Best New-to-Me: July 2023

 My relationship to online life/social media (such as it is) has always been a bit fraught. I've enthusiastically spent hours posting and engaging with folks who share my interests and values and I've managed to develop some of those relationships into real friendships. At the same time I've found myself retreating from certain avenues of social media for my own sanity. Particularly during the peak of pandemic lockdown, I felt a longing for offline experiences and decided to disengage from some online spaces so I could refocus my priorities. The experience has mostly been a good one and the only reason I mention it here now is because I'm kind of back online in some places both old and new. I rejoined the smoking wreck that is twitter and somewhat more hopefully signed up on bluesky largely to promote this blog but also because that's where other film writers congregate. I feel like you shouldn't have to depend on social media to find and engage with current film criticism and analysis but I was truly missing some of the voices I appreciated when I was originally in the mix. 

So I'm back in some respects but I hope with a more balanced perspective. It's good to make your work accessible to people but it's also important to understand that the work is the work, not the social media persona. If you write you need to write, if you make art you need to make art, if you design you put your efforts into designing. Also, while it may not have the same reach as social media I think it's ultimately more rewarding to invest in and participate in your local scene of whatever it is that moves you. My impression is that the people I know with healthier attitudes around social media are also fully plugged into their local communities. The very earliest iteration of what was to become these best new-to-me lists was essentially my attempt to encourage people to go out and experience the amazing slice of film culture we have in this corner of the world. I'm still trying to do that and I hope I am in some way successful. 

Earlier this month I attended the Lumières Françaises and wrote a thing about it. I won't reiterate that here but I have broken out my other theatrical experiences below the at-home watches.

Best New-to-Me: July 2023

Heartbreakers (1984) - Kicking things off with yet another knockout release from Fun City Editions. There's a definite 70s European existentialism to this tale of male friendship and maturity but the delivery is pure 80s: Aerobics, Tangerine Dream, and not-exactly Patrick Nagel art abounds. Features some stunning LA location work shot by Michael Ballhaus right before he became Scorsese's go-to cinematographer. I've found myself increasingly fascinated by Peter Coyote, both as a performer and his unconventional road to acting. This is probably my favorite performance from Coyote that I've seen so far.

The Firm (1989) - I was relatively certain I'd seen The Firm before but either that's not the case or it was long enough ago that it felt fresh to me this time around. Furious examination and dissection of toxic masculinity from the always fascinating Alan Clarke by way of a scorching performance from Gary Oldman. Coming in at a lean 70 minutes in no way diminishes the impact which is like a wrench or a sledge to the temple. Absolutely astonishing that this was produced for broadcast television (which is something I think I say about every Clarke production).

Natural Enemies (1979) - I got the impression that Natural Enemies was one of the most enthusiastically received releases from FCE and it certainly garnered a lot of praise from various corners of the internet. Yet, it was actually because of the things people kept saying about it that I hesitated on checking it out. Luckily, my faith in what Jonathan Hertzberg is doing won me over and I finally snagged a copy. It's dark to be sure, and Hal Holbrook's Paul practically smolders with rage and despair, but there's a depth of humanity reflected back at him - not only from Louise Fletcher as his wife but from several of the other incidental characters he encounters on this fateful day. Paul's resistance to them and his resignation makes everything all the more tragic. The subject matter is likely the main hurdle to accessing Natural Enemies but anyone who is a fan of the period owes it to themselves to check this one out. It's a fascinating collection of talent (in front of and behind the camera) and features some tremendous location footage.

The Ernie Game (1968) - I can see how this could be an exasperating watch for some people. The character of Ernie (who does have some kind of undisclosed mental illness) is childish, self-absorbed, chaotic, and even abusive. The women in Ernie's life probably tolerate too much from him and I imagine some viewers will wonder how on earth they can continue to support or enable Ernie's meanderings. Still, I think both Donna and Gail are fascinating in their own right and they do draw boundaries for themselves unlike many of the compelling if frustrating female characterizations in films from the late 60s through the 70s. Character motivations aside, I was totally struck by the late 60s vibes, the sense of place (Montreal), and the focus on street life. I could watch these characters walk along snow covered streets or stumble upon informal Leonard Cohen performances all night. Canadian International Pictures has become one of my absolute favorite labels and the package for Ernie's Game is tremendous. It features several short films from Don Owen including a Leonard Cohen documentary from around this same time.  

Another Woman (1988) - Perhaps the most restrained Woody Allen film I've seen to date and that's a tremendous asset when you have a performance as powerful and nuanced as Gena Rowland's is. There's such a depth and emotional complexity that Rowland is able to portray and Allen was mature enough to give her the space to do it. The supporting cast is excellent as well and you get some killer stuff from Blythe Danner, Martha Plimpton, Sandy Dennis, Gene Hackman, and Ian Holm.

Metropolitan (1990) - I can't quite recall what drove me into the arms of Whit Stillman, but I found myself watching all three of his 90s films in July. I actually started with The Last Days of Disco and my favorite while watching it was Barcelona but I feel as though Metropolitan left the most lasting impression of the three. This isn't news to anyone who was paying attention to his films (I definitely was not motivated to see them in the 90s) but there's a real alchemy in taking these chatty, mannered, affluent twits and making likeable if not altogether relatable characters out of them. Stillman takes on young, frequently oblivious subjects and gives them enough outlandish statements, pop culture obsession, and occasional insight that you actually want to spend more time with them. His articulate asshole schtick doesn't change much between the films but I totally want to hang out with Chris Eigeman now.

