2018 Film Log

2018 U.S. Releases

-2.0 (S. Shankar, 2018): B -- 3D

-7 Days in Entebbe (José Padilha, 2018): C+

-12 Strong (Nicolai Fuglsig, 2018): C-

-The 15:17 to Paris (Clint Eastwood, 2018): C

-24 Frames (Abbas Kiarostami, 2017): B -- HD stream

-2018 Oscar Nominated Short Films: Animation: (Various artists, 2018): B-
     Includes:
     -Dear Basketball (Glen Keane, 2017)
     -Negative Space (Ru Kuwahata and Max Porter, 2017)
     -LOU (Dave Mullins, 2017)
     -Revolting Rhymes Part One (Jan Lachauer, Jakob Schuh, and Bin-Han To,
      2016)
     -Garden Party (Florian Babikian, Vincent Bayoux, Victor Caire, Théophile
      Dufresne, Gabriel Grapperon, and Lucas Navarro, 2017)
     -Lost Property Office (Daniel Agdag, 2017)
     -Weeds (Kevin Hudson, 2017)
     -Achoo (Lucas Boutrot, Élise Carret, Maoris Creantor, Pierre Hubert, Camille
      Lacroix, and Charlotte Perroux, 2018)

-Adrift (Baltasar Kormákur, 2018): B

-American Animals (Bart Layton, 2018): B

-Annihilation (Alex Garland, 2018): A -- first and second viewings

-Ant-Man and the Wasp (Peyton Reed, 2018): B

-Aquaman (James Wan, 2018): B

-Assassination Nation (Sam Levinson, 2018): D

-At Eternity's Gate (Julian Schnabel, 2018): B

-Avengers: Infinity War (Anthony Russo and Joe Russo, 2018): C -- Cinemark XD

-Bad Times at the El Royale (Drew Goddard, 2018): B-

-The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, 2018): B -- HD stream

-Beast (Michael Pearce, 2017): B

-Beautiful Boy (Felix van Groeningen, 2018): B

-Beirut (Brad Anderson, 2018): B

-Bel Canto (Paul Weitz, 2018): C-

-Ben is Back (Peter Hedges, 2018): B+

-Bisbee '17 (Robert Greene, 2018): A

-Black Panther (Ryan Coogler, 2018): B -- first and second viewings

-BlacKkKlansman (Spike Lee, 2018): A- -- Dolby Cinema

-Blindspotting (Carlos López Estrada, 2018): B

-Blockers (Kay Cannon, 2018): B-

-Bohemian Rhapsody (Bryan Singer, 2018): B- -- IMAX

-Book Club (Bill Holderman, 2018): C+

-The Bookshop (Isabel Coixet, 2017): C-

-Border (Gräns) (Ali Abbasi, 2018): B-

-Boy Erased (Joel Edgerton, 2018): B

-Breaking In (James McTeigue, 2018): D+

-Bumblebee (Travis Knight, 2018): B

-Burning (Beoning) (Lee Chang-dong, 2018): B+

-Can You Ever Forgive Me? (Marielle Heller, 2018): B

-The China Hustle (Jed Rothstein, 2017): B-

-Christopher Robin (Marc Forster, 2018): C-

-The Cloverfield Paradox (Julius Onah, 2018): C-  -- HD stream

-Cold War (Zimna wojna) (Pawel Pawlikowski, 2018): A-

-Colette (Wash Westmoreland, 2018): C+

-The Commuter (Jaume Collet-Serra, 2018): B

-A Cool Fish (Wu ming zhi bei) (Rao Xiaozhi, 2018): C-

-Crazy Rich Asians (Jon M. Chu, 2018): B

-Creed II (Steven Caple Jr., 2018): C

-Crime + Punishment (Stephen Maing, 2018): B

-Damsel (David Zellner and Nathan Zellner, 2018): B-

-Deadpool 2 (David Leitch, 2018): C

-Destroyer (Karyn Kusama, 2018): C-

-Disobedience (Sebastián Lelio, 2017): C-

-Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far On Foot (Gus Van Sant, 2018): B+

-Double Lover (L'amant double) (François Ozon, 2017): B-

-Early Man (Nick Park, 2018): B-

-Eighth Grade (Bo Burnham, 2018): B+

-The Endless (Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, 2017): C+

-Fahrenheit 11/9 (Michael Moore, 2018): C

-Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (David Yates, 2018): C-

-The Favourite (Yorgos Lanthimos, 2018): A-

-Fifty Shades Freed (James Foley, 2018): D

-Filmworker (Tony Zierra, 2017): B

-First Man (Damien Chazelle, 2018): A- --IMAX

-The First Purge (Gerard McMurray, 2018): C

-First Reformed (Paul Schrader, 2017): A -- second viewing

-Free Solo (Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, 2018): B+

-The Front Runner (Jason Reitman, 2018): C

-Game Night (John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein, 2018): B

-Gemini (Aaron Katz, 2017): B

-Ghost Stories (Jeremy Dyson and Andy Nyman, 2017): B-

-The Girl in the Spider's Web (Fede Alvarez, 2018): C-

-Goldstone (Ivan Sen, 2016): C-

-Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween (Ari Sandel, 2018): C

-Green Book (Peter Farrelly, 2018): C+

-The Grinch (Yarrow Cheney and Scott Mosier, 2018): B-

-The Guardians (Les gardiennes) (Xavier Beauvois, 2017): B

-Hale County This Morning, This Evening (RaMell Ross, 2018): B+

-Halloween (David Gordon Green, 2018): B

-Happy as Lazzaro (Lazzaro felice) (Alice Rohrwacher, 2018): A -- HD stream

-The Hate U Give (George Tillman Jr., 2018): B

-Hearts Beat Loud (Brett Haley, 2018): B-

-Hereditary (Ari Aster, 2018): B

-Hold the Dark (Jeremy Saulnier, 2018): B- -- theatrical viewing at TIFF 2018 and HD stream

-Holmes & Watson (Etan Cohen, 2018): B-

-Hotel Artemis (Drew Pearce, 2018): C-

-Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation (Genndy Tartakovsky, 2018): C

-The House That Jack Built: Director's Cut (Lars von Trier, 2018): D

-The House with a Clock in Its Walls (Eli Roth, 2018): C -- IMAX

-How to Talk to Girls at Parties (John Cameron Mitchell, 2017): D+

-Hunter Killer (Donovan Marsh, 2018): B-

-I Feel Pretty (Abby Kohn and Marc Silverstein, 2018): C

-Incredibles 2 (Brad Bird, 2018): B

-Insidious: The Last Key (Adam Robitel, 2018): C

-Instant Family (Sean Anders, 2018): A-

-The Island (Bo Huang, 2018): C

-Isle of Dogs (Wes Anderson, 2018): B-

-John McEnroe: In the Realm of Perfection (L'empire de la perfection) (Julien Faraut, 2018): B

-Johnny English Strikes Again (David Kerr, 2018): C

-Juliet, Naked (Jesse Peretz, 2018): B

-Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (J.A. Bayona, 2018): B-

-Kin (Jonathan Baker and Josh Baker, 2018): D

-The Land of Steady Habits (Nicole Holofcener, 2018): B- -- HD stream

-Leave No Trace (Debra Granik, 2018): A

-Let the Sunshine In (Un beau soleil intérieur) (Claire Denis, 2017): B

-Life Itself (Dan Fogelman, 2018): C-

-Life of the Party (Ben Falcone, 2018): C-

-The Little Stranger (Lenny Abrahamson, 2018): B+

-Love, Simon (Greg Berlanti, 2018): B+

-Madeline's Madeline (Josephine Decker, 2018): C-

-Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (Ol Parker, 2018): B-

-Mandy (Panos Cosmatos, 2018): B

-Mary Poppins Returns (Rob Marshall, 2018): C+

-Mary Queen of Scots (Josie Rourke, 2018): C

-Mary and the Witch's Flower (Meari to majo no hana) (Hiromasa Yonebayashi, 2017): C+

-The Meg (Jon Turteltaub, 2018): C+

-Mid90s (Jonah Hill, 2018): C-

-Minding the Gap (Bing Liu, 2018): B -- HD stream

-Mirai (Mirai no Mirai) (Mamoru Hosoda, 2018): B

-The Miseducation of Cameron Post (Desiree Akhavan, 2018): C

-Mission: Impossible--Fallout (Christopher McQuarrie, 2018): A -- Dolby Cinema; first and second viewings

-Monrovia, Indiana (Frederick Wiseman, 2018): B+

-Monsters and Men (Reinaldo Marcus Green, 2018): B-

-Mortal Engines (Christian Rivers, 2018): C-

-The Mule (Clint Eastwood, 2018): B

-Never Goin' Back (Augustine Frizzell, 2018): D+

-Night School (Malcolm D. Lee, 2018): C

-Nobody's Fool (Tyler Perry, 2018): C+

-The Nun (Corin Hardy, 2018): C+ -- IMAX

-The Nutcracker and the Four Realms (Lasse Hallström and Joe Johnston, 2018): C+

-The Oath (Ike Barinholtz, 2018): D+ 

-Ocean's 8 (Gary Ross, 2018): B-

-Of Fathers and Sons (Talal Derki, 2017): B

-Oh Lucy! (Atsuko Hirayanagi, 2017): C-

-The Old Man & the Gun (David Lowery, 2018): A-

-On the Basis of Sex (Mimi Leder, 2018): B

-The Other Side of the Wind (Orson Welles, 2018): (no grade)

