Going Clear. A bloated redheaded paranoiac congenital liar amasses customers/fans. Hilarity ensues. Didn’t learn a ton, but I suppose it’s nice to be reminded why some things creep you out.
Frankenstein
Frankenstein. The last time I saw this I was in late elementary or early middle school, I think. Probably about a decade too early to appreciate the moral aspect of the horror. Heartbreaking, disturbing, must-watch. Makes me curious about the book…
A Simple Plan
A Simple Plan. Watch this one a couple days after Bill Paxton’s death. He’s great. Could make a nice combo with Fargo.
Children of Heaven
Children of Heaven. I loved this movie within minutes. Amazing piece of work. Majidi gets so much mileage out of the smallest moments. The schoolkids’ foot race at the end was more intense than most blockbuster finales. Anything can be high-stakes if you care about the characters.
Complete Unknown
Complete Unknown. It seems so unfair that a perfectly-fine-but-not-great movie like this gets saddled with a terrible name. Weisz and Shannon are top-notch.
Cold War
Cold War. It’s a bit of a mess but it’s decent. Always keeps moving. Bureaucratic succession drama disguised as action film! Sometimes watching foreign movies I think I’m probably missing a lot of cultural context that would help me settle in.
The Stranger
The Stranger. Edward G. Robinson is a treasure.
10 Cloverfield Lane
10 Cloverfield Lane. One of those movies that takes a few different shapes. Start with a stalker suspense, then abduction horror, then bunker survival, then… well, ya gotta watch it. Love how a few new details surfacing makes you change what you’re rooting for. Good ride.
You’re Next
You’re Next. This one got on my list right after I finished The Guest for the first time. Solid home invasion horror. The story details for this sort of thing are almost never satisfying, but the trip is fun.
The Lobster
The Lobster. Oof. This is brutal. Deadpan funny and dark as can be. Seems like so it’s fully thought through and considered. I need to find more by this Lanthimos guy.
Knight of Cups
Knight of Cups. After I watched it I wrote some snarky tweets rolling my eyes at this movie having beautiful people walking aimlessly. I meant it, and I also still liked it. The interiority that’s getting stronger in his films is interesting for me. Not so much just watching the characters but riding along with them. Also, he’s the only person making weird idiosyncratically Malickian movies with big names, whenever he feels like it. However he’s getting it done, respect. Filed under: Terrence Malick.
The Grey
The Grey. I wish the poem at the heart of the movie was better. For me, there’s not quite enough there for the melodrama it’s asking for. I think maybe it would have been better without knowing the reasons our hero is so dour. But of course I like the survival bits. The surprises and set pieces are all great.
Miami Vice
Miami Vice. I love this movie. The pathos was stronger this time around, the resignation. On each watch I also become a little more resentful that Foxx doesn’t have a bigger role. His relationship with Crockett has something to offer the story, but we don’t see it much. I’d be up for another 12 minutes with the two of them on screen. Filed under: Michael Mann.
Punch-Drunk Love
Punch-Drunk Love. I put this one off for a long, long time. I started very skeptical, but it won me over. Brings out sides of Sandler I never knew were there, and gotta respect a movie that drifts so freely from convention when it feels right. My PT Anderson power rankings:
- The Master
- Hard Eight
- Punch-Drunk Love
- There Will Be Blood
- Magnolia
- Boogie Nights
Cameraperson
Cameraperson. Man I loved this one. A collage of footage from director Kirsten Johnson’s work on other films. It works as an experience of the lives she documents and as seeing through her own eyes, and as wrestling with the choices of what or what not to show and how or how not to tell these stories. Highly recommended.
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. I remember having the biggest crush on Dr. Elsa Schneider as a kid and feeling very conflicted about it. It’s a fun ride, but also felt a little frustrating sometimes when they’re playing for laughs.
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. I forgot how weird this movie was, is. Breakneck zany with no patience for sitting around asking questions.
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Raiders of the Lost Ark. It holds up the best of the original trilogy. I feel Iike the Marion Ravenwood character still hasn’t gotten the attention it deserves – Karen Allen is great. Watching as an adult you realize that Indy is… often not very good at what he does. Still gorgeous and fun and it’ll be that way for years to come.
How I Got My Attention Back – Backchannel
It’s not Wikipedia that we binge on all day.
Robert Eggers, Director of ‘The Witch,’ on the Horror Right in Front of Us | | Observer
“Because modern horror is usually this masochistic titillation bullshit, a lot of people in interviews will tell me [The Witch] is not a horror film, it’s a psychological suspense thriller with supernatural elements,” he said, putting on a tone of faux-snobbery. “And I’m like, ‘O.K., that’s cool.’ But then fucking Edgar Allan Poe isn’t horror, either. “What’s important to me about horror stories,” he continued, “is to look at what’s actually horrifying about humanity, instead of shining a flashlight on it and running away giggling.”
Robert Eggers, Director of ‘The Witch,’ on the Horror Right in Front of Us | | Observer
Mark Larson 