La Notte (Michelangelo Antonioni, 1961): 2/5

Antonioni bourgeoise ennui endures with this portrait of a passionless married couple (Jeanne Moreau, Marcello Mastroianni) and their night of (attempted) transgressions. But when it comes to this sort of mashup of sexual politics and class commentary, I much prefer the less listless Eyes Wide Shut.

The Star (Stuart Heisler, 1952): 3/5

A lot of superficial similarities to All About Eve, but without the great screenplay and supporting cast. Still worth watching for Bette completists. Great moment: Bette driving around drunk talking to her Oscar while it's on the dashboard.

11'09''01 (Chahine, Gitai, et al, 2002): 2/5

Anthology films are inevitably patchy, and these films are really an immediate response (literally, I think) to the events of 11 September 2001, and accordingly don’t all hold up that well so long after the event. Makmalbaf's film was the only one I liked.

The Store (Frederick Wiseman, 1983): 2/5

A look into the Dallas branch and corporate office of Neiman Marcus. One of Wiseman's weaker, less interesting docs.

The Comfort of Strangers (Paul Schrader, 1990): 2.5/5

SNL Origins: The Continental. (Extra half star for Walken.)

Merci pour le Chocolat (Claude Chabrol, 2000): 3/5

Chabrol treats this soap opera-cum-thriller with enough Hitchcockian style that it's possible to forgive most of the clunky plot contrivances. Isabelle Huppert's unsettling Mika is played with the same sweet, but bitterly dark qualities as the chocolate that she's so keen for everyone to imbibe. Ultimately, the film has just enough intrigue and is paced well enough to keep you gripped to the slightly unsatisfactory ending.

re-watched The Damned (Luchino Visconti, 1969): 3.5/5

Helmut Berger’s Martin. Oh my god. I forgot what a mesmerizingly degenerate little shit he is in this. Who's worse though? The Von Essenbecks or the Trumps?

The Mark of Cain (Alix Lambert, 2000): 2.5/5

Documentary on Russian prison gang tattoos and their meanings. Recommended pairing, if you must: Eastern Promises (2007).

In the Fade (Fatih Akin, 2017): 2.5/5

Kruger fighting some Nazis. Not Inglourious Basterds. Affecting, but also maddeningly facile on both thematic and narrative levels.

Blindspotting (Carlos Lopez Estrada, 2018): 3/5

Moves with a heavy hand—both as a love letter to Oakland and in addressing Big Issues like gentrification, police brutality, identity, etc... but there are some great (and hilarious) sequences here, and the comedy doesn’t detract from the weight of the narrative. Impressive for a first-time feature filmmaker.  #moviepass

McQueen (Ian Bonhote, 2018): 3/5

A biography told plainly; a doc deeply invested in the cinematic language of normalcy. Video archives of McQueen's most iconic, artistic, dramatic, showstopping catwalks were fantastic and made it worthwhile. Go on YouTube and search "Alexander McQueen pre 2010 collections". Highlights: VOSS, The Highland Rape, S/S 1999, Horn of Plenty. #moviepass

Michael Clayton (Tony Gilroy, 2007): 3/5

This movie should have been named Karen Crowder and should have been centered around the disintegration of Karen Crowder's morals as she tries to protect U-North from their class action law suit, instead of just being a mere supporting role. Tilda Swinton as Karen Crowder is what kept me invested. 

re-watched The Piano Teacher (Michael Haneke, 2001): 4.5/5

I welcome the day when Isabelle Huppert looks at me once, killing me instantly. 

re-watched The Game (David Fincher, 1999): 3.5/5

 Marathon Man MUCH?! A Christmas Carol MUCH?! But really, if someone ever gave this to me as a "birthday present" I would never speak to them again.

The One I Love (Charlie McDowell, 2014): 3/5

 Want to watch a sun-dappled indie comedy? And a Bergman-esque relationship drama? And an existential sci-fi thriller? Well, have I got the movie for you! Admittedly, The One I Love doesn't nail any of the genres it assays, but I still have to give it points for chutzpah. It's an economical two-hander, set mostly at a country retreat where one couple delves deep (through a metaphysical fluke) into the fissure that's been putting a strain on their marriage. Initially relaxed, the film tightens as it goes on, getting plottier and more invested in its conceit's logical ramifications.

Ex Libris: New York Public Library (Frederick Wiseman, 2017): 3/5

Hits too many of the same notes as At Berkeley. I realize I'm more interested in his classic portraits of dysfunctional institutions than in his recent, semi-utopian visions. Whole lotta filmed lectures and events in this one—I can always hit YouTube if I'm in the mood for a few random minutes of Elvis Costello discussing his influences, thanks anyway—coupled with an almost perverse avoidance of anything to do with books. And every time I'd get genuinely interested in, say, the research team that answers telephone queries, or the details of digitizing manuscripts, it was off to the next public-speaking engagement, followed by the next staff meeting (with the latter sounding exactly like the ones At Berkeley).

Mission Impossible: Fallout (Christopher McQuarrie, 2018): 2/5

Satisfies the bare minimum plot and character necessities that its target audience requires - namely, that any scenes/actions/dialogue that follow each other sequentially, no matter how incongruous, tone-deaf, or plain silly, constitutes an acceptable narrative. I could not tell Rebecca Ferguson and Michelle Monaghan apart. #moviepass