-Overlord (Julius Avery, 2018): C -- IMAX

-Pacific Rim: Uprising (Steven S. DeKnight, 2018): C-

-Paddington 2 (Paul King, 2017): A

-Papillon (Michael Noer, 2017): B-

-The Party (Sally Potter, 2017): C-

-Peppermint (Pierre Morel, 2018): D-

-Peter Rabbit (Will Gluck, 2018): C

-Pope Francis: A Man of His Word (Wim Wenders, 2018): C+

-The Possession of Hannah Grace (Diederik Van Rooijen, 2018): D-

-The Predator (Shane Black, 2018): C+ -- Dolby Cinema

-Private Life (Tamara Jenkins, 2018): A- -- HD stream

-A Private War (Matthew Heineman, 2018): B

-Project Gutenberg (Mo seung) (Felix Chong, 2018): B-

-Prospect (Christopher Caldwell and Zeek Earl, 2018): C

-Proud Mary (Babak Najafi, 2018): D+

-Psychokinesis (Yeom-lyeok) (Yeon Sang-Ho, 2018): B- -- HD stream

-Puzzle (Marc Turteltaub, 2018): C

-A Quiet Place (John Krasinski, 2018): B+

-Ralph Breaks the Internet (Phil Johnston and Rich Moore, 2018): B+

-Rampage (Brad Peyton, 2018): C-

-RBG (Julie Cohen and Betsy West, 2018): B-

-Ready Player One (Steven Spielberg, 2018): C -- 70mm print

-Red Sparrow (Francis Lawrence, 2018): B

-The Rider (Chloé Zhao, 2017): B+

-Robin Hood (Otto Bathurst, 2018): D+

-Roma (Alfonso Cuarón, 2018): A -- one screening with Dolby Atmos; first,second, and third screenings

-Searching (Aneesh Chaganty, 2018): B+

-Second Act (Peter Segal, 2018): C

-Set It Up (Claire Scanlon, 2018): A- -- HD stream

-Shirkers (Sandi Tan, 2018): B+

-Shoplifters (Manbiki kazoku) (Hirokazu Kore-eda, 2018): A -- theatrical viewing at TIFF 2018 and HD stream

-Sicario: Day of the Soldado (Stefano Sollima, 2018): C-

-A Simple Favor (Paul Feig, 2018): B

-The Sisters Brothers (Jacques Audiard, 2018): B

-Skate Kitchen (Crystal Moselle, 2018): C

-Skyscraper (Rawson Marshall Thurber, 2018): B

-Smallfoot (Karey Kirkpatrick and Jason Reisig, 2018): B-

-Sollers Point (Matthew Porterfield, 2017): B

-Solo: A Star Wars Story (Ron Howard, 2018): B-

-Sorry to Bother You (Boots Riley, 2018): B-

-Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (Bob Perischetti, Peter Ramsey, and Rodney Rothman, 2018): B+

-The Spy Who Dumped Me (Susanna Fogel, 2018): C-

-A Star is Born (Bradley Cooper, 2018): B+ -- Dolby Cinema

-Superfly (Director X, 2018): C

-Support the Girls (Andrew Bujalski, 2018): B+

-Suspiria (Luca Guadagnino, 2018): C

-Tag (Jeff Tomsic, 2018): C

-Teen Titans Go! To the Movies (Aaron Horvath and Peter Rida Michail, 2018): B-

-Terminal (Vaughn Stein, 2018): D

-The Third Murder (Sandome no satsujin) (Hirokazu Kore-eda, 2017): B+ -- 2nd viewing; grade revised from C

-Thoroughbreds (Cory Finley, 2017): B+

-A Thousand Thoughts (Sam Green, 2018): A-

-Three Identical Strangers (Tim Wardle, 2018): B

-To All the Boys I've Loved Before (Susan Johnson, 2018): B- -- HD stream

-Tomb Raider (Roar Uthaug, 2018): C

-Truth or Dare (Jeff Wadlow, 2018): C-

-Tully (Jason Reitman, 2018): B+

-Uncle Drew (Charles Stone III, 2018): C

-Unfriended: Dark Web (Stephen Susco, 2018): B-

-Unsane (Steven Soderbergh, 2018): B

-Upgrade (Leigh Whannell, 2018): B

-Venom (Reuben Fleischer, 2018): C -- IMAX

-Vice (Adam McKay, 2018): C-

-Vox Lux (Brady Corbet, 2018): B+

-Welcome to Marwen (Robert Zemeckis, 2018): C

-Where is Kyra? (Andrew Dosunmu, 2017): C

-White Boy Rick (Yann Demange, 2018): C

-Whitney (Kevin Macdonald, 2018): B

-Widows (Steve McQueen, 2018): B-

-The Wife (Björn Runge, 2017): B-

-Wildlife (Paul Dano, 2018): A

-Won't You Be My Neighbor? (Morgan Neville, 2018): B+

-A Wrinkle in Time (Ava DuVernay, 2018): C-

-The Year of Spectacular Men (Lea Thompson, 2017): C-

-You Were Never Really Here (Lynne Ramsay, 2017): B

Older Films

-The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (Nathan Juran, 1958): B-

-13th (Ava DuVernay, 2016): B

-2001: A Space Odyssey (Stanley Kubrick, 1968): A+ -- 70mm "unrestored" print; 3rd viewing

-The Age of Innocence (Martin Scorsese, 1993): A -- Blu-ray

-American Splendor (Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini, 2003): B+ -- 35mm; 2nd viewing

-Belle (Amma Asante, 2013): B -- 2nd viewing

-La belle noiseuse (Jacques Rivette, 1991): A- -- Blu-ray

-The Big Lebowski (Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, 1998): A -- 35mm; repeat viewing

-The Birds (Alfred Hitchcock, 1963): A -- 35mm; repeat viewing

-The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (L'uccello dalle piume di cristallo) (Dario Argento, 1970): B- -- 4K restoration

-Caddyshack (Harold Ramis, 1980): B -- HD stream

-Call Me by Your Name (Luca Guadagnino, 2017): A- -- DVD

-Les carabiniers (Jean-Luc Godard, 1963): B+ -- 35mm print

-Choose Me (Alan Rudolph, 1984): B -- projected DVD

-Christmas in Connecticut (Peter Godfrey, 1945): B

-Chronicle of Anna Magdalena Bach (Chronik der Anna Magdalena Bach) (Jean-Marie Straub and Danièle Huillet, 1968): B

-Cold Water (L'eau froide) (Olivier Assayas, 1994): B -- Blu-ray

-The Color of Pomegranates (Sayat Nova) (Sergei Parajanov, 1969): B -- Blu-ray

-Columbus (Kogonada, 2017): A -- 2nd viewing

-Le corbeau (Henri-Georges Clouzot, 1943): A-

-Coeur fidèle (Jean Epstein, 1923): B -- w/ Alloy Orchestra accompaniment

-The Crime of Monsieur Lange (Le crime de Monsieur Lange) (Jean Renoir, 1936): B-

-Daughters of the Dust (Julie Dash, 1991): B -- 2nd viewing

-Dead Man (Jim Jarmusch, 1995): A -- repeat viewing (first theatrical viewing)

-Deep Red (Profondo rosso) (Dario Argento, 1975): B- -- 4K restoration

-Dementia 13 (Director's Cut) (Francis Ford Coppola, 1963): B-

-Dial M for Murder (Alfred Hitchcock, 1954): B+ -- 3D; 3rd viewing

-Elf (Jon Favreau, 2003): B+ -- 2nd viewing

-A Fantastic Woman (Una Mujer Fantástica) (Sebastián Lelio, 2017): B

-A Fistful of Dollars (Per un pugno di dollari) (Sergio Leone, 1964): B+ -- 2nd viewing; 4K restoration

-The Fog (John Carpenter, 1980): B -- 4K; 2nd viewing

-For a Few Dollars More (Per qualche dollaro in più) (Sergio Leone, 1965): B -- 2nd viewing

-The Fugitive (Andrew Davis, 1993): B -- repeat viewing

-The Good, The Bad and the Ugly (Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo) (Sergio Leone, 1966): A -- 2nd viewing; 4K restoration

-Halloween (John Carpenter, 1978): B+ -- repeat viewing

-Handsworth Songs (John Akomfrah, 1987): (no grade)

-The Hidden (Jack Sholder, 1987): C+ -- HD recording

-Hostiles (Scott Cooper, 2017): C-

-The Hudsucker Proxy (Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, 1994): A -- Blu-ray; 2nd viewing

-Interstellar (Christopher Nolan, 2014): A -- 70mm; 3rd viewing (2nd in 70mm)

-The Insult (L'insulte) (Ziad Doueiri, 2017): B+

-King of Hearts (Le roi de coeur) (Philippe de Broca, 1966): B-

-Lady on a Train (Charles David, 1945): B+ -- HD recording

-The Last Days of Disco (Whit Stillman, 1998): A -- Blu-ray; repeat viewing

-The Last Movie (Dennis Hopper, 1971): C

-Lifeboat (Alfred Hitchcock, 1944): B -- Blu-ray

-Loveless (Nelyubov) (Andrey Zvyagintsev, 2017): B

-Married to the Mob (Jonathan Demme, 1988): C- -- Blu-ray

-Mary Poppins (Robert Stevenson, 1964): B

-Memories of Murder (Salinui chueok) (Bong Joon-ho, 2003): B+ -- HD stream

-Minority Report (Steven Spielberg, 2002): A -- Blu-ray; repeat viewing

-Monkey Business (Howard Hawks, 1952): A-

-Night of the Living Dead (George A. Romero, 1968): B+

-North by Northwest (Alfred Hitchcock, 1959): A -- 4K restoration; repeat viewing

