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It’s Miller Time

Barack Obama and Anthony Bourdain, Hanoi, 2016

For the Hungry Boy - The Best Movies of 2017

I really outdid myself this time. In 2017 I watched a total of 357 movies, including 123 new releases. It’s pretty obvious it’s my favorite thing to do. I could get all philosophical about it and come up with some sort of overarching theme of the year, but really I just wanted to watch a bunch of movies, so I did. I tackled a bunch of projects like watching every Shane Black movie, every movie produced or directed by Warren Beatty, or just catching up on the movies featured on some podcasts I love. I started a movie podcast with my friend Joanne and we’ll be getting back into it soon. The movies are so central to my life and I’m continually surprised, entertained, and transported each time I sit in the theater or press play on my remote.

Here are the 20 I liked the most:

Honorable Mention: Mudbound, Get Out, Okja, LA 92, The Florida Project.

20. The Square by Ruben Östlund

- If you place an object in a museum, for instance, if we took your bag, and placed it here, would that make it art?

-- Ah…. Okay.

19. The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) by Noah Baumbach

- I didn’t expect you to get so upset about it.

-- I am! I am upset about it.

--- Why do you care?

-- I don’t know.

18. The Shape of Water by Guillermo del Toro

If I spoke about it - if I did - what would I tell you? I wonder. Would I tell you about the time? It happened a long time ago, it seems. In the last days of a fair prince's reign. Or would I tell you about the place? A small city near the coast, but far from everything else. Or, I don't know... Would I tell you about her? The princess without voice. Or perhaps I would just warn you, about the truth of these facts. And the tale of love and loss. And the monster, who tried to destroy it all.

17. It Comes at Night by Trey Edward Shults

I'm just going to turn through a few things. When we go out during the day we like to stick to groups of two, just for safety. The red door, it's the only way in and out of the house. That stays closed and locked all the time. I have the keys, this is the only set. The most important thing, we never go out at night. Got it?

16. The Killing of a Sacred Deer by Yorgos Lanthimos

Our two children are dying in the other room, but yes, I can make you mashed potatoes tomorrow.

15. Good Time by Benny Safdie and Josh Safdie

Are you feeling this? are you feeling as good as I'm feeling right now?

14. Five Came Back by Laurent Bouzereau

13. Call Me By Your Name by Luca Guadagnino

We rip out so much of ourselves to be cured of things faster than we should that we go bankrupt by the age of thirty and have less to offer each time we start with someone new. But to feel nothing so as not to feel anything - what a waste!

12. Wonder Woman by Patty Jenkins

- We can’t save everyone in this war. This is not what we came here to do.

-- No. But it's what I'm going to do.

11. The Post by Steven Spielberg

He says we can't, I say we can. There, you're caught up.

10. Columbus by Kogonada

9. Lady Macbeth by William Oldroyd

8. Phantom Thread by Paul Thomas Anderson

Kiss me, my girl, before I’m sick.

7. A Ghost Story by David Lowery

- I’m waiting for someone.

-- Who?

- I don’t remember

6. The Big Sick by Michael Showalter

What's my stance on 9/11? Oh um, anti. It was a tragedy, I mean we lost 19 of our best guys.

5. Lady Bird by Greta Gerwig

Don't you think maybe they are the same thing? Love and attention?

4. Blade Runner 2049 by Denis Villeneuve

All the best memories are hers.

3. Dunkirk by Christopher Nolan

- Careful! Careful down there!

-- He’s dead, mate.

- So be bloody careful with him.

2. mother! by Darren Aronofsky

- You won't hurt much longer.

-- What hurts me the most is that I wasn't enough.

- It's not your fault. Nothing is ever enough. I couldn't create if it was. And I have to. That's what I do. That's... what I am. Now I must try it all again.

-- No... just let me go.

- I need one last thing.

-- I have nothing left to give.

- Your love. Still there, isn't it?

-- Go ahead... take it.

And the best movie of 2017 is....

1. Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi by Rian Johnson

It’s time to let old things die.

Surprise! A space movie is back at the top of the list! Potentially the best Star Wars movie, don’t @ me.

