The Killing of A Sacred Deer (Yorgos Lanthimos, 2017): 4.5/5

Not really a fan of Lanthimos's other films, but I was riveted from start to finish with this one, terrified of what the fuck could possibly happen next. Tone is everything here. Great formal expressionism ranging from Kubrickian Steadicam to De Palma-esque God's eye view to even a swoony motorcycle embrace straight out of a Hou Hsiao-hsien film.

re-watched Blade Runner (Ridley Scott, 1982): 3/5

Blasphemy Alert: I was never really "into" this wildly popular film. I mean it's perfectly fine. Rutger Hauer's last lines are still great. But now I find the whole "I want you" scene between Harrison Ford and Sean Young distasteful. 

Blade Runner: 2049 (Denis Villeneuve, 2017): 4/5 

Blasphemy Alert: it's better than the original. 

Whisper of the Heart (Yoshifumi Kondou, 1995): 1/5

The cinematic equivalent of young adult fiction. I've no intention to beat up on a Studio Ghibli movie, but beyond the pretty animations, there's precious little to interest an adult viewer. 

The Overnight (Patrick Brice, 2015): 4/5

Another great, engaging indie film by Patrick Brice (Creep, 2014), and this time it's a sex comedy. I'm now a Jason Schwartzman believer. 

Happy Death Day (Christopher B. Landon, 2017): 2.5/5

Mean Girls meets Friday the 13th meets Groundhog Day. An idiotic good time. Scariest part was when the credits started rolling and I thought it said directed by Christopher Nolan. 

The Similars (Isaac Ezban, 2015): 2/5

It's like someone put The Shining and Aphex Twins into Cronenberg's fly teleportation device and this is the movie that comes out the other booth. There's a reason why "Twilight Zone" episodes aren't feature length. 

Beatriz at Dinner (Miguel Arteta, 2017): 1/5

Salma Hayek's character is so insufferable and annoying and a horrible dinner guest that I found myself siding with the other dinner guests who were all corporate Republican ne'er-do-wells. Oh my god and Chloe Sevigny plays a rich girl. Now I've seen everything.

Stories We Tell (Sarah Polley, 2012): 2.5/5

Really wanted to like this doc, but alas my concentration lapsed numerous times; maybe because the big reveal comes way early on in the film and then meanders through an hour of sanguine, soul-searching justification for its own existence.

The Hot Rock (Peter Yates, 1972): 3/5

Perfectly adequate heist comedy, nice and light. Suitable for a Saturday afternoon filler. 

Certain Women (Kelly Reichhardt, 2016): 1.5/5  

To quote Douglas Adams, "For a moment, nothing happened. Then, after a second or so, nothing continued to happen."  On par with Pablo Larrain's Jackie for most tedious, unnecessary film of 2016, Reichhardt overthinks the human condition in yet another yawn-fest think piece. She really has very little to say beyond artsy interpretations of female living. A triptych (with Laura Dern and Michelle Williams), it's the last story with Kristen Stewart that makes the film somewhat salvageable if you can believe it.