-One Sings, the Other Doesn't (L'une chante l'autre pas) (Agnès Varda, 1977): C+

-A Page of Madness (Kurutta ippêji) (Teinosuke Kinugasa, 1926): (no grade) -- with Alloy Orchestra accompaniment

-Persona (Ingmar Bergman, 1966): A-

-Phantom Thread (Paul Thomas Anderson, 2017): A -- first and second viewings

-Porco Rosso (Kurenai no buta) (Hayao Miyazaki, 1992): B-

-Rambling Rose (Martha Coolidge, 1991): B+ -- 35mm

-Rear Window (Alfred Hitchcock, 1954): A -- 35mm; repeat viewing

-Remember My Name (Alan Rudolph, 1978): B+ -- 35mm

-The Revolt of Mamie Stover (Raoul Walsh, 1956): B

-Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked the World (Catherine Bainbridge and Alfonso Maiorana, 2017): B-

-Schindler's List (Steven Spielberg, 1993): A  -- 2nd viewing

-Selena (Gregory Nava, 1997): C -- 35mm

-The Seventh Seal (Det sjunde inseglet) (Ingmar Bergman, 1957): B+ -- 35mm

-Sherlock Jr. (Buster Keaton, 1924): A  -- with live musical accompaniment by Sue Harshe

-The Shop Around the Corner (Ernst Lubitsch, 1940): A-

-Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (Rian Johnson, 2017): A -- third viewing

-Strangers on a Train (Alfred Hitchcock, 1951): A -- 35mm; repeat viewing

-Summer with Monika (Sommaren med Monika) (Ingmar Bergman, 1953): B+ -- 35mm

-Suspiria (Dario Argento, 1977): A -- Blu-ray

-They Live (John Carpenter, 1988): B+ -- 35mm; 2nd viewing

-Through a Glass Darkly (Såsom i en spegel) (Ingmar Bergman, 1961): B -- 35mm

-To Catch a Thief (Alfred Hitchcock, 1955): A -- 35mm; repeat viewing

-Tom Jones (Tony Richardson, 1963): B+

-Trouble Every Day (Claire Denis, 2001): B- -- 35mm

-Vertigo (Alfred Hitchcock, 1958): A+ -- 70mm; repeat viewing

-Wanda (Barbara Loden, 1970): B

-Wings of Desire (Der Himmel über Berlin) (Wim Wenders, 1987): B

-Winter Light (Nattvardsgästerna) (Ingmar Bergman, 1963): A

-Wormwood (Errol Morris, 2017): B+ -- HD stream

-Yellow Submarine (George Dunning, 1968): B+ -- 2nd viewing

-Zombie (Zombi 2) (Lucio Fulci, 1979): B

Shorts

-#TheLateBatsby (Lauren Faust and Jennifer Kluska, 2018): B-
-Aspirational (Matthew Frost, 2014): B
-Baby Brother (Kamau Bilal, 2018): B-
-Balloonfest (Nathan Truesdell, 2017): B+
-Bao (Domee Shi, 2018): B-
-Graven Image (Sierra Pettengill, 2017): B+
-Lick the Star (Sofia Coppola, 1998): B
-Take What You Can Carry (Matthew Porterfield, 2015): B -- projected HD video

Shorts Compilation Programs

-Saving Orphan Films: The Amateurs and Others
     -Home movie of French Quarter, New Orleans, before Katrina (Helen
     Hill, ca. 2002)
     -Venus and Adonis (J. V. D. Bucher and Harry Dunham, 1935)
     -The Inner World of Aphasia (Edward R. Feil and Naomi Feil, 1968)
     -Përjetësi (Eternity) (Dhimitër Anagnosti, 1973)
     -Long Binh Post Exchange [South Vietnam] (Marcellus Hartman, ca. 1971)
     -EPH 4/27/16 (Ephraim Horowitz, 1979)

Not Yet Released in the U.S.

-3 Faces (Se rokh) (Jafar Panahi, 2018): A

-Adriana's Pact (El Pacto de Adriana) (Lissette Orozco, 2017): C

-América (Erick Stoll and Chase Whiteside, 2018): A

-American Dharma (Errol Morris, 2018): B-

-Ash is Purest White (Jiang hu er nv) (Jia Zhangke, 2018): B+

-The Biggest Little Farm (John Chester, 2018): B-

-Blind Spot (Blindsone) (Tuva Novotny, 2018): A

-Everybody Knows (Todos lo saben) (Asghar Farhadi, 2018): B

-Flight of a Bullet (Polet Puli) (Beata Bubenec, 2017): (no grade)

-Her Smell (Alex Ross Perry, 2018): B

-High Life (Claire Denis, 2018): B+

-Hotel by the River (Hong Sang-soo, 2018): B-

-"I Do Not Care If We Go Down in History as Barbarians" ("Îmi este indiferent daca în istorie vom intra ca barbari") (Radu Jude, 2018): A-

-In Fabric (Peter Strickland, 2018): B-

-The Innocent (Der Unschuldige) (Simon Jaquemet, 2018): C

-Killing (Zan) (Shin'ya Tsukamoto, 2018): D+

-Long Day's Journey Into Night (Di qiu zui hou de ye wan) (Bi Gan, 2018): C -- portions in 3D

-Lovers of the Night (Anna Frances Ewert, 2017): B-

-Maya (Mia Hansen-Løve, 2018): B-

-Meeting Gorbachev (Werner Herzog and André Singer, 2018): C

-Non-Fiction (Doubles vies) (Olivier Assayas, 2018): B+

-Our New President (Maxim Pozdorovkin, 2018): C+

-Secret Screening Gale: B+

-Secret Screening Mistral: B+

-Secret Screening Zephyr: B-

-Taming the Horse (Tao Gu, 2017): C

-Transit (Christian Petzold, 2018): A

-Vita & Virginia (Chanya Button, 2018): C-

-The Wild Pear Tree (Ahlat Agaci) (Nuri Bilge Ceylan, 2018): B+

2018 Totals:

-Theatrical viewings: 303 (DCP: 283, 35mm: 15, 70mm: 4, projected DVD: 1) (includes three live accompaniments and one live performance)
-Home viewings: 28 (HD streams: 15, Blu-ray: 10, HD recordings: 2, DVD: 1)
-Live accompaniments: 3
-Live performances: 1

-# of screenings: 331
-Unique # of films seen: 322 features, 2 shorts compilation programs, and 8 shorts
-Unique # of feature films new to me: 290

2018 Format Breakdown

35mm

-American Splendor (Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini, 2003)

-The Big Lebowski (Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, 1998)

-The Birds (Alfred Hitchcock, 1963)

-Les carabiniers (Jean-Luc Godard, 1963)

-Rambling Rose (Martha Coolidge, 1991)

-Rear Window (Alfred Hitchcock, 1954)

-Remember My Name (Alan Rudolph, 1978)

-Selena (Gregory Nava, 1997)

-The Seventh Seal (Det sjunde inseglet) (Ingmar Bergman, 1957)

-Strangers on a Train (Alfred Hitchcock, 1951)

-Summer with Monika (Sommaren med Monika) (Ingmar Bergman, 1953)

-They Live (John Carpenter, 1988)

-Through a Glass Darkly (Såsom i en spegel) (Ingmar Bergman, 1961)

-To Catch a Thief (Alfred Hitchcock, 1955) 

-Trouble Every Day (Claire Denis, 2001)

70mm

-2001: A Space Odyssey (Stanley Kubrick, 1968) -- 70mm "unrestored" print

-Interstellar (Christopher Nolan, 2014) 

-Ready Player One (Steven Spielberg, 2018)

-Vertigo (Alfred Hitchcock, 1958)

Projected DVD

-Choose Me (Alan Rudolph, 1984)

HD Stream

-24 Frames (Abbas Kiarostami, 2017) 

-The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, 2018) 

-Caddyshack (Harold Ramis, 1980) 

-The Cloverfield Paradox (Julius Onah, 2018) 

-Happy as Lazzaro (Lazzaro felice) (Alice Rohrwacher, 2018) 

-Hold the Dark (Jeremy Saulnier, 2018)

-The Land of Steady Habits (Nicole Holofcener, 2018)

-Memories of Murder (Salinui chueok) (Bong Joon-ho, 2003) 

-Minding the Gap (Bing Liu, 2018) 

-Private Life (Tamara Jenkins, 2018)

-Psychokinesis (Yeom-lyeok) (Yeon Sang-Ho, 2018)

-Set It Up (Claire Scanlon, 2018) 

-Shoplifters (Manbiki kazoku) (Hirokazu Kore-eda, 2018) 

-To All the Boys I've Loved Before (Susan Johnson, 2018) 

-Wormwood (Errol Morris, 2017) 

HD Recording

-The Hidden (Jack Sholder, 1987) 

