Month: February 2021

Ghost Dog And Nomadland Walk Into A Bar And Gangs Of London Destroys It

I’m retreating, further and further, into stories these days. The world is increasingly made up of vitriolic people only concerned with their own immediate and selfish desires. It’s tough to take. Maybe it’s just the result of losing a year of our lives to this pandemic but we’d almost certainly not have lost nearly this amount of time had adults been in charge over the past year.

I digress.

My novel is out of my brain and into the hands of people deciding whether or not to release it into the wild and I’ve already begun work on my next project. I know I stated last week that I have two ideas worth following right now but for the time being, I’m focusing on one of them — a memoir…of sorts. Families tell stories and build legends. These stories are passed on from generation to generation with small details changing until the stories resemble very little of the truth originally behind them. None of this matters. The core is the core and as long as that remains, the rest is fair play to the storyteller. I have a lifetime of stories, some of which have been passed down and many others which I have experienced myself. It’s been a fun project to check back in with the family house on memory lane and I hope to honor the history of my own crazy family by gifting these stories to the rest of the world.

In the meantime and more precisely, in my downtime, I’ve been watching some movies (and a show) that have been long on my “to do” list. I watched Jim Jarmusch’s brilliant Ghost Dog: The Way Of The Samurai. I told you all that I’ve been meaning to do a re-watch and I finally did just that over the weekend. What I didn’t expect was to have that movie blown off the map by something else.

First, I’ll deal with Ghost Dog. The film is perfectly crafted for what it is and aims to be. It’s lazy and hypnotic in equal measure. The story goes nowhere while, at the same time, teaching us all real life lessons worth a lifetime. The RZA’s score is impeccable — a low key masterpiece of film scoring. Every note and beat accents each scene and builds upon itself, constructing a welcome soundscape to get lost inside of. Jarmusch’s camera is stagnant and slow, capturing everything in Ghost Dog’s periphery. It’s so effective by allowing us to feel alive inside this world. We focus on the insects and the birds. The sound design compliments everything else and finishes off our immersion. We can feel the heat on our backs and smell the sickly sweet aroma of a parked ice cream truck. The writing is sparse and simple but extremely effective. Why waste words? Looking back, I believe Jarmusch has been an enormous influence on filmmakers like Nicolas Winding Refn. These artists come across more like painters than filmmakers sometimes — living and breathing in the abstract while forcing us onto their wavelength. They create portraits and allow those portraits to speak for themselves. It can be challenging but when this type of material connects, it lands harder than anything else. I find it all much more rewarding than anything else. Ghost Dogs still holds up, all these years later.

I’m skipping the big one for a moment to speak on two other viewings real quick. First, the film I Care A Lot, starring Rosamund Pike, Eiza Gonzalez, Peter Dinklage, and Dianne Wiest. I dug the hell out of this film. It’s acerbic as all get out and possesses the psychopathic heart of a serial killer. Rosamund Pike is one of the most interesting actors working today. She is always in absolute command, not just in every film but every single scene she is in. Study her even when she’s not speaking. Her body language, face, hair, posture, they are all speaking volumes at all times. For his part, Dinklage is a titan. He’s able to create a palpable sense of thoughtful danger at every moment in this film. You cannot remove your eyes from him. Last, Dianne Wiest. My goodness is she great in this film. She always come across so sweet and delicate, like a favorite family member. Here, she uses this to create a quiet sense of constant menace. I’ve never seen her like this before and I hope awards voters do not forget her performance here later on this year.

Next, the streaming service AMC+ has a British drama on offer called Gangs Of London. It stars one of the guys from Peaky Blinders and mama Stark from Game of Thrones. I don’t even know why I bring that up because it makes little difference. The important aspect is that this show is made by Gareth Evans, the psychopathic director of the two Raid films.

Side note: Raid 2 is far better than the first film. I’ll be taking no questions on this topic.

The story here is fine but typical. The show is well acted and competently presented in every other aspect. The reason for it’s existence is as a showcase for insanely creative violence. I love grounded, martial arts infused fisticuffs. I grew up on Bruce Lee. Evans needs to be on some sort of watch list because his brain is demented. These fight scenes are absolute batshit fucking bananas — all of the superlatives apply. Episode six is basically a one hour long gun fight war battle royale to the death between a band of gypsies and a Nordic hit squad. I mean, my gawd! That’s where I’ve left off and I have no idea how they’re going to top that.