Individual Awards:

Best Director: Christopher Nolan, Dunkirk

Best Actor: Robert Pattinson, Good Time

Best Actress: Saoirse Ronan, Lady Bird

Best Supporting Actor: Bob Odenkirk, The Post

Best Supporting Actress: Holly Hunter, The Big Sick

The worst movies of the year were: Transformers: The Last Knight, Lemon, Catfight, I Am Michael, Baywatch.

2018 is already off to a great start with Paddington 2, which I seriously considered including here at number 6 since it was a 2017 UK release that hit here really close to the new year. But gotta save some marmalade-y goodness for next year’s post. See y’all at the movies. Don’t fucking talk or text when I do, tho.

morefunthanb4

Why Did You Let Me Film This? - The Best Movies of 2016

My traditional cinematic year has come to an end with the impending Oscars and my feeling like I’ve gotten to see most of the movies I wanted to see before calling it. In 2016 I saw 121 US releases, which is one more than last year (go me!). In the calendar year of 2016 I watched 300 movies (holy shit, get a life). I liked a lot of what I saw a whole lot but there was a smaller number than usual that I’d say I outright loved. So I’m going with a top 20 this year rather than the 25 I’ve done in recent years. There’s still some honorable mentions and there’s a few (The Lobster, Silence, Moonlight, etc.) that were so challenging and intriguing and yet very distancing that I intend to revisit and re-evaluate. Anyway, enough rambling, here are my top twenty films of 2016:

Honorable Mention: The Conjuring 2, The Edge of Seventeen, Moonlight, Silence, Weiner, The Witch.

20. 10 Cloverfield Lane by Dan Trachtenberg

Don't leave me! You don't know what's out there!

Such a tense and gripping thriller with excellent, awards-worthy performances from John Goodman and Mary Elizabeth Winstead. Masterfully paced and presented, there’s a real sense of doubt and dread throughout that’s so rewarding.

19. The Nice Guys by Shane Black

-You guys want to see my dick?

--No, kid, we don’t want to see your dick.

Here’s the performance that should get Ryan Gosling an Oscar. This movie’s so funny and entertaining and stupid and it’s great.

18. The Last Man on the Moon by Mark Craig

I often tell young kids and particularly my grandkids, don't ever count yourself out. You'll never know how good you are unless you try. Dream the impossible and go out and make it happen. I walked on the moon. What can't you do?

Touching and inspiring and beautiful biography of Gene Cernan, the titular last man on the moon. He’s such a magnificent character and the movie does so much to bring his personality and story to life. As a documentarian I know how difficult it is to get into a person’s head and bridge the gap between the past and the present and Craig has done it with great skill and heart here.

17. Krisha by Trey Edward Shults

Shults delivers a ferocious debut with a strongly cultivated sense of horrific family drama matched with wonderfully naturalistic performances. Def a weird movie to have your real family star in.

16. Rogue One by Gareth Edwards

Be careful not to choke on your aspirations, Director.

It’s so thrilling to get to spend time in this galaxy for another couple of hours and Edwards brings us into the grime and sacrifice of those Wars we hear so much about. Such a fun damn movie.

15. Our Little Sister by Hirokazu Koreeda

-I want you to stay forever.

--I want to stay forever.

There’s a lot of movies on this list about how nasty people can be to each other. Here’s a movie about how sweet and loving we can be.

14. Kubo and the Two Strings by Travis Knight

If you must blink, do it now.

The technical and narrative skill is off the charts here. Such a visual and emotional feast.

13. Manchester By the Sea by Kenneth Lonergan

I can't beat it. I can't beat it. I'm sorry.

Brutal, funny, crushing, human. Lonergan’s the best.

12. Sing Street by John Carney

Do you see that guitar? I used to be able to play that guitar well. I used to ride hot girls. I could run 200 meters faster than anybody in my school. You're the youngest. You get to follow the path that I macheted through the jungle that is our mad family. I was alone with them for six years. You think they're crazy now? Think about what they were like when they were in their late 20's. Two Catholics in a rented flat with a screaming baby who just got married because they wanted to have sex. They didn't even love each other. I was in the middle of that, alone! And then you came along, thank God! And you followed the path that I cut for us. Untouched. You just moved in my jet stream. And people laugh at me, Conor. The stoner, the college dropout. And they praise you, which is fine! But once, I was a fucking jet engine!

11. Everybody Wants Some!! by Richard Linklater

We came for a good time, not for a long time.

10. Arrival by Denis Villeneuve

Despite knowing the journey and where it leads... I embrace it. And I welcome every moment of it.