-Lady on a Train (Charles David, 1945)

Blu-ray

-The Age of Innocence (Martin Scorsese, 1993)

-La belle noiseuse (Jacques Rivette, 1991)

-Cold Water (L'eau froide) (Olivier Assayas, 1994)

-The Color of Pomegranates (Sayat Nova) (Sergei Parajanov, 1969)

-The Hudsucker Proxy (Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, 1994)

-The Last Days of Disco (Whit Stillman, 1998)

-Lifeboat (Alfred Hitchcock, 1944)

-Married to the Mob (Jonathan Demme, 1988)

-Minority Report (Steven Spielberg, 2002)

-Suspiria (Dario Argento, 1977) 

DVD

-Call Me by Your Name (Luca Guadagnino, 2017)

December 2018 Film Log

-2.0 (S. Shankar, 2018): B -- 3D

-24 Frames (Abbas Kiarostami, 2017): B -- HD stream

-Aquaman (James Wan, 2018): B

-At Eternity's Gate (Julian Schnabel, 2018): B

-The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, 2018): B -- HD stream

-Ben is Back (Peter Hedges, 2018): B+

-Bumblebee (Travis Knight, 2018): B

-Burning (Beoning) (Lee Chang-dong, 2018): B+

-Christmas in Connecticut (Peter Godfrey, 1945): B

-Cold War (Zimna wojna) (Pawel Pawlikowski, 2018): A-

-A Cool Fish (Wu ming zhi bei) (Rao Xiaozhi, 2018): C-

-Destroyer (Karyn Kusama, 2018): C-

-Elf (Jon Favreau, 2003): B+ -- 2nd viewing

-The Favourite (Yorgos Lanthimos, 2018): A-

-Happy as Lazzaro (Lazzaro felice) (Alice Rohrwacher, 2018): A -- HD stream

-Holmes & Watson (Etan Cohen, 2018): B-

-The Hudsucker Proxy (Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, 1994): A  -- Blu-ray; 2nd viewing

-Married to the Mob (Jonathan Demme, 1988): C- -- Blu-ray

-Mary Poppins Returns (Rob Marshall, 2018): C+

-Mary Queen of Scots (Josie Rourke, 2018): C

-Minding the Gap (Bing Liu, 2018): B -- HD stream

-Mirai (Mirai no Mirai) (Mamoru Hosoda, 2018): B

-Mortal Engines (Christian Rivers, 2018): C-

-The Mule (Clint Eastwood, 2018): B

-On the Basis of Sex (Mimi Leder, 2018): B

-Porco Rosso (Kurenai no buta) (Hayao Miyazaki, 1992): B-

-The Possession of Hannah Grace (Diederik Van Rooijen, 2018): D-

-Prospect (Christopher Caldwell and Zeek Earl, 2018): C

-Roma (Alfonso Cuarón, 2018): A -- 3rd viewing

-Schindler's List (Steven Spielberg, 1993): A  -- 2nd viewing

-Second Act (Peter Segal, 2018): C

-Sherlock Jr. (Buster Keaton, 1924): A  -- with live musical accompaniment by Sue Harshe

-The Shop Around the Corner (Ernst Lubitsch, 1940): A-

-Shoplifters (Manbiki kazoku) (Hirokazu Kore-eda, 2018): A -- HD stream; 2nd viewing

-Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (Bob Perischetti, Peter Ramsey, and Rodney Rothman, 2018): B+

-Vice (Adam McKay, 2018): C-

-Vox Lux (Brady Corbet, 2018): B+

-Welcome to Marwen (Robert Zemeckis, 2018): C

-Wings of Desire (Der Himmel über Berlin) (Wim Wenders, 1987): B

The top films new to me (current releases):

-Happy as Lazzaro (Lazzaro felice)
-Cold War (Zimna wojna)
-The Favourite
-Vox Lux
-Burning (Beoning)

The top films new to me (repertory):

-Sherlock Jr.
-The Shop Around the Corner
-Christmas in Connecticut
-Wings of Desire (Der Himmel über Berlin)

Viewing locations & formats:

-Theatrical viewings: 32 (DCP: 32, 35mm: 0, 70mm: 0)
-Home viewings: 7 (Blu-ray: 2, HD stream: 5)

December Totals:

-# of screenings: 39
-# of unique films seen: 39
-# of feature films new to me: 35

Year-to-date Totals:

-Theatrical viewings: 303 (DCP: 283, 35mm: 15, 70mm: 4, projected DVD: 1) (includes three live accompaniments and one live performance)
-Home viewings: 28 (HD streams: 15, Blu-ray: 10, HD recordings: 2, DVD: 1)
-Live accompaniments: 3
-Live performances: 1

-# of screenings: 331
-Unique # of films seen: 322 features, 2 shorts compilation programs, and 8 shorts
-Unique # of feature films new to me: 290

November 2018 Film Log

-Beautiful Boy (Felix van Groeningen, 2018): B

-Bohemian Rhapsody (Bryan Singer, 2018): B- -- IMAX

-Border (Gräns) (Ali Abbasi, 2018): B-

-Boy Erased (Joel Edgerton, 2018): B

-Can You Ever Forgive Me? (Marielle Heller, 2018): B

-Cold Water (L'eau froide) (Olivier Assayas, 1994): B -- Blu-ray

-Creed II (Steven Caple Jr., 2018): C

-Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (David Yates, 2018): C-

-The Front Runner (Jason Reitman, 2018): C

-The Girl in the Spider's Web (Fede Alvarez, 2018): C-

-Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween (Ari Sandel, 2018): C

-Green Book (Peter Farrelly, 2018): C+

-The Grinch (Yarrow Cheney and Scott Mosier, 2018): B-

-The House That Jack Built: Director's Cut (Lars von Trier, 2018): D

-Instant Family (Sean Anders, 2018): A-

-Nobody's Fool (Tyler Perry, 2018): C+

-The Other Side of the Wind (Orson Welles, 2018): (no grade)

-Overlord (Julius Avery, 2018): C -- IMAX

-A Private War (Matthew Heineman, 2018): B

-Ralph Breaks the Internet (Phil Johnston and Rich Moore, 2018): B+

-Robin Hood (Otto Bathurst, 2018): D+

-Roma (Alfonso Cuarón, 2018): A -- 2nd viewing; upgraded from B

-Suspiria (Luca Guadagnino, 2018): C

-Wanda (Barbara Loden, 1970): B

-Widows (Steve McQueen, 2018): B-

-Wildlife (Paul Dano, 2018): A

-Zombie (Zombi 2) (Lucio Fulci, 1979): B

The top films new to me (current releases):

-Wildlife
-Roma
-Instant Family

The top films new to me (repertory):

-Cold Water (L'eau froide)
-Zombie (Zombi 2)
-Wanda

Viewing locations & formats:

-Theatrical viewings: 26 (DCP: 26, 35mm: 0, 70mm: 0)
-Home viewings: 1 (Blu-ray: 1, HD stream: 0)

November Totals:

-# of screenings: 27
-# of unique films seen: 27
-# of feature films new to me: 26

Year-to-date Totals:

-Theatrical viewings: 271 (DCP: 251, 35mm: 15, 70mm: 4, projected DVD: 1) (includes two live accompaniments and one live performance)
-Home viewings: 21 (HD streams: 10, Blu-ray: 8, HD recordings: 2, DVD: 1)
-Live accompaniments: 2
-Live performances: 1

-# of screenings: 292
-Unique # of films seen: 285 features, 2 shorts compilation programs, and 8 shorts
-Unique # of feature films new to me: 255

October 2018 Film Log

-Bad Times at the El Royale (Drew Goddard, 2018): B-

-Coeur fidèle (Jean Epstein, 1923): B -- w/ Alloy Orchestra accompaniment

-Colette (Wash Westmoreland, 2018): C+

-Dial M for Murder (Alfred Hitchcock, 1954): B+ -- 3D; 3rd viewing

-First Man (Damien Chazelle, 2018): A- --IMAX

-The Fog (John Carpenter, 1980): B -- 4K; 2nd viewing

-Free Solo (Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, 2018): B+

-Halloween (John Carpenter, 1978): B+ -- repeat viewing

-Halloween (David Gordon Green, 2018): B

-The Hate U Give (George Tillman Jr., 2018): B

-Hunter Killer (Donovan Marsh, 2018): B-

-Johnny English Strikes Again (David Kerr, 2018): C

-Lifeboat (Alfred Hitchcock, 1944): B -- Blu-ray

-Mid90s (Jonah Hill, 2018): C-

-Monsters and Men (Reinaldo Marcus Green, 2018): B-

-North by Northwest (Alfred Hitchcock, 1959): A -- 4K; repeat viewing

-The Nutcracker and the Four Realms (Lasse Hallström and Joe Johnston, 2018): C+

-The Oath (Ike Barinholtz, 2018): D+ 

-The Old Man & the Gun (David Lowery, 2018): A-

-One Sings, the Other Doesn't (L'une chante l'autre pas) (Agnès Varda, 1977): C+

-Private Life (Tamara Jenkins, 2018): A- -- HD stream

-Project Gutenberg (Mo seung) (Felix Chong, 2018): B-

-Rear Window (Alfred Hitchcock, 1954): A -- 35mm; repeat viewing

-The Sisters Brothers (Jacques Audiard, 2018): B

-A Star is Born (Bradley Cooper, 2018): B+ -- Dolby Cinema

-Strangers on a Train (Alfred Hitchcock, 1951): A -- 35mm; repeat viewing

-Suspiria (Dario Argento, 1977): A -- Blu-ray

-To Catch a Thief (Alfred Hitchcock, 1955): A -- 35mm; repeat viewing

-Venom (Reuben Fleischer, 2018): C -- IMAX

-Vertigo (Alfred Hitchcock, 1958): A+ -- 70mm; repeat viewing

-The Wife (Björn Runge, 2017): B-

The top films new to me (current releases):

