A Month in Film: May 2025Strange Days (1995)
It's super quirky, and maybe a bit corny, but with that it's bringing something to cyberpunk I really haven't seen before. It feels so far removed from every other role Ralph Fiennes has played. Not to belittle Kathryn Bigelow's involvement, but I really wish this is the kind of thing James Cameron would have stuck with throughout his career. Instead we got Titanic, which I love, but then decades of Avatar purgatory.
Watched on the Criterion Channel. "Three by Kathryn Bigelow" collection, out this month. It's totally begging for a 4K release.
Watched on the Criterion Channel. "Three by Kathryn Bigelow" collection, out this month. It's totally begging for a 4K release.
The Lady from Shanghai (1947)
Those last ten minutes... oh my goodness! That's why we love movies! I mean the whole thing is super tight, but it really started levitating at the end. Echoing A Matter of Life and Death in its dreaminess, but somehow still grounded in the grit that gives it the noir label.
Watched on the Criterion Channel. Double featured with Key Largo to kick off the Coastal Thrillers collection on the channel this month. There's a 4K out for this one... I had it in my basket at Amoeba SF last year but put it back on the shelf. Definitely won't make that mistake again.
Watched on the Criterion Channel. Double featured with Key Largo to kick off the Coastal Thrillers collection on the channel this month. There's a 4K out for this one... I had it in my basket at Amoeba SF last year but put it back on the shelf. Definitely won't make that mistake again.
Key Largo (1948)
A cooped up hang-out movie with Bogey and Bacall... sign me up! Like a tropical The Shining, everything is melting in the sticky Florida heat, with nowhere to run... a perfect recipe for a noir pressure cooker.
Watched on the Criterion Channel. Double featured with The Lady from Shanghai to kick off the Coastal Thrillers collection on the channel this month.
Watched on the Criterion Channel. Double featured with The Lady from Shanghai to kick off the Coastal Thrillers collection on the channel this month.
Wild Things (1998)
I knew this was gonna be unhinged when it kicked things off with a dramatic pan to Matt Dillon jockeying a hovercraft through a sticky Florida swamp, gators and all. While I wish the gators played a bigger role in the rest of the film, the sheer ridiculousness of it all and the sudden plot twists had me rolling. The kind of movie where you're grateful that everyone involved somehow all converged at the right time to produce this beautiful piece of camp.
Watched on the Criterion Channel, continuing with the Coastal Thrillers collection this month. Absolutely loving what the channel curated here with this collection.
Watched on the Criterion Channel, continuing with the Coastal Thrillers collection this month. Absolutely loving what the channel curated here with this collection.
The Beach (2000)
I would not have lasted a day with these cats. Total nightmare. Been there, done that, as far as hostels and backpacking goes... I fear I'm growing out of it, and my second hand stress from watching this only deepens that feeling. That's not even what the movie was getting at, but it was a total hodgepodge of Y2K weirdness. Leo going full Lord of the Flies mode, rendered as a video game character, was the moment it officially lost me.
Watched on the Criterion Channel. Coastal Thrillers collection.
Watched on the Criterion Channel. Coastal Thrillers collection.
The Ghost Writer (2010)
Enjoyable, but it lacks the punch or urgency that gives many political thrillers their potency. Ewan McGregor was great, as always, as was Olivia Williams. It has nothing to do with the film itself, but I was amused early on when the bartender at the hotel flipped the channel to a hockey game. Hearing Jim Hughson call a Canucks and Blues game on what was obviously a Sportsnet feed, with the film set in Massachusetts, made no sense but I love it anyways!
Watched on the Criterion Channel; Coastal Thrillers collection. Fits like a glove alongside all the other coastal thrillers I've watched on the channel so far.
Watched on the Criterion Channel; Coastal Thrillers collection. Fits like a glove alongside all the other coastal thrillers I've watched on the channel so far.
