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

* Hereditary (Ari Aster, 2018): 4/5

I had to go pee with an hour left and kept waiting for a “break” scene (missing the suicide the first time I saw Cache has traumatized me). But the tension and anticipation were relentless, and I finished the movie in agony. The Don’t Look Now stuff worked better than the Rosemarys’ Baby stuff, but it’s churlish to quibble.

Touchez Pas au Grisbi, rw (Jacques Becker, 1954): 4.5/5

A retired gangster now just wants to munch on some paté and crackers, don his silk pajamas and hit the sack early—I’m hip. Decades before its time for its blending of genre thrills with the quotidian. Jeanne Moreau gets slapped.

Hotel du Nord (Marcel Carné, 1938): 3.5/5

Grand Hotel with French élan, romanticism and theatricality.

Model Shop, rw (Jacques Demy, 1969): 3/5

First half, with tour of LA/Venice, Spirit’s pad: 5/5

Second half, with Anouk Aimée and the titular model shop: 2/5

#noantagonist

Kings of the Road (Wim Wenders, 1976): 5/5

When Krautrockers Can, Neu!, Faust, etc., were asked why their music was so different, they said they felt they had to throw out everything that belonged to their rotted parents’ music world and start new. Both Wenders and his soulful characters work to ensure the survival of German cinema (literally) and identity amid the literal ruins of their country’s fucked-up recent past. #noantagonist

Paris Texas, rw (Wim Wenders, 1984): 4/5

Part 2 of my Wenders/Müller film festival. A parade of new and arresting images. Survives the momentum-killing final act. #noantagonist

The American Friend, rw (Wim Wenders, 1977): 4/5

Part 3 of my fest. A melancholy and fateful movie (starring Bruno Ganz) is periodically interrupted by a much cooler, crazier but worse one (starring Dennis Hopper, Nicholas Ray, Sam Fuller). “I know less and less about who I am or who anybody else is.”

Hour of the Wolf, (Ingmar Berman, 1968): 3/5

Would make a nice pairing with Aronofsky’s mother! Two horror(ish) Portraits of the Young Artist as needy, self-centered, egotistical assholes. #humblebrag

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, rw (Michel Gondry, 2004): 3/5

I’ve gone back and forth on this movie, but remained unmoved this time. Not sure why. Asserts the necessity of all these shitty memories, which I suppose is true. #noantagonist

Blockers (Kay Cannon, 2018): 3/5

I didn’t relate to the parents at all (which, given my biography, is a problem), but the film did offer some laffs.

Narrow Margin, rw (Richard Fleischer, 1952): 3.5/5

Everything you would want from this story (and less) in 71 minutes. Now that most movies are going straight to streaming, why aren’t more this length?

Wind Across the Everglades (Nicholas Ray, 1958): 3.5/5

Bananas movie combining elements of westerns and pirate movies. Includes explicit references to the Holocaust as well as the destruction of the environment and Native American civilization. Head baddie Burl Ives has a wordless, blonde, male “moll.” Written by Budd Shulberg.

Aguirre, the Wrath of God, rw (Werner Herzog, 1972): 5/5

Showed it to my 19 year old, who loved it. Reminded me that when everything in a movie is digital, nothing on screen really matters. But when everything on screen is real, even the presence of a horse, monkey or pan-flute is astonishing. “That is no ship. That is no forest. That is no arrow.” #noantagonist

The Rider (Chloé Zhao, 2018): 3.5/5

The scenes where the main character works with horses are stunningly beautiful to watch. Clearly, the director found this cowboy and worked back from there (as opposed to finding an actor and teaching him to ride or break a horse), and this decision really makes the movie. #noantagonist

Annihilation, rw (Alex Garland, 2018): 5/5

Doubling down here on my defense of the metaphoric and literal content here. Still my favorite 2018 movie. #noantagonist

Le Vacances de M. Hulot, rw (Jacques Tati, 1953): 4/5

Plenty of good gags, but the best thing about this movie is the graceful, peaceful, bucolic flow of the narrative. #noantagonist

Ingrid Goes West (Matt Spicer, 2017): 2/5

Protagonist is consistently annoying and terrible but is given a completely unearned 11^th hour redemption anyway. #noantagonist

Welfare (Frederick Wiseman, 1975): 5/5

A series of episodes in a banal purgatory AKA the welfare office. Wiseman's structure places us in media res on sisyphean struggles toward equity and hope, the only thing standing between the poor & disenfranchised and their entitlements is an unseen enemy referred to only as "the law" or "the state," his agents AKA caseworkers speaking for him in his stead--some misbegotten and sorry at their lack of ability to help people, others dull brick walls at which all the downtrodden hurl their sorrows and furies. Welfare is mundane by definition yet epic in accumulation. Staggering, devastating, unforgettable - a film that captures America perfectly.

Blockers (Kay Cannon, 2018): 2/5

By glancing at the poster I thought the main characters were John Cena, Bryce Dallas Howard, and Mark Wahlberg. But only John Cena is in this.

Life is full of surprises.

rewatched Mulholland Dr. (David Lynch, 2001): 5/5

LA LA LAND'S evil twin.

Submergence (Wim Wenders, 2017): 1/5

Why these straight people insist on flaunting their inability to be anything but boring, I’m sure I don’t know. And that fucking sound design, jesus christ - where someone decided that the score was so good it should be played at a level so high you can't even hear what the characters are saying half the time.

