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Watched on Sunday June 8, 2025.

Watched on Sunday June 8, 2025.

Watched on Saturday June 7, 2025.

Sure, this one is rife with problems, mostly of the plot variety—but it has a good heart and the performances are solid. I really like Anthony Mackie, and newcomer Danny Ramirez is a lot of fun as Falcon II.

I wonder if reading and hearing all the negative reviews made me have a lot of grace here. And I wonder if watching it at home helped, too. I think this one benefited from both.

But I agree on a couple things the critics noted: Giancarlo Esposito was done dirty by being thoroughly disconnected from the movie; and the CGI Red Hulk was really underwhelming—his size kept shifting and a lot of the work looked like it was rushed.

But at least we got Harrison Ford waxing poetic about cherry blossoms, and Tim Blake Nelson looking like an acid drenched Mr. Robot. I’ll take the goofiness.

I was just seeing on Threads that Jesse Armstrong’s follow-up to Succession—although it’s hard to call a feature film a follow-up to a TV series, per se—isn’t being well-received by average viewers (79% critic score vs. 28% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes as of this post).

What were they expecting? Succession II? A redux of Peep Show? Or a tech bro version of In the Loop?

I think it was a little of all that, because it is a Jesse Armstrong production. The satire is there, along with the perverse humor and insanely quotable lines.

Unlike those projects, however, Mountainhead is pure rage.

The anger on display here towards the wealthy tech elite is both bracing and uncomfortable, like listening to a 100-minute rant. I suspect that fiery tone is part of what is so off-putting. I also saw someone online say, “We get it already, the rich suck.” I’m glad they got it, because after a weekend spent watching two rich, insanely powerful men duke it out on social media over whose dick is bigger as anti-ICE protests are incited towards violence by federal agents on the streets of Los Angeles, I feel we very much don’t get it.

And Mountainhead is about more than just the awfulness of powerful white men.

It’s about how much the world is set to burn over the pettiness, insecurity and unchecked hubris of these self-called “geniuses.” Their being rich is part of the equation, but the movie’s most terrifying moments happen as the “Brewsters” (our tech bros’ fraternal name) discuss how easy not only it would be to take over governments, but to run them.

We know how full of shit they are, and maybe they do, too, but they are so intoxicated on their climbing wealth and political connections these assholes go to great lengths to believe it.

Maybe the reason audiences hate this is because there are no redeemable or likable characters. Satire is never very popular, mostly because it doesn’t rely on conventional storytelling tropes, instead often eschewing them to make a point.

The disgraceful, grotesque quartet—the Shitty Beatles, if you will—is the point. We are meant to hate them; after all, they hate us even more.

Watched on Saturday June 7, 2025.

Watched on Friday June 6, 2025.

Watched on Friday June 6, 2025.

Watched on Friday June 6, 2025.

Watched on Wednesday June 4, 2025.

Watched on Wednesday June 4, 2025.

This film is the donut shop scene in Boogie Nights spread out over 90 minutes. I really liked it—terrific cast, headlined by Jim Cummings. Shout out to Jocelin Donahue and Richard Brake. They are electric and the movie is lesser when they are offscreen.

After all these years, still a great twist! What a gut punch. This is the sort of Hollywood studio film that never gets made anymore—big cast, legal thriller, terrific script. Now this has all been moved to TV. No shade on the TV work, but I miss movies like Primal Fear.

Watched on Sunday June 1, 2025.

The weather was wonderful in Hollywood for this beautiful screening. With David Lynch’s burial site nearby, thousands of Angelenos celebrated one of his most important works—1986’s Blue Velvet.

Seeing this with an audience for the first time was lovely. Everyone was reverent, laughed, gasped, and cheered. Jeffrey Beaumont’s (Kyle MacLachlan) coming of age is still a powerful statement about the personal discovery of the evil underlying our “strange world.” It showcases Lynch’s humanism and his curiosity about our world and its inhabitants.

My own personal experience was difficult. Right as the movie started, my chair broke. My wife and I managed to get a spot right on the back edge of the lawn up against the paved street inside the cemetery. However, there was a slope and my prodigious weight wrecked the chair’s . That meant a night of trying to find a comfy spot on the ground, dealing with pain in my artificial hip area, etc. Despite the physical discomfort and embarrassment, the movie still worked on me.

After the movie, I overheard someone say about Bring Her Back:

“It’s not scary at all. It’s just fucked up.”

This person and I have very different definitions of “scary,” although we can agree wholeheartedly on how very “fucked up” the film is.

I’m assuming when most say something is “scary,” they are simply referring to the feeling of shock, of being startled. Lingering faces in the background that make an appearance. A jolting act of intimate violence. Something unknown acting without understanding.

Maybe I’m wrong. “Scary” is a malleable term. For me, I get scared when I’m forced to face an unexpected reminder of the darkness in our souls. The idea that I am capable of unspeakable evil is terrifying. If the things mentioned above are in service of that, I get scared; if they exist for their own sake as mere titillation, hopefully I will be entertained.

Bring Her Back is absolutely terrifying. It rips the mask off the ugliness of which we are capable and makes us stare at that grotesquerie for nearly two hours. The film works on dread and despair and provides just enough hope that it will inevitably crush before you go home, hoping you can hold your popcorn down.

The Philippou Brothers, Danny and Michael, have crafted their second consecutive achievement. Like Talk To Me, Bring Her Back deals with the all-consuming power of grief and its destructive potential. And like their debut, it’s an escalating nightmare that always feels one step away from becoming a major studio sellout. But these guys have made it clear they refuse to play by convention. They give you the aesthetic trappings of a studio movie, then take you into dark waters and leave you to drown.

