Baskets, Season 2 (Jonathan Krisel, 2017): 3.5/5

Didn't make it through Season 1, but this was perfectly binge-able. Great performance from Louie Anderson as his mum.

Person to Person (Dustin Guy Defa, 2017): 2/5

I have little memory of having watched this.

The Neon Demon (Nicolas Winding Refn, 2016): 2.5/5

For the first half, I thought Refn had actually made a coherent movie. Alas.

Hail, Caesar (Coen Brothers, 2016): 2/5

The Coens’ worst movie? I haven’t seen The Ladykillers. They display an increasingly tenuous grasp of tone.

Carlito's Way, rw (Brian De Palma, 1993): 3/5

A lot of bunk in here, including Pacino's accent, but great set-pieces.  Boogie Nights wouldn’t be the same without it.

The Leftovers, Season 3 (Mimi Leder, etc., 2017): 4.5/5

The best of the three seasons. Epic and Metaphysical. With actual answers, if that’s what you’re into.

T2 Trainspotting (Danny Boyle, 2017): 2/5

A friend said it was about the difference between being in your 20s and being in your 40s. I wish I had seen that movie.

Patton (Franklin J. Schaffner, 1970): 2/5

A fine yellow-toothed performance, but the movie is bloated.

Five Came Back (Laurent Bouzereau, 2017): 3/5

Both rushed and drawn out. Had a lot more fun with the book.

Miles Ahead (Don Cheadle, 2015): 3/5

Born to be Blue (Robert Budreau, 2015): 3.5/5

Oh those wacky, drug-addled, aging jazz greats! Interesting that Miles is in both but Baker is not. BtbB raises then immediately drops interesting problems of representation/recreation, so I guess I have to track down Kate Plays Christine.

Christine (Antonio Campos, 2016): 3/5

Really good lead performance, but the movie never really sticks to a particular take on the woman beyond “weirdo,” and the climax, despite being programmatic, comes out of nowhere.

Twin Peaks, The Return (David Lynch, 2017): 5/5

Images and atmospherics. Also, funny. If you don’t think you’ll like it, you’re probably right.

* It (Andy Mushiettu, 2017): 2.5/5

Feel-good horror

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (Zack Snyder, 2016): 2/5

Some pretty big, amazing images here—considering it’s a piece of shit.

Snowden (Oliver Stone, 2016): 3/5

Traditionally entertaining. I am remarkably untroubled by what he revealed.

Feud: Bette and Joan (Ryan Murphy, 2017): 4/5

Jerry and I are the two straight(ish) people under the age of 60 who liked this.

The Big Sick (Michael Showalter, 2017): 2/5

Proving that true life is full of cliches.

Colossus (Nacho Vigalondo, 2016): 3/5

Charlie Kaufman movie of the year.

The Room (Tommy Wiseau, 2003): 3/5

Interesting! Accidentally breaks rules I never even noticed existed.

The Founder (John Lee Hancock, 2016): 3/5

At what point does Travis Bickle or Walter White or Michael Corleone move from protagonist to antagonist? And what does it mean for the audience and character if this can never really be done?

The Beaver Trilogy, Part IV (Brad Besser, 2015): 2/5

Being an artist is depressing. Watching The Beaver Trilogy itself would be better.

The Handmaiden (Chan-wook Park, 2016): 2.5/5

Q: How many twists until you say ‘Who gives a fuck?’ A: four

* mother! (Darren Aronofsky, 2017): 4/5

Aronofsky plunders Polanski and the Bible (again!) and makes a gonzo horror art-film that goes for it viscerally and intellectually. Pretty crazy stuff.

A Ghost Story (David Lowery, 2017): 3.5/5

Sad White Dead Men