1st: Solo: A Star Wars Story – Ron Howard (2018)
Watched at home. A really disappointing movie. It’s pretty lifeless and often boring. The most interesting characters are the ones we don’t know. Both Han and Lando feel like unsteady caricatures. The most annoying part of the movie were all the fan service elements. It felt like this film was compelled to explain every single aspect we know of Han Solo’s life.
Grade: C-
Solo A Star Wars Story – Ron Howard (2018)
3rd: Heat – Michael Mann (1995)
Watched at home. Holy shit. What an insane, incredible movie. I truly think that this is what so much of The Departed and The Dark Knight are trying to do. De Niro and Pacino are so good. The whole movie holds up because you’re simultaneously rooting for both of them even though they’re set up against each other. On top of that, the action scenes are phenomenal. The opening brinks heist and the bank robbery especially. I can’t wait to watch this movie again.
Grade: A
Heat – Michael Mann (1995)
5th: High Flying Bird – Steven Soderbergh (2019)
Watched at Gioia’s. It’s a bit of a slow burn at the beginning but really unfolds in a cool way. The themes running throughout the film become super relevant at the twist and resolution of the film. There are parts where I wish the film had been tightened up a bit, but I also think some of its DIY components really work.
Grade: B / B+
High Flying Bird – Steven Soderbergh (2019)
7th: Chinatown – Roman Polanski (1974)
Watched at home. I had wanted to watch it for a while. I had always heard it’s a perfect script. Until it started, I didn’t connect that it’s a Polanski film. I watched anyway. Not sure how I feel about that. I probably could have skipped it. It is a great mystery/detective story. I love the idea of a big corporate conspiracy. The plants and payoffs are done perfectly. It also has plenty of aspects that have aged super poorly.
Chinatown – Roman Polanski (1974)
8th: The Graduate – Mike Nichols (1967)
Watched at Gioia’s. It’s so much stranger than I could have imagined. I think it’s hard to really assess any of it until the ending when everything becomes surreal and out of control. Otherwise, you’d get hung up on how unrealistic so much of the movie is. I also think “Scarborough Fair” is a pretty weak Simon & Garfunkel tune. I would have leaned into their other hits more.
Grade: B+ / A-
The Graduate – Mike Nichols (1967)
9th: Reality Bites – Ben Stiller (1994)
Watched at home. A fascinating movie to watch now. I think it captures a lot of “Gen X” issues pretty well. The set up between personal and artistic integrity vs. selling out is done nicely. I think the movie struggles in trying to set up Ethan Hawke as the guy Winona Ryder is supposed to choose. He feels like a an outdated version of the difficult genius type. He’s just way too mean to feel good about.
Grade: B-
Reality Bites – Ben Stiller (1994)
10th: Don’t Worry He Won’t Get Far on Foot – Gus Van Sant (2018)
Watched at home with Gioia. I found it to be charming and ultimately pretty moving. All the performances are fantastic, especially Jonah Hill’s. I was wary of the multiple timeline structures at first but found that it really settled into a nice narrative. Plus, all of the callbacks and flash forwards at the end really paid off. One of the things that I thought elevated the movie is that many of the side plots and scenes were really funny. Jack Black’s character, for instance, is incredibly funny, even though his story arc eventually leads to the emotional low point of the movie.
Grade: A-
Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot – Gus Van Sant (2018)
13th Clueless – Amy Heckerling (1995)
Watched at Gioia’s. I really liked it! At first, it seemed like it could be a parody in the vein of Heathers. But what I liked, was that it kept subverting my expectations. Cher is such a good character. She’s ditzy and aloof, but also smart and selfless. I was also amazed at how every bit of 90s pop culture held up when watching in 2019. It’s a really smart movie.
Grade: B+
Clueless – Amy Heckerling (1995)
16th: Before Sunset – Richard Linklater (2004)
Watched at home with Gioia. It’s just the best. I am in awe of the writing. The whole movie hangs on this unspoken tension and yet, the entire film is just talking. You see Jesse’s wedding ring and realize that Céline must see it too. Every time that subject could be approached, he steers the conversation away. Likewise, it’s not until he makes an overt pursuit of her, that she brings it up. The way the two keep extending their visit feels so true to life. Especially, when they’re silent going up the stairs to her apartment. Finally, when the movie ends, you realize the big twist has been happening all along. He was never going to leave her apartment. It’s perfect.
Grade: A
16th: Stop Making Sense – Jonathan Demme (1984)
Watched at home. I couldn’t tell you why this is the perfect concert film, but it really is. I love how the members all come out one by one for each song. The stage movement is so compelling to watch. I even like the shots where you can see people in the audience grooving along. It’s remarkable.
17th: Transit – Christian Petzold (2018)
Watched at the Music Box with Gioia. I loved the rigid structure of the film. There’s a setup, and then these situations keep looping back in on themselves. Every detail of the movie feels so meticulous. Georg starts out not in any urgency to leave, and he ends stuck in Marseille. Likewise, he starts out as an imposter for Heinz and ends as an imposter for the writer. He keeps seeing Marie everywhere, almost as a ghost. Then, when the film ends and you’re left to wonder if she’s dead or not, you realize that the other characters he kept seeing (the conductor and the dog lady) are both dead.
Grade: B+ / A-
Transit – Christian Petzold (2018)
18th: Support the Girls – Andrew Bujalski (2018)
Watched at home. It’s a really tight movie. It truly just focuses on a (not-super-extraordinary) day in the life of Lisa, a manager at a Hooter’s style restaurant. It took a while to pick up speed for me. But I loved that the film turns its focus away from Lisa in the third act as a method to show how important she really is. It feels like vindication for her even though she’s not on screen for it. The movie is well paced out and true to life. I think ultimately, any shortcomings are just with its super small, mundane focus.
Grade: B-
Support the Girls – Andrew Bujalski (2018)
19th: Captain Marvel – Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck (2019)
Watched at the Logan with Ben, Alice, and Maureen. I think they could have made a better movie that accomplished all the same things.
Grade: C
Captain Marvel – Anna Boden Ryan Fleck (2019)
21st: The Fabulous Baker Boys – Steve Kloves (1989)
Watched at home. It’s a slow burn. The main reason to watch is the acting. I thought all three main cast members were excellent. It’s a fine movie, that I think technically, is pretty great. I just don’t know if the story is really that exceptional or moving to me.
Grade: C+ / B-
The Fabulous Baker Boys – Steve Kloves (1989)
26th: Good Time – The Safdie Brothers (2017)
Watched at Gioia’s for my birthday. It’s still amazing. Even minor details help set up the whole film. For instance, Robert Pattinson says at the beginning of the film that he used to be a dog in a past life, and then for the rest of the movie dogs respond positively to him, crucially at the guard’s apartment. It’s really a movie where every decision that’s made has a consequence and it drives the movie forward. I think it’s one of the best movies of the past few years.
Grade: A
29th: Us – Jordan Peele (2019)
Watched at the Logan. It was a really fun movie to see. The theater was packed and the reactions were loud. I’ve seen a lot of criticism that aspects of the film don’t completely work. While I understand that, I really disagree with the critique. If you accept that there’s a shadow world, I think most things in the film are well established. For instance, the twist at the end that Red and Adelaide switch is the explanation for how this uprising was finally able to take place. It’s not perfect, but I loved watching this movie, and I’ve really enjoyed reading and thinking about it since.
Grade: A-
Us – Jordan Peele (2019)
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