Hook (Steven Spielberg, 1991): 1.5/5

Jack liked the NeverNeverLand parts, which reminded me in a good way of one of those silly MGM musicals on an actual huge set (like, say, The Pirate). The beginning and ending were unbelievably turgid.

Baskin (Can Evrenol, 2015): 2/5

Terrible people encounter people who are even more terrible in this forgettable Turkish horror flick.

Sorry to Bother You (Boots Riley, 2018): 2.5/5

Some fun, nutty ideas almost overcome some serious moviemaking awkwardness. Like Being John Malkovich but worse.

Petulia, rw (Richard Lester, 1968): 2.5/5

Lester applies some of his tricks to a more serious story set in San Francisco in the late 60s, as youth culture unbuckles social norms for The Olds. Jerry Garcia wanders through in a hat. #ByebyeFilmstruck

Maniac (Cary Fukunaga, 2018): 1.5/5

Waste of my time and, worse, of Emma Stone’s.

Deux Hommes dans Manhattan (Jean-Pierre Melville, 1959): 3/5

A la Tarantino, this is a movie about noir movies, packed with genuine noir pleasure from someone who appreciates them. Jazz and Times Square lights shining off highly polished sedans, shit like that. #ByebyeFilmstruck

Mickey and Nicky (Elaine May, 1976): 3.5/5

My second favorite Cassavetes movie (after A Woman…), and certainly the funniest. Cassavetes and Falk are both in top form. #ByebyeFilmstruck

* First Man (Damien Chazelle, 2018): 4/5

Thrilling you-are-there flight sequences. Armstrong discovers he needs to go to the moon to get a fucking moment to himself.

Vampyr, rw (Carl Theodor Dreyer, 1932): 5/

I’m sure Lynch adores this movie. The POV shot from inside a coffin is one of the greatest shots in cinema. 75 minutes. #ByebyeFilmstruck

Late Spring, rw (Yasujiro Ozu, 1949): 5/5

Father encourages his daughter to marry. Warm, calm and stunningly beautiful. Setsuko Hara is incredible. #ByebyeFilmstruck

Early Summer (Yasujiro Ozu, 1951): 4/5

Father encourages his daughter to marry. Warm, calm and stunningly beautiful. Setsuko Hara is incredible. #ByebyeFilmstruck

Equinox Flower (Yasujiro Ozu, 1958): 3/5

Father encourages his daughter to marry, just not the man she wants. Since the father is bit of a poop, it’s not as warm or calm. Also no Setsuko Hara. #ByebyeFilmstruck

The Leopard Man, rw (Jacques Tourneur, 1943): 4/5

Watched on Halloween. Town is terrorized by negative space and an avatar of woman-vs-woman competitiveness. 66 minutes.  #ByebyeFilmstruck

Apostle (Gareth Evans, 2018): 2/5

Disappointing follow-up to the director’s gonzo and fun The Raid 2. This one neither distinguishes itself from nor lives up to The Wicker Man.

The Devils (Ken Russell, 1971): 2/5

More theatrical and less provocative than I wanted it to be. In short, a Ken Russel film. #ByebyeFilmstruck

Blindspotting (Carlos Lopez Estrada, 2018): 2/5

Moderately entertaining, just not sure what the point was. Seemed as if the writer/lead actor thought it was a movie that addresses contemporary black and white relations, but I don’t believe he’s right.

L’Enfance Nue (Maurice Pialat, 1968): 3/5

A typically flinty look at a troubled kid. No plot or character arcs to distract you from your discomfort. 83 minutes. #ByebyeFilmstruck

Thunder Road (Jim Cummings, 2018): 2.5/5

A small-town cop is having a hard time holding his shit together after the death of his mother. Mildly amusing overall, with a couple of great, long, uncut freakouts.

Floating Clouds (Mikio Naruse, 1955): 3.5/5

Surprisingly tough-minded (and unsurprisingly tragic) look at Japan immediately after WWII. Interesting to contrast with Ozu’s much more optimistic work from and about this same era.

A Star is Born (Bradley Cooper, 2018): 4/5

Naturally, I wanted nothing more than to dislike this movie. But I’ll be goddamned if it didn’t work on me just the way it was supposed to. Swift and entertaining.

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (Coen Brothers, 2018): 3.5/5

Enjoyed all 6 segments in their own way. Best Coen Bros movie since A Serious Man (which isn’t saying much).

Blackkklansman (Spike Lee, 2018): 2/5

Starts off pretty strong and Adam Driver is terrific as always, but the racists are toothless cartoons and by the end I can’t imagine who would care.

Lady Snowblood (Toshiya Fujita, 1973): 3/5

Super-stylized revenge flick. Tarantino ripped it off mercilessly for the godawful (and apparently unoriginal) Kill Bill. #ByebyeFilmstruck

Scarecrow (Jerry Schatzberg, 1973): 2.5/5

A method-fest, but nothing really pays off. Pacino and Hackman are both great, but they are so much better elsewhere. #ByebyeFilmstruck

The Green Ray (Eric Rohmer, 1986): 3/5

Not about a blithely self-delusional young person! Instead, she’s trying her best but is just a bit depressed and lost. #ByebyeFilmstruck

* The Grinch (Yarrow Cheney, 2018): 3/5

Sweet and adequately funny; kept Jack’s attention.

Predator, rw (John McTiernan, 1987): 2.5/5

Hated it the 80s when Arnold (always) seemed to vaguely embody Reaganism, but now it’s just an OK entertainment.

* Roma (Alfonso Cuaron, 2018): 5/5

My favorite movie since Boyhood. At first, I was crying because of the startling beauty and uniqueness of the moviemaking, then I started crying for the characters. Looks and feels unlike any other movie I’ve seen. Contains at least six shots that can stand with the finest shots in film history. I'm going to be so disappointed with you guys are both like "eh...."

Happy as Lazarro (Alice Rohrwacher, 2018): 2.5/5

Candide in Tuscany. A nice lead performance, radiating natural, foolish goodwill.

Leave No Trace (Debra Granik, 2018): 2/5

Felt zero connection to or sympathy for the narcissistic father. Considering that I am a narcissistic father, this is a problem.