And finally, the movie that blew me away and then some: Nomadland.

Frances McDormand can do no wrong. She has always been one of my favorites, ever since Blood Simple. Chloe Zhao directs her (and the rest of the film) with a plain spoken grace. There isn’t much dialog and what we do get is short back and forths which inform us of lifetimes lived by these people. Every single shot of this film could be a post card. It’s a wonderful story about the beating, human heart still trying even in the face of complete devastation. I believe McDormand and David Straithairn are the only actual actors in the film. Everyone else on camera is an untrained actor, most of whom are really living the nomad life. This all adds up to build an indisputable effect of realism. Every setting feels lived in — every frame alive. The film raises up our own defiance of societal norms, allowing us, if only for a moment, the ability to cut through our own daily bullshit and take stock on what is truly important. It’s easily the best film of the year and the one I’m rooting for to win everything it’s currently and hopefully nominated for.

That’s it. That’s enough. Other writing to do. Next week, Hopefully I will have watched Judas and the Black Messiah by then. If not, who knows? Until then, love each other.

Tunnel – A New Poem

You appear in a tunnel

Amidst the flickering light

Moving pictures tell a story

Of love, loss and fights

*

The shadows are ever hungry

And will swallow you whole

Plunging the tunnel into darkness

Obscuring your heart and soul

*

The platform disappears

And you plummet into absence

Grasping for purchase

To regain some substance

*

The struggle is the point

A test of wills infernal

And from this tunnel you’ll emerge

Into the sunshine eternal

*

The Life OF A Novel AKA An Idiot’s Guide To Livin’

Still nothing. Instead of watching any of the films I mentioned last week and in lieu of beginning my next long form project on the Coen Brothers, I’m still being as random as possible. Easily distracted, that’s what they call it and that’s what I am — no question. But, you may ask, what have I been doing?

I finished my novel and that has been enough for this week. Countless revisions later and now I am…comfortable with the book. I don’t think I’ll ever be fully satisfied with anything I write but there comes a point where you have to ship your little mutant baby off to school. My novel began as an eighty-eight thousand word screenplay, twenty two years ago. The title was so pretentious that I am not going to share it here. A production company in England told me it read like a mashup of Conan The Barbarian and Animal House. I thanked them. They told me that it wasn’t a compliment. I worked on something else. The story always stuck in the back of my mind but I left it for awhile. Then, Muse released their album, The Resistance, and closed the album with a three part rock symphony called, Exogenesis. A spark ignited. I pulled the screenplay and made changes — many, many changes. The screenplay was dead and in it’s place appeared a one hundred and twenty-five thousand word novel. It sucked. I knew it and anyone brave enough to read it, knew it. Time to make changes. I chopped some nonsense from the novel and then had a one hundred and ten thousand word beast. I called my agent to see what we could do about this but found out he’d apparently died in between my projects. The agency wasn’t looking to represent literary writers, only screenwriters. My goose was cooked. Time to make some new rounds but to no avail. Something with the novel still bothered me, something was missing — I wasn’t saying what I wanted to say and didn’t know how to say it. I shelved the novel. I returned to writing short stories and making blog posts. Writing depression set in as I’d given up a writing gig that was beginning to pay in order to pursue the novel and I’d failed. I couldn’t see the way out.

The way out is through — always.

We can fast forward to the year 2020. I found myself again giving up a good paying job in order to move clear across the country — from New York to El Paso, Texas. Time to write. I finished two short stories quickly and then set my sights on a new novel. Going to my file of ideas, I started picking one which connected. Nothing connected right away but something unexpected wormed its way back into my brain. The Violent Winds. I began writing short stories involving my main characters as a way to better understand them. This method worked wonders and my voice finally found itself. I knew how to tell this story. Blasted out an outline. Completely scrapped all previous versions of the novel and started over from word one. I wrote like a demon and then revised. And then revised some more. And then revised again. And then thought maybe I’d revised too much so I revised again. I’m done and it’s pretty close to how I always wanted this story to be told. It’s me and it’s from me but it’s also a bit of itself and it’s weird in a way I didn’t initially expect but it’s a lean and mean eighty-two thousand word reading machine.