-First Man
-Private Life
-The Old Man & the Gun
-A Star is Born
-Free Solo

The top films new to me (repertory):

-Suspiria
-Lifeboat
-Coeur fidèle

Viewing locations & formats:

-Theatrical viewings: 28 (DCP: 24, 35mm: 3, 70mm: 1) (includes one live accompaniment)
-Home viewings: 3 (Blu-ray: 2, HD stream: 1)
-Live accompaniment: 1

October Totals:

-# of screenings: 31
-# of films seen: 31
-# of unique films new to me: 23

Year-to-date Totals:

-Theatrical viewings: 245 (DCP: 225, 35mm: 15, 70mm: 4, projected DVD: 1) (includes two live accompaniments and one live performance)
-Home viewings: 20 (HD streams: 10, Blu-ray: 7, HD recordings: 2, DVD: 1)
-Live accompaniments: 2
-Live performances: 1

-# of screenings: 265
-Unique # of films seen: 258 features, 2 shorts compilation programs, and 8 shorts
-Unique # of feature films new to me: 229

September 2018 Film Log

-Assassination Nation (Sam Levinson, 2018): D

-Bel Canto (Paul Weitz, 2018): C-

-The Birds (Alfred Hitchcock, 1963): A -- 35mm; repeat viewing

-The Bookshop (Isabel Coixet, 2017): C-

-Fahrenheit 11/9 (Michael Moore, 2018): C

-Hold the Dark (Jeremy Saulnier, 2018): B- --HD stream; repeat viewing (also in TIFF 2018)

-The House with a Clock in Its Walls (Eli Roth, 2018): C -- IMAX

-John McEnroe: In the Realm of Perfection (L'empire de la perfection) (Julien Faraut, 2018): B

-Kin (Jonathan Baker and Josh Baker, 2018): D

-The Land of Steady Habits (Nicole Holofcener, 2018): B- -- HD stream

-Life Itself (Dan Fogelman, 2018): C-

-The Little Stranger (Lenny Abrahamson, 2018): B+

-Mandy (Panos Cosmatos, 2018): B

-Night School (Malcolm D. Lee, 2018): C

-The Nun (Corin Hardy, 2018): C+ -- IMAX

-Peppermint (Pierre Morel, 2018): D-

-The Predator (Shane Black, 2018): C+ -- Dolby Cinema

-A Simple Favor (Paul Feig, 2018): B

-Smallfoot (Karey Kirkpatrick and Jason Reisig, 2018): B-

-They Live (John Carpenter, 1988): B+ -- 35mm; 2nd viewing

-White Boy Rick (Yann Demange, 2018): C

2018 Toronto International Film Festival

-3 Faces (Se rokh) (Jafar Panahi, 2018): A

-American Dharma (Errol Morris, 2018): B-

-Ash is Purest White (Jiang hu er nv) (Jia Zhangke, 2018): B+

-The Biggest Little Farm (John Chester, 2018): B-

-Blind Spot (Blindsone) (Tuva Novotny, 2018): A

-Everybody Knows (Todos lo saben) (Asghar Farhadi, 2018): B

-Her Smell (Alex Ross Perry, 2018): B

-High Life (Claire Denis, 2018): B+

-Hold the Dark (Jeremy Saulnier, 2018): B-

-Hotel by the River (Hong Sang-soo, 2018): B-

-"I Do Not Care If We Go Down in History as Barbarians" ("Îmi este indiferent daca în istorie vom intra ca barbari") (Radu Jude, 2018): A-

-In Fabric (Peter Strickland, 2018): B-

-The Innocent (Der Unschuldige) (Simon Jaquemet, 2018): C

-Killing (Zan) (Shin'ya Tsukamoto, 2018): D+

-Long Day's Journey Into Night (Di qiu zui hou de ye wan) (Bi Gan, 2018): C -- portions in 3D

-Maya (Mia Hansen-Løve, 2018): B-

-Meeting Gorbachev (Werner Herzog and André Singer, 2018): C

-Monrovia, Indiana (Frederick Wiseman, 2018): B+

-Non-Fiction (Doubles vies) (Olivier Assayas, 2018): B+

-Roma (Alfonso Cuarón, 2018): B

-Shoplifters (Manbiki kazoku) (Hirokazu Kore-eda, 2018): A-

-Transit (Christian Petzold, 2018): A

-Vita & Virginia (Chanya Button, 2018): C-

-The Wild Pear Tree (Ahlat Agaci) (Nuri Bilge Ceylan, 2018): B+

The top films new to me (current releases):

-The Little Stranger

The top films new to me (TIFF 2018):

-Blind Spot (Blindsone)
-Transit
-3 Faces (Se rokh)
-Shoplifters (Manbiki kazoku)
-"I Do Not Care If We Go Down in History as Barbarians" ("Îmi este indiferent daca în istorie vom intra ca barbari")
-Ash is Purest White (Jiang hu er nv)
-The Wild Pear Tree (Ahlat Agaci)
-Non-Fiction (Doubles vies)
-High Life
-Monrovia, Indiana

The top films new to me (repertory):

-None this month

Viewing locations & formats:

-Theatrical viewings: 43 (DCP: 41, 35mm: 2, 70mm: 0, projected DVD: 0)
-Home viewings: 2 (HD stream: 2)

September Totals: 

-# of screenings: 45
-# of films seen: 44
-# of feature films new to me: 42

Year-to-date Totals:

-Theatrical viewings: 217 (DCP: 201, 35mm: 12, 70mm: 3, projected DVD: 1) (includes one live performance)
-Home viewings: 17 (HD streams: 9, Blu-ray: 5, HD recordings: 2, DVD: 1)
-Live performances: 1
-Live accompaniment: 1

-# of screenings: 234
-Unique # of films seen: 227 features, 2 shorts compilation programs, and 8 shorts
-Unique # of feature films new to me: 206

August 2018 Film Log

-The Age of Innocence (Martin Scorsese, 1993): A -- Blu-ray

-BlacKkKlansman (Spike Lee, 2018): A- -- Dolby Cinema

-Les carabiniers (Jean-Luc Godard, 1963): B+ -- 35mm print

-Christopher Robin (Marc Forster, 2018): C-

-Le corbeau (Henri-Georges Clouzot, 1943): A-

-Crazy Rich Asians (Jon M. Chu, 2018): B

-Eighth Grade (Bo Burnham, 2018): B+

-A Fistful of Dollars (Per un pugno di dollari) (Sergio Leone, 1964): B+ -- 2nd viewing; 4K restoration

-For a Few Dollars More (Per qualche dollaro in più) (Sergio Leone, 1965): B -- 2nd viewing

-The Good, The Bad and the Ugly (Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo) (Sergio Leone, 1966): A -- 2nd viewing; 4K restoration

-Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation (Genndy Tartakovsky, 2018): C

-The Island (Bo Huang, 2018): C

-Juliet, Naked (Jesse Peretz, 2018): B

-The Last Days of Disco (Whit Stillman, 1998): A -- repeat viewing; Blu-ray

-The Last Movie (Dennis Hopper, 1971): C

-Madeline's Madeline (Josephine Decker, 2018): C-

-The Meg (Jon Turteltaub, 2018): C+

-The Miseducation of Cameron Post (Desiree Akhavan, 2018): C

-Mission: Impossible--Fallout (Christopher McQuarrie, 2018): A -- Dolby Cinema; 2nd viewing

-Never Goin' Back (Augustine Frizzell, 2018): D+

-Papillon (Michael Noer, 2017): B-

-Puzzle (Marc Turteltaub, 2018): C

-Searching (Aneesh Chaganty, 2018): B+

-Skate Kitchen (Crystal Moselle, 2018): C

-The Spy Who Dumped Me (Susanna Fogel, 2018): C-

-Support the Girls (Andrew Bujalski, 2018): B+

-Teen Titans Go! To the Movies (Aaron Horvath and Peter Rida Michail, 2018): B-

-The Third Murder (Sandome no satsujin) (Hirokazu Kore-eda, 2017): B+ -- 2nd viewing; grade revised from C

-Through a Glass Darkly (Såsom i en spegel) (Ingmar Bergman, 1961): B -- 35mm print

-To All the Boys I've Loved Before (Susan Johnson, 2018): B- -- HD stream

-Winter Light (Nattvardsgästerna) (Ingmar Bergman, 1963): A

Shorts:

-#TheLateBatsby (Lauren Faust and Jennifer Kluska, 2018): B-

The top films new to me (current releases):

-BlacKkKlansman
-Support the Girls
-Eighth Grade
-Searching
-Crazy Rich Asians

The top films new to me (repertory):

-The Age of Innocence
-Winter Light (Nattvardsgästerna)
-Le corbeau
-Les carabiniers
-Through a Glass Darkly (Såsom i en spegel)