Villeneuve continues to impress as a visual stylist and here he plays with film language and emotional truths in a way that tugs at every heartstring. Amy Adams is brilliant and the journey her character takes is heartrending and awe-inspiring.

9. Jackie by Pablo Larraín

God, in his infinite wisdom, has made sure it is just enough for us.

Dreamlike. Ethereal. Powerful.

8. Hunt For the Wilderpeople by Taika Waitit

Me and this fat kid / We ran we ate and read books / And it was the best.

This movie is amazing on every level. Classic entertainment in the best sense of the word.

7. Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping by Akiva Shaffer and Jorma Taccone

Ever since I was born, I was dope.

Funny in such incalculable ways. It’s undeniable.

6. Fences by Denzel Washington

Washington and Viola Davis keep it 1000 in this. Just on fire. These performances are titanic. And Washington’s direction brings a rhythm and beauty to stagey material, using the few locations to drill down into the claustrophobia of the drama with such power and humanity.

5. Nocturnal Animals by Tom Ford

When you love someone you have to be careful with it, you might never get it again.

Holy fuck, what a nasty, ugly movie with a black pulpy heart surrounded by expansive truths about dealing with love, loss, trauma, and pain. Big, bold performances from Michael Shannon to Jake Gyllenhaal to Aaron Taylor-Johnson (shit, that’s a scary dude) to Amy Adams who’s unfairly been dismissed as just reading a book the whole movie. Just flames across the screen from every angle.

4. American Honey by Andrea Arnold

-Got anybody who's gonna miss you?

--Not really.

-OK good. You're hired.

A melancholy, bittersweet road trip across America’s volatile understanding of class, race, youth, and gender. Sasha Lane’s a beacon of hope and fear. Arnold’s one of my favorite filmmakers, for sure. Her movies are so rich and frustrating and gripping and American Honey is all that and more.

3. La La Land by Damien Chazelle

I guess I’ll see you in the movies.

Fuck off, I loved it, I cried, I don’t wanna talk about it.

2. The Handmaiden by Park Chan-Wook

Where I come from, it's illegal to be naive.

This was the biggest and most rewarding and satisfying surprise of the year. Twisty, sexy, hilarious, horrifying, thrilling. Don’t read anything about it. Just watch the damn thing and thank me after.

1. O.J.: Made in America by Ezra Edelman

It’s tough to know what to say about Edelman’s film that hasn’t already been said. It’s a powerful achievement. The most complex film I’ve seen in years. So many threads, so many ideas, so many voices, it’s just so much and it’s just so good.

For those keeping track at home, this is the first time since 2012 that a space movie wasn’t #1 and the first time ever a documentary takes the top spot.

Individual awards:

Best Director: Damien Chazelle, La La Land

Best Actor: Denzel Washington, Fences

Best Actress: Emma Stone, La La Land

Best Supporting Actor: Michael Shannon, Nocturnal Animals

Best Supporting Actress: Viola Davis, Fences

The worst movies of the year were: Gods of Egypt, Suicide Squad, The Legend of Tarzan, Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, and Closet Monster.

Let’s go 2017!

goblinparty

Last night I was talking to my boyfriend, and I couldn’t think of the word ‘library’, so I said ‘book ranch’. He thought it was hilarious and started making up alternative names for ‘librarian’.

“Cowbook! Like cowboy! No…Readcher? Like Rancher? No, fuck this is hard…”

and just now I heard him yell “BOOKAROO” from the other end of the apartment in the most triumphant tone of voice i’ve ever heard

gzv

@babypegasus

keyframedaily

Steven Spielberg, Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas.

Via FilmmakerIQ.

gzv

#SquadGoals

lottereinigerforever

Walter Murch editing “Cold Mountain” at Old Chapel Studios in London, 2003

gzv

I really want to be able to do a standing edit desk one day. Seems like it’d be so much easier to focus.

avvviso

View this post on Instagram

dunmertitty

I don’t know what this is but same

thehoneybeewitch

this is the most relatable thing I’ve seen in 2016 to date

3melting3rainbows3

“cindy no, FUCK”

savemeteion

@asecretinside @princesshollis @tydyedshoelaces

alittlegayjellybean

“what are you dOING YOU’RE NOT IN HIGH SCHOOL”

totaldivasepisodes

This entrance was OVER 9000

kryptonians

@vertigoats @zacksfairest

rcjohnso

Cinematographer Steve Yedlin.

