*Blade Runner 2049 (Denis Villenueve, 2017): 4.5/5
Manages to stay true to the original's concerns, elaborate on our ongoing posthuman dilemmas, and look and sound pretty cool in the bargain.  Maybe not that great in the long run, but I was just thankful for a reason to worship in the House of Cinema.

Baby Driver (Edgar Wright, 2017): 2/5
Live-action cartoon music video, for 2 hours.  Cool car chases, with stunts rendered meaningless by CGI.  Utter bullshit.

The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) (Noah Baumbach, 2017): 2/5
Aka "Drive, He Whined."  For the love of God, please, all of you, shut the fuck up.  Actually made me appreciate Midwestern WASP stoicism.

My Cousin Rachel (Roger Michell, 2017): 2/5
Anemic.  Manages to make a twisted romance by Daphne de Maurier (Rebecca, The Birds) into a snooze.

Half Nelson, rw (Ryan Fleck & Anna Boden, 2006): 4/5
In which the schoolgirl Drey (Shareeka Epps), with a few forlorn glances, pierces into the protagonist's conscience and steals the movie, much like Bruno in The Bicycle Thief.

Masked and Anonymous, rw (Larry Charles, 2003): 2.5/5
Maybe not quite as smart as it seemed back then... the singer is still pretty good.

Donnie Darko (Richard Curtis, 2001 theatrical version): 3/5
Finally managed to get through this... entertaining, but still not sure what the hulabaloo and cult status are about.  Never cared much for "Reality/Unreality?" plot lines.

Love is the Devil: Study for a Portrait of Francis Bacon (John Marbury, 1999): 2/5
Hadn't realized that Bacon found his signature style of portraiture so early--by the late 1940s.  But Jesus, what an obnoxious queen.

A Funny Story About Six and Nine, aka 6ixtynin9 (Pen-ek Ratanaruang, 1999): 2/5
Amusing but derivative low-budget Thai crime/comedy, in the manner of QT.

Prince of the City, rw (Sidney Lumet, 1981): 3/5
Serpico loses his earring and goes straight, clean-shaven.  Thankfully, NYC never looked grimier.

The Beguiled (Don Siegel, 1971): 4/5
Wow... what a weird, wild slice of Southern Gothic melodrama.  I thank Sofia Coppola for bringing it to my attention.  But I'm not much interested in seeing her re-make.

Docs:

Eva Hesse (Marcie Begleiter, 2016): 5/5
Hesse's German-Jewish origins, family trauma, undeniable talent, turbulent marriage, and meteoric career conjure up comparisons with Sylvia Plath.  But she didn't kill herself, reducing commercial potential for bio-pics and teenage idol worship.  Finally, she gets her due in a doc that rightfully establishes her as a major American artist of the 1960s.

It Might Get Loud (Davis Guggenheim, 2008): 2/5
Page, Evans, and White never seem to connect, and they perform as solo guitarists in their respective bands, so the film's "guitar summit" climax is a lame exchange of riffs that goes nowhere.

Joss Whedon

Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Seasons 1-7: 4.5/5
Would've been 5/5 if Season 7 didn't blow so hard. Also, Alyson Hannigan and Amber Benson --to DIE for! I can't believe how late I am to the party.

The Cabin in the Woods (Drew Goddard, 2011) -- 3/5

Alyson Hannigan

How I Met Your Mother, Season 1 (2005) -- 3.5/5
Oh my god that Ted Mosby character (main central character) is so baneful. Just Google "Ted Mosby Sucks" and you'll see a million articles/message boards explaining why. 

Date Movie (Aaron Seltzer, 2006) -- 1/5

American Pie (Paul Weitz, 1999)-- 1/5

American Pie 2 (JB Rogers, 2001) -- 2.5/5

American Wedding (Jesse Dylan, 2003) -- 1/5

American Reunion (John Hurwitz, 2012) -- 2/5

Rip It Off (Gigi Gaston, 2002) -- 1/5


Amber Benson 

Attack of the Gryphon (Andrew Prowse, 2007) -- 2/5

King of the Hill (Steven Soderbergh, 1993) -- 4/5
A beautifully shot, sweet little film. Acting was solid amongst the kiddies. Oh and there's a young Adrien Brody to boot who is simply delightful. Currently reading the A.E. Hotchner memoir the film's based on. 

The Killing Jar (Mark Young, 2010) -- 2/5

Race You to the Bottom (Russell Brown, 2005) -- 1/5

Latter Days (Jay Cox, 2005) -- 2/5

Strictly Sexual (Joel Viertel, 2008) -- 1/5

Chance (Amber Benson, 2002) -- 2/5



The Box (Richard Kelly, 2009) -- 2/5

Mister Lonely (Harmony Korine, 2007) -- 1/5

The Lost City of Z (James Gray, 2017) -- 2/5