That insecurity is as scary as it is fucked up.

Watched on Friday May 30, 2025.

Watched on Thursday May 29, 2025.

One of the best background movies ever. It’s like playing an album.

Watched on Monday May 26, 2025.

As long as Tom Cruise is doing his own stunts, there is nothing I won’t love about these films. Final Reckoning’s plot is unapologetically convoluted and the amount of exposition needed to set it in motion feels like an Olympic event, but it doesn’t matter as long as we get to see Ethan Hunt survive a deep sea dive or hang from a biplane experiencing a billion Gs.

I wish they had found a fun way to bring Ilsa back from the dead, and I wish Esai Morales’ villain had more to do than sneer and grin malevolently, but we got Simon Pegg being nerdy and Haley Atwell being cute and feisty and Pom Klementieff being all murderous. And of course we had Tom Cruise defying the laws of nature and perhaps proving that there is something to Scientology (or at least to top-tier level Scientology) with his death wish stunt action.

The point is pure entertainment, and on that level there is nothing better than M:I.

Watched on Sunday May 25, 2025.

Watched on Saturday May 24, 2025.

Watched on Saturday May 24, 2025.

Watched on Sunday May 11, 2025.

Watched on Sunday May 11, 2025.

Watched on Sunday May 11, 2025.

Watched on Sunday May 11, 2025.

Watched on Friday May 9, 2025.

Watched on Thursday May 8, 2025.

Watched on Sunday May 4, 2025.

Watched on Saturday May 3, 2025.

Last week I bought tickets to see “Sinners” in IMAX on Saturday. Saturday morning, I checked to make sure my tickets were available and found out I had accidentally purchased them for the night before.

Today I was able to see it at a local theater in standard. I am so pissed at myself for screwing up on that IMAX screening. That was a huge mistake.

I’m not sure there will be a better film this year than “Sinners.”

Watched on Friday May 2, 2025.

Watched on Saturday April 26, 2025.

This documentary didn’t need to really do anything other than rock. And it does that, and then some. The full-length performances from Zeppelin from 68-70 are wild to watch. Their youth, creativity and exuberance are on full display. It’s inspiring, really.

As for the documentary stuff. It doesn’t do much—although the John Bonham recording the producers unearthed is revelatory and beautiful, especially at the end of the film when we see each surviving member listening to him talk about getting to know them. Bonham was the only one who didn’t seem to care about his image. The others are far more concerned with legacy—especially Jimmy Page. This is not a knock on them. Their legacy is important to the history of rock music, and popular culture. They should be concerned.

I just wish the documentary filmmakers were more interested in asking harder questions and making bigger connections than just “Led Zeppelin played in Cleveland the night of the moon landing—see how connected they were to the history of the era from which they came?”

Still, at the end, none of this matters because we are left with the music and its presentation here. And that is, bar none, absolutely exhilarating to watch and listen to. The footage of “Communication Breakdown” at a show where half the audience is covering their ears made me wish for a Time Machine. And the culminating sequence of “What Is and What Shall Never Be” at the Royal Albert Hall gave me chills.

So, don’t watch this looking for true insight into Zeppelin; just enjoy the vibes.

Watched on Friday April 25, 2025.

Watched on Friday April 25, 2025.

Watched on Sunday April 20, 2025.

Watched on Saturday April 19, 2025.

Watched on Saturday April 5, 2025.

Watched on Saturday April 5, 2025.

Yikes! This is a GOP talking point produced in 1984, right in time for the LA Olympics.

Watched on Friday April 4, 2025.

The story of Sly Stone is one that is seldom told amidst all the stories regaling white artists of the era. Questlove’s take on Stone’s story as one about a genius burdened by expectations is insightful, especially in his choice of talking heads like Andre 3000, Vernon Reid and D’Angelo. This movie is as much a social commentary as it is a biography.

I really like how Questlove has emerged as an excellent documentarian; add that to the list of his accolades.

This movie has incredible late 90s, “going to find an audience on home video” energy. It’s a well-made action comedy with a great performance from Jack Quaid.

However, this was never going to be huge box office, not in this market. And with the churn that is streaming built to bury idiosyncratic titles like this one, I fear Novocaine is doomed to obscurity.

I hope I’m wrong. I had a lot of fun watching this “John Wick-meets-Kick-Ass” movie. It does nothing exceptional, but everything well—a recipe that will make it tough to find a legacy audience.

I wish studios cared more about building legacy libraries.

I have a hard time believing Samuel Fuller was cool with the trite ending of this film.

Watched on Friday March 21, 2025.

Watched on Friday March 21, 2025.

Unusual horror film. Well-acted and interesting choices, but the ending feels like an attempt at ambiguity to mask laziness.

Every Friday since the start of the Pandemic, a group of my friends and I have been meeting via Zoom to watch movies. Every week someone picks a film. I introduce the movie, and we enjoy gabbing about them, or just bullshitting about our lives. This club kept me sane during 2020, and this experience has drawn us all closer even as COVID has kept us apart.

Now it is 2025 and we still meet (nearly) every week. Life has gotten back to something resembling pre-pandemic "normal," but our need to gab and bullshit still remains. And we still keep each other sane, even if sometimes the movies don't.