The Dogs (1979) - I picked up both this and Shock Treatment from Severin's most recent sale making for a total of three Alain Jessua films for me this year (I wrote about Armageddon a few months back). Jessua's films are far from perfect but I've found them all really interesting in their own right. My understanding is that his films were popular so he had access to resources and high profile actors. In the case of The Dogs he was able to work with Gérard Depardieu in front of the camera and Étienne Becker behind it. Étienne Becker shot some fantastic looking movies and was the son of Jacques Becker - who besides being a favorite director of mine was one of Jessua's mentors when he was starting his film career. A French film critic mentioned on one of the special features that while Jessua didn't exactly work in science fiction he did work in a sort of adjacent reality to our own. That's such an apt description of The Dogs. There's nothing explicitly fantastic about it but it has such an alien feel to it - in part thanks to being shot in this quasi-brutalist looking Paris suburb. The community featured in the film is recognizable but operates at a heightened pitch of paranoia and there are some genuinely bizarre sequences like when the town meeting is disturbed by the arrival of more and more silent citizens with loudly barking dogs. Depardieu's Morel creates something akin to a cult or a secret society around the dogs which some of the characters become seduced by over the course of the film. I'm not sure the social satire fully coheres but it's still depressingly relevant today. Shock Treatment contains some similar themes exchanging clannish villagers trying to maintain a status quo for wealthy socialites trying to cling to their youth. Alain Delon plays the charismatic doctor who has masterminded the "treatments" he administers for outlandish sums of money. I think these actually make a solid double feature and would recommend all three of Jessua's 70s films if any of this intrigues you.

They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1969) - Finally, finally caught up to this classic and it was every bit the brutal powerhouse I understood it to be. Sydney Pollack's direction palpably conveys the tense physicality of the dance marathon. The "derby" scenes are positively gut-wrenching. The ensemble is incredible. Fonda and York ably demonstrate that they won't be steamrolled or pigeonholed for the next decade. Still, it's Gig Young that absolutely knocked me out. He was recognized for the performance by the Academy but that doesn't convey how wonderfully dark and strange and occasionally touching it is. 

God's Country (1985) - I have Brian Sauer of the Pure Cinema Podcast to thank for this last addition to the at-home list. He mentioned it on their recent 80s Missing Pieces episode. I have a seemingly endless appetite for public television documentaries from around this period but how have I missed one from Louis Malle featuring a small town only a couple hours away from where I am now? It's difficult for me not to compare Malle's film to Middletown which I watched earlier this year or possibly some of Les Blank's films. Malle actually appears on camera occasionally which is different from those but he still offers a similar look at daily life in an environment both familiar to me and one that doesn't necessarily exist in the same way any longer. I was totally absorbed by the stories from the people he met and loved hearing their observations on everything from gardening to economics. Highly recommended if you are a fellow Midwesterner or grew up around farming.

Theatrical Screenings!

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023) - Caught this with the in-laws on Independence Day. It was entertaining enough though I can't help but feel like they should have used fewer animated effects and more real planes, trains, motorcycles, etc. Something about Indiana Jones cries out for the physical world. 

Cría cuervos… (1976) - It's Geraldine Chaplin's birthday as I write this (7/31) and it was an absolute joy to watch her in one of her many collaborations with Carlos Saura in a theater on 35mm film, no less. This is only my third Saura film having seen his entry into the quinqui genre Deprisa Deprisa and an earlier film he directed with Chaplin: Peppermint Frappe. Many of the reviews I read regarding Cria make it out to be this unrelentingly brutal depiction of childhood trauma but that wasn't my experience with it. The texture of the film is much richer than that and what makes it such an exceptional picture is how it weaves melancholy and trauma with moments of levity and humanity. I don't mean to say it won't be deeply affecting but it didn't psychically assault me or anything. Chaplin is entirely magnetic per usually and the haunted visage of Ana Torrent - a wide eyed witness to all manner of adult behavior - leaves an indelible impression. Also worth mentioning that Saura seems to have a real relationship with pop music in his films and Porque te vas? by Jeanette has been in heavy rotation after seeing this. 

Hard Ticket to Hawaii (1987) - Screened as part of the Genre Brain Melt series at Emagine Willow Creek. I dragged my poor buddy Stuart to this because that's the kind of pal I am. I'd seen it before but Andy Sidaris' epic of boobs, bazookas, and questionable snake puppets really needs to be seen with an audience for the complete experience. I had an absolute blast and Stuart hasn't yet blocked me on social media so I feel as though our relationship is intact. 

The Conformist (1970) - I first saw pieces of The Conformist in the absolutely essential documentary Visions of Light twenty odd years ago and was totally entranced by it. Since then, I've managed to see it a few times in varying states of quality and it's a film the reveals itself in different ways with each viewing. Seeing the 2022 restoration at The Trylon was definitely the best version I've ever watched and it's every bit as engrossing now as it was the first time. An unflinching portrait of fascist collaboration and a masterclass in cinematic language. Do not miss a chance to see it if you get one.

Past Lives (2023) - The praise for Celine Song's debut feature has been practically universal so I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I finally sat down for it. I found myself almost instantly charmed. The filming appears relatively low-key (though I wonder how it will look upon revisiting it) but the performances are so beautifully delivered, so delicately evocative. I couldn't take my eyes off of Greta Lee's largely subtle and occasionally expansive facial expressions and I loved that Song was willing to be patient and let the camera dwell on her. Past Lives is a great addition to the canon of New York movies as well. I'm sure the argument could be made that you could wait for streaming to catch this, but I'd say go snag a viewing if you still can. Take someone you like, go talk about it afterwards, you can thank me later.