So that is, as they say, that. We’ll see what happens. First things first, I need a new agent.

Segway aka what I originally thought I’d be writing about today.

I watched the 2019 French film, Les Miserables this week and thought it was pretty good. An interesting story about police brutality. I also re-watched several favorites like Hot Fuzz, On The Rocks, and Heat. All great but Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon A Time In Hollywood really stuck out for me this week. Now, I saw this film twice in theaters and have probably watched it six or seven more times since then. I love the film and now I know exactly why: it represents exactly the type of movie which no longer gets made. I miss movies that are movies. I miss not being sold something by some giant corporate entity while watching a movie. QT makes movies about people and movies about people living their lives, ending up in interesting situations. I miss those the most. So, here’s to you, movies not trying to sell me shit and only being about your own shit, I salute you.

Next week, who knows? I’m about to start a new novel. Two ideas have raced to the front: a crime novel and a memoir. A memoir? Lmfao. Well, I am an idiot and I’ve done some idiotic things in my younger life and when I wrote all of those things down, I thought maybe there could be something there. We’ll see. I’ll probably begin writing both at the same time because, like I said, I am an idiot. Until then, love each other.

A Wednesday In February aka The Birthday Party Fiasco

The intention was to fill in with a few supplemental weeks before launching into the next Friday series. I was leaning toward the Coen Brothers. That’s eighteen films. That’s a lot. Now, I love the Coens, even their lesser works are wildly interesting but eighteen gave me pause. I’ve seen them all and know what to expect but four and a half straight months?

Maybe I’m just being a baby.

Still, I never sat down and put anything on. I was planning on watching Ghostdog but didn’t. I could’ve chosen Moonstruck or The New World — all films I own and love and have been meaning to do a rewatch on. I did none of it.

So, what do I have to talk about today?

I could talk about the impeachment trial but it will only serve to aggravate me. When you see a trial and on one side is a multitude of mild mannered, measured, plain spoken people while on the other side is a group of maniacs, yelling in absurd riddles AND THEN knowing that over seventy million people support the group of wannabe con artists, it’s tough to not fly into a rage myself.

Thennnnnnn what?

So yesterday, a friend of ours had a birthday. The celebration took place over skype. Wine, Prosecco, etc. was being consumed WHILE SETTING UP THE GET TOGETHER. Yeah, that went well. More booze. Tons of laughs. I kicked things off by getting stoned and quickly bowing out of the festivities to find something to watch. Maybe a Coen Brothers film? No? Too easy and obvious? Oh, I know, I watched Ghostdog or any of the other films I listed at the top. No, I did not. I put on Friday.

And you know this…man.

But it was on USA and the cursing was all edited and I cannot be bothered with that nonsense. Turned on HBO. Showtime. STARZ. The Spectrum channels.

“Give me something!” I yelled.

Boom. White Men Can’t Jump.

I love this movie. I love how cool Wesley Snipes is. I love how almost cool Woody Harrleson is. When I was thirteen and this film originally released, I was in love with Rosie Perez. The script is great and really nails the camaraderie of playing basketball — the competition (even with your teammate(s)) and the shit talking. I grew up playing a ton of basketball — lucky enough to have my own hoop and paved halfcourt area to play. Did I play in parks and the streets? Yep, did that too. I remember how annoying it was to see the chain link nets because kids would either destroy or steal the knitted nets. It also destroyed your ball. A friend of mine had a portable set up that we’d pull out into the street and run two-on-two tournaments all day long on Saturdays. White Men Can’t Jump captures all of this and it was a great two hours yesterday.

But the party!

Yeah, it was still going on and my wife had moved onto her second (third) bottle of wine. I was still pretty smacked — adding Prosecco to the weed will do that to you. I needed another movie.

Flip those channels. Flip, flip those channels.

Seven. Motherfucking. Psychopaths.

Here. We. Go.

