Fleabag, Season 2 (Phoebe Waller-Bridge/Harry Bradbeer, 2019): 5/5

My favorite media thing this year. Many rich laughs and a genuine love story. Transforms what was once a dramatic device (breaking the fourth wall to address the audience) into a personality trait within the drama—I’ve never seen that before!

Domino (Brian DePalma, 2019): 2/5

Boffo opening sequence that repurposes Rear Window and Vertigo (naturally). The plot involves Al Qaeda (which…bad idea). I’m willing to bet the thing grew out of DePalma’s fucked-up obsession with on-line beheading videos.

Us (Jordan Peele, 2019): 3.5/5

Not sure it works as a social critique, but the horror parts work so well, it doesn’t matter.

Burning (Chang-dong Lee, 2018): 3.5/5

A movie where the viewer's response hinges on whether they believe a cat has the capability and willingness to respond to its name. Interesting to see what the very far north part of South Korea looks like. Redeemed by the gravity of its final act.

The Wind will Carry Us, rw (Abbas Kiarostami, 1999): 5/5

So much beauty and so much humanity.

* Toy Story 4 (Josh Cooley, 2019): 3/5

Doesn’t measure up to the other three, emotionally, but entertaining for the whole family.

35 Shots of Rum (Claire Denis, 2008): 2/5

Denis-wise, is it really just all about Beau Travail?

Rocketman (Dexter Fletcher, 2019): 3/5

Emotionally, too Crocodile Rock and not enough Somebody Saved My Life Tonight. Like Bohemian Rhapsody but without the towering central performance and with more bad songs. Still, I like this genre (The Doors being one of my favorite movies), and I’m all for seeing one of these for every rock band that’s ever existed.

The Dirt (Jeff Tremaine, 2019): 3.5/5

No worries about song quality here; they’re all bad. Still this is my favorite of the recent spate of rock bios. Charismatic actors (Machine Gun Kelly is especially good) doing silly rock stuff.

Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese (Martin Scorsese, 2019): 3/5

Loved the concert footage, but I call bullshit on the fictional elements.

Fosse/Verdon (Thomas Kail, Steven Levenson, 2019): 3/5

Both leads are excellent, but the drama never evolves. I love All That Jazz as much/more than the next guy, but did we really need an 8-hour version?

All That Jazz, rw (Bob Fosse, 1979): 5/5

One of the best movies about dance, and one of the best psychodramas about a self-pitying artist. (Better, at least, than 8 ½ and Stardust Memories, both of which I like)

Shazam! (David F. Sandberg, 2019): 2.5/5

Why so dark? Are today’s 10-year-olds really so bummed out? Yikes!

Miami Vice, rw (Michael Mann, 2006): 4/5

One of the most beautiful movies of all time. Its abstract incomprehensibility doesn’t bother me a bit.

Heat, rw (Michael Mann, 1995): 3/5

Better than I remembered. Very man(n)ly.

Relaxer (Joel Potrykus, 2019): 2/5

In the days approaching Y2K, a guy accepts a challenge from his brother to not leave his couch until he finishes level 256 of Pacman. Despite a fun turn in the final stretch, it’s a bit of a stagey slog. I have also seen another Potrykus movie, Buzzard, and I regret to report that he is NOT a promising newcomer.

Booksmart (Olivia Wilde, 2019): 3.5/5

Loved the affection between the characters. Better than Superbad.

* Once Upon a Time in … Hollywood (Quentin Tarantino, 2019): 4.5/5

Tarantino’s warmest film and his most thematically rich—about the relationship between cinema and memory, dreams, fantasy. My favorite part was when Brad Pitt parkours onto a roof, takes off his shirt, and enters a slightly-chop-socky styled reverie about beating up Bruce Lee. Movie Magic!!

Il Grande Silenzio (Sergio Corbucci, 1968): 2.5/5

Compelled by raves from QT and Alex Cox (they should know) I checked out this second-greatest movie by the second-greatest spaghetti western director. Despite Klaus Kinski as the villain and (spoiler alert) perhaps the most pessimistic ending in movie history, it failed to move. At least now I know where QT got the idea of a snowy western.