<![CDATA[La La Chimera: Recs & Guides]]>https://lalachimera.com/s/recs-and-guideshttps://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ody1!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0d52b1e8-734d-441f-a1b7-e9a240adafcb_660x660.pngLa La Chimera: Recs & Guideshttps://lalachimera.com/s/recs-and-guidesSubstackWed, 22 Apr 2026 08:10:30 GMT<![CDATA[Shows as portals: TV series that immersed me in their worlds]]>https://lalachimera.com/p/shows-as-portals-tv-series-that-immersedhttps://lalachimera.com/p/shows-as-portals-tv-series-that-immersedSat, 14 Mar 2026 13:41:41 GMTThis is part of my paid-subscriber-only series of guides & recommendations & lifehacks. If you can’t afford the subscription but still want to read these articles, here’s a 99% discount. Otherwise, you can pay normal price below. Please be honest! I put a lot of time into these.

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Shows as portals

The length of a series makes it fit to explore a world. Below are some shows which brought me into worlds that I still can’t stop thinking about. Now they are inner landscapes inside my mind, mythic places filled with role models and metaphors that help structure my life.

Table of Contents

  • My top 10 shows

  • Reviews of my top 10

  • Honorable Mentions:

    Philosophical/mind-bending · Fully fleshed out worlds · Antiheroes · Dramas · Comedies & dramedies

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]]><![CDATA[Movies as spells: reviews of films that altered my consciousness (& made me cry)]]>https://lalachimera.com/p/movies-as-spells-reviews-of-filmshttps://lalachimera.com/p/movies-as-spells-reviews-of-filmsThu, 12 Feb 2026 14:48:22 GMTThis is part of my paid-subscriber-only series of guides & recommendations & lifehacks. If you can’t afford the subscription but still want to read these articles, here’s a 99% discount. Otherwise, you can pay normal price below. Please be honest! I put a lot of time into these.

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Movies as spells

Movies are sacred to me. Film has changed me more than any other art form – more than books, more than music.

I watch movies in a particular way. I try to watch them the way an ancient person might have engaged the greatest myths of the time: as guides for how to be.

The actors’ body language – how they walk, how they sit, the subtle way they tilt their head to deliver a line of dialogue: one can receive these as transmissions. Likewise, the lighting, the cinematography, the set design: these are all symbols. Rarely do I do “film analysis” on these symbols. In my philosophy, the highest symbols are the ones which viscerally impact you upon exposure, even when you don’t know why.

Perhaps a better term would be “spells.” Every movie on this list is best watched as a spell. I believe these are spells which contain enormous wisdom. I hope you appreciate them as much as I do.

Table of Contents

  • List of my top 10 films

  • Reviews of my top 10

  • Honorable Mentions:

    Philosophical films & dharma transmissions · Feel the love · Tragedies · The subtleties of relationships · Action/adventure · Sci-fi · Horror/blood & guts · Weird/surreal/psychedelic trips · Slice of life & family dramas · Joyous dramas · Wicked dramas · Tense dramas · Violent thrillers · Military

  • Unsatisfying but very well made films

  • Favorite directors

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