Love

The Lovers (Azazel Jacobs, 2017): 2/5

The Lovers, rw (Louis Malle, 1958): 3.5/5

Power

Mozart’s Sister, rw (Rene Feret, 2010): 3.5/5

The Queen (Stephen Frears, 2006): 2/5

War

Au Revoir, Les Enfants, rw (Louis Malle, 1987): 3.5/5

Mr. Klein, rw (Joseph Losey, 1975): 4/5

Plenty (Fred Schepisi, 1985): 2/5

Sickness

*The Big Sick (Michael Showalter, 2017): 3/5

The Bad Batch (Ana Lily Amirpour, 2016): 1/5

Gone Baby Gone (Ben Affleck, 2007): 2/5

Sad White Men (cont.)

The Electric Horseman, rw (Sydney Pollack, 1979): 1/5

The Swimmer, rw (Frank Perry, 1967): 1/5

Death
Blood on the Mountain (Jordan Freeman & Mari-Lynn Evans, 2016): 4/5

Obit. (Vanessa Gould, 2016): 3/5

Baskets, Season 2 (Jonathan Krisel, 2017): 3.5/5

Didn't make it through Season 1, but this was perfectly binge-able. Great performance from Louie Anderson as his mum.

Person to Person (Dustin Guy Defa, 2017): 2/5

I have little memory of having watched this.

The Neon Demon (Nicolas Winding Refn, 2016): 2.5/5

For the first half, I thought Refn had actually made a coherent movie. Alas.

Hail, Caesar (Coen Brothers, 2016): 2/5

The Coens’ worst movie? I haven’t seen The Ladykillers. They display an increasingly tenuous grasp of tone.

Carlito's Way, rw (Brian De Palma, 1993): 3/5

A lot of bunk in here, including Pacino's accent, but great set-pieces.  Boogie Nights wouldn’t be the same without it.

The Leftovers, Season 3 (Mimi Leder, etc., 2017): 4.5/5

The best of the three seasons. Epic and Metaphysical. With actual answers, if that’s what you’re into.

T2 Trainspotting (Danny Boyle, 2017): 2/5

A friend said it was about the difference between being in your 20s and being in your 40s. I wish I had seen that movie.

Patton (Franklin J. Schaffner, 1970): 2/5

A fine yellow-toothed performance, but the movie is bloated.

Five Came Back (Laurent Bouzereau, 2017): 3/5

Both rushed and drawn out. Had a lot more fun with the book.

Miles Ahead (Don Cheadle, 2015): 3/5

Born to be Blue (Robert Budreau, 2015): 3.5/5

Oh those wacky, drug-addled, aging jazz greats! Interesting that Miles is in both but Baker is not. BtbB raises then immediately drops interesting problems of representation/recreation, so I guess I have to track down Kate Plays Christine.

Christine (Antonio Campos, 2016): 3/5

Really good lead performance, but the movie never really sticks to a particular take on the woman beyond “weirdo,” and the climax, despite being programmatic, comes out of nowhere.

Twin Peaks, The Return (David Lynch, 2017): 5/5

Images and atmospherics. Also, funny. If you don’t think you’ll like it, you’re probably right.

* It (Andy Mushiettu, 2017): 2.5/5

Feel-good horror

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (Zack Snyder, 2016): 2/5

Some pretty big, amazing images here—considering it’s a piece of shit.

Snowden (Oliver Stone, 2016): 3/5

Traditionally entertaining. I am remarkably untroubled by what he revealed.

Feud: Bette and Joan (Ryan Murphy, 2017): 4/5

Jerry and I are the two straight(ish) people under the age of 60 who liked this.

The Big Sick (Michael Showalter, 2017): 2/5

Proving that true life is full of cliches.

Colossus (Nacho Vigalondo, 2016): 3/5

Charlie Kaufman movie of the year.

The Room (Tommy Wiseau, 2003): 3/5

Interesting! Accidentally breaks rules I never even noticed existed.

The Founder (John Lee Hancock, 2016): 3/5

At what point does Travis Bickle or Walter White or Michael Corleone move from protagonist to antagonist? And what does it mean for the audience and character if this can never really be done?

The Beaver Trilogy, Part IV (Brad Besser, 2015): 2/5

Being an artist is depressing. Watching The Beaver Trilogy itself would be better.

The Handmaiden (Chan-wook Park, 2016): 2.5/5

Q: How many twists until you say ‘Who gives a fuck?’ A: four

* mother! (Darren Aronofsky, 2017): 4/5

Aronofsky plunders Polanski and the Bible (again!) and makes a gonzo horror art-film that goes for it viscerally and intellectually. Pretty crazy stuff.

A Ghost Story (David Lowery, 2017): 3.5/5

Sad White Dead Men

Dolores Claiborne (Taylor Hackford, 1995) -- 3/5
I saw a list ranking best Stephen King adaptions and this was in the top 10 or 20, I forget which. David Strathairn's character is repugnant beyond the pale... kinda took me out of the movie. I guess I prefer portrayals of domestic abuse to be more nuanced? (e.g. Alexander Skarsgard in Big Little Lies.)

