The Worst Person in the World (Joachim Trier, 2021): 3/5

Imagine being lost professionally, not having any friend at all, and on top of that being attracted to men? Poor Julie, this is not a life.

Surely an issue of overly heightened expectations – I was hoping for Toni Erdmann/Fleabag-like bursts of flight into sublime, reckless humanism and all I got were the familiar beats of millennial malaise.

Don't Look Up (Adam McKay, 2021): 3/5

Or, John Oliver's MELANCHOLIA.

It is, by design, a movie of the moment. The pacing certainly suffers from all of the deleted scenes making the cut. But still, watching a murderer’s row of our finest actors contribute to such a bleak narrative is inherently interesting. “I get it” is among the most basal reactions one can have to comedy, and “I agree” is arguably even lower, but the most nihilistic part of my brain knows this is exactly what would happen if this was a real scenario and IDK, maybe the world SHOULD end.

Being the Ricardos (Aaron Sorkin, 2021): 2/5

This just made me want to rewatch I Love Lucy, which is perhaps its only valuable contribution.

And apologies to Kidman and Bardem, who are both terrific actors, but they are simply unconvincing as the television couple. Sorkin’s writing here is mid-tier, but it’s the composition that feels disorganized. The communist accusations, the marital problems between Lucille and Desi, the crucial week that nearly impacted the future of I Love Lucy. There comes a point where I questioned what this movie was really about. Sorkin’s poor directing skills are more prevalent than ever. These icons deserve a better legacy than this.

C'mon C'mon (Mike Mills, 2021): 2.5/5

I dunno man that kid's pretty insufferable. Gabby Hoffman is fantastic though. BEGINNERS is still my favorite of Mills's.

The French Dispatch (Wes Anderson, 2021): 2/5

Wes Anderson opens his broom cupboard and out spill all the same old visual ideas, themes, colors, and actors. A film clearly designed for the Anderson faithful. (I love FANTASTIC MR. FOX, but otherwise I'm generally not a fan.)

The Matrix Resurrections (Lana Wachowski, 2021): 2.5/5

Need to rewatch this with subtitles. Couldn't hang on to anything during my initial midnight viewing at Grauman's Chinese - too idiosyncratic, clunky and cluttered with a glut of meta ideas. Only thing I can say definitively is that none of these sequels will ever come close to what the original Matrix showed us.

Squid Game (Hwang Dong-hyuk, 2021): 2/5

Don't understand where all the hype is coming from. Nothing new here - it's all reused and way overlong, only with people dressed as Playstation buttons thrown into the mix this time with singing dolls. (And what, no actual squids???)

The Lost Daughter (Maggie Gyllenhal, 2021): 3/5

A thematically rich character study that peels back at the multifaceted nature of motherhood, THE LOST DAUGHTER is firmly held together by a harrowing performance from Olivia Colman. (Good thing too, since this is a "no plot, just vibes" kinda movie.)

Spider (David Cronenberg, 2002): 1.5/5

I could admire Cronenberg's formal rigor in immersing an audience in mental illness if it weren't so banally reductive, pessimistic and bleak. OK yeah I get the point is that there is no room for change or hope of an inner life for this man that is not a baffling hell of his own mind, constantly recycling a dramatically pat trauma that conveniently catalyzed his insanity. But that's a shitty point.

The Learning Tree (Gordon Parks, 1969): 3.5/5

As the first film from a major American studio directed by an African-American filmmaker, The Learning Tree is a landmark, pioneering work of cinema. How wonderful, then, that Gordon Parks’ semi-autobiographical debut is also a pretty fantastic film. Delving into themes of Black identity and expressions of masculinity, Parks’ film is fascinating and relevant, even decades after its release. The cinematography reflects Parks’ eye for photography, and the performances of Kyle Johnson and Alex Clarke serve as great narrative foils.

 Inside (Alexandre Bustillo, Julien Maury, 2007): 3/5

~vomits in french~

Just 79 minutes of visceral, asshole clenching brutality.