Viewing locations &; formats:

-Theatrical viewings: 28 (DCP: 26, 35mm: 2, 70mm: 0, projected DVD: 0)
-Home viewings: 3 (Blu-ray: 2, HD stream: 1)

August Totals:

-# of screenings: 31
-# of unique films seen: 31 (31 features and 1 short)
-# of feature films new to me: 25

Year-to-date Totals:

-Theatrical viewings: 174 (DCP: 160, 35mm: 10, 70mm: 3, projected DVD: 1) (includes one live performance and one live accompaniment)
-Home viewings: 15 (HD streams: 7, Blu-ray: 5, HD recordings: 2, DVD: 1)
-Live performances: 1
-Live accompaniment: 1

-# of screenings: 189
-Unique # of films seen: 183 features, 2 shorts compilation programs, and 8 shorts
-Unique # of feature films new to me: 164

July 2018 Film Log

-Ant-Man and the Wasp (Peyton Reed, 2018): B

-Blindspotting (Carlos López Estrada, 2018): B

-Damsel (David Zellner and Nathan Zellner, 2018): B-

-Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far On Foot (Gus Van Sant, 2018): B+

-The First Purge (Gerard McMurray, 2018): C

-Hearts Beat Loud (Brett Haley, 2018): B-

-Leave No Trace (Debra Granik, 2018): A

-Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (Ol Parker, 2018): B-

-Mission: Impossible--Fallout (Christopher McQuarrie, 2018): A -- Dolby Cinema

-Persona (Ingmar Bergman, 1966): A-

-The Seventh Seal (Det sjunde inseglet) (Ingmar Bergman, 1957): B+ -- 35mm print

-Sicario: Day of the Soldado (Stefano Sollima, 2018): C-

-Skyscraper (Rawson Marshall Thurber, 2018): B

-Sorry to Bother You (Boots Riley, 2018): B-

-Summer with Monika (Sommaren med Monika) (Ingmar Bergman, 1953): B+ -- 35mm print

-Unfriended: Dark Web (Stephen Susco, 2018): B-

-Whitney (Kevin Macdonald, 2018): B

-Yellow Submarine (George Dunning, 1968): B+ -- 2nd viewing

The top films new to me (current releases):

-Mission: Impossible--Fallout
-Leave No Trace
-Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far On Foot
-Skyscraper
-Ant-Man and the Wasp

The top films new to me (repertory):

-Persona
-Summer with Monika (Sommaren med Monika)
-The Seventh Seal (Det sjunde inseglet)

Viewing locations & formats:

-Theatrical viewings: 18 (DCP: 16, 35mm: 2, 70mm: 0, projected DVD: 0)
-Home viewings: 0

July Totals:

-# of screenings: 18
-# of unique films seen: 18
-# of feature films new to me: 17

Year-to-date Totals:

-Theatrical viewings: 146 (DCP: 134, 35mm: 8, 70mm: 3, projected DVD: 1) (includes one live performance & one live accompaniment)
-Home viewings: 12 (HD streams: 6, Blu-ray: 3, HD recordings: 2, DVD: 1)
-Live performances: 1
-Live accompaniment: 1

-# of screenings: 158
-Unique # of films seen: 153 features, 2 shorts compilation programs, and 7 shorts
-Unique # of feature films new to me: 139

2018 Halftime Film Report

For the first time in a long time I've done a better job of keeping track of what I'm watching during the year, so I've compiled this report breaking out lists of the best films I've seen from January 1 through June 30, 2018.  The exceptions: LEAN ON PETE and ON BODY AND SOUL, which I saw at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival.  LEAN ON PETE wasn't commercially released in theaters until this year.  ON BODY AND SOUL debuted in the U.S. on Netflix this year.  So, both go on the Best of 2018 list. 

2018 Films

1. First Reformed (Paul Schrader, 2017)

2. Annihilation (Alex Garland, 2018)
3. Lean On Pete (Andrew Haigh, 2017)
4. Paddington 2 (Paul King, 2017)
5. On Body and Soul (Teströl és lélekröl) (Ildikó Enyedi, 2017)
6. Set It Up (Claire Scanlon, 2018)
7. Thoroughbreds (Cory Finley, 2017)
8. The Rider (Chloé Zhao, 2017)
9. Tully (Jason Reitman, 2018)
10. A Quiet Place (John Krasinski, 2018)

Because I find it annoying when critics post these sorts of lists and include a bunch of films not yet commercially available, I've split out films in consideration for my 2018 Top 10 and Honorable Mentions lists, assuming they are released this year.

Unreleased 2018 Films

1. Bisbee '17 (Robert Greene, 2018)
2. América (Erick Stoll and Chase Whiteside, 2018)
3. Let the Corpses Tan (Laissez bronzer les cadavres) (Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani, 2017)
4. I Am Not a Witch (Rungano Nyoni, 2017)
5. Hale County This Morning, This Evening (RaMell Ross, 2018)
6. Shirkers (Sandi Tan, 2018)

As the Sam Green and Kronos Quartet collaboration defies categorization and isn't something that will ever have a normal release, it gets a spot all to its own.

Uncategorizable 2018 Film Event

-A Thousand Thoughts (Sam Green, 2018)

Things get a little more idiosyncratic when it comes to films I saw this year for the first time.  While these choices are guided to a degree by what I can see in theatrical repertory programs, some are just where curiosity took me.  The inclusions of PHANTOM THREAD and CALL ME BY YOUR NAME are somewhat antithetical to the idea of this list--they're "new" films that squeezed on by virtue of awards release patterns--but this is where they fit best.

Films New to Me

1. Phantom Thread (Paul Thomas Anderson, 2017)
2. La belle noiseuse (Jacques Rivette, 1991)
3. Monkey Business (Howard Hawks, 1952)
4. Call Me by Your Name (Luca Guadagnino, 2017)
5. Rambling Rose (Martha Coolidge, 1991)
6. Tom Jones (Tony Richardson, 1963)
7. Memories of Murder (Salinui chueok) (Bong Joon-ho, 2003)
8. Night of the Living Dead (George A. Romero, 1968)
9. Remember My Name (Alan Rudolph, 1978)

10. Lady on a Train (Charles David, 1945)

June 2018 Film Log

At the moment life is steamrolling me with everything that I need to do, so rather than extending the delay in getting this posted by searching for the time to write something more substantive to accompany the log, I'll leave it at that.

-2001: A Space Odyssey (Stanley Kubrick, 1968): A+ -- 70mm "unrestored" print; 3rd viewing

-Adrift (Baltasar Kormákur, 2018): B

-Beast (Michael Pearce, 2017): B

-Book Club (Bill Holderman, 2018): C+

-Choose Me (Alan Rudolph, 1984): B -- projected DVD

-Chronicle of Anna Magdalena Bach (Chronik der Anna Magdalena Bach) (Jean-Marie Straub and Danièle Huillet, 1968): B

-Filmworker (Tony Zierra, 2017): B

-First Reformed (Paul Schrader, 2017): A -- second viewing

-Hereditary (Ari Aster, 2018): B

-Hotel Artemis (Drew Pearce, 2018): C-

-How to Talk to Girls at Parties (John Cameron Mitchell, 2017): D+

-Incredibles 2 (Brad Bird, 2018): B

-Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (J.A. Bayona, 2018): B-

-Let the Sunshine In (Un beau soleil intérieur) (Claire Denis, 2017): B

-Ocean's 8 (Gary Ross, 2018): B-

-Remember My Name (Alan Rudolph, 1978): B+ -- 35mm

-Set It Up (Claire Scanlon, 2018): A- -- HD stream

-Sollers Point (Matthew Porterfield, 2017): B

-Superfly (Director X, 2018): C

-Tag (Jeff Tomsic, 2018): C

-Uncle Drew (Charles Stone III, 2018): C

-Upgrade (Leigh Whannell, 2018): B

-The Year of Spectacular Men (Lea Thompson, 2017): C-

Shorts:
-Balloonfest (Nathan Truesdell, 2017): B+

-Bao (Domee Shi, 2018): B-

-Take What You Can Carry (Matthew Porterfield, 2015): B -- projected HD video

The top films new to me (current releases):

-Set It Up
-Upgrade
-Beast
-Adrift
-Let the Sunshine In (Un beau soleil intérieur)
-Hereditary

The top films new to me (repertory):

-Remember My Name
-Chronicle of Anna Magdalena Bach (Chronik der Anna Magdalena Bach)
-Choose Me

Viewing locations & formats:

-Theatrical viewings: 22 (DCP: 19, 35mm: 1, 70mm: 1, projected DVD: 1) + 3 shorts
-Home viewings: 1  (HD stream: 1) + 1 short

June Totals:

-# of screenings: 23
-# of films seen: 23 
-# of feature films new to me: 21

Year-to-date Totals:

-Theatrical viewings: 128 (DCP: 118, 35mm: 6, 70mm: 3, projected DVD: 1) (includes one live performance & one live accompaniment)
-Home viewings: 12 (HD streams: 6, Blu-ray: 3, HD recordings: 2,  DVD: 1)
-Live performances: 1
-Live accompaniment: 1

-# of screenings: 140
-Unique # of films seen: 135 features, 2 shorts compilation programs, and 7 shorts
-Unique # of feature films new to me: 122

May 2018 Film Log

Being free of the viewing demands for a biweekly TV show, I don't have to see--or feel compelled to see--as many of the new mainstream films that make it into the nation's multiplexes.  Perhaps it was always this way, but so many of the wide releases this year look more disposable than ever and don't pique my interest.  I don't think that such an impression is necessarily a byproduct of being able to be more selective.  As the number of each week's new releases grows and the turnover of these titles increases, it stands to reason that there's a lower bar to clear to get screens.