1. Life of Brian

   Pick: Doug

   You can find the review here: boxd.it/140JoL

2. Jeff, Who Lives at Home

   Pick: Thomas

   You can find the review here: boxd.it/14SGhP

3. Shoot 'Em Up

   Pick: Wray

   You can find the review here: boxd.it/15NNmB

4. UHF

   Pick: Jesse

5. Earth Girls Are Easy

   Pick: Gigi

   You can find the review here: boxd.it/17wRMR

6. The Evil Dead

   Pick: Katharine

7. Parenthood

   Pick: Mary

   You can find the review here: boxd.it/19cVZt

8. Back to School

   Pick: Galen

   You can find the review here: boxd.it/19ZHnD

9. Heathers

   Pick: Goldie

   You can find the review here: boxd.it/1aOTyF

10. MacGruber

    Pick: J.

    You can find the review here: boxd.it/1bwZVt

...plus 233 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

• Sinners
• Mickey 17
• Black Bag
• The Monkey
• Companion
• Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
• Presence
• SLY LIVES! (aka The Burden of Black Genius)
• Novocaine
• The Parenting

...plus 2 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Just visited the Academy Museum in Los Angeles and really enjoyed their cyberpunk exhibit. Here are the films they showcased.

I’m impressed by the curation’s cultural diversity and combination of studio and indie titles.

Titles I might add include:

Metropolis (1927)
Total Recall (1990)
Gattaca (1997)
Minority Report (2002)
Upgrade (2018)

• Westworld
• World on a Wire
• Escape from New York
• Blade Runner
• Tron
• Videodrome
• The Terminator
• RoboCop
• The Running Man
• Akira

...plus 16 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

• Mulholland Drive
• Blue Velvet
• The Elephant Man
• Wild at Heart
• Twin Peaks
• Twin Peaks: The Return
• Eraserhead
• Lost Highway
• The Straight Story
• Inland Empire

...plus 2 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Rankings are current, but always subject to change.

May 25: Rewatching "Dune: Part Two" right now and still amazed. Can't wait to see "Furiosa" to see if it takes the top spot. Took awhile for me to get to some movies this year, but as the school year ends, I find myself steadily catching up. So far, most of the movies released this year that I've seen are pretty mid. They have their moments, but haven't distinguished themselves. Hopefully when I update this list in a couple months, I will have a different opinion.

June 13: “Furiosa” is exceptional, but not quite where “Dune” is. Although, you could convince me that this is a 1A/1B situation based on the movie I’m watching or thinking about in the moment. There is a lot of talk as to why “Furiosa” is failing at the box office—I suspect it is in part because of the success of “Dune.” After all, two desert-set fantasy epics might be too much for audiences who only have the coin to drop on one.

July 4: “Challengers” is special. What Guadagnino is doing here with sexual anxiety and impotence is exquisite. Broey Deschanel described it as “edging” the audience, which is a perfect take on Guadagnino’s tone and execution, from the constant building of Reznor and Ross’ electro-synth score to the editing style, which builds each scene to a climax before bringing the tension down with a sudden change in time. This is brilliant work.

1. The Brutalist
2. Anora
3. The Substance
4. Longlegs
5. Dune: Part Two
6. Nosferatu
7. Challengers
8. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
9. Late Night with the Devil
10. Juror #2

...plus 53 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Best movies I caught for the first time ever this year. These are older films, often classics. I am not including any films made in the last 10 years.

I am not listing any of the films that I hated. Only 3 stars and above here. Don't hate . . . celebrate!

• Thief
• Born Yesterday
• The Bridge on the River Kwai
• The Killers
• The Night of the Iguana
• Faces
• Death Game
• Absence of Malice
• Little Big Man
• The Incredible Shrinking Man

...plus 12 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Based on appendix from Matt Singer’s “Opposable Thumbs.”

• The Silent Partner
• One Trick Pony
• Diva
• Personal Best
• Evil Under the Sun
• Love Letters
• Wetherby
• The Official Story
• Back to the Beach
• Happy New Year

...plus 15 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

1. Poor Things
2. Killers of the Flower Moon

   I don’t know what I was expecting exactly, but it wasn’t a Scorsese love story as tragic as anything he has ever put on film, I was also completely enraptured by this late career performance by De Niro, who is the scariest villain of the year because he is the realest villain of the year.

3. May December

   Not sure if I have thought more about a movie this year. Todd Haynes took such a morally dark story of a child predator and makes it about so much more than the obvious. He examines all of our culpability in accepting this crime, media’s role in exploiting it, and the impact on the victims. Charles Melton gives one of the year’s best performances.

4. The Holdovers

   A late entry on this list, but better late than never. I wanted to see this in the theater, but it was gone before you could blink, then sat on VOD at an alienating price point for a couple months. In hindsight, I should have spent the money. “The Holdovers” both broke and healed my heart. This is Alexander Payne’s least misanthropic work about two misanthropes who find redemption in giving and receiving love. This will be a perennial Christmas movie.

5. Godzilla Minus One

   Just when I thought I couldn’t be surprised by a monster movie anymore, “Godzilla Minus One” comes along and absolutely blasts me with nuclear fire. No longer is the monster the hero, but instead a truly powerful beast of burden, wreaking havoc in Japan during the postwar period like a bully that lives to kick a guy when he’s down. Our inspiring band of heroes have to come together, and the results are better than exciting; they’re affecting.

