2024 Movie Log: February

2nd: Saltburn – Emerald Fennel (2023)
In the twist nobody saw coming, I’m totally behind this movie. Had a blast and have since listened to “Murder on the Dancefloor” approx. 200 times.
Grade: B+

3rd & 4th: Berlin Alexanderplatz – Rainer Werner Fassbinder (1980)
See February’s Featured Review!
Grade: A

13th: The Godfather: Part III – Francis Ford Coppola (1990)
I had gone into this thinking I might be pleasantly surprised based on the film’s poor reputation. Instead, I had the opposite reaction. The film’s certainly not a disaster by any means but I’m finding that nothing really works for me across the entire film.
Grade: C-

13th: Sunset Boulevard – Billy Wilder (1950)
Love a movie about the movies. This is seriously so good, I’m ashamed it had been stuck on my watchlist for so long. The Gloria Swanson performance is an all-timer.
Grade: A-

13th: Some Like it Hot – Billy Wilder (1959)
This movie is 65 years old and is as funny as anything that’s come out in that time. One of my favorite watches ever.
Grade: A

14th: Erin Brockovich – Steven Soderbergh (2000)
A really successful and largely (by Soderbergh’s standards at least) traditional movie. Not breaking any news here, but Julia Roberts is really incredible. I love her being the lone star/main character and Soderbergh setting up a film to take advantage of that. Just really efficient storytelling.
Grade: B+

14th: The Night of the Hunter – Charles Laughton (1955)
Goddamn. There are shots in here that are as good as anything you’ll ever see in a movie. I wonder how many villains since this film have drawn something from Mitchum’s portrayal here. Just absolutely magnetic and terrifying at the same time.
Grade: B+

14th: Double Indemnity – Billy Wilder (1944)
Getting to the point where I’m just going to have to watch all of Billy Wilder’s films over the next month. He’s so masterful in creating, playing, and paying off suspense in his movies. I do have a note for Walter Neff which is that if you are trying to make it to Mexico before you bleed out, I would maybe wait on making your long-winded confession till you get there. Just a thought!
Grade: A-

14th: Chungking Express – Wong Kar Wai (1994)
Watched this circa 2017 when I was a newbie to world and art cinema. At the time I was confused, in awe, and even a bit frustrated by something that was so totally unique and uncompromising in its identity. Since then I’ve watched a lot more movies and really the only thing that’s changed in my reaction to rewatching Chungking is a total absence of frustration. I think as you see more movies, you learn to be comfortable not knowing what everything means or how it works as well as to appreciate the films that are so totally different from everything else.
Grade: A

15th: Dune – Denis Villeneuve (2021)
The first two hours of this movie are perfect and as good as any fantasy/sci-fi film ever. Think that momentum wanes a bit in the final 30 minutes, but nonetheless, a marvelous adaption of a novel I don’t even like.
Grade: A-

16th: Four Falls of Buffalo – Ken Rodgers (2015)
This really isn’t a very interesting or insightful documentary given the subject matter. Kind of surprised in fact that this isn’t better.
Grade: C-

16th: The Apartment – Billy Wilder (1960)
A perfect film. In awe of how Billy Wilder and Jack Lemmon thread the needle between comedy and drama. And of course, Shirley MacLaine is so captivating in her role. An absolute masterpiece.
Grade: A

16th: The Holdovers – Alexander Payne (2023)
Far and away the best thing Alexander Payne has done. A couple spots where maybe you can bump against the story being a bit traditional, but all in all, just a tremendously written, cast, and executed story. Maybe my favorite of 2023?
Grade: A-

19th: Sherlock, Jr. – Buster Keaton (1924)
I spent this entire movie trying to figure out how Keaton pulled off these scenes and for the most part I have no answers. 100 years old and really holds up.
Grade: B+

22nd: Imitation of Life – Douglas Sirk (1959)
There is a lot going on in this movie from a plot and production standpoint that I am in no way qualified to discuss (though would love to read more). If one can assume the film acts in good faith and any questionable decisions come from the time in which it was made (which I think this is the case), this is a tremendous film and maybe the finest melodrama I’ve seen. I think what I admire most about the film is how it balances these grandiose moments with huge production value (the broadway shows, the costumes, the funeral) while still feeling as earnest and devastating as an intimate character study.
Grade: A

25th: Once Upon a Time in the West – Sergio Leone (1968)
My only regret is not seeing this sooner or in a theater. Please Music Box, add this to your Morricone retrospective! There’s so much to admire from a production standpoint that I could spend my entire review on that alone. The scale, size, and ambition of it is amazing. A true, “this is why we love movies” movie. Also really rewarding to watch after seeing these shots and music cues replicated in a million homages and parodies. But if I had to close with one thought it’s that I think the pacing and plot of this movie is really ambitious and masterfully done. Maybe the best thing the film does is trust its audience to stay engaged and wait for the payoffs to all these questions that aren’t clear at first.
Grade: A

29th: Dune: Part Two – Denis Villeneuve (2024)
I was very tired and this movie is long and I was way too close to the screen and still, I’m totally blown away. I think this is best big budget Sci-Fi/Fantasy project since Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings. Like those films, the scope, ambition, and execution of this film is awe-inspiring and totally unique. There is so much here that I’ve never seen before and can’t even fathom how it was made. I’m really not trying to be hyperbolic but it’s just rare I am this excited by a contemporary film. Last time was probably Parasite. I truly believe when the next wave of “Greatest films” polls and lists come out this will and should be on it. And for anybody reading this that’s like “yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever, Sam, what a rube,” I do not even fucking like Dune as a book so take that!
Grade: A