Martin McDonagh is one of my favorite writers (and now) filmmakers. An Irish playwright going the Hollywood route and he’s three for three in my book. In Bruges is one of my all time favorite films. Go watch it. Do you hafta? Do you HAFTA? OF COURSE YOU DON’T FUCKING HAFTA! But you should. Seven Psychopaths was his second feature, smack dab in between Bruges and Three Billboards. Colin Farrell plays an alcoholic screenwriter. He’s suffering writer’s block. Sam Rockwell is his best friend, an actor, also the ring leader of a dog napping ring and he’s something else as well (spoilers). Christopher Walken is another friend who’s a part of the dog napping ring and oh baby does he have a past. Woody Harrelson is a gangster who is the victim of the latest dog napping. Tom Waits shows up as a weirdo with a rabbit and an ominous way of speaking. The dialog is insane (the eye for an eye debate is a favorite of mine). The performances are all great and Walken, my god, Walken is so good in this.

So that movie ended and the party finally began to wind down. But the booze wasn’t finished (and neither was the weed). My wife passed out across the bed. I watched a few episodes of Arrested Development.

And then at some point in the night, our chihuahua shit all over the couch.

That was my Wednesday, folks.

And now here I sit, on Thursday. Couch cushion covers out of the washing machine and drying. My wife is recovering and I am here trying to figure out what to write about.

You’re welcome, America.

Next Friday, hopefully something about film. Until then, love each other.

The 2010 Film Retrospective

Time is the ultimate determiner when it applies to the quality of a work of art. I’ve spoken about this at length and so I’ll spare you the details this time around. I’ll just get right to the business of the 2010 film retrospective and we can analyze where my film thoughts were a decade ago versus where they currently sit.

Back in 2010, my top ten films of the year were as follows:

1. Let Me In

2. Never Let Me Go

3. Winter’s Bone

4. The Social Network

5. Inception

6. Animal Kingdom

7. Black Swan

8. True Grit

9. Carlos

10. The Ghost Writer

Looking back, this was an interesting year which left many films very close to one another in my mind. It actually reminds me a lot of 2020 and because of that, I released a top twenty five instead. Ten years later and I’ll give you this off the bat: only five of these films will remain and only three of those will remain in their current slots. Let’s start at the bottom and work our way up.

The Ghost Writer. A nasty little slice of a thriller with great turns from both Ewan McGregor and Pierce Brosnan. I still like it but it’s the first casualty. In it’s place, I’m going with Ben Affleck’s awesome crime flick, The Town. I watch this one way more than The Ghostwriter and it never fails to deliver. Really good action film.

Carlos. Is it a movie or a mini-series? Who cares. I put it on my list ten years ago, mostly because of Edgar Ramirez’s committed performance. It’s the second casualty on the list and is replaced by Animal Kingdom — our first film to move spots. It stays in the top ten but falls slightly from six to nine.

True Grit. I adore the Coens and, for that matter, Jeff Bridges. This was a very straight forward adaptation from them and a very good one to boot. It just doesn’t have resonance with me. Good film but it’s gone and replaced by another mainstay falling a few places. Inception. I still love it but it falls a ways from five to eight.

Black Swan. This is our first film which stays exactly where it was ten years ago. Aronofsky is nothing if not interesting and his films always produce thought long after the credits have rolled. Natalie Portman goes next level in this one.

Animal Kingdom. See Carlos. It’s still here but the Australian film about a family of criminals potentially being taken down from the inside falls from six to nine. Still, it made Joel Edgerton and Jackie Weaver pretty famous in the states. The new number six film is one I hadn’t seen before making my list back in 2010. It’s the completely psychopathic South Korean serial killer film, I Saw The Devil. If you like films unafraid to go dark, this one goes daaaaarrrrrrrrk.

Inception. See True Grit. I still love it but it falls from five to eight. Let’s replace it with the Sofia Coppola film, Somewhere. I’ve always had a soft spot for Stephen Dorff as an actor and here, he’s never better as a drowning famous actor in charge of his daughter for a few weeks. Goodness gracious this film is awesome.

The Social Network. Gone. I love Fincher but this one is firmly in the “I respect it but don’t really like it” category. It leaves me cold. I’ll lose it in order to give some more love to Toy Story 3. The third entry in the Pixar series is the best and made me weep like a baby by the end of the film.