6. How to Blow Up a Pipeline

   I watched this on VOD back in May and it has stayed with me. “How to Blow Up a Pipeline” answers the question: “what if Rage Against the Machine” was a movie?” This one is a protest that packs more of an emotional punch than a didactic one. It preaches through its well-observed characters and the intensity of their mission, and that is enough to inspire a revolution.
   

7. Barbie

   “Barbie” dominated this year, most definitely. I bought a “Barbenheimer” t-shirt and did the double feature. What I loved most was how much it inspired little girls. I had the privilege of taking photos at my high school’s youth cheer camp, in which our cheerleaders work with local kids ranging from pre-K through middle school. The theme was all Barbie, with every little girl proudly wearing pink. The movie connects, and that’s due to Greta Gerwig’s excellent filmmaking and the performances of Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling. “Barbie” is the feel-good story of the year, made better by actually being a kick-ass movie.

8. Oppenheimer

   I rewatched “Oppenheimer” recently and it is all the things. A tour-de-force epic that is as exhilarating as it is profound. The atmosphere bomb test is among the best cinematic moments of the year, but right up there is the final conversation between Oppenheimer and Einstein. Nolan’s film captures the ethical dilemma at the heart of government-sanctioned science, but adds a level of martyrdom and penitence that has more in common with a Scorsese picture than the rest of Nolan’s filmography.
   

9. Past Lives

   The year’s greatest love story. It challenges the myth of movie romance determinism by offering a more intimate arc. We are asked to look back in order to forge forward, and the journey of our empathetic characters is lovely. The bar scene is glorious.
   

10. Master Gardener

    Paul Schrader may be out there yelling at clouds. He might be a real asshole on Facebook. Who knows, he might be the worst. Somehow he is able to channel this misanthropy into his transcendent movies about men burdened by the sins of their past. In “Master Gardener,” he puts together his best film since “First Reformed” in a morally ambiguous tale about a reformed proud boy caught in a bizarre love triangle with a wealthy, set-in-her-ways garden owner and her troubled niece. Think of it as “Great Expectations” meets “Taxi Driver” (with a heart. In the right place.)
    

...plus 74 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

My favorite first time watches this year. Saw lots of great ones; this list was hard to make.

1. Jane Eyre
2. Beau Travail
3. Heaven Can Wait
4. Velvet Goldmine
5. The Virgin Suicides
6. Infernal Affairs
7. The Rapture
8. Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore
9. Kwaidan
10. In the Mouth of Madness

1. The Fall of the House of Usher
2. Godzilla Minus One
3. When Evil Lurks
4. Beau Is Afraid
5. Talk to Me
6. Evil Dead Rise
7. Suitable Flesh
8. Thanksgiving
9. The Last Voyage of the Demeter
10. M3GAN

...plus 22 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

These are the top films that John Waters placed on his personal lists since 2011, when he started publishing with ArtForum. It’s interesting when you look at them all together. Obviously, Waters has some consistent thematic interests (homosexuality, festishism, the intersection of religion and perversion, American history, true crime), but he has some favorite filmmakers who are mainstays each year they release a movie:

Pedro Almódovar
Quentin Dupieux
Woody Allen
Gaspar Nöe
Sean Baker

This is why I love lists. They are personal and a true reflection of who we are, what we value, and what excites us. John Waters is an icon because his taste is his own.

• Beau Is Afraid
• A Prince
• Master Gardener
• Full Time
• Last Summer
• Sparta
• Fallen Leaves
• Strange Way of Life
• Oppenheimer
• Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World

...plus 124 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

GameSpot released their list, which is an odd mix. Here’s my take . . .

1. The Babadook

   The storybook design of Mister Babadook is unsettling to the max. That his arms grow and his shadow expands only adds to the pervasive doom he represents. Not only is he iconic, he’s also crossed over into the mainstream as the LGBTQ culture adopted his look as a symbol.

2. Insidious

   The first reveal of the demon in “Insidious” remains the scariest moment in James Wan’s filmography. The deranged fiery look of this monster is the stuff of nightmares. That it can scale walls only makes it worse.
   

3. Annihilation

   I sometimes hear the bear’s mimicry of human screams in the middle of the night.

4. Creep

   Makeup is cool, but have you tried buying a $30 wolf mask on Amazon and calling yourself “Peach Fuzz”?

5. It

   Stephen King’s best known monster is done right in Andy Muschetti’s adaptation of “IT.” Pennywise is a terrifying beast. Few things are scarier than his glistening drool pooling around his mouth as he seduces poor Georgie Denborough.
   

6. Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark

   The pale woman. ‘Nuff said.

7. Terrifier

   Art the Clown is obnoxious, stupid, and derivative. He’s also severely deranged and his delight in sadism maddening.

8. Krampus

   While “Krampus” isn’t exactly scary, the design of Santa’s dark doppelgänger is an exquisite design. The best part is the way he wears a human face over his demonic one. Shivers.

9. Sinister

   If you are able to convince children to murder their parents and take the time to teach them how to operate a super 8 camera, you deserve to be on this list. Well done, Bughuul.

10. Oculus

    Sure, it’s just a mirror. Sure.

Maybe—arguably—the greatest year for American cinema ever.

1. The Matrix
2. Audition
3. Election
4. The Iron Giant
5. The Talented Mr. Ripley
6. Eyes Wide Shut
7. Office Space
8. Fight Club
9. Being John Malkovich
10. Magnolia

...plus 102 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Saw the meme: “Fuck it. Richard Linklater, ranked.” I couldn’t resist.