Hard to believe we’re wrapping up week four already, it’s just flying by.

gzv

Not quickly enough! So excited.

Pick Up What You Can and Run - The Best Movies of 2015

Another year in cinema has come and gone and 2015 was strong in every way. Film’s ability to educate, illuminate, and entertain was once again on display with a power that never ceases to amaze me and capture my imagination. In comparison to 2014, 2015 left me with a crowded best-of list that’s hard to whittle down to just 25. It was a dense year and a rewarding adventure. Including shorts, I saw 120 US releases, which is pretty daggone high even for me. Here’s my Top 25, along with a few honorable mentions. I might write a blurb about some of them, probably not most of them.

Honorable Mention: Beasts of No Nation, The Good Dinosaur, Heaven Knows What, Mistress America, The Revenant.

25. Crimson Peak by Guillermo del Toro

It’s not a ghost story. It’s a story with ghosts in it.

A triumph of old fashioned storytelling, majestic production design, assured direction, and just bonkers-good acting (particularly from Jessica Chastain and Tom Hiddleston).

24. Theeb by Naji Abu Nowar

I’m not sure many people saw this, certainly not before its Oscar nomination, but it’s a really powerful film, anchored by a remarkable central performance from a first-time actor. There’s great tension and adventure created in Abu Nowar’s pacing and compositions and the whole thing plays out like a thoroughly engrossing revisionist Lawrence of Arabia.

23. Sicario by Denis Villeneuve

You’re asking me how a watch works. For now, we’ll just keep an eye on the time.

Villeneuve has emerged as a director that will always get my attention, with his fascinating ability to inject pulp stories with a sense of artistry and grandeur. His continued partnership with Roger Deakins, married with Jóhann Jóhannsson’s chilling score and some of the strongest acting you’ll see anywhere from the likes of Emily Blunt, Benicio del Toro, and Josh Brolin make for a film that is thoroughly gripping and shot through with dread.

22. Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation by Christopher McQuarrie

Hunt is the living manifestation of destiny.

Gosh, this movie was just so fun. Tom Cruise and Rebecca Ferguson are so great together. I’m such a sucker for this series and Cruise’s passion for bringing something really cool to the screen in every outing. The opera house sequence is maybe the best scene of the year.

21. The Martian by Ridley Scott

Fuck you, Mars.

The humanity and humor that seeps out of every moment of this movie is so engaging. Every performance is a treat and Scott orchestrates the whole thing with such an assured hand. Though I will quibble with the final rescue. In a post-Gravity world, the zero gravity effects really suffer for their stiffness.

20. Ex Machina by Alex Garland

Isn’t it strange, to create something that hates you?

19. Girlhood by Céline Sciamma

18. Approaching the Elephant by Amanda Wilder

Ohhhh, man. This movie put me through every emotion, from terror, to joy, to hope, to despair. As a document of the first year of a free school and the struggles of the teachers, parents, and students to understand each other and craft a community, Approaching the Elephant pushed me to the edge of my patience and frustrated me, but managed to keep my attention at every moment and eventually win me over. It challenged me in a way that few films have, and while I’m still confident that its subject is the stuff of nightmares and likely not the answer to the problem of education, there’s moments and flashes of incredible emotion and humanity that make for a wholly rewarding experience.

17. Room by Lenny Abrahamson

-You’re gonna love it.

--What?

-The world.

16. Carol by Todd Haynes

What a strange girl you are... Flung out of space.

15. Mustang by Deniz Gamze Ergüven

Mustang is an alternately heartbreaking and life affirming story of sisterhood, oppression, family, and survival that features some unfathomably good performances and talented direction. I dunno when it’s out for home viewing, but jump on it as soon as possible. It’s great.

14. 45 Years by Andrew Haigh

-You really believe you haven’t been enough for me?

--No. I think I was enough for you. I’m just not sure you do.

13. The Look of Silence by Joshua Oppenheimer

Oppenheimer returns to the history of violence he so masterfully captured in The Act of Killing and sheds light on the human cost and historical legacy brought forth by the horror on display in the first chapter. It’s a harrowing film, an incomprehensible accomplishment.