Winter’s Bone. This baby stays right here. It still cooks with gas and made a star out of Jennifer Lawrence. Also, John Hawkes is one of the most underrated actors of the past twenty years. He’s incredible as her uncle unafraid of the dangers her investigation is beginning to unearth. What. A. Film.

Never Let Me Go. The biggest surprise but this is the final film to be excised from the list. Crazy, right? My number two film is completely lopped off? Maybe it was my sentiment for it being based on an Ishiguro novel but it’s not a film I’ve thought a lot about in recent years. I guess I’ve let it go. Instead, Miike deserves some love with another film I hadn’t yet seen when making the list: 13 Assassins. This film flat out knocked my damn socks off. A mediation on hate and violence and what the idea of revenge can do to people. The final forty five minutes or so are completely bananas. See it, please.

Let Me In. It stays right here. Ten years later and this film is still the best 2010 had to offer. I know it’s not a popular opinion and just for clarity, I had already seen the original it was based on, Let The Right One In. I actually prefer the remake. Why? First, it leans into the horror a bit more while maintaining the awkward coming of age story. This version is way, way scarier. Second, and more importantly, Richard Jenkins. He makes every movie better just by being on screen and he provides the entire heart and soul of the story here. Not all American remakes are bad and this one is actually better than the original. Fight me.

Ten years later and there we have it. I’ll continue to do these every year. It’s fun to look back and search yourself for how you currently feel. Five stayed. Five left. Two switched spots. Here’s the updated list:

1. Let Me In

2. 13 Assassins

3. Winter’s Bone

4. Toy Story 3

5. Somewhere

6. I Saw The Devil

7. Black Swan

8. Inception

9. Animal Kingdom

10. The Town

See ya Monday. Until then, love each other.

My Favorite Films Of The Pandemic Year 2020

The past twelve months has afforded me a monumental amount of time for self reflection — and free time. I turned forty one years old this past year and up until the end of February, I lived my entire life in New York. The start of the year saw my wife and I sell our home, pack up and drive across three fourths of this country to El Paso, Texas. The Elp is where my wife was born and where a majority of her side of the family still resides. It was time. I had become disillusioned with life in the North East. It wears on you and slowly sucks you down into the muck with the rest of the emotional terrorists taking up residence in the dirt. I gave up a good paying job (one I no longer enjoyed doing) and we came with ideas to maybe start some sort of business ourselves. I was also determined to give my writing a serious shot once more. The idea of writing for a hokey list making website again didn’t interest me so I restarted this blog — what you’re reading right now. Maybe we’d do a podcast, maybe I’d take another stab at fixing my novel which, by the way, was how I lost that hokey side gig writing for that list making website in the first place. Long story short, 2020 had other plans for us. The pandemic set us all back, washed up on a shore of circumstance and feeling like we were somehow still at sea.

There were a few positive developments during this trying time. For one, I’ve been able to spend nearly every single day with two of my nieces after taking on the responsibility of aiding them in their online schooling. I also completed two short stories and my novel is in the final polishing phase before ultimate completion. I worked hard and I’m proud. I also raised ten puppies from literal birth this past fall and found homes for nine of them before keeping one for myself. I love all of my pets, the ones still with me and the ones I’ll never forget but I love my new baby girl more than I’ve ever loved an animal before and I think it has a lot to do with raising her since the actual day of her birth. These are the things I must focus on to keep charging ahead into an uncertain future. Film helps. It’s always helped better than most. Films, books, games, etc. these are the things that have always helped to keep me sane, unwind and reflect, and on many occasions, inspire me to do more myself.

When I was in college, I had no clue what I wanted my future to hold. I was stuck. Music was a passion and I thought production may be the way. Yeah, a music producer sounded pretty good. I also loved film and thought that perhaps film school would be the way. I was accepted at NYU but got scared by the tuition bill I’d be responsible for. I decided to begin at community college in a music curriculum and then transfer, either to a dedicated music school or perhaps finally to NYU. I crashed out. Took money in front of me and decided to live my life in the here and now. Hell, this path led me to my wife which completed my transformation into an actual human being. I don’t know how much of a decent person I’d be had I never met her and maybe I’m still not even that decent of a person but I do know this: I’d be no less than 50% more of a shitty person had we never met.

