Drug War (2012, dir. Johnnie To). Rewatch. Felt the need to revisit this
after watching Boarding Gate (to "up the tension" as I told myself at
the time). There's little in the way of characterization. I think there's
something in Drug War about ruinous self-destructive obsession on the
part of the cops (there's like a half dozen times where they should have
gone home and slept). I haven't really thought that through, though.
Movie moves real fast through a lot of plot, a lot of incident. Need to
watch it again (this time with my face closer to the screen).
Boarding Gate (2007, dir. Olivier Assayas). First watch. Globetrotting
thriller / genre exercise. Similar in a lot of ways to Demonlover but
seemingly played in reverse (Demonlover a downward spiral, Boarding
Gate crawling out of one). Feels like a film in two halves, the first
being between Sandra (Asia Argento) and Miles (Michael Madsen), the
second being Sandra's journey to Hong Kong and the fallout there. Sandra
is the perspective character & due to her position in the various plots
we're only ever given incomplete or unreliable information. That's
something I appreciate a lot in general and enjoyed immensely in this
movie. I've seen this compared to New Rose Hotel (a movie I need to
revisit) and to Gibson in general & I think that's fitting. Some deeply
upsetting stuff in here, some skin-crawling run-away-from-the-screen
moments (particularly in scenes between Sandra and Miles). For much of
their long scene together I couldn't tell if one was about to kill the
other or if their behavior was part of some complex sexual play. There's
something to be said re: global capital (import/export businesses,
investment banking, the transactional nature of everything) but I don't
think I'm equipped to comment intelligently on that. I want to watch it
again immediately. Also: Kim Gordon jumpscare.
October
The Spiral (1998, dir. George Lida). First watch. Surprising! See
this toot for my thoughts on the movie.
Ring (1998, dir. Hideo Nakata). Rewatch. Very comfy movie. I like coming
up with alternate ways to read this film - Sadako the monster, Sadako
the misunderstood victim of an evil doctor, Sadako the experimental
filmmaker who really wants you to watch her short film. I really like
this movie for its sense of dread, its lack of jumpscares, its
procedural / problem-solving element, its implications (haunting as a
virus, etc). I've seen it before (a half dozen times or so) but haven't
seen any of the sequels so I'll be watching those next.
Safe (2012, dir. Boaz Yakin). Notable: additional directing Chad Stahelski
(of John Wick fame). This was OK; it felt a bit more implausible and
stretched than I was expecting, like there was some connective tissue
missing. Elements of it resemble what Stahelski would later do with Wick
(though Safe and Wick have different writers). I'm happy to watch Jason
Statham beat people up and this delivered on that front. Happy also to see
James Hong in anything, here playing an organized crime boss. Catherine
Chan playing the young math prodigy did well with what was available too,
I think. Yeah I liked Safe (2012) but it kinda slid off me. Maybe I'll
watch it again in a few years and see something new or different.
Spartan (2004, dir. David Mamet). Rewatch, I've seen this a couple times.
Efficient spec ops thriller with a great script (Mamet) and some
performances I really like (Val Kilmer, Derek Luke, Tia Texada,
William H. Macy). This movie does now read as very USA right-wing, in a
couple different ways, but on balance I do still enjoy it. This is a
shallow comparison but Spartan reminds me a bit of Taken (2008), though
Spartan is more thorny and layered and complicated. (I'm sure nobody cares
about my politics but I gotta say after reading the
Political Views section of Mamet's Wikipedia entry I, uh, don't
agree with him).
September
Ronin (1998, dir. John Frankenheimer). Rewatch (I might have seen this in
the theater when it was first released, I'm not sure). This is much
better than I remember; maybe I appreciate it more now that I've seen a few
of Jean-Pierre Melville's movies. Ultra-professional criminals and spies
compete for a mcguffin for 2 hours. It's pulp genre fare that has been
seriously elevated by the participants: David Mamet punching up the script,
Frankenheimer directing, the stellar cast (particularly De Niro and Jean
Reno). It feels much more spare and restrained than modern action / spy /
thriller films. Makes me want to watch Spartan (2004) again.
August
Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched: A History of Folk Horror (2021, dir.
