Ryan McDermond
@ryanmcdermond.bsky.social
D-tier cinephile. I haven't seen things you people wouldn't believe.
All I'll say is, while I like DiCaprio a lot, I find myself for the 4th time in a row wishing that his movie was about anyone other than him.
I was blindsided by how little screen-time Taylor, Infiniti, and (especially) Hall have, and I don't know why the movie finds DiCaprio more interesting.
I was blindsided by how little screen-time Taylor, Infiniti, and (especially) Hall have, and I don't know why the movie finds DiCaprio more interesting.
September 28, 2025 at 4:01 AM
All I'll say is, while I like DiCaprio a lot, I find myself for the 4th time in a row wishing that his movie was about anyone other than him.
I was blindsided by how little screen-time Taylor, Infiniti, and (especially) Hall have, and I don't know why the movie finds DiCaprio more interesting.
I was blindsided by how little screen-time Taylor, Infiniti, and (especially) Hall have, and I don't know why the movie finds DiCaprio more interesting.
Before the Emmys, my personal Best of TV 2024-25 ballot:
Series: The Pitt
Director: The Last of Us - Neil Druckmann
Lead Actor: Kevin Kline / Kim Min-ha
Supporting Actor: Harrison Ford / Ruth Negga
Screenplay: The Pitt / Pachinko
Guest Actor: Gong Yoo / Julianne Nicholson
Series: The Pitt
Director: The Last of Us - Neil Druckmann
Lead Actor: Kevin Kline / Kim Min-ha
Supporting Actor: Harrison Ford / Ruth Negga
Screenplay: The Pitt / Pachinko
Guest Actor: Gong Yoo / Julianne Nicholson
September 14, 2025 at 11:53 AM
Before the Emmys, my personal Best of TV 2024-25 ballot:
Series: The Pitt
Director: The Last of Us - Neil Druckmann
Lead Actor: Kevin Kline / Kim Min-ha
Supporting Actor: Harrison Ford / Ruth Negga
Screenplay: The Pitt / Pachinko
Guest Actor: Gong Yoo / Julianne Nicholson
Series: The Pitt
Director: The Last of Us - Neil Druckmann
Lead Actor: Kevin Kline / Kim Min-ha
Supporting Actor: Harrison Ford / Ruth Negga
Screenplay: The Pitt / Pachinko
Guest Actor: Gong Yoo / Julianne Nicholson
Lastly, I caught up with the Comedy Series nominees and had the inverse reaction in that I greatly enjoyed all of these except for one. Some thoughts:
Caught up with all of the Limited Series nominees next and found that I had significantly less success with those, with one exception. Some thoughts:
Caught up with all of the Drama Series nominees at this year’s Emmys and I might be the only person on the planet with this exact ranking of the shows. Some thoughts:
August 24, 2025 at 1:40 AM
Lastly, I caught up with the Comedy Series nominees and had the inverse reaction in that I greatly enjoyed all of these except for one. Some thoughts:
Caught up with all of the Limited Series nominees next and found that I had significantly less success with those, with one exception. Some thoughts:
Caught up with all of the Drama Series nominees at this year’s Emmys and I might be the only person on the planet with this exact ranking of the shows. Some thoughts:
August 15, 2025 at 12:30 PM
Caught up with all of the Limited Series nominees next and found that I had significantly less success with those, with one exception. Some thoughts:
Caught up with all of the Drama Series nominees at this year’s Emmys and I might be the only person on the planet with this exact ranking of the shows. Some thoughts:
July 22, 2025 at 1:39 AM
Caught up with all of the Drama Series nominees at this year’s Emmys and I might be the only person on the planet with this exact ranking of the shows. Some thoughts:
My favorite first time watches of June 2025:
Y tu mamá también (dir. Alfonso Cuarón)
In the Mood for Love (dir. Wong Kar-wai)
Let the Right One In (dir. Tomas Alfredson)
The Royal Tenenbaums (dir. Wes Anderson)
Y tu mamá también (dir. Alfonso Cuarón)
In the Mood for Love (dir. Wong Kar-wai)
Let the Right One In (dir. Tomas Alfredson)
The Royal Tenenbaums (dir. Wes Anderson)
July 1, 2025 at 6:19 PM
My favorite first time watches of June 2025:
Y tu mamá también (dir. Alfonso Cuarón)
In the Mood for Love (dir. Wong Kar-wai)
Let the Right One In (dir. Tomas Alfredson)
The Royal Tenenbaums (dir. Wes Anderson)
Y tu mamá también (dir. Alfonso Cuarón)
In the Mood for Love (dir. Wong Kar-wai)
Let the Right One In (dir. Tomas Alfredson)
The Royal Tenenbaums (dir. Wes Anderson)
My favorite first time watches of May 2025:
Mission: Impossible III (dir. J.J. Abrams)
Mission: Impossible (dir. Brian De Palma)
Black Bag (dir. Steven Soderbergh)
The White Balloon (dir. Jafar Panahi)
Mission: Impossible III (dir. J.J. Abrams)
Mission: Impossible (dir. Brian De Palma)
Black Bag (dir. Steven Soderbergh)
The White Balloon (dir. Jafar Panahi)
June 1, 2025 at 9:19 PM
My favorite first time watches of May 2025:
Mission: Impossible III (dir. J.J. Abrams)
Mission: Impossible (dir. Brian De Palma)
Black Bag (dir. Steven Soderbergh)
The White Balloon (dir. Jafar Panahi)
Mission: Impossible III (dir. J.J. Abrams)
Mission: Impossible (dir. Brian De Palma)
Black Bag (dir. Steven Soderbergh)
The White Balloon (dir. Jafar Panahi)
Done with my Mission: Impossible rewatch and ended up with a wildly different ranking than I thought I would.