So why am I telling you all of this? Because films are stories. Films can transport us anywhere throughout time and space and make us feel connected to something bigger. Because I never stopped loving film and attempting to understand filmmakers and their wants and desires. Because I’ve never stopped trying to understand my own. Another blessing fo 2020 was the free time afforded to pursue these delights. The funny thing is, it still wasn’t enough time to do and see and read and experience it all. Theaters being closed meant that I couldn’t get to a screening of films I really wanted to see like: Nomadland or Minari. I also ran out of time (for the purpose of this post being anywhere near relevant) to see Steve McQueen’s Small Axe series on Amazon. Still, I did get to see a lot and I my feelings for many of these films are so similar, I decided to make my year end list a top twenty five — this way I could share a few words for each of them.

With that behind us, and eight hundred words under the belt, I present you with my favorite twenty five films of the pandemic year 2020:

1. POSSESSOR – Brandon Cronenberg crafted the pinnacle of 2020 cinema for me. I’ve already watched this film three times. Andrea Riseborough plays an assassin who mind controls other people to kill her targets for her. Christopher Abbott stars as her latest victim when everything goes wrong. Trust me, you’ve probably never seen a film quite like this one.

2. PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN – Carey Mulligan should definitely be preparing an Oscars speech for her performance as a revenge fueled woman aiming to make predatory men fear their ways. This film flat out knocked my socks off. I didn’t want it to end.

3. DA 5 BLOODS – I love Spike Lee to death. He’s never lost his adventurous spirit as a filmmaker. This is his best film in over a decade and his cast is nothing short of brilliant. Delroy Lindo is finally getting some justified reverence for his talent while Jonathan Majors, as his son, is in the midst of becoming a movie star. You add in Wire alums like Isiah Whitlock and Clarke Peters (who’s nearly Lindo’s equal in this) and yeah, something special. Chadwick Boseman is great here too in one of his final roles.

4. SHIRLEY – Elisabeth Moss is ridiculously talented. Two completely different roles in 2020 with this one and the Invisible Man and she knocks both of them out of the park. Her range is immeasurable. Here she plays writer Shirley Jackson in the midst of a potential mental breakdown. The film plays like a river cutting through rocky terrain. You’re never quite sure what’s real and what’s imagined or even what will happen next. Great stuff.

5. UNCLE FRANK – I love Paul Bettany and Sophia Lillis is a star in the making. The rest of the cast is also superb in this drama about family secrets which can breed hate and the forbidden love they don’t understand. “You’re my big brother, Frank.” Tears.

6. TESLA – This film is fucking nuts. Featuring two acting treasures in Ethan Hawke and Kyle MacLachlan as Tesla and Edison during their electricity war. Note to Hollywood: This is how you do a biopic!

7. THE VAST OF NIGHT – Andrew Patterson is one to keep an eye on. Watching this film reminded me of a young Spielberg and I don’t throw that around lightly. There’s a tracking shot in the middle of this baby that is equally breathtaking in it’s ability to capture the vibe of a small town and mind boggling in how it could have possibly been accomplished. Please watch this film, it is soooooooooooo good.

8. MANK – Fincher is the man and this was a career long passion project for him. Gary Oldman is (no surprise) phenomenal as the titular Citizen Kane writer and the dialog flies at you fast and furious. Awesome flick about the writing of an awesome flick.

9. SWALLOW – This film crept up on me. I wasn’t too sure about it throughout it’s first half but it’s one that sneaks into your brain and takes up residence. I knew I liked the film by the time the credits rolled but it was in the days after, where it still occupied my thoughts, that I realized I loved the film. Terrific lead performance in this one.

10. THE PAINTER AND THE THIEF – I’ve already specifically written about this film right here on this blog. An incredible doc about the human spirit and the capacity for forgiveness.

11. SOUL – It’s Pixar you fools! This one made me cry. (Not a shocker to those who know me)

12. I’M THINKING OF ENDING THINGS – Charlie Kaufman is my kind of madman. This film explores grief and regret like few films you’ve ever seen. Jessie Buckley is great but Jesse Plemmons is just the best god damn actor who doesn’t get enough recognition for his work. Seriously, Plemmons is almost always the best part of any movie he’s in.