1. Before Sunrise
2. Before Sunset
3. Dazed and Confused
4. Before Midnight
5. Boyhood
6. Bernie
7. School of Rock
8. Everybody Wants Some!!
9. Slacker
10. The Newton Boys

...plus 3 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

“Bottle Rocket” is the only Anderson film I have not seen.

• Rushmore
• The Grand Budapest Hotel
• The Royal Tenenbaums
• Asteroid City
• Moonrise Kingdom
• Fantastic Mr. Fox
• The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
• The French Dispatch
• Isle of Dogs
• The Darjeeling Limited

• Death Ship
• The Children
• Prom Night
• He Knows You're Alone
• Without Warning
• The Boogey Man
• Christmas Evil
• Fear No Evil
• Blood Beach
• The Hand

...plus 69 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

• Inferno
• Humanoids from the Deep
• Mother's Day
• Terror Train
• Alligator
• Altered States
• The Funhouse
• The Final Conflict
• Friday the 13th Part 2
• Graduation Day

...plus 51 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

• The Fog
• The Changeling
• Friday the 13th
• The Shining
• Dressed to Kill
• Fade to Black
• Motel Hell
• Maniac
• Scanners
• My Bloody Valentine

...plus 71 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

• Everything Everywhere All at Once
• Decision to Leave
• Nope
• Barbarian
• RRR
• X
• Pearl
• Speak No Evil
• Crimes of the Future
• TÁR

...plus 66 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Best older films I’m catching for the first time in 2022.

• Hiroshima Mon Amour
• High Sierra
• Rolling Thunder
• House
• Summer of '42
• I Wanna Hold Your Hand
• Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
• Black Sabbath
• The Keep
• Magnificent Obsession

...plus 5 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

1. Dune
2. Midnight Mass
3. West Side Story
4. Titane
5. Drive My Car
6. The Power of the Dog
7. The Worst Person in the World
8. The Father

   Released in 2020, but not available until 2021. 
   Read my review here: https://boxd.it/1VkeMp

9. Licorice Pizza
10. The Beatles: Get Back

...plus 83 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Best first time watches in 2021.

1. Possession
2. Hud
3. Lost Highway
4. The Bad and the Beautiful
5. Angel Heart
6. The Devils
7. Sullivan's Travels
8. Nightmare Alley
9. The Cotton Club
10. The Swimmer

...plus 10 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Only movies I’ve seen by Scorsese. Still have several early films, a few docs, Kundun, and Bringing Out the Dead to watch.

1. GoodFellas
2. The Wolf of Wall Street
3. Raging Bull
4. Taxi Driver
5. Silence
6. The Irishman
7. The Last Temptation of Christ
8. Casino
9. After Hours
10. The Age of Innocence

...plus 13 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

• Jackie Brown
• Inglourious Basterds
• Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood
• Kill Bill: Vol. 1
• Kill Bill: Vol. 2
• Pulp Fiction
• Reservoir Dogs
• Death Proof
• The Hateful Eight
• Django Unchained

• Boogie Nights
• There Will Be Blood
• The Master
• Phantom Thread
• Inherent Vice
• Licorice Pizza
• Punch-Drunk Love
• Magnolia
• Hard Eight

1. Wrath of Man
2. The Harder They Fall
3. The Suicide Squad
4. Nobody
5. Godzilla vs. Kong
6. Those Who Wish Me Dead
7. Spider-Man: No Way Home
8. F9
9. Zack Snyder's Justice League
10. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

...plus 4 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

• Midnight Mass

  Yes, this is a Netflix series. Yes, it is essentially TV. However, the pandemic blurred the lines with such Gaussian excellence that Mike Flanagan’s nine-hour vampire themed meditation on religious hysteria and economic desperation became one epic horror film that said more about the world in which we live than pretty much any other film or series released in 2021.

• Censor

  I could talk about this one for hours. In fact, I did. But the beauty that in Prano Bailey-Bond’s feature debut lies in its narrative perspective, which is as controlled and fever pitched as Rosemary’s Baby or Angel Heart.

• Malignant

  I was amazed by that scene, which is easily the greatest horror moment of 2021, but I was lukewarm about Malignant as a whole. Then, for reasons that must be inspired by either the divine or demonic, I found myself thinking about this film a couple times a week. And not just that scene, either. Wan’s audacious camp thriller about a very awful tumor is a big budget B-movie masterpiece during an era defined by low budget art horror.

• Titane

  Julia Ducouranu lives in her own universe, and we should be grateful. Titane isn’t exactly a horror movie, but it isn’t not a horror movie, either. A budding serial killer, impregnated by a hot car pretends to be a long missing guy in order to bond with his delusional dad. It’s Dear Evan Hansen by way of American Psycho and it is one of the year’s best, and most confounding films. It also won the Palme d’Or, which continues to be evidence that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is packed with a bunch of neutered cranks.

• The Empty Man

  The surprise instant cult classic of 2021 was actually released in 2020, but done so dirty by 20th Century (neé Disney) studios that it nearly vanished from existence. Like with the title entity, it simply could not be ignored, and this Jacob’s Ladder/Donnie Darko mindfuck found its audience. It is a truly original movie about myths and cults and mental illness and it demands repeat viewings because WTF?! I think I need a third viewing to fully get it.

• Halloween Kills

  Call this The Last Jedi of the Halloween franchise. David Gordon Green sidelined Laurie Strode in order to commit to Haddonfield as a character. While the film is shaky at times, it is a riveting exploration of the nature of evil and how that evil corrupts peoples’ souls. Plus, Michael’s kill spree is truly monstrous, and Green makes sure that each murdered character’s death is felt.