The Andromeda Strain (Robert Wise, 1971): 3.5/5

99% of this movie is middle-aged scientists looking at graphs on CRT computer screens it's so good.

Antlers (Scott Cooper, 2021): 2/5

Throwaway supernatural horror with a strong cast that elevates the formulaic script.

rewatched Titanic (James Cameron, 1997): 4/5

What can I say, it works (apart from the crap framing device). Still a specular, frequently gloriously clunky melodrama, and one of the most technical marvels ever. This is where we first met.

John Wick Chapters 1-3 (Chad Stahelski): 3.5/5

Not much to analyze here, I'm a sucker for action choreography that's as intricate and athletic as dance choreography, so this was a real tonic. Duly impressed with director Chad Stahelski's willingness to let things play out in continuous shots, rather than use the editing suite to hack and slash the thing to ribbons.

Inferno (Dario Argento, 1980): 1/5

More like Infer-NO THANKS lol

Heaven's Gate (Michael Cimino, 1980): 2.5/5

Recently read Stephen Bach's Final Cut about the disastrous making of this film. I don’t think this deserves either its “biggest failure ever” status OR its “lost masterpiece” status. It’s got great stuff in it, it frequently looks fantastic, but it absolutely doesn’t work. Watched the 3 1/2 hour Cimino version. DEFINITELY NOTICED OPPORTUNITIES FOR TRIMS!

The Brood (David Cronenberg, 1979): 2.5/5

Scary hammer-wielding killer kids in snowsuits and Samantha Eggar's external womb are never going to be not fucking terrifying. While the shape of Cronenberg's rage is conceptually powerful, though, his obvious and deeply personal pessimism seems to me misplaced, and the film is somewhat unbalanced by some misogyny seemingly directed at his ex-wife. While Art Hindle never plays an upstanding spouse, exactly, the core idea of his wife's inchoate rage spawning uncontrollable murderous offspring -- a condition that spreads to their actual daughter -- is somewhat simplistically tossed off: bitches be crazy. The fear, suspicion and jealousy here is intrinsic, unexplained, and inevitable but never interrogated.

rewatched Pi (Darren Aronofsky, 1998): 3.5/5

I wish there was a bigger payoff regarding the numbers and patterns discovered in the film, but then again I realize that Pi is not so much about 3.14159…etc., as it is the madness derived from the endless search for something that may or may not exist.

Between anxiety attacks, migraines, and heavy self-medication, there's a constant obligation to question what is real and what is not—actual events vs those that merely unfold within the confines of Max's damaged psyche. (Further proof that too much work and not enough downtime can only be harmful.) Some of the imagery is among the most harrowing in Aronofsky's catalog—e.g. the brain on the subway steps, or the final shot involving Max, a mirror, and a power drill.

Working Girl (Mike Nichols, 1988): 2/5

Kevin Spacey is very believable as the coked out predator.

rewatched Licorice Pizza (PTA, 2021): 4/5

Didn't hit me as hard the second time around, but still very good.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Ron Howard, 2000): 3/5

There is a swingers key party scene in this movie?????

Porcile (Pasolini, 1969): 1/5

Porcile is, impressively enough, two exceptionally tedious films pushed together to form one near stupifyingly dull experience. One half has cannibals and set in an incredible volcanic scenery, the other half is about German industrialists, which is so boring, so mind-numbing that I cannot physically bring myself to describe it. Long portentous scenes about communist idealism apparently just does not do it for me. And you know, I thought it would.

Anchors Aweigh (George Sidney, 1945): 2/5

The Homoeroticism in this movie is so thinly veiled it’s almost text. And I wish I were as talented as Gene Kelly is to not only be able to dance like that but also play triads on the piano using only your absolute dumptruck ass.

Lost in America (Albert Brooks, 1985): 2/5

And to think all these years I thought I was missing something by having not seen it.