Kier-La Janisse). First watch. This was great. A three-hour-and-change
talking head documentary about Folk Horror films. That length gives it
enough time to touch on a lot of obscure material, certainly a lot of
movies I'd never heard of. Was very happy to see some critics I recognized
and rate highly. Yeah, really enjoyed this, and I hope Janisse makes more
documentaries like it.
White Of The Eye (1987, dir. Donald Cammell). First watch. I've seen this
described as an American southwest giallo and that makes sense to me. Not
in a horror sense but in an unlikely or unusual protagonist unravelling a
mystery sense. Liked the weird setting, the kinda baggy story, the overall
look of the movie. Disliked the ending, felt anticlimactic to me, but then
I'm not sure how else it would've ended. Insert joke here about never
trusting an audiophile. (Writing this brief review in September, a month
late, so the movie isn't super fresh in my mind).
June
Election (2005, dir. Johnnie To). First watch. Tense. Kept waiting for
violence to break out and for the most part it didn't (except in I think
two places, one very significant). Was very invested in seeing Lok win
the election (and so I loved the ending, what a punch to the gut).
Watched on Tubi, who have the sequel also (under the name "Triad Election".
I think I'll watch that next.
Lake Mungo (2008, dir. Joel Anderson). First watch. Another movie I loved,
this has been a good month for movies. Loved the story, the performances,
the impressive sleight of hand the movie pulls. The two have different
aims, intentions, and methods but I was reminded of Twin Peaks (in no
small part because Lake Mungo is about a family last-name Palmer learning
about their deceased daughter). I'm currently resisting the urge to watch
it again but this time with my hand on the frame forward/back buttons.
Dead Presidents (1995, dir. The Hughes Brothers). First watch. I'd heard
off and on for years that this movie is great and I have to agree. It's
way more sprawling and tragic than I expected. Incredible cast and
performances (loved Keith David in particular). Something about it felt
kind of theatrical or stage-y to me, particularly the Vietnam scenes,
though I think it was intentional and served the purpose of the film.
Like a bad dream. I'm glad I finally watched it.
King Of New York (1990, dir. Abel Ferrara). First watch. Ah this was
excellent. Loved Walken and Laurence Fishburne here (I don't think
I've seen Fishburne play a character this way before, he was fantastic).
Loved the look of it, the way it moves, the economy of it, the ending.
I want to watch it again immediately.
Memories Of Murder (2003, dir. Bong Joon-ho). Rewatch, second time I've
seen it. Funny, grim, was a bit heavier than I remembered. I've seen
it compared to Fincher's Zodiac a lot (and/or the other way around)
and I think that's apt. Beautifully filmed.
May
Exiled (2006, dir. Johnnie To). Holy shit this was incredible. An exiled
gangster and four hitmen (two there to protect the gangster, two there
to kill him but don't really want to) get involved in a mob/triad
conflict in Macau. It's hard to say more than that without spoiling.
Really melancholy and just doomed, heavy. This goes some unexpected
places (spaghetti western?). Looked and sounded fantastic. First reaction:
loved it, want to watch it again immediately.
Drug War (2012, dir. Johnnie To). Merciless. Tense and unrelenting. A
procedural that delivers on the title - a police captain and his team
apprehend a drug manufacturer and attempt to use him to catch dealers
and traffickers higher up the food chain. It goes poorly. There's
barely any downtime, it's deals and schemes and subterfuge for most of
the duration. When violence does eventually break out it's blunt,
horrifying. Reads as cynical in retrospect, there appear to be no heroes
here. Movie looked beautiful. I wish it lingered on some of these shots
longer. My first Johnnie To (and probably a bad place to start, but this
one was on Tubi with poorly timed subtitles). Reminded me of Michael Mann
a bit.
April
Fallout (TV, 8 episodes, 2024). Enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I
would. It's much better written than I expected (better than many of
the games) and manages to be more than just nostalgia and references.
The show looks great, the FX and sets and prop work do a lot to sell the
world. The humor is on point and in general the show gets what's
entertaining about the Fallout games as a setting. A little weird that
this is on Amazon given how anti-corporate (or perhaps anti-establishment)
it is.