• Candyman

  Hard to top the original, so Nia DaCosta chose not to do that. Instead, her Candyman is a sequel that feels like a fresh take on the story. She dives into the lore and gives us a protagonist for whom the revelations are personal. The best horror—political or otherwise—always comes from a personal place.

• Fear Street: 1978

  This trilogy, which gave Netflix a summer hit, was a solid reworking of R.L. Stine’s YA horror series, and it’s best installment was 1978, which paid tribute to summer camp horror classics without feeling like a retread. It also deepened the series’ unsettling take on economic disparity, using its monsters as pawns to further prune the poor and undesirable.

• Caveat

  Slow burns like this one are why we need slow burns.

• Seance

  I’m pretty sure most people didn’t like Simon Barrett’s directorial debut, but I loved this girls’ prep school thriller. It’s one part Black Christmas, one part Conjuring, and a lot of Scooby-Doo. The leads are so engaging, that even when the story feels stale, they make you believe.

Here is my movie collection. TV series are not included.

• 42
• (500) Days of Summer
• Twelve Monkeys
• 12 Years a Slave
• 13 Assassins
• 2 Fast 2 Furious
• 2001: A Space Odyssey
• 21 Jump Street
• 22 Jump Street
• 25th Hour

...plus 1474 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

I’ve been inspired recently by Rob Harvilla’s podcast, “60 Songs That Defined the 90s.” The idea that a film or a song defines an era is ludicrous on its face, however each defines a piece of that era, and when all the pieces are assembled, we get a lens through which to consider that moment in history. What were our values? Our interests? Our wants? Our perceived needs? These films aren’t necessarily the best of the decade, but they are the best at reflecting a piece of the decade.

• Aladdin
• American Pie
• Bad Boys
• Basic Instinct
• Batman Forever
• Before Sunrise
• Being John Malkovich
• The Big Lebowski
• Billy Madison
• Blade

...plus 80 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

1. Nightcrawler
2. The Babadook
3. Gone Girl
4. John Wick
5. The Grand Budapest Hotel
6. Inherent Vice
7. Cheap Thrills
8. Whiplash
9. The Lego Movie
10. Under the Skin

...plus 115 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Yeah, it's April, but I'm only finally finishing seeing most of 2013's offerings. This alphabetized list features the movies I liked the most in 2013. There are still a handful of films I haven't seen that could possibly make this list, such as:

A Touch of Sin
At Berkeley
The Grandmaster
Much Ado About Nothing

If there are movies you think I missed on, let me know. I'm always looking for quality recommendations. And there might be a few I saw, but didn't care for as much as you did. Mention those, too. I'm always up for a re-watch -- after all, how many times have our opinions about a movie changed the second -- or tenth -- time we saw it?

1. The Wolf of Wall Street
2. Inside Llewyn Davis
3. The Act of Killing
4. Gravity
5. Her
6. Before Midnight
7. Spring Breakers
8. 12 Years a Slave
9. Cheap Thrills
10. Stoker

...plus 29 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

1. Get Out
2. Phantom Thread
3. Lady Bird
4. Bodied
5. Star Wars: The Last Jedi
6. Colossal
7. Mudbound
8. A Ghost Story
9. The Work
10. The Shape of Water

...plus 85 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

With the year ending, it's time to share my favorite movies of the year. Consider this top 10 list not as an objective measure of the "best," but films you should definitely check out when you have the time.

1. Moonlight

   No film this year resonated as deeply with me as Barry Jenkins' masterpiece about a black kid who takes a lifetime of toil and struggle to finally embrace his true self. The story of Chiron is divided into three parts, and each part is simply perfect storytelling. While Chiron's journey is specific to his character, the universal ideas of self-discovery, self-loathing, and self-forgiveness are undeniable. MOONLIGHT is a work of pure empathy, and to each that has a heart, it will sing.

2. Silence

   Scorsese examines the intersection of pride and faith in this story about Catholic missionaries forced by the Japanese government to abandon their faith in order to save a struggling village. A heart rending performance by Andrew Garfield is the year's best.

3. The Witch

   I've never seen a movie like THE VVITCH before. Like THE BABADOOK, it seemingly came out of nowhere, tapping into a deep, unsettling place in the soul. A teen girl's family begins suspecting she's a witch after their newborn babe is kidnapped by a real witch. The extremism on display is made more horrific by the authentic human emotion motivating it. Add to this the use of period perfect costuming, set design, and dialogue, and THE VVITCH feels more like a time capsule film than a modern rumination of man's sin and shame. (And if all this weren't enough to make you see the film, it has a freaky goat called Black Phillip!)

4. Manchester by the Sea
5. I, Daniel Blake
6. Green Room

   Not sure there are many films more intense that Jeremy Saulnier's follow-up to BLUE RUIN (also great). A punk rock band is trapped in a skinhead bar after witnessing a murder in the green room. Patrick Stewart will make you see him much differently as the leader of the supremacists. But what makes this film a keeper is how it inadvertently put its finger on the pulse of Donald Trump America in a year in which many of us may find ourselves trapped in a green room for at least the next four years.

7. Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping
8. Elle

   Isabelle Humpert is electrifying as a rape victim who is hardly a victim in Paul Verhoven's twisted thriller. This is the film Brian DePalma would make if he still had an ounce of the perversion he brought to DRESSED TO KILL and BODY DOUBLE left.