This Is Where I Leave You (Shawn Levy, 2014) -- 2.5/5
Read the Jonathan Tropper novel first --typical white male boo hoo hooey. 

Raw (Julia Docournau, 2017) -- 2/5
What!! A vet school filled with ONLY super hot, sexy, lascivious students? Also, why are they only working on horses and cows? What about dogs and cats? Anyway it was gross. 

The Mist (Frank Darabont, 2007) -- 3/5
This was also on the list of best Stephen King adaptations. Decent romp, sad ending. 

Girls Season 6 (Lena Dunham, 2017) -- 4/5
Ended with a whimper, not a bang. Which is weird because this show had so much banging in it it was like watching porn at times. 

Ghost in the Shell (Rupert Sanders, 2017) -- 1/5
They really need to stop hiring white people to play Asian characters. Mess of a movie. I only watched because of Juliette Binoche. 

Deepwater Horizon (Peter Berg, 2016) -- 2/5
Another American Joe Hero movie. Forgettable. 

Frontline: Sick Around the World (Jon Palfreman, 2008) -- 5/5
It'd be nice if Congress watched this and took notes and maybe get a few new ideas.

The Invention of Lying (Ricky Gervais, 2009) -- 2/5
First 20 minutes is hilarious, then it drags.

Parting Glances (Bill Sherwood, 1986) -- 2/5

American Pastoral (Ewan McGregor, 2016) -- 2/5
Can anyone recommend a good Phillip Roth novel for me? I haven't read any of his work yet. Should I just start with Goodbye, Columbus?

Taxidermia (Gyorgy Palfi, 2006) -- 2/5

The Innocents (Ann Fontaine, 2016) -- 2/5

The Infiltrator (Brad Furman, 2016)-- 2/5

Brothers (Susan Bier, 2005)-- 4/5

Frantz (Francois Ozone, 2017) -- 2.5/5

Song to Song (Terrence Malick,, 2017) -- 2.5/5
Better than Knight of Cups, but that's not saying much is it?

My Man Godfrey (Gregory La Cava, 1936) -- turned it off

Christmas in Connecticut (Peter Godfrey, 1945) -- 3.5/5

How to Marry A Millionaire (Jean Negulesco, 1953) -- turned it off

Sabrina (Billy Wilder, 1954) -- 3/5

Guys and Dolls (Joseph L. Mankiewicz, 1955) -- 2/5
Marlon Brando's number was awful. Wtf why is this a classic? 

Working Girls (Lizzie Borden, 1986) -- 2/5

Tampopo (Juzo Itami, 1986) -- turned it off

Silence (Martin Scorcese, 2016) -- 1/5
If you were to ask, I couldn't tell you what happened in this movie or who the characters were.

Desert Hearts (Donna Dietch, 1985) -- 2/5

Staying Vertical (Alain Guiraudie, 2017) -- 3/5
Has all the trappings of the kind of French cinema I like: provincial France and accompanying townies, the explicit and inexplicable, temporal languishing that still maintains direction.

The Red Turtle (Michael Dudok de Wit, 2017) -- 2/5

Catfight (Onur Tukel, 2017) -- 3/5
Second-longest fight scene after the Roddy Piper and Keith David's in They Live. Nowhere near as amazing/memorable though. 

Re-watched Tiny Furniture (Lena Dunham, 2010) -- 4/5

It (Andre Muschietti, 2017) -- 3/5
It was thrilling to see it on the big screen, but It doesn't stay with you in any way once you exit the theater. Maybe It's the nostalgia talking, but I prefer the original. R.I.P. Tim Curry. 

The Last House on the Left (Wes Craven, 1972) -- 2/5

Devil (John Erick Dowdle, 2010) -- 3/5

Insidious (James Wan, 2011) -- 3/5

Fences (Denzel Washington, 2016) -- 3/5

Inserts (John Byrum, 1974) -- turned it off

Master of None, Season Two (Aziz Ansari, et. al., 2017): 3.5/5
A charming tone goes a long way.

The Blackcoat's Daughter (Oz Perkins, 2015): 3/5
A glacial and ultra-controlled meditation on horror motifs. See The House of the Devil, The Witch, I Am the Pretty Thing Who Lives in the House and, well, The Shining first—and see if you feel like you need more.

Song To Song (Terrence Malick, 2017): 2/5
Diminishing returns, The Movie.

Baby Driver (Edgar Wright, 2017): 2/5
Screeches from the gate and loses momentum early. Probably my favorite movie by Wright.

Silicon Valley, Seasons 1-4 (Mike Judge, et. al, 2014-2017): 4/5
Expertly plotted to ensure maximum binge-itude. Consistently amusing, with the humor flowing straight from the well-drawn characters. 

Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (David Lynch, 1992): 3.5/5
Douglas Sirk, Kenneth Anger, and Barbara Eden walk into an abattoir....

The Mummy (Alex Kurtzman, 2017): 2.5/5
Not good, but at least it was watchable and short. Why did everyone decide this movie was safe to pan? Maybe because it (like the similarly received Dark Tower) was nakedly presented as a franchise-opener? People just looooove to pretend they hate franchises.