My ranking and some thoughts:
My ranking and some thoughts:
May 25, 2025 at 1:37 AM
Done with my Mission: Impossible rewatch and ended up with a wildly different ranking than I thought I would.
My ranking and some thoughts:
My ranking and some thoughts:
Reposted by Ryan McDermond
I forgot to post it before. I was uh much more happy with the last year Oscar selections than you said you were lol
medium.com/@jkchart/202...
medium.com/@jkchart/202...
2024 in Film — My “Personal Ballot”
I feel the need to write a much larger preface this year, though the categories themselves will not contain commentary as per my last couple of ballots. Instead, I feel the need to say some words in…
medium.com
May 10, 2025 at 1:39 AM
I forgot to post it before. I was uh much more happy with the last year Oscar selections than you said you were lol
medium.com/@jkchart/202...
medium.com/@jkchart/202...
Shoutout to Freaky Tales for being maybe the only anthology movie I’ve ever seen where each segment is better than the last one. That is how you do it.
Also, kudos to I guess everyone for not spoiling the scene that happens midway through. Delightful.
Also, kudos to I guess everyone for not spoiling the scene that happens midway through. Delightful.
April 30, 2025 at 5:52 PM
Shoutout to Freaky Tales for being maybe the only anthology movie I’ve ever seen where each segment is better than the last one. That is how you do it.
Also, kudos to I guess everyone for not spoiling the scene that happens midway through. Delightful.
Also, kudos to I guess everyone for not spoiling the scene that happens midway through. Delightful.
#TheLastofUs
Good:
- Isabel Merced. Actual perfect casting.
Bad:
- Oh my god, they ruined the Seraphites' intro too jfc
- 'Three Months Later' is a dumb change
- They just deleted Tommy's whole arc, huh?
- Is 'everybody' in therapy!?
- They're really stretching it
- What's with all of the Seth???
Good:
- Isabel Merced. Actual perfect casting.
Bad:
- Oh my god, they ruined the Seraphites' intro too jfc
- 'Three Months Later' is a dumb change
- They just deleted Tommy's whole arc, huh?
- Is 'everybody' in therapy!?
- They're really stretching it
- What's with all of the Seth???
April 28, 2025 at 2:29 AM
#TheLastofUs
Good:
- Isabel Merced. Actual perfect casting.
Bad:
- Oh my god, they ruined the Seraphites' intro too jfc
- 'Three Months Later' is a dumb change
- They just deleted Tommy's whole arc, huh?
- Is 'everybody' in therapy!?
- They're really stretching it
- What's with all of the Seth???
Good:
- Isabel Merced. Actual perfect casting.
Bad:
- Oh my god, they ruined the Seraphites' intro too jfc
- 'Three Months Later' is a dumb change
- They just deleted Tommy's whole arc, huh?
- Is 'everybody' in therapy!?
- They're really stretching it
- What's with all of the Seth???
There's a part in The Wedding Banquet where they have to hide all their 'gay stuff', and the exact DVD they use to make this point delighted me to no end. Proof that I am not above being pandered to.
Also, just the most lovable cast ever. Terrific film; better than the original.
Also, just the most lovable cast ever. Terrific film; better than the original.
April 21, 2025 at 3:25 AM
There's a part in The Wedding Banquet where they have to hide all their 'gay stuff', and the exact DVD they use to make this point delighted me to no end. Proof that I am not above being pandered to.
Also, just the most lovable cast ever. Terrific film; better than the original.
Also, just the most lovable cast ever. Terrific film; better than the original.
#TheLastOfUs
Good:
- Ashley Johnson!
