Manchester by the Sea. Emotionally exhausting, slow reveals, full of heart.

RoboCop. I appreciate the intentional over-the-top-ness but eventually it became a bit tedious for me. Shifts in tone keep you on your toes, though.

Elle. I… have never seen anything quite like it. Guess I need to catch up on Verhoeven’s other work now.

Interstellar. As much as I whine about Christopher Nolan films, he’s got some gifts. My experience the second time around was almost the reverse of my first viewing: I was feeling the family story, and the epic space adventure had me twiddling my thumbs. I need an alternate cut of this movie that removes the “let’s explain the science” interludes. Just gimme the melodrama. The heightened emo stuff just wrecked me.

No Country for Old Men. The 10th anniversary is coming up soon (!), and it gets better every time.

A History of Violence. I remember reading the graphic novel way back in the day. Pretty solid small-town drama. Reminded me of The Equalizer, with the focus on some tidy local drama that caps off with a little road trip to the rich bad guy’s house.

Frailty. A father reveals to his sons that God has called them to kill demons. I really like the use of sound in this one, the full range from silence to full intensity at just the right moments. Also some smart visuals, like how we see humans get killed, but when demons are destroyed, we don’t. It doesn’t give away the truth, because it’s not the point.

In the Bedroom. This was excellent. Just lures you in, and you care about every single one of them. In a few decades we’re gonna look back and realize we didn’t appreciate Tom Wilkinson quite as much as we should have. Peak Tomei, too.

The Thing. I feel like this one has been in the air a good bit recently. I… don’t understand all the hubbub. It’s fine. Just wasn’t for me.

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.