Wonder Woman (Patty Jenkins, 2017): 3/5
I certainly enjoyed drooling over a beautiful woman kicking ass in a metal mini (and I ask myself why bros would generally prefer to watch big hunky men instead. Hmmm...), but is this really feminist? The movie boldly asserts that we all should be judged not by our gender but by how well we can knee someone in the face.

Logan (James Mangold, 2017): 1.5/5
Mangold remakes Cop Land, sort of, wherein an aging star makes one last bid at relevance. On-the-nose references to Shane abound. Surprisingly grim, gory, humorless, and unpleasant.

*Dunkirk [IMAX 70mm film] (Christopher Nolan, 2017): 3.5/5
Solemn spectacle.  106 minutes of stiff upper lips overwhelmed by cinematic technique, on a screen the size of an apartment building.  I admired the experience of it, but I can't say I much enjoyed it.  And I found myself not thinking about it much afterward; perhaps that's the consequence of its lack of narrative cohesion?

Get Out (Jordan Peele, 2017): 4/5
Says more about being black in America than a dozen well-intentioned Oscar-bait films.  Love its understated horror/comedy.  Bunuel, Polanski... Peele?  

Okja (Bong Joon-ho, 2017): 2/5
So cartoonish you'd think it was for kids, but then they keep dropping the F-bombs...

Feud: Bette and Joan (Ryan Murphy, 2017): 5/5
Transcends camp into real feeling.  Mamacita = best Teutonic servant since Max von Mayerling.

Whatever Happened to Baby Jane, rw (Robert Aldrich, 1962): 3.5/5
Much improved by knowing its intimate production history.

The Last Tycoon, season 1 (Billy Ray, 2017): 2/5
Embalmed.  What's worse, portrays Monroe Stahr as more pretty boy than boy genius.

Ozark, season 1 (Bill Dubuque, 2017): 3/5
Breaking Bad lite, but entertaining.

Friends From College, season 1 (Nicholas Stoller & Francesca Delbanco, 2017): 3.5/5
Too often ridiculous and over the top, with a carefully selected soundtrack of 90s indie nostalgia... so why was I laughing so much?  A: good comedic actors in a classic screwball love triangle.

Demon, rw (Marcin Wrona, 2016): 4/5
Another European family party film in the grand guignol tradition of The Celebration and Melancholia.  A wedding is held in a Polish country village where Jews disappeared during the war.  The groom is an outsider.  What could go wrong?

American Anarchist (Charlie Siskel, 2016): 3/5
Profile of the surprisingly sympathetic yet confounding author of The Anarchist's Cookbook (a book that testifies to the efficacy of good research--the author never made a bomb in his life; he just looked it up at the library).

I Called Him Morgan (Kasper Collin, 2014): 4/5
I didn't much know or care about trumpeter Lee Morgan, but Collin's expressive use of 16mm film pulled me in.  The five minutes detailing Morgan's death (shot by his wife in a club during a NYC blizzard) are sublime.

*Dawson City: Frozen Time (Bill Morrison, 2017): 5/5
Surprisingly linear found-footage doc, occasionally punctuated by bursts of nitrate decomp and musical avant-gardisms.  Hypnotically demonstrates the Klondike-early Hollywood connection: gold rushes based on exploiting natural resources and labor.

Nobody Speak: Trials of a Free Press (Brian Knappenberger, 2017): 4/5
American oligarchy launches a buy-out of the First Amendment.  Scary.

Long Strange Trip (Amir Bar-Lev, 2017): 3.5/5
Tragic story of an enormously gifted guitar player driven to self-isolation and destruction by success, duty, spinners

Red Dust (Victor Fleming, 1932): 3.5/5
Another "notorious" pre-Code flick that can't possibly live up to the hype. But Gable and Astor mesmerize as they get steamy in the tropics; Harlow is a clunky third wheel

There Will Be Blood when Wonder Boys and Matchstick Men Nightcrawl in The Place Beyond the Pines, rw (Sad White Men, 2000-2015): 4/5

Cabaret (Bob Fosse, 1972) -- 1/5

A Taste of Honey (Tony Richardson, 1961) -- 2/5

Bang Gang: A Modern Love Story (Evan Husson, 2016) -- 1/5

Inserts (John Byrum, 1974)-- 1/5

30 for 30: Catching Hell (Alex Gibney, 2011)-- 3/5

Idiocracy (Mike Judge, 2003) -- 2.5/5

In the House (Francois Ozon, 2012) -- 3/5

The Young Pope: Season 1 (2017) -- 2.5/5

Re-watched Neighboring Sounds (Kleber Filho, 2012) -- 1/5 (original rating: 3/5)

Blancanieves (Pablo Berger, 2012)-- turned it off

Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God (Alex Gibney, 2012) -- turned it off

The Void (Jeremy Gillespie, 2017) -- 1.5/5

Girls Seasons 4-6: 4/5

Orange is the New Black Season 5 -- 5/5

Wonder Woman (Patty Jenkins, 2017)-- 2/5

The Conjuring (James Wan, 2013) -- 3/5

Sinister (Scott Derrickson, 2012) -- 3/5

The Descent (Neil Marshall, 2005) -- 3/5