13. TENET – I love Nolan. He makes big dumb action movies that actually have a working brain. Tenet is one that’s all about technique and the crafting of a film and less about story or character. Not my favorite Nolan but still a really fun movie. Also, I don’t know why people found the story so hard to decipher. It’s not that complicated.

14. ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI – Regina King shows great command over her actors and it’s a necessary skill because this film relies solely on that particular skill. Overall, feels more like a stage production than a film but it’s still very good. The actors playing Malcolm X and Jim Brown are the standouts.

15. BLACK BEAR – This is a film about a break up caused by infidelity. This is a film about making a film about a break up caused by infidelity. This film is crazy in how it manages to worm itself into your brain. Aubrey Plaza is incredible and Christopher Abbott is becoming one of my new favorite people to see on screen.

16. SOUND OF METAL – Speaking of people I love to see on screen, Riz Ahmed is extraordinary as a drummer in a hardcore band who is going deaf. Music is his life and he must learn to readjust and accept his fate. Olivia Cooke is great as his band mate/girlfriend and Mathieu Amalric shows up as Cooke’s father in a few poignant scenes. Also, Paul Raci as Ahmed’s deaf mentor is amazing. This is a well crafted, tight film.

17. PALM SPRINGS – Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti play two people stuck in a time loop at a wedding they don’t wish to be at. Add in a maniacal JK Simmons as someone else stuck in the same loop and you’re bound to have some diabolical fun. This was a breath of fresh year in 2020.

18. ON THE ROCKS – Right now in my life, after David Lynch, Sofia Coppola is my favorite filmmaker. I love the way she writes and I also love how she captures the essence of emotion on screen. Here, she teams back up with Bill Murray (the g.o.a.t) for a little madcap family mayhem about a father and his daughter attempting to catch a suspected cheater. Coppola shoots the living shit out of New York City, to the point where I swear I could smell it through my screen.

19. THE WOLF OF SNOW HOLLOW – A horror film. A creature film. A crime film. A family film. Snow Hollow is a superbly written “horror” film that eschews convention at nearly every turn. It also features the late Robert Forster in what I believe is his final screen role. Oh yeah, it also has a scene involving a kitchen oven that made me laugh harder than any other scene in a movie this past year.

20. MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM – A new August Wilson adaptation and this is another good one. Though, these films sometimes come across a bit pedestrian as stage to screen adaptations, this one is still worth your time. Chadwick Boseman gives the performance of his career in this.

21. HAPPIEST SEASON – Kristen Stewart is usually great and 2020 was another stellar year for her with this film and the horror film Underwater releasing earlier on. Mackenzie Davis deserves to be in everything and the same goes for Dan Levy. This one is a holiday themed rom-com with some real bite to it. Smart writing and clean direction help deliver a film worth revisiting year after year.

22. HOST – Perfectly captured life in lock down while delivering real terrifying results in under one hour. Scary as hell right to the last moment.

23. #ALIVE – Word is that this was filmed during the pandemic and it makes glorious use of the pandemic as a backdrop (and as sort of character itself). I’m a sucker for a zombie flick and this is one of the best in recent memory.

24. TIME TO HUNT – A film about a group of friends, struggling to make ends meet, executing a dangerous heist of a casino and the fallout as a result. And what a fallout it is. In the wake of their brazenness, they are hunted by a killer who will stop at nothing to punish them. As the film goes on, the killer reveals himself to be after more than just the completion of a job. The film drags on too long, had it been about thirty minutes shorter, this probably would’ve been in my top ten but it’s still really, really good.

25. I’M YOUR WOMAN – Have you ever seen a crime story where the main character’s wife is used as nothing more than a prop? Did it annoy you? This is your movie. A fresh take on the typical male dominated genre, I’m Your Woman follows the wife of a thief and killer as she fights to figure out who her husband actually was while fighting off the people he supposedly ripped off. Rachel Brosnahan is very good and the film is never not interesting.

And there you have it, folks. I’m off to hopefully finish the polish. Who knows what next Monday holds? I certainly don’t. I’ll be back on Friday with a 2010 film retrospective. Until then, love each other.