Blue Steel (1990)
It has all the style and mannerisms that makes action thrillers from the era so cool, but there were so many "no no no don't do that!!" moments, narratively speaking, that took me out of it. The subject matter is captivating, without a doubt, examining use of police force while also highlighting gender roles in the field, but the execution is just too awkward.
Watched on the Criterion Channel, part of their Kathryn Bigelow feature this month.
Watched on the Criterion Channel, part of their Kathryn Bigelow feature this month.
Copycat (1995)
The 90s are full of tight and well cast thrillers. This is no exception! Though it does suffer from being so easily compared to its bay area companion in Zodiac, which does everything just a little bit better. Sigourney Weaver's condo in this is just fantastic.
Watched on the Criterion Channel. Coastal thrillers series.
Watched on the Criterion Channel. Coastal thrillers series.
Anatomy of a Murder (1959)
Courtroom dramas are a tried and true sub-genre and this one is about as timeless as they get. No surprise that this one is working off of an airtight screenplay, as that's really the foundation of any worthwhile legal drama. Love the moral ambiguity here, as well as the focus on the trial itself, i.e. the act of building a case out of all the facts.
Watched on 4K blu-ray, from the Columbia Classics Volume 2 collection. Black and white films like this one look fantastic on 4K when done right. I'd put this right up there with The Apartment, The Night of the Hunter, and Double Indemnity, among others.
Watched on 4K blu-ray, from the Columbia Classics Volume 2 collection. Black and white films like this one look fantastic on 4K when done right. I'd put this right up there with The Apartment, The Night of the Hunter, and Double Indemnity, among others.
As Good as It Gets (1997)
I'm not going to get baited into feeling some type of way about this one. It really hasn't aged well -- specifically the relationship between Hunt and Nicholson's characters, and playing up OCD as a joke. Yucky 90s Oscar bait.
Watched on 4K blu-ray. Unfortunate inclusion in the Columbia Classics Volume 3 box set.
Watched on 4K blu-ray. Unfortunate inclusion in the Columbia Classics Volume 3 box set.
Hurry Up Tomorrow (2025)
Being a fan of The Weeknd's work is a prerequisite to any kind of meaningful understanding of this film, knowing it’s drawing from a real incident. The mystique that The Weeknd has built throughout his career is rooted in the unknown — from being faceless during the Trilogy days, to the red suit character from After Hours, and the old man caught in purgatory in Dawn FM. But now he has gone meta, and I can’t help but feel indifferent about what he's presenting here. In the lead up to this album and film, he has fixated on the incident at SoFi, touting a narrative drawing from the events and fallout from that night. But I find myself asking, and I don't want to trivialize it, but why should I care? It just reads to me as egocentric. If we want to get controversial, there's a whole other side to this incident, referring to the fans in attendance that night. Maybe I'm hypersensitive to it, myself having witnessed a concert of his getting cancelled, the opening night Toronto stop on the same tour (Rogers outage). But labelling this a vanity project is totally fair, because that's genuinely what it is. Bundling it up in a theatrical package that he has touted as being "Lynchian" and "for the fans" feels so out of touch. If he needed to get this out of his system, fine, but do it as a 30 minute YouTube film. I don't think anyone was asking for this.
Watched at an early fan screening at Scotiabank Theatre Vancouver.
Watched at an early fan screening at Scotiabank Theatre Vancouver.
A Man Escaped (1956)
Of course this can stand on its own, but I think it's telling to compare it to Le Trou; here we are focusing on Fontaine and his unwavering faith, primarily in his will to escape in the face of great evil and the doubts of his peers, while Le Trou is a communal experience, finding its faith in togetherness. Even with the appearance of Jost, it doesn't feel like camaraderie, rather Jost is more of a disciple of Fontaine. Both films are impeccably methodical in their presentation of the habitual rhythm and routine of methods used in escape.
Screened at the Cinematheque in Vancouver in 35mm! Opening night of their "Robert Bresson: Secret Laws of the Cinematograph" programming.
Screened at the Cinematheque in Vancouver in 35mm! Opening night of their "Robert Bresson: Secret Laws of the Cinematograph" programming.
Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015)
Fantastic, as these films always are. What stood out to me with this re-watch was the attention to detail in crafting this like a classic thriller. The act at the opera is a masterclass in grace and style. Reminiscent of Hitchcock's The Man Who Knew Too Much (at least the remake). Always fun to make new connections across film history -- it's one of the things I love about watching movies. There's so much context and history to draw from, constantly becoming more meaningful the more you see.
Watched on 4K blu-ray.
Watched on 4K blu-ray.
The Loveless (1981)
A young, brooding Willem Dafoe waltzing around a sleepy truck stop town that never really woke up from the idealistic 50s. The vibes are fantastic. It's a bit thin narratively, beyond the swagger and the juxtaposition of the new and old. But it being Bigelow's directorial debut, it's pretty clear she had an eye for style.
Watched on the Criterion Channel, wrapping up the Bigelow feature this month.
Watched on the Criterion Channel, wrapping up the Bigelow feature this month.
Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018)
Easily my favourite in the franchise. The stunts and the impossibly larger than life set-pieces just work so well here, specifically the IMAX HALO jump and the Kashmir act. Nothing feels unearned. The McQuarrie films in this franchise shine in ambitiously layering the story with twists, turns, and deceptions, and I think this one is the finest example of that.
Watched on 4K blu-ray.
Watched on 4K blu-ray.
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning (2023)
It's a bit tougher evaluating this one, given that it's not self contained, hinging on a part two, and you have to consider the pandemic restrictions in place during production. The formula has been tweaked here, relying on heavy exposition and mystery to set up a threat at a scale larger than anything the franchise has tackled before. But it still fits in all the typical MI fun -- even if the Rome chase unfortunately parallels Fast X, released just about a month before this one -- with the motorcycle jump and the ensuing chaos on the Orient Express taking the cake. No expanded aspect ratio IMAX sequences here unfortunately; as I understand it, it was a creative decision. Odd though.
Watched on 4K blu-ray.
Watched on 4K blu-ray.
Hiroshima Mon Amour (1959)
A purely harrowing glimpse into the deep vulnerability of revisiting, mentally and physically, a time and place marked by inconsolable pain. But also the fear that such vulnerability is destined to be forgotten. I didn't realize until afterwards that Alain Resnais had also done Last Year at Marienbad, which totally tracks, with both works being fragmented and repetitive in style.
Watched on the Criterion Channel.
Watched on the Criterion Channel.
Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954)
It's pretty easy to root for the fish boy here. The underwater camerawork is awesome!
Watched on 4K blu-ray, from the Universal Monsters Volume 2 box-set. It's questionable that I own this set, but at least I finally gave one of these a shot.
Watched on 4K blu-ray, from the Universal Monsters Volume 2 box-set. It's questionable that I own this set, but at least I finally gave one of these a shot.
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (2025)
My hope coming into this was that Dead Reckoning would mostly end up as leverage for the events of this film. That does feel to be the case, as we are treated to some of the most memorable action in the series to date, specifically the submarine and biplane sequences (though Fallout still pretty handily comes out on top). While it does put itself through quite a bit of cleanup early on in the runtime, pretty evidently to tie off some ideas scrapped from Dead Reckoning (specifically whatever Kittridge was up to), making it feel less composed than its predecessors, ultimately that doesn't really taint my perception of the film. It's damn good action, and that's really what I and many others love about this franchise. Each movie is remembered most by their respective spectacles (scaling the Burj Khalifa, the opera in Vienna, the helicopter chase in Kashmir). So here we have the submarine wreckage in the Bering Sea, and I will take that any day of the week. More thoughts to come when I inevitably re-watch this.
Watched in IMAX at Scotiabank Theatre Vancouver. Opening night!
Watched in IMAX at Scotiabank Theatre Vancouver. Opening night!
Little Murders (1971)
Elliott Gould in the 70s was such a force. This is like an immature east coast take on his character in The Long Goodbye. Nihilism in heaps. Loved the surrealism here.
