Mad Max (George Miller, 1979): 2/5

This feels like a very bloated origin story—an entire movie fashioned from what ought to have been the first 35 minutes or so of a much better movie. Gee, I wonder what the much better movie in question might look like?

Two Men in Manhattan (Jean-Paul Melville, 1959): 3/5

Uneventful and unhurried, but if you're a Melville completist this offers an early, less polished take on what he would be doing later on. Although, where something like Le Samourai is minimalist but still recognizably a crime thriller, Two Men in Manhattan is more laid back and less obviously a genre movie. It was way too racy for the Hays code (lesbianism, bare breasts, prostitution, etc.), thus was never released in the US. Definitely worth a look for Melville fans. Somewhat of an interesting take on film noir, and an evocative portrait of 1950's New York.

rewatched The New World (Terrence Malick, 2005): 5/5

The 172 minute cut. Glorious. So much of the DNA of Malick's later films is already here and working to full effect. It's also perhaps the most thematically deliberate Malick film, in that even the titular romance plays second fiddle to the notion of diminishing bliss, and the inevitability of it all.

The Mummy (Alex Kurtzman, 2017): 1/5

*slams fists on the table* GIVE US BRENDAN FRASER

Human Flow (Ai Wei Wei, 2017): 2.5/5

I feel Ai Wei Wei tends to get in the way of this Ai Wei Wei film, with needless cutaways and moments of the famous artist (why should we care that he’s shaving his head?). Also, his background as a multimedia artist becomes apparent with the structure of the film, as it feels more like vignettes you can “walk in on” instead of a grand statement with peaks and valleys.

Upgrade (Leigh Whannell, 2018): 2.5/5

Whannell's a shitty writer and the acting is more or less crap. Not as fun as I was hoping it'd be either. Could've passed as a Black Mirror episode with its "overreliance on technology might have unforeseen consequences" message.

Billionaire Boys Club (James Cox, 2018): 1/5

Little more than an excuse to give some NextGen Leo DiCaprios their own Wolf of Wall Street, this movie was already on the shelf for a year and a half before becoming a casualty of the Kevin Spacey scandal. It ended up going straight to VOD and made it to ten screens in the US, but that's probably how it would've played out even if Spacey wasn't a creep. (As much as anyone will hate to admit, Spacey is actually the best thing about this shallow and superficial drama.)

Last Flag Flying (Richard Linklater, 2017): 2/5

Wallop of a disappointment, where Linklater gathers together a good group of performers and then basically allows them to make the most obvious points about growing old, serving your country, and the lies we tell to keep people complacent along the way. Not so much terrible as it’s just bland and vanilla, never stretching visually (and the digital photography is so flat) and just shooting scenes with these old guys as they bicker and laugh about not much at all.

Tuesday, After Christmas (Radu Muntean, 2010): 1.5/5

Too resolutely ordinary for me to get excited about; marital infidelity is commonplace to begin with, with a wholly predictable narrative, so uninflected naturalism isn't really the greatest fit here.

Poltergeist (Tobe Hooper, 1982): 3.5/5

Extra half star because if you squint you can pretend that Craig T. Nelson is Harrison Ford.

The Hustler (Robert Rossen, 1961): 2/5

Middle-brow and lackluster. The melodramatic acting of the day doesn't really mesh with the film's dingy realism.

Marooned In Iraq (Bahman Ghobadi, 2002): 3/5

Blackish comedy with a sincere family saga. A compelling insight into the lives of Kurds living along the Iraqi-Iranian border during the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein.

Shane (George Stevens, 1953): 3/5

Good and sturdy western. Basically just the movie that people think of when they talk about all the genre's cliches.

Uncle Drew (Charles Stone III, 2018): 2.5/5

Literally a feature length Pepsi commercial. It's about as formulaic and predictable as a sports movie can get, but there's a good sense of fun and warmth, making it enjoyable at times.

rewatched The Tree of Life (extended cut) (Terrence Malick, 2011): 5/5

*twirls* *points at this movie*
“That’s where God lives.”

The Man from London (Bela Tarr, 2007): 1.5/5

Beautifully shot and with a dark, oppressive atmosphere that gives the narrative frame a timelessness. However, I wasn't sufficiently prepared for the depths of minimalism explored here. The plot is a ponderous nothing as a bland character wrestles angstily with a dull dilemma for two hours.

Oh Lucy! (Atsuko Hirayagani, 2017): 4/5

An impressively poised debut from Atsuko Hirayagani, balancing comedy and poignancy quite effectively in this surprising little character study. Sort of a fusion between a Sundance-y midlife crisis dramedy and a low-key, very Japanese take on a classic screwball comedy. Could easily be too twee or mannered but avoids most major pitfalls and emerges as something winning.

Scanners (David Cronenberg, 1981): 2/5

Starring: Stephen Lack
Or more like Stephen, Lack of any acting skills lol 

Pootie Tang (Louis C.K., 2001): 2.5/5

The missing link between Robert Downey Sr. and Adult Swim.