeth Mary Winstead) while also battling his own baggage and the baggage of Ramona’s previous love life (literally).
I will be the first to admit that this movie became a bit of a meme in the late teens (2018-2019), due to the fact that the movie went straight over all the indie alt girls’ heads when they looked to Ramona as a hero for women.
There is so much to love about this film. It has the amazing Michael Cera. It also had a supporting cast filled with what we would now consider movie stars - Brie Larson, Aubrey Plaza, Keiran Culkin, Chris Evans, and Anna Kendrick.
Edgar Wright is known for his eccentric style when it comes to film and this movie is no exception. It’s filled with perfectly timed cuts, comedic timings, and nuanced punchlines. It’s packed with comic book action (it was originally a comic book), as well as arcade-esque fight scenes (Scott literally received coins for defeating enemies).
This movie was almost perfect. From incorporating the soundtrack into the movie, to the caricatures of characters. The only thing I would say could have been improved was the third act. The tone and energy in the first two acts were magnificent, yet the third lacked it and almost felt rushed.
While the song is catchy, it’s not the most… empowering song (lol).
The outfits within the movie were age-appropriate as this was also around the dawn of the hipster era. A cool easter egg is that Scott Pilgrim would often wear merch for the band that was used in the soundtrack at that moment.
To this day, you would probably see some of these outfits by the indie-sleazeballs in New York (Mariano can answer that for me) or in the middle of bumfuck nowhere, Ohio.
I can’t really speak on any specific merch that would look good for this movie as most of it comes from shitty Etsy sellers that rip off artists’ fan art from the movie.
The Lighthouse (2019) Dir. Robert Eggers
Robert Pattinson. Willem Defoe. What more could you want? The story of two lighthouse keepers going crazy while marooned on a small island during a storm. My dad reviewed it as “it’s just two guys going crazy. Pretty boring,” Whereas I reviewed it as“mermussy…”
on the real tho, this movie was great. It’s another great example of Willy’s amazing range, while also showcasing how Robby is more than just a sparkly vampire. I appreciate that the film was shot in an aspect ratio of 1.19:1 — meaning it was practically square, and Robert Eggers opted for vintage lenses to really grab ahold of true to the times feel.
on a side note, Pattinson’s moustache inspired me to grow my own (yes, I am aware of the fact that mine will never look as good as his… for shame).
My favourite point of this film was the script. I loved listening to the way in which both actors enunciated their linesthat made it feel like they were truly from that era. Robert Eggers is such a horndog for historical truth, so I appreciate the attention to detail he gave to the sets, characters, and dialogue. Willem Defoe’s character was a sea-dwelling wannabe pirate who used words I had no idea the meaning of, yet still understood every single word. I loved the movie so much, that I read the screenplay to truly capture the vision of Robert Eggers.
It’s truly a masterpiece.
Now onto the fashion part. Online Ceramics has teamed up with A24 multiple times in the past to showcase the honest chaos that comes from most of their horror films (even though I would not classify this as horror). Online Ceramics over-the-top graphics worked so well for this film and I had a couple of pieces that I cherished and loved (…and also sold on grailed for a butt-tonne of money).
Unfortunately, Online Ceramics recently announced that they will be breaking up, so a chance of anniversary merch for this film is unlikely. I was originally doing a write-up on Online Ceramics and celebrating their quirkiness; however, since the news of them breaking up, I wasn’t motivated to finish it. But I’m still glad I got to talk about them!
Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009) Dir. Wes Anderson
I am a sucker for stop-motion film. I love it. I grew up obsessed with Wallace and Gromit, I used to make stop-motion videos with my Lego sets (which were terrible), and I still hold that affinity to this day. Unfortunately, there is not a whole lot I can discuss when it comes to jawnz for this movie, so I’m just going to talk about the movie instead (don’t worry I have a surprise segment about clothes at the end).
From Wes Anderson’s classic style brought to animation to the star-studded cast, Fantastic Mr. Fox was truly fantastic. My cousin showed me this movie when he stayed over at my house one time, and I’m glad he did. The film follows the book of Roald Dahl’s Fantastic Mr. Fox; however, it goes into much greater detail, allowing us to grow and learn with the characters. I had no idea that this movie would hold such a long vice on me as it has. To this day, I will chuck it on TV once (or twice) a year just to bring me back to those days when I was a 12-year-old, and not only that, I’m blessed with it being such a well-made film that is something I would happily show my family and friends.
Anderson’s signature style is complimented by the unique product that comes from stop-motion, as well as the unusual characters (that were 100% neurodivergent), helps create a film that was not only easily understandable for children but nuanced enough for the adults to enjoy as well — I especially love how all the swears/slurs were substituted for the word “cuss.”
“Ok, but what about the garments?”
As promised, I have some juicy reconnaissance of film merch/bootleg merch.
Online Ceramics x A24:
OChavehad a long-standing relationship with A24 as theyarewere always creating merch for the latest slow burning-genre bending-blood curdling A24 film. Not only have they done merch for The Lighthouse (2019), but they’ve also done merch for Hereditary (2018), Midsommar (2019), Talk To Me (2023), Uncut Gems (2019), and so much more. If you’re a fan of A24, I highly suggest you check OC’s latest work for MaXXXineAnd After That:
He's probably one of my favourite film bootleggers because he’s created tees and sweats for bootleg vintage Cannes film festivals as well. I have a handful of his gear, and every time he drops, I’m honestly tempted to cop 80% of it. A stand-out favourite is the Larry David Show hat. Very fun and playful.
A clothing line I have not had the privilege of owning (yet), but they make some fire bootlegs on some fire films. Good Time (2017), Bladerunner 2049 (2017), Casino (1995), American Psycho (2000) and much more. If you have a favourite film, my money is on the fact that he’s made one. Go check him out!
If you enjoyed my film offerings and you’re interested in seeing more I’ve got some honourable mentions below:
Hereditary (2018) Dir. Ari Aster
An Extremely Goofy Movie (2000) Dir. Douglas McCarthy
Honey Boy (2018) Dir. Alma Har’el
The VVitch (2015) Dir. Robert Eggers
Hotel Mumbai (2018) Dir. Anthony Maras
The Peanut Butter Falcon (2019) Dir. Tyler Nilson & Michael Schwartz