Watched on the Criterion Channel. Fun City collection, watched back to back with The Panic in Needle Park.
Watched on the Criterion Channel. Fun City collection, watched back to back with The Panic in Needle Park.
The Panic in Needle Park (1971)
Young Al Pacino already had such a natural screen presence here. Unbelievable that this was his first lead role. Such a tough role to play, yet he nailed it. What sticks with me most here is the authenticity in which this world is presented. It's so well-lived in, and has a way of immersing itself so casually that it almost feels like a slice-of-life style film. There is a tragic downward pull here, but it's presented as-is, without any judgment, making it feel all the more tragic.
Watched on the Criterion Channel. Fun City collection, watched back to back with Little Murders.
Watched on the Criterion Channel. Fun City collection, watched back to back with Little Murders.
Pickpocket (1959)
The pick-pocketing sequences here are masterful. I love it when a filmmaker hones in on the art or craft in a process (thinking the counterfeit money scene in To Live and Die in L.A., tons of heist films like Le Cercle Rouge or Heat, really any prison break film, mainly Bresson's very own A Man Escaped). Beyond that, I think this one is best viewed as the breakdown of a man consumed by his own self-righteousness. The reclamation is there too, while a bit sudden, but I get the intention to not dwell on it.
Watched at the Cinematheque in 35mm. Part of their current programming highlighting Robert Bresson's filmography.
Watched at the Cinematheque in 35mm. Part of their current programming highlighting Robert Bresson's filmography.
London Has Fallen (2016)
This is incredibly dumb... rip up London and then cut to a bunch of people (Brits included) celebrating the successful extraction of the US president. No self-awareness whatsoever, unlike a Top Gun, which I love for how unashamed it is. I digress though -- it's just a silly action movie. Though I have to ask... why did the Canadian PM get knocked out first? Thanks for at least including us anyways?
Watched on blu-ray.
Watched on blu-ray.
John Wick (2014)
Humble beginnings for what has easily become one of the most distinctive and singular action franchises in recent memory. I almost feel like it has a bit of an indie tone, being more reserved than all the later entries in the series, but still manages to sprinkle in all the elements, both narratively and stylistically, that have come to define the franchise. The Red Circle nightclub scene here is absolutely fantastic and epitomizes the grace in movement and tactical precision that these films have mastered.
Watched on 4K blu-ray. Preparing for the upcoming release of Ballerina!
Watched on 4K blu-ray. Preparing for the upcoming release of Ballerina!
John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017)
This one, armed with an evidently larger budget, blows open the world hinted at in its predecessor. Leaning into the globe-trotting that many would expect from any action franchise venturing into blockbuster territory. But not overdoing it, and retaining all the calculated beauty in its violence. While I do think there are some small missteps here (mainly Ruby Rose's Ares, who doesn't quite mesh with this world), this entry sees the franchise evolve into a juggernaut, a powerhouse in genre fare, while having a whole lot of fun doing it. Common is also awesome here.
Watched on 4K blu-ray. Definitely a step-up from the presentation of the first disc. The HDR is doing wonders here.
Watched on 4K blu-ray. Definitely a step-up from the presentation of the first disc. The HDR is doing wonders here.
John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (2019)
This one capitalizes on all the momentum built up in Chapter 2, ushering the franchise into a more assured and self-confident level of operatic violence. I would compare it to Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace in that it feels like a direct continuation of its predecessor, making it hard to evaluate in a vacuum. But from a writing perspective, the advancements made here are fascinating, providing a platform for Winston and Charon to develop alongside John Wick. Really, all the supporting characters here are stronger (Mark Dacascos, Anjelica Huston, Halle Berry). And the stylistic evolution is fascinating, borrowing a lot from spaghetti westerns, namely the idea of a lone gunman navigating a lawless world. And tucking in a gorgeous ode to Lawrence of Arabia for good measure.
Watched on 4K blu-ray. This series showcases all there is to love about this format, especially on an OLED.
Watched on 4K blu-ray. This series showcases all there is to love about this format, especially on an OLED.