12. The Hateful Eight by Quentin Tarantino

-No one said this job was supposed to be easy.

--Nobody said it was supposed to be that hard, either!

Tarantino’s film is vulgar, violent, offensive, and deeply troubling. So is America. Also, the 70mm experience was a treat.

11. The Second Mother by Anna Muaylaert

It’s a story of class and families and it couldn’t be more layered and rewarding. Regina Casé’s performance is a marvel of naturalism.

10. Steve Jobs by Danny Boyle

They won’t know what they’re looking at or why they like it but they’ll know they want it.

Sorkin’s dialogue crackles (of course) and Boyle’s direction astonishes (duh) and every performance is so, so good. Definitely not the movie I would have expected me to cry the most during this year, but damn, it got me.

9. Spotlight by Tom McCarthy

-If there were ninety of these bastards people would know.

--Maybe they do.

Hard to say more than what’s already been said, but the process of watching these people do their jobs with such skill and passion and purpose and struggle was so thoroughly engrossing.

8. Son of Saul by László Nemes

A marvel of cinematic form and its ability to show us a point of view and a window into trauma. To paraphrase Ebert, it’s an empathy creation machine. The Holocaust is well-worn subject matter, but I’m not sure a film has put us in the shoes of those who suffered the most quite as effectively as Son of Saul.

7. Brooklyn by John Crowley

You'll feel so homesick that you'll want to die, and there's nothing you can do about it apart from endure it. But you will, and it won't kill you... and one day the sun will come out and you'll realize that this is where your life is.

6. Creed by Ryan Coogler

Time takes everybody out. Time’s undefeated.

Just an exemplary movie on every front. It’s so vital and alive and I’m so glad it exists.

5. Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Vinterberg

It is difficult for a woman to define her feelings in a language chiefly made by men to express theirs.

I don’t know why this got so overlooked in the end of the year conversation, whether it was the release date or maybe people are tired of this type of 18th and 19th century English lit adaptations, but there’s a freshness and soul to Vinterberg’s adaptation that is beautiful and rapturous. Carey Mulligan, Mathias Shoenaerts, and Michael Sheen are so strong here and Charlotte Bruus Christiansen’s cinematography is stunningly rich. I know you didn’t see this movie, but you really, really should see it.

4. Mommy by Xavier Dolan

-We still love each other, right?

--That’s what we’re best at, buddy.

This was on last year’s list, but since it was technically a 2015 US release and because it’s so damn good, it’s back again.

3. The Big Short by Adam McKay

“Truth is like poetry. And most people fucking hate poetry.”

McKay’s dissection of the financial crisis plays out with such energy and life and humor that you’re doubly gutted when you stop to think about the despicable evil on display.

2. Mad Max: Fury Road by George Miller

Out here, everything hurts. You wanna get through this? Do as I say. Now pick up what you can and run.

Good lord, what a movie. Miller’s talent is a blessing to us all. It’s a rewarding film on every level, from the immediacy of its action, to the depth of its storytelling and production design, to the technical achievement and inventiveness, to its political soul. Rarely have I had the urge to leap to my feet and cheer at the end of a movie but I feel it every time I watch Fury Road.

1. Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens by JJ Abrams

-We’ll figure it out. We’ll use the Force.

--That’s not how the Force works!

Turns out all you have to do to make it to the top of my list is set your movie in space. It’s hard to fully express the joy I felt throughout The Force Awakens. I know many of you felt the same way. Just the crawl brought tears to my eyes. Sure, the nostalgia factor is there, but Abrams and everyone involved built a movie that feels fresh and energetic and funny and emotional in all the best ways. I love all the new characters and it was beyond wonderful to see all the familiar faces again. I was lucky enough to see this at a true IMAX theater, which always feels like visiting a cathedral of the church of cinema. The Force Awakens was the best sermon I could have hoped for.

So there’s the list!

Individual awards:

Best Director: George Miller - Mad Max: Fury Road

Best Actor: Michael Fassbender - Steve Jobs

Best Actress: Regina Casé - The Second Mother

Best Supporting Actor - Harrison Ford - Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens

Best Supporting Actress - Jessica Chastain - Crimson Peak

The worse movies of the year (and boy were they terrible) were: Vacation, Joy, Maps to the Stars, San Andreas, and Lava.

Bring it on, 2016. You’ve got a lot to live up to.