- The assault on Jackson is fun
- Dogs
Bad:
- Again, they're telling us waaaay too much about Abby
- Also, Abby's insane now?
- Dever's monologue at the end... Very out of character
- 'That scene' was so much less intense for a lot of reasons
Good:
- Ashley Johnson!
- The assault on Jackson is fun
- Dogs
Bad:
- Again, they're telling us waaaay too much about Abby
- Also, Abby's insane now?
- Dever's monologue at the end... Very out of character
- 'That scene' was so much less intense for a lot of reasons
April 21, 2025 at 3:04 AM
#TheLastOfUs
Good:
- Ashley Johnson!
- The assault on Jackson is fun
- Dogs
Bad:
- Again, they're telling us waaaay too much about Abby
- Also, Abby's insane now?
- Dever's monologue at the end... Very out of character
- 'That scene' was so much less intense for a lot of reasons
Good:
- Ashley Johnson!
- The assault on Jackson is fun
- Dogs
Bad:
- Again, they're telling us waaaay too much about Abby
- Also, Abby's insane now?
- Dever's monologue at the end... Very out of character
- 'That scene' was so much less intense for a lot of reasons
If ‘Sinners’ happened to me I think I would just take a nap for a bit.
April 20, 2025 at 1:25 AM
If ‘Sinners’ happened to me I think I would just take a nap for a bit.
#TheLastOfUs
Good:
- Isabela Merced
- Young Mazino
- Pedro's Joel being too soft already feels like a benefit this time
- "They should be terrified" kind of works this early
- No porch scene!
Bad:
- Joel and Ellie are still talking?
- They're telling us waaay too much about Abby
Good:
- Isabela Merced
- Young Mazino
- Pedro's Joel being too soft already feels like a benefit this time
- "They should be terrified" kind of works this early
- No porch scene!
Bad:
- Joel and Ellie are still talking?
- They're telling us waaay too much about Abby
April 14, 2025 at 2:35 AM
#TheLastOfUs
Good:
- Isabela Merced
- Young Mazino
- Pedro's Joel being too soft already feels like a benefit this time
- "They should be terrified" kind of works this early
- No porch scene!
Bad:
- Joel and Ellie are still talking?
- They're telling us waaay too much about Abby
Good:
- Isabela Merced
- Young Mazino
- Pedro's Joel being too soft already feels like a benefit this time
- "They should be terrified" kind of works this early
- No porch scene!
Bad:
- Joel and Ellie are still talking?
- They're telling us waaay too much about Abby
Reposted by Ryan McDermond
If they released a film that looked like this today, audiences just wouldn't be able to handle it. They'd react like they did when watching The Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat Station in the 1890s, full panic, screaming, crying, begging for desaturation
Thief remains one of the best-looking movies I've ever seen in my life
April 8, 2025 at 6:22 AM
If they released a film that looked like this today, audiences just wouldn't be able to handle it. They'd react like they did when watching The Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat Station in the 1890s, full panic, screaming, crying, begging for desaturation
My favorite first time watches of March 2025:
20,000 Species of Bees (dir. Estibaliz Urresola Solaguren)
Room at the Top (dir. Jack Clayton)
The Last Picture Show (dir. Peter Bogdanovich)
Okja (dir. Bong Joon-ho)
20,000 Species of Bees (dir. Estibaliz Urresola Solaguren)
Room at the Top (dir. Jack Clayton)
The Last Picture Show (dir. Peter Bogdanovich)
Okja (dir. Bong Joon-ho)
April 1, 2025 at 5:51 PM
My favorite first time watches of March 2025:
20,000 Species of Bees (dir. Estibaliz Urresola Solaguren)
Room at the Top (dir. Jack Clayton)
The Last Picture Show (dir. Peter Bogdanovich)
Okja (dir. Bong Joon-ho)
20,000 Species of Bees (dir. Estibaliz Urresola Solaguren)
Room at the Top (dir. Jack Clayton)
The Last Picture Show (dir. Peter Bogdanovich)
Okja (dir. Bong Joon-ho)
Watched Mickey 17. Loved the Dune Corgis and Naomi Ackie and I suppose that will have to be enough.
March 9, 2025 at 2:38 AM
Watched Mickey 17. Loved the Dune Corgis and Naomi Ackie and I suppose that will have to be enough.