During the most intense periods of producing NOW PLAYING, it wasn't unusual for me to look at multiplex listings and find little to nothing I hadn't already watched except for what just opened.  Now the listings are peppered with films I haven't seen, yet I can struggle to identify something that seems even mildly worth the time.  Sight unseen, films such as BAD SAMARITAN, OVERBOARD, SHOW DOGS, and TRAFFIK aren't exactly compelling choices even if I'm looking to go to the movies just for the sake of it.  (That's how BREAKING IN ended up on this month's log.  It was something to do while all of the windows were being replaced in my apartment.)  It's as though movie theaters are being infiltrated by the types of offerings that would have once been direct-to-video.  It's also probably never been easier to get an independent film in theaters, at least for the blink of an eye.  (Getting a full run is another matter.)

While I would not argue that it should be harder for filmmakers to find screens for their works, the number of screens to fill and the ease of content delivery with digital distribution and exhibition has exploded the number of choices and diluted the perceived quality checks when access to consumers was tighter.  I'm not sure that I have a point other than to say I saw a fair number of mediocre and worse films this month while bypassing a bunch of others.

-La belle noiseuse (Jacques Rivette, 1991): A- -- Blu-ray

-Breaking In (James McTeigue, 2018): D+

-The Color of Pomegranates (Sayat Nova) (Sergei Parajanov, 1969): B -- Blu-ray

-Deadpool 2 (David Leitch, 2018): C

-Disobedience (Sebastián Lelio, 2017): C-

-Double Lover (L'amant double) (François Ozon, 2017): B-

-The Endless (Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, 2017): C+

-Ghost Stories (Jeremy Dyson and Andy Nyman, 2017): B-

-The Guardians (Les gardiennes) (Xavier Beauvois, 2017): B

-I Feel Pretty (Abby Kohn and Marc Silverstein, 2018): C

-Life of the Party (Ben Falcone, 2018): C-

-Mary Poppins (Robert Stevenson, 1964): B  -- repeat viewing

-Oh Lucy! (Atsuko Hirayanagi, 2017): C-

-Pope Francis: A Man of His Word (Wim Wenders, 2018): C+

-Psychokinesis (Yeom-lyeok) (Yeon Sang-Ho, 2018): B- -- HD stream

-RBG (Julie Cohen and Betsy West, 2018): B-

-Solo: A Star Wars Story (Ron Howard, 2018): B-

-Terminal (Vaughn Stein, 2018): D

-Tully (Jason Reitman, 2018): B+

The top films new to me (current releases):

-Tully

The top films new to me (repertory):

-La belle noiseuse
-The Color of Pomegranates (Sayat Nova)

Viewing locations & formats:

-Theatrical viewings: 16 (DCP: 16)
-Home viewings: 3

May Totals:

-# of screenings: 19
-# of unique films seen: 19
-# of feature films new to me: 18

Year-to-date Totals:

-Theatrical viewings: 106 (DCP: 99, 35mm: 5, 70mm: 2) (includes one live performance & one live accompaniment)
-Home viewings: 11 (HD streams: 5, Blu-ray: 3, HD recordings: 2,  DVD: 1)
-Live performances: 1
-Live accompaniment: 1

-# of screenings: 117
-Unique # of films seen: 112 features, 2 shorts compilation programs, and 4 shorts
-Unique # of feature films new to me: 101

April 2018 Film Log

Another month attending a film festival provides a boost to the overall numbers, with nearly half of what I saw coming in a five-day period at Roger Ebert's Film Festival.  The end of the semester and other pressures on time put a pinch on the usual amount I'd devote to watching movies, but I recognize that I still see way more than most people.

Dario Argento is one of those directors who I'm aware of but largely unfamiliar with, so I made the effort to catch a couple of his earlier films when they played in Columbus as part of a month-long series.  I wanted to see SUSPIRIA the most, but the only time available to me was a 12:15 a.m. screening before I had a 7:00 a.m. flight to Denver.  I gave serious consideration to going, but physical fatigue persuaded me that it would be extremely foolish to drag myself to a screening that I'd probably fall asleep during.

One note on a grade: I left a placeholder question mark for the Japanese silent film A PAGE OF MADNESS because I have no idea what to make of it, especially as the late afternoon festival drowsiness made this dream-like (or nightmarish) film even hazier.

-13th (Ava DuVernay, 2016): B

-American Splendor (Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini, 2003): B+ -- 35mm; 2nd viewing

-Avengers: Infinity War (Anthony Russo and Joe Russo, 2018): C -- Cinemark XD

-Beirut (Brad Anderson, 2018): B

-Belle (Amma Asante, 2013): B -- 2nd viewing

-The Big Lebowski (Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, 1998): A -- 35mm; repeat viewing

-The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (L'uccello dalle piume di cristallo) (Dario Argento, 1970): B- -- 4K restoration

-Blockers (Kay Cannon, 2018): B-

-Columbus (Kogonada, 2017): A -- 2nd viewing

-Daughters of the Dust (Julie Dash, 1991): B -- 2nd viewing

-Deep Red (Profondo rosso) (Dario Argento, 1975): B- -- 4K restoration

-The Fugitive (Andrew Davis, 1993): B -- repeat viewing

-Gemini (Aaron Katz, 2017): B

-Goldstone (Ivan Sen, 2016): C-

-Interstellar (Christopher Nolan, 2014): A -- 70mm; 3rd viewing (2nd in 70mm)

-Isle of Dogs (Wes Anderson, 2018): B-

-Loveless (Nelyubov) (Andrey Zvyagintsev, 2017): B

-A Page of Madness (Kurutta ippêji) (Teinosuke Kinugasa, 1926): ? -- with Alloy Orchestra accompaniment

-A Quiet Place (John Krasinski, 2018): B+

-Rambling Rose (Martha Coolidge, 1991): B+ -- 35mm

-Rampage (Brad Peyton, 2018): C-

-Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked the World (Catherine Bainbridge and Alfonso Maiorana, 2017): B-

-Selena (Gregory Nava, 1997): C -- 35mm

-Truth or Dare (Jeff Wadlow, 2018): C-

-Where is Kyra? (Andrew Dosunmu, 2017): C

-You Were Never Really Here (Lynne Ramsay, 2017): B

Shorts:

-Aspirational (Matthew Frost, 2014): B

The top films new to me (current releases):

-A Quiet Place
-You Were Never Really Here
-Gemini
-Loveless (Nelyubov)
-Beirut

The top films new to me (repertory):

-Rambling Rose
-13th
-Deep Red (Profondo rosso)
-The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (L'uccello dalle piume di cristallo)

Viewing locations & formats:

-Theatrical viewings: 26 (DCP: 21, 35mm: 4, 70mm: 1)
-Home viewings: 0
-Live accompaniment: 1

April Totals:

-# of screenings: 26
-# of unique films seen: 26 features and 1 short
-# of feature films new to me: 19

Year-to-date Totals:

-Theatrical viewings: 90 (DCP: 83, 35mm: 5, 70mm: 2) (includes one live performance & one live accompaniment)
-Home viewings: 8 (HD streams: 4, HD recordings: 2, Blu-ray: 1, DVD: 1)
-Live performances: 1
-Live accompaniment: 1

-# of screenings: 98
-Unique # of films seen: 93 features, 2 shorts compilation programs, and 4 shorts
-Unique # of feature films new to me: 83

2018 Roger Ebert's Film Festival: Day 2

If the first day of the 20th annual Roger Ebert's Film Festival inspired looking at the past, the second day pointed thoughts about the past and present toward the future.  Whether this emerging structure was intended or it's simply what stood out because of where my head is at currently, I like the balance of noticing what used to be and not allowing it to dictate how things should remain.  One can appreciate and respect the past without believing that today and tomorrow must be defined on yesterday's terms.  Don't misunderstand me, I'm not suggesting throwing out everything that has preceded.  That knowledge should be built upon, not permanently fixed.

The present in INTERSTELLAR looks bleak as blight is bringing the last harvests of specific crops, which will inevitably lead to the planet being incapable of growing food at some date.  Dust storms seem likely to bring about all sorts of respiratory issues for the population, especially in the youngest generation.  In Christopher Nolan's 2014 film, the world is no longer at war, perhaps the lone positive byproduct of the perilous environmental situation, but fear of what is ahead has made thinking regressive, something manifested in educators now teaching that space exploration was all a massive constructed lie to gain an edge in the Cold War.

Matthew McConaughey's Cooper understands the practical need to be a farmer, yet he's frustrated how society is essentially barricading itself in its home and embraced denial of reality instead of believing in and working toward a future that could be better.  He becomes involved with a secret outpost of NASA that seeks a new home for humankind in a different galaxy.  While participating means a tremendous personal sacrifice--if he ever returns, he will have missed decades with his children--the alternative is waiting for doomsday to come.  Cooper chooses the more hopeful option, even though it means making the tough choice to leave behind the son and daughter he loves dearly.