The Eel (Shohei Imamura, 1997): 2/5

Offbeat would imply that The Eel should follow a rhythm. Instead, it's as slippery as its title. Part bloody thriller, part redemption drama, part surrealistic clusterfuck, part quirky comedy, and part character study, starring Koji Yakusho as a psychologically broken businessman/wife-killer released on parole who then opens a barbershop on a coastal town.

National Gallery (Frederick Wiseman, 2014): 3/5

A look at the inner workings of London's monolithic National Gallery. Terrific when it's showing you things you wouldn't see if you just showed up at the museum; docent scenes here are just too numerous and too prolonged though. But special shoutout to the guy telling a bunch of kids that art is cool because, unlike math, there's a lot of right answers.

rewatched Borat (Larry David, 2003): 3/5

Second viewing, 15 years later. Rewatch inspired by SBC's new Showtime series. Despite being so firmly rooted in and representative of Bush era America, the film's humor and social satire remain just as effective and, ironically, timeless. Not hard to re-contextualize for 2018 at all - the Borat character literally takes a shit in front of Trump Tower.

Murder on the Orient Express (Kenneth Branagh, 2017): 1/5

Nothing about this will leave a lasting impression. Script is the main culprit while Branagh's direction is missing the required creativity, and the sum of it results in an adaptation that's faithful yet mediocre & unstimulating. I think Christoph Waltz would make an amazing Poirot.

The Barbarian Invasions (Denys Arcand, 2003): 2/5

A Canadian going to the United States for healthcare reasons? That must be a first.

The Red Badge of Courage (John Huston, 1951): 2/5

Underdone with an insipid voice-over narration all thanks to MGM studio heads fucking everything up.

Gringo: The Dangerous Life of John McAfee (Nanette Burstein, 2016): 3/5

W I L D story. Now, anytime anyone asks me if they should download McAfee anti-virus I will only think of someone shitting in John's mouth.

At Berkeley (Frederick Wiseman, 2013): 3/5

 I wonder if I can transfer this viewing experience into course credits?

rewatched A Brighter Summer Day (Edward Yang, 1991): 3/5 

Yeah, Yang's always been out of reach for me; his films simply fail to elicit a strong reaction from me one way or another. I also had a hell of time keeping up with the gang dynamics in this opus. Who is with which gang and, additionally, with which factions within those gangs? Keeping all the characters, secrets, lies, allegiances, and double-crosses straight...such a chore.

Evil Dead (Fede Alvarez, 2013): 2/5

*Unwraps the trash bag and barbed wire covering of the necronomicon to actually discover Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged.*

Running on Empty (Sidney Lumet, 1988): 2/5

A low-tiered Lumet drama about a family constantly moving from town to town and evading the law. Very meh. Only standout was River Phoenix.

Mirror (Andre Tarkovsky, 1975): 3/5

Introspective and limited. As far as cryptic art films go, this wasn't boring, but it wasn't enthralling either. Entrancing images and elegiac poetry floating together incongruously, making it visually breathtaking but narratively impenetrable.

The Friends of Eddie Coyle (Peter Yates, 1973): 3.5/5

A fine crime drama set in Boston that has a mature and complicated heist tale at its core, transcending the era. Sporting one of the most appropriate yet ironic titles around. Because with friends like these, who needs enemies?

Hour of the Wolf (Ingmar Bergman, 1968): 2.5/5

Poe by way of Lynch by way of Bergman. Its carefully built dread and oddball imagery feel like skin and viscera in search of a skeleton, a spine, anything to hold on to. I do admire though how committed it is to making no sense whatsoever.

Logan Lucky (Steven Soderbergh, 2017): 4/5

Incredibly simple, yet highly entertaining comedic crime caper that doesn't have a mean bone in its soul, with characters you want to hug and invite to dinner.

rewatched Ordet (Carl Theodor Dreyer, 1955): 4.5/5 
Or, GOD IS NOT DEAD 3

Favorite line:
Morten: “Go to hell!”
Peter: “No, I won’t block your entrance.”

Game Night (John Francis Daley, Jonathan M. Goldstein, 2018): 3.5/5

A refreshing studio comedy. Slickly directed, edited and penned, with a ridiculously charismatic ensemble cast, and a narrative that while going somewhat needlessly extra at the very end, keeps everything hugely engaging throughout the whole film.

River's Edge (Tim Hunter, 1986): 3/5

Harmony Korine's Blue Velvet. Also, Crispin Glover sports a mullet here.

rewatched Diary of a Country Priest (Robert Bresson,1951): 5/5

I dare say that Claude Laydu as the Priest of Ambricourt is as sublime as Renée Jeanne Falconetti's Joan of Arc. Favorite moment is when M. Cure finally smiles, on the back of a bike going really fast, a performative turning point that's small but explosive. And then he realizes God wanted him to experience that rush before he dies so he knows what he's leaving. "Just enough for my sacrifice to be total."

Unsane (Steven Soderbergh, 2018): 2.5/5

An aggressive assault on one's limbic system. Honestly, this is the most annoyed/repulsed I've felt during a film since Mother, but like way worse because it's about pathetic sadboi beta male entitlement fantasies/nice guy culture. Claire Foy and Jay Pharoah are great though. iPhone cinematography is slick, never bothersome. Watch out for Matt Damon and Juno Temple's waist-length corn rows.

Suspiria (Dario Argento, 1977): 2/5

Gaudy delirium where plot is incidental. Looking forward to seeing the remake nonetheless. Hoping for another Goblin score. 

Double Lover (Francois Ozon, 2017): 3/5

Come for the eros...stay for the pegging!