Okay, my personal Best of 2024 ballot:
PICTURE: The Fire Inside
DIRECTOR: Azazel Jacobs - His Three Daughters
ACTOR: Colman Domingo - Sing Sing
ACTRESS: Natasha Lyonne - His Three Daughters
S ACTOR: Clarence Maclin - Sing Sing
S ACTRESS: Trine Dyrholm - The Girl with the Needle
PICTURE: The Fire Inside
DIRECTOR: Azazel Jacobs - His Three Daughters
ACTOR: Colman Domingo - Sing Sing
ACTRESS: Natasha Lyonne - His Three Daughters
S ACTOR: Clarence Maclin - Sing Sing
S ACTRESS: Trine Dyrholm - The Girl with the Needle
March 1, 2025 at 3:22 PM
Okay, my personal Best of 2024 ballot:
PICTURE: The Fire Inside
DIRECTOR: Azazel Jacobs - His Three Daughters
ACTOR: Colman Domingo - Sing Sing
ACTRESS: Natasha Lyonne - His Three Daughters
S ACTOR: Clarence Maclin - Sing Sing
S ACTRESS: Trine Dyrholm - The Girl with the Needle
PICTURE: The Fire Inside
DIRECTOR: Azazel Jacobs - His Three Daughters
ACTOR: Colman Domingo - Sing Sing
ACTRESS: Natasha Lyonne - His Three Daughters
S ACTOR: Clarence Maclin - Sing Sing
S ACTRESS: Trine Dyrholm - The Girl with the Needle
My favorite first time watches of February 2025:
The Count of Monte Cristo (dir. Matthieu Delaporte and Alexandre de La Patellière)
Look Back (dir. Kiyotaka Oshiyama)
Last Summer (dir. Catherine Breillat)
Better Man (dir. Michael Gracey)
The Count of Monte Cristo (dir. Matthieu Delaporte and Alexandre de La Patellière)
Look Back (dir. Kiyotaka Oshiyama)
Last Summer (dir. Catherine Breillat)
Better Man (dir. Michael Gracey)
March 1, 2025 at 9:18 AM
My favorite first time watches of February 2025:
The Count of Monte Cristo (dir. Matthieu Delaporte and Alexandre de La Patellière)
Look Back (dir. Kiyotaka Oshiyama)
Last Summer (dir. Catherine Breillat)
Better Man (dir. Michael Gracey)
The Count of Monte Cristo (dir. Matthieu Delaporte and Alexandre de La Patellière)
Look Back (dir. Kiyotaka Oshiyama)
Last Summer (dir. Catherine Breillat)
Better Man (dir. Michael Gracey)
Watched Flow. If you had described to me what happens in the scene with all of the birds, I literally would not have believed you.
February 22, 2025 at 10:38 PM
Watched Flow. If you had described to me what happens in the scene with all of the birds, I literally would not have believed you.
Not sure if other music biopics have done this, but I really loved that Better Man doesn’t end with Williams’ best or most well-known song, but with a song from a different artist that meant a great deal to Williams personally. To me, this reveals much more about him as an artist.
February 12, 2025 at 3:02 AM
Not sure if other music biopics have done this, but I really loved that Better Man doesn’t end with Williams’ best or most well-known song, but with a song from a different artist that meant a great deal to Williams personally. To me, this reveals much more about him as an artist.
My favorite first time watches of January 2025:
His Three Daughters (dir. Azazel Jacobs)
Black Box Diaries (dir. Shiori Itō)
The Girl with the Needle (dir. Magnus von Horn)
Nosferatu (dir. Robert Eggers)
His Three Daughters (dir. Azazel Jacobs)
Black Box Diaries (dir. Shiori Itō)
The Girl with the Needle (dir. Magnus von Horn)
Nosferatu (dir. Robert Eggers)
February 1, 2025 at 5:40 AM
My favorite first time watches of January 2025:
His Three Daughters (dir. Azazel Jacobs)
Black Box Diaries (dir. Shiori Itō)
The Girl with the Needle (dir. Magnus von Horn)
Nosferatu (dir. Robert Eggers)
His Three Daughters (dir. Azazel Jacobs)
Black Box Diaries (dir. Shiori Itō)
The Girl with the Needle (dir. Magnus von Horn)
Nosferatu (dir. Robert Eggers)
Finally watched the Lorne Michaels movie and I thought Gabriel LaBelle was phenomenal, just completely unrecognizable, but I gotta say, I don’t love that 99% of the movie is about the Joker.
January 30, 2025 at 2:45 AM
Finally watched the Lorne Michaels movie and I thought Gabriel LaBelle was phenomenal, just completely unrecognizable, but I gotta say, I don’t love that 99% of the movie is about the Joker.
The Girl with the Needle is great. The black and white photography is so stunning that some of the edits feel like getting smacked in the face (this is a good thing). Trine Dyrholm is outstanding as a woman who loves taking care of kids.
January 29, 2025 at 5:59 AM
The Girl with the Needle is great. The black and white photography is so stunning that some of the edits feel like getting smacked in the face (this is a good thing). Trine Dyrholm is outstanding as a woman who loves taking care of kids.