March
Midsomer Murders Season 8 (2005). "You're investigating a man's death
the least you can do is wear a tie." So... since around the second or
third season I've been quietly looking for non-white actors in this
show. There are very few (and even fewer have spoken lines). It turns
out that in 2011 the show's executive producer made some pretty
outrageous comments that may indicate he'd been excluding
ethnic minorities. That really, really sucks. I wasn't aware of
this going into the show and it has soured the experience. It isn't
until season 15 or so that the executive producer changes so I'm left
with a dilemma: do I want to continue watching this? Do I skip to
season 15? I'm not sure really. I've started season 9 and I suppose
I'll continue but I don't know for how long.
Midsomer Murders Season 7 (2004). A nice sendoff for DS Troy and a good
introduction to DS Scott. Strong episodes; funny. Watched over a few
weeks so I don't have many specific comments (aside of the final
episode of the season, which I just watched, which was charming &
reminded me of clue). Still enjoying the show and will continue
watching.
February
Midsomer Murders Seasons 5-6 (2002-2003). First appearance of a handgun
(I think). First explosion (definitely). I have the impression that
some of these were a little inconsistent but nonetheless there were
excellent episodes in here. Sergeant Troy seems more and more competent
and independent (which makes sense as I believe his run as a regular
character is coming to an end soon; he will be missed). And I'm happy
to see Cully again in season 6.
Midsomer Murders Season 4 (2000-2001). Some amusing episodes (the alien
episode felt particularly X-Files). The character dynamic felt a bit
different in this run. Cully was noticeably absent. It's still good
though, I mean I'm still enjoying it. It's a very particular fantasy
that I haven't worked out how to describe.
Midsomer Murders S01E02 thru the beginning of season 4. Well-made,
strangely comforting, gentle. These are all really nice looking so far,
well-shot. Pastoral. Lots of big manor houses. I like the pacing. I like
the mysteries more as a story than as a puzzle. I could listen to
John Nettles talk for hours. I'll definitely continue to watch these,
they're like popcorn.
January
Midsomer Murders: The Killings at Badger's Drift (1997). Charming! And
a fine mystery too. Will watch more of these, they're fun.
Dial M For Murder (1954, dir. Alfred Hitchcock); first-time watch.
A murder plot! And a darn good one too. I expect no less from Hitchcock.
Very nicely filmed and arranged. If I have any complaint it's that I wish
Grace Kelly had been given more to do. Loved how Mr. Wendice's conversation
with Swann is later sort-of echoed when Halliday explains his plan to Mr.
Wendice. Also: occasionally a very funny movie. Swann asking "Why are you
telling me all this?" got me good.
Knives Out (2019, dir. Rian Johnson). A lot of fun. Liked all of the
performances (loved seeing Jamie Lee Curtis, Don Johnson, Michael
Shannon). I wish it were somehow both longer and shorter. It's over
2 hours; I was ready for it to be done at 100 minutes. At the same
time it felt rushed; I wish shots were held longer, so I could spend
more time looking at the individual images. I don't know, I guess that
means I would've preferred a different editing style. This is the
first of Rian Johnson's movies I've seen since Brick (which I love).
I'm now looking forward to seeing more of Benoit Blanc in Glass Onion.
Klute (1971, dir. Alan J. Pakula). First watch, been meaning to see it
for a long time. Really compelling. Jane Fonda is incredible as Bree
(won an academy award for this) and contrasts well against the more
reserved performance from Donald Sutherland. The movie looks awesome;
I'm on a run of picking movies with great cinematography and lighting.
"What I'd really like to do is be faceless, and bodiless, and be left
alone." Goddamn. I should rewatch Parallax View and All The President's
Men to complete Pakula's Paranoia trilogy.
Violent Cop (1989, dir. Takeshi Kitano). Delivers on the title. Kitano
as a cop on a downward spiral. Grim. Cruel. Often striking to
look at, particularly the final showdown sequence. I really enjoyed
the pacing, the long still shots, the frequently muted affect. Could
have done without the SA, the villains were villainous enough already.
There's a clear thing here about cycles - repeating patterns of violence,
of corruption - that's conveyed very well and mostly without words. Heavy.
Brother (2000), dir. Takeshi Kitano. See this toot for comments.
The Third Man (1949, dir. Carol Reed). First watch. Loved it. Pretty close
to a perfect movie. The photography, the incongruous lighthearted
score, the twisty story, Cotten and Welles's performances, it's all great.
I knew a little about it going in (was waiting for Welles to show up) but
I didn't expect it to be so funny, so amusing. The zither score did a
lot of lifting there. Really glad I finally saw this.