9. Julieta
10. The Nice Guys

    Expertly written and directed by Shane Black, this unlikely buddy pairing is made all the better by the casting heaven matchup of Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling, who tear their way through 70s L.A. in search of a missing girl, clues to the death of a porn star, and a highly sought after porno. It's funny, maudlin, and packed with some exhilarating action set pieces.

...plus 83 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

1. Mad Max: Fury Road

   To say I've never seen an action film like this would probably sound like hyperbole, but it's also the truth. I've never seen such balls-to-the-wall action set pieces like the ones George Miller has concocted here. His biggest success isn't just in the stunts, but in the way he builds this post-apocalyptic world so effortlessly. The action never feels staged because the world in which it takes place feels so alive and rich. Add to this the creation of Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron at full throttle), a character for all-time to be spoken of in the same breath as other action icons like Ripley, John McClane, and Rambo, and you have one of the year's most remarkable films. The fact that all this can be said without having to mention Tom Hardy's terrific replacement of Mel Gibson as the title character should be enough evidence as to why this was the year's best film.

2. Magic Mike XXL

   I liked MAGIC MIKE. I loved MAGIC MIKE XXL. This is a hotly debated film, but over time I believe it will rise in the esteem of critics. This movie dares to pay attention to female desires and reduces its plot to its simplest function in order to do more than pay lip service to those desires. Unlike the first film in the series, XXL really develops all of these characters and makes us revel in the joy of feeling sexy.

3. Tangerine

   I love this film. I love walking the streets of L.A. with Sin-Dee and Alexandra, seeing the world through their eyes. I love how exciting and fresh the look of the movie is as shot through a crude iPhone 5s (with anamorphic app). But mostly what I love about TANGERINE is how empathetic the film is. We are asked to follow Sin-Dee as she hunts down her cheating boyfriend, and through her odyssey, we come to understand what life is really like for these transgender working girls -- and the men who love them. The final scene in the laundromat is tender and loving and everything I love about the movies.

4. Ex Machina

   The war over women's bodies is put to the Turing Test in Alex Garland's instant classic sci-fi feature. Oscar Isaac continues to add great performances to his resume, and this film also put Alicia Vikander on the map, setting the stage for what has been a great 2015 for her (MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. and THE DANISH GIRL).

5. Carol

   A movie I wanted to like so much more than I actually did. Todd Haynes' direction is very meticulous, but in service of a script that doesn't provide as much context to the central relationship as it should.

6. The Hateful Eight

   Tarantino packs his film with references to Sergio Leone, John Ford, John Wayne, John Carpenter, and to himself, but he also packs it with a singular political statement about how we are living right now in America. THE HATEFUL EIGHT is a nihilistic, violent display of the ugliness of humanity. It's also a wickedly entertaining locked room thriller with some of Tarantino's most sharply written characters.

7. The Look of Silence
8. It Follows

   IT FOLLOWS is the most critically acclaimed horror film of 2015. It is an unnerving throwback to 70s horror films, and it has a terrifying hook: have sex with an infected person, and you will be pursued by a killer ghost. The performances are fresh, and the cast has that "never before seen" look that makes us believe what is happening to them. With repeated viewings, the film gets even better, too.

9. Creed

   Like JURASSIC WORLD, THE FORCE AWAKENS, and MAD MAX: FURY ROAD, CREED is another reboot of a famous film franchise. Unlike most of those (MAD MAX the exception), CREED is a great film on its own . Taken separately from its ROCKY roots, CREED is a marvelous boxing film about a young upstart living in the shadow of his legendary father. The second pro boxing match in the film is a breathtaking single shot that reaffirms why boxing is the most cinematic sport while redefining how it can look on screen. Michael B. Jordan is a star, and director Ryan Coogler (FRUITVALE STATION) has staked his ground as one of the best young directors.

10. What We Do in the Shadows

    A mockumentary about a hive of vampires isn't just a great horror film, but a great comedy, too.

...plus 123 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

1. The Favourite
2. Sorry to Bother You
3. Paddington 2
4. Hereditary
5. Annihilation
6. Suspiria
7. First Reformed
8. Eighth Grade
9. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
10. Burning

...plus 79 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

1. Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood
2. Parasite
3. Uncut Gems
4. The Irishman
5. Knives Out
6. Tigers Are Not Afraid
7. Midsommar
8. Her Smell
9. Us
10. The Lighthouse

...plus 84 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

1. Portrait of a Lady on Fire
2. Possessor
3. Bacurau
4. Sound of Metal
5. Boys State
6. The Invisible Man
7. Da 5 Bloods
8. David Byrne's American Utopia
9. Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
10. Bill & Ted Face the Music

...plus 40 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

1. Se7en
2. Before Sunrise
3. Twelve Monkeys
4. Clueless
5. Toy Story
6. Dead Man Walking
7. Leaving Las Vegas
8. The Usual Suspects
9. Babe
10. Showgirls

...plus 84 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

1. Pulp Fiction
2. Léon: The Professional
3. Ed Wood
4. Bullets Over Broadway
5. Speed
6. The Shawshank Redemption
7. Serial Mom
8. Crooklyn
9. New Nightmare
10. Quiz Show

...plus 77 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

1. Groundhog Day
2. Dazed and Confused
3. The Age of Innocence
4. True Romance
5. The Nightmare Before Christmas
6. Schindler's List
7. Jurassic Park
8. Army of Darkness
9. Short Cuts
10. Carlito's Way

...plus 79 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

1. Malcolm X
2. The Player
3. Unforgiven
4. Candyman
5. Reservoir Dogs
6. Basic Instinct
7. The Last of the Mohicans
8. Wayne's World
9. The Crying Game
10. Bad Lieutenant

...plus 69 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

What movies survived 1991 and are still talked about today?

THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS is probably the most famous, but a few others still get lots of mention, most notably:

BARTON FINK, SLACKER, THELMA & LOUISE, WHAT ABOUT BOB?, BOYZ N THE HOOD, and POINT BREAK.

But '91 had some secret gems, such as:

THE FISHER KING, THE DOUBLE LIFE OF VERONIQUE, DEAD AGAIN, MY OWN PRIVATE IDAHO, RUSH, THE LAST BOY SCOUT, and the criminally underrated SLEEPING WITH THE ENEMY.

It was also a terrific year for comedy. The aforementioned BOB? was also playing alongside HOT SHOTS, THE NAKED GUN 2 1/2, DEFENDING YOUR LIFE, L.A. STORY, THE SWITCH, and DON'T TELL MOM, THE BABYSITTER'S DEAD.

Overall, a decent year at the movies.

1. The Silence of the Lambs
2. The Fisher King
3. Barton Fink
4. JFK
5. Cape Fear
6. Terminator 2: Judgment Day
7. Slacker
8. Thelma & Louise
9. The Double Life of Véronique
10. What About Bob?

...plus 65 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

1990 was the first year in the decade which defined my love for movies. Here are all the movies I've seen from that year, ranked.

1. GoodFellas
2. Wild at Heart
3. The Grifters
4. Miller's Crossing
5. Misery
6. The Hunt for Red October
7. La Femme Nikita
8. Pump Up the Volume
9. Total Recall
10. Darkman

...plus 63 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

My obligatory Star Wars rankings . . .

1. The Empire Strikes Back
2. Star Wars: The Last Jedi
3. Star Wars
4. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
5. Star Wars: The Force Awakens
6. Return of the Jedi
7. Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith
8. Solo: A Star Wars Story
9. Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace
10. Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones

...plus 1 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Currently owned titles.

• 28 Days Later
• A Nightmare on Elm Street
• A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy's Revenge
• A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors
• A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master
• A Nightmare on Elm Street: The Dream Child
• A Quiet Place
• American Psycho
• An American Werewolf in London
• Anna and the Apocalypse

...plus 253 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

1. The Big Lebowski
2. Rushmore
3. The Truman Show
4. Happiness
5. Saving Private Ryan
6. A Simple Plan
7. American History X
8. Out of Sight
9. There's Something About Mary
10. Rounders

...plus 74 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

1. Boogie Nights
2. Jackie Brown
3. L.A. Confidential
4. Good Will Hunting
5. 4 Little Girls
6. The Apostle
7. Gattaca
8. Starship Troopers
9. The Game
10. The Fifth Element

...plus 52 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Here is a list of my favorites this month. First time watches are designated in the notes.

• Lone Star
• Mysterious Skin

  First viewing. Criterion Channel.

• Gangs of New York

  First viewing. HBO Max.

• All That Jazz

  First viewing. DVD.

• Da 5 Bloods

  First viewing. Netflix.

• The Killing of a Chinese Bookie

  First viewing. HBO Max.

• Just Mercy

  First viewing. Vudu.

• Shirley

  First viewing. Vudu.

• Mausoleum

  First viewing. Shudder.

• True Stories

1. Fargo
2. Breaking the Waves
3. Trainspotting
4. Scream
5. Sling Blade
6. Jerry Maguire
7. Welcome to the Dollhouse
8. Bound
9. Lone Star
10. Get on the Bus

...plus 83 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Moms always get the love. Especially when we talk about horror movies. But what about Dads? They can be just as messed up and murderous. Maybe even more so. So, let’s celebrate evil movie dads this Father’s Day.

1. The Shining

   Jack Torrance chases his son around an evil hotel for the last hour of Kubrick’s exploration of the banality of evil. He does this with crazy hair and an axe. But nothing beats the creepy moment when an unhinged Jack takes Danny on his knee and assures him, “You know I would never hurt you, right, Doc?”

2. Frailty

   The best thing a Dad can do for his kids is hand down a legacy. What better legacy than that of murder—I mean “slaying demons”?

3. The Omen

   While Gregory Peck isn’t exactly evil, he gets points for trying to sacrifice his adopted son on an altar with a ceremonial knife. Real dads know when to kill their children in sacrifice—just ask God.

4. Eyes Without a Face

   You know Dad is devoted when he will steal someone else’s face for you.

5. Get Out

   The ultimate Dad joke movie. Until Dad turns out to be a crazy surgeon who wants to transfer white consciousness into black bodies.

6. The Stepfather

   Stepdads are dads, too. Until the kill their kids.

7. Creepshow

   All the man wanted was a fucking cake!

8. Sinister

   What kind of a Dad moves his family into a house where a grisly murder happened? The best kind!

9. Pet Sematary

   Louis Creed is the kind of Dad who just can’t let his family go. Even death is just an obstacle. Crazy how Stephen King stories appear three times on this list—he is the master of Dadcore horror.

10. Castle Freak

    Jeffrey Combs moves his family into a castle and allows his insecurities to destroy his marriage and erode his blind daughters trust. Thankfully there’s a metaphorical monster locked in the castle dungeon for him to fight in order to redeem himself and restore his family’s love.