INTERSTELLAR is a film of staggering visual wonder that serves as a kind of amusement park ride through a wormhole and into a black hole, yet the father-daughter connection bridging space and time make the greatest impact. Although Nolan can be characterized as a cold, logical filmmaker, here he searches for the unquantifiable in love of family and awe at the universe. The mission into the stars becomes a journey into the heart.

Although the film is just four years old, in the current political atmosphere it plays much differently.  The retrograde developments and fatalistic thinking seem all the more plausible in this pessimistic time.  If only we can have faith that a small, renegade group is still striving to stave off the worst possible outcome for everyone, although the film mitigates the investment we should put into some secret resistance delivering salvation.  Some people may be more qualified to make things better, but in the end everyone needs to pitch in.  It all comes back to the idea that parents make preparations to assist their children even if the full realization of those actions don't arrive until after they are gone.  The past should set the table for the future, not marginalize it.

Ebertfest showed INTERSTELLAR in a 70mm print, which made this one of the potential high points of the festival for me.  I'd seen it in 70mm before but was underwhelmed by the visual result in a better source.  Splashed across the huge screen at the Virginia Theatre, I expected this presentation to deliver what I hoped to see that first time.  While this print was pristine, my experience was the same.  INTERSTELLAR in 70mm lacks the sharpness and clarity that I expect.  Some of the farm scenes, especially in the house, seem dark and lower in detail.  This is not the case with 70mm prints of DUNKIRK, so I'm not sure what the difference is.

Monica Castillo, Selena director Gregory Nava, and Claudia Puig

Gregory Nava's SELENA, a biopic about the Tejano singer Selena Quintanilla-Perez, is the only film to play here in the first two days that I hadn't already seen.  While the film's arc is more about the rise and tragic end of the pop star's life, one of the tensions extends from her father Abraham (Edward James Olmos) resisting the desire of his children, particularly Selena (Rebecca Lee Meza as a child, Jennifer Lopez as a teen and adult), to do things according to their tastes, not his.  As a frustrated former musician, Abraham has certain ideas of how things should be done based on when he was growing up.  While some of his objections, such as his dislike for Selena's more revealing fashions, emanates from a paternal impulse, many of them are rooted in believing that all the answers exist in the past.

SELENA gave a big boost to Lopez's career, and her strong technical performance makes it easy to understand why, although she's limited by a screenplay that doesn't give the character much of an interior life.  My primary criticism of the film is that the writing leaves a lot to be desired, whether it's the information dumps of dialogue or the progression of events that don't fully convey how much Selena's professional status is changing.  As biopics tend to do, SELENA features a greatest hits of anecdotes on her rise to fame, but these scenes feel strangely disconnected until someone unloads some clunky talk to fill in some of the gaps.

I appreciate, though, that Nava doesn't define Selena through her death.  When the film opened, for much of the American public their greatest awareness of her would have been about her murder.  I suspect most filmmakers would have opened SELENA with the tragedy and flashed back to tell the story, but doing so would implicitly say that being killed is why she should be of interest to people, not her talent or accomplishments.  Nava doesn't foreshadow the murder unless you recall who was responsible, which has the weird effect of Selena's fate hanging over the film like the sword of Damocles for those who know it or seeming like a shocking turn virtually out of nowhere for those who are unfamiliar with the outcome.

Nava also does a nice job of depicting the struggle in being Mexican-American, which complicates Selena's professional life by being perceived as not fully either nationality.  There can be a tendency to assume that those with hyphenated identities favor the part that is not American, yet here we see that doing so is often not fair.  Selena's native tongue is English, and she wants to sing in that language.  The system, however, pushes her toward where it thinks she best fits, which mirrors her father's experience of wanting to sing with a doo wop group but facing opposition by the majority culture and his own because of his heritage.

Rebecca Theodore-Vachon, Belle director Amma Asante, and Chaz Ebert

Heritage is also the prism through which Gugu Mbatha-Raw is viewed and treated as Dido Elizabeth Belle in Amma Asante's BELLE.  Based on a true story, Dido has a British father and a slave mother, and her father wishes to have his parents care for her according to the status he gives her while he is away in the Royal Navy.  Her great-uncle and great-aunt, Lord and Lady Mansfield (Tom Wilkinson and Emily Watson), raise Dido much the same way they do her cousin Elizabeth Murray (Sarah Gadon), yet there remain some customs that have her occupy in which her place is above the servants but below the rest of the family.

Dido's young adulthood coincides with an important case regarding the crew of a slave ship disposing of its human cargo and seeking recompense from the insurer.  Lord Mansfield is adjudicating it, and Dido's awareness of the matter shapes her understanding of who she is and how society observes her.

Asante excels at bringing out the economic, social, and political questions in a costume drama and tying their relevance to today.  Race is certainly an important component of what BELLE is examining, but the film also explores the worth and expectations of women in a culture that does not fully value them and actively seeks to bind them to a way of moving through society that limits their potential.  The phrase judicial activism gets lobbed as an accusation nowadays, yet is a strict adherence to the past beneficial?  Lord Mansfield's decision in the Zong case could be interpreted as activism--I suspect any verdict departing from the observer's opinion qualifies as such--even though it seems like the evolution of thought in applying the law.  Again, blanket denial of the past is not the goal, but making the future beholden to what preceded should not be either.

2018 Roger Ebert's Film Festival: Opening Night

The Fugitive director Andrew Davis introduces his film

Without going into details, it's been a trying year--and one that I anticipate will continue to test me, even if there's nothing life-threatening--so I arrived in Champaign, Illinois for the 20th annual Roger Ebert's Film Festival with the hope of taking a breather, if just for a few days.  Granted, simply by being here I'm potentially stressing myself out more as there's work to be done for final projects due in my MBA classes next week.  That's what mornings are for, or so I'm telling myself, and I did work ahead a fair bit to feel as though I could attend this festival yet again and not feel like I'm being irresponsible.  Yes, the brand bible and diagnostic and my portions of a group research project about introducing a mid-size electric vehicle to the Chinese market are not one hundred percent finished, but if I'm being fair with myself, I've made enough progress that I this trip should be guilt-free.

This is my eighteenth consecutive Ebertfest, although it's the first since 2015 that I will be here for every day.  (Those pesky graduate school courses kept me from the first two days in 2016 and opening night last year, sacrifices that I knew were sensible but gnawed at me nevertheless as I sat in those classrooms.)  Truth be told, other festivals that I attend have surpassed this one on the list of my favorites, but it's still near and dear to me because it was the first festival I attended and one that does a lot very well--and differently--to make it worthwhile.

When I reflect on the fact that this is my eighteenth year here, the reality of it is almost impossible to believe.  It doesn't seem that long ago that I first stepped into the Virginia Theatre to see a 70mm print of 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY smelling like barbecue because I sat downwind from the local vendor grilling outside the theater for hungry festivalgoers.  The hotel where I stayed during my first time here was torn down many years ago, the Virginia has undergone many renovations to restore its beauty and enhance its comfort, and the Neil Street corridor and downtown Champaign has transformed through a lot of development.  Of course, the festival itself has witnessed dramatic changes, especially as its namesake is no longer here in physical form, although his spirit remains evident in the tone the event sets.

I imagine that if you go to one place or one event year after year after year, it takes on some greater significance because you gradually observe the changes and come to realize that the same things are happening to you.  Blink and there's a corner teeming with restaurants when last you looked there were none.  Wait a minute, I've owned how many cars in that time?  (The answer is four, although one never had the chance to make the trip because it was prematurely terminated by a driver who rear-ended me without braking when I was stopped on the highway.)

I think Ebertfest invites reminiscing, in part because it's not built around new films and also because it possesses a strong nostalgic or sentimental quality.  Moviegoing as a communal experience gets derided for how often it fails us now--or how the rude fail the respectful majority--and it may be diminishing as consumer tastes change, be it because of price, convenience, or whatever factor you wish to blame.  Ebertfest occurs in a single theater and doesn't require pass holders to select between screening options unless there are films they don't want to see.  In that regard it is one big shared experience.  In the early days "overlooked" was in the festival's name.  Oddly enough, the act of seeing a film with a crowd is the sort of thing that may now be overlooked, or undervalued, that it could have a rightful place in the fest's name again.

Richard Roeper, Matt Zoller Seitz, director Andrew Davis, and Scott Mantz

THE FUGITIVE, director Andrew Davis's 1993 thriller based on an old TV show, kicked off the 20th edition of Ebertfest with enough affection for and exploration of Chicago to win over what seems to be an audience dominated by Illinoisans.  (At the fest's attendance peak, people from the Land of Lincoln probably still made up more than half of the crowd, but my impression is that Ebertfest has slowly become more of a local festival in terms of who comes.)  I don't know that I'd seen THE FUGITIVE since its original theatrical run, and aside from a couple of Tommy Lee Jones's highly quoted lines on pre-screening trivia slides in the 1990s, I didn't remember much about it.  If that seems damning, those lines are more than I recall about the sequel U.S. MARSHALS.

While the opening packs a lot of information about the murder of Dr. Richard Kimble's wife and the aftermath into a relatively short period of time, I felt restless waiting for THE FUGITIVE to finish the wind-up and get to the chase.  The practical effects of the train crash that frees Harrison Ford's wrongly accused character impresses and earned appreciative applause from the festival audience.  