BlacKkKlansman (Spike Lee, 2018): 4.5/5

Shaggy, furious, bold as hell, and red hot. Miraculously funny and fun considering the subject matter, but never at the expense of its convictions. Spike Lee's overtness here, as ever, is not condescending. It allows a rip-roaring undercover cop caper to function as a primal scream. And that dance scene near the beginning made me feel this may be the Best Picture of the year. #moviepass

re-watched Rosemary's Baby (Roman Polanski, 1968): 5/5

Why was everyone making fun of Mia Farrow's cute Vidal Sassoon haircut??? That's not part of being in a satanic coven.

Zama (Lucrecia Martel, 2017): 2.5/5 
Or, No Exit: Colonial Oppressor Remix

A feignedly strained take at colonialism, approached through conventional academicism and formal rigor. Btw, when folks call Zama "difficult," what they really mean is "kinda dull."

The Harder They Come (Perry Henzell 1972): 2/5

Jamaica's most famous movie, which happens to be their first feature length film. Features a charismatic performance from Jimmy Cliff and a trio of genuinely great sequences: footage of poverty accompanied by his spellbinding Many Rivers to Cross, the neat photoshoot sequence that gave the film its one truly iconic image, and a classic, vital performance of the title track (which ultimately gets played to death). But it can never get over its completely ridiculous story, the generally abysmal acting and some of the most incompetently staged scenes I've ever seen.

Missile (Frederick Wiseman, 1988): 3/5

Air Force cadets studying in the very competitive program to launch the world ending missiles. The inherent disconnect between trying make the best possible version of the thing that shouldn’t be.

Close-Up (Abbas Kiarostami, 1990): 2.5/5

Set in Iran, Close-Up covers the real-life trial of a cinephile who impersonated acclaimed Iranian filmmaker Mohsen Makhmalbaf and successfully conned a wealthy family in Tehran into believing that they would star in his new feature, that is until his luck ran out. The plot captures the ensuing trial that's filmed by the crew as it transpires in the courthouse while interspersed within those images are reenactments of the case. I admire how it bends narrative and reality, but I can’t say that I was riveted while watching it. Perhaps a re-watch further down the line will result in the more fruitful experience that so many others seem to walk away with.

Flower (Max Winkler, 2017): 3/5

Neither particularly insightful nor shocking to anyone well-versed in indie flicks. The film mixes teen angst with bouts of (supposed) dark comedy that takes inherently risky material and nearly destroys it with utter implausibility in the third act. Overall though it's a well crafted film and worth watching for Deutch and Hahn's performances alone. Also, all I thought about when I saw this film was how Ladybird and Erica would be great girlfriends if they ever met.

Berlin Syndrome (Cate Shortland, 2017): 3/5

A tightly wound and solidly constructed thriller that does a nice job of avoiding some of the more one-dimensional brutality that similar films rely on.

A Dark Song (Liam Gavin, 2016): 3/5

Low-key but often intense and eerie depiction of a grueling, protracted occult ritual makes for a fine directorial debut and features a pair of fascinating, deeply committed lead performances. Quite a nice change of pace and well worth a look.

The Spy Who Dumped Me (Susanna Fogel, 2018): 2.5/5

Gillian Anderson exudes so much Big Dick Energy in this she could take down an army of men. #moviepass

Chronicle (Josh Trank, 2012): 1.5/5

"Kidz Bop Unbreakable". Interest to continue watching the film really decreased when Michael B. Jordan’s character was killed off.

Ant-Man and the Wasp (Peyton Reed, 2018): 1.5/5

More like Ant-MEH lol

#moviepass

Geostorm (Dean Devlin, 2017): 1/5

More like geoSHITstorm lol

Graduation (Cristian Mungiu, 2016): 2.5/5

Or: Franz Kafka's A Cunty Doctor. (Mungiu catfished me by making a Dardennes film.)

Marjorie Prime (Michael Almereyda, 2017): 3/5

Alain Resnais-esque understated chamber drama. Almereyda beautifully dramatizes memory as the hazy intersection of history and emotion, and nearly every performer is doing some of the richest work they've ever done. "How nice that I could love somebody."

Solaris (Steven Soderbergh, 2002): 3.5/5

Soderbergh's 2002 remake retains the dreamy, sometimes glacial pace of Tarkovsky's version without sacrificing its dazzling ideas. Loved Cliff Martinez's eerie score.

The Brothers Grimsby (Louis Letterrier, 2016): 2.5/5

Monumentally stupid and raunchy, but I did laugh several times. Mark Strong maintaining his stonily serious expression throughout all of the outrageous genitalia humor, as if he's genuinely in a shitty Bond ripoff, was great.

Chronos (Ron Fricke, 1985): 3/5

Basically “civilization Koyaanisqatsi” without Philip Glass. The first half of humankind constructed, the second half documented. A Brick and a Camera.

Le Doulos (Jean-Pierre Melville, 1963): 4/5

A deft fake-out movie/clinical portrait of dishonor among thieves, shot in deep shadow and anchored by Belmondo's curdled insouciance and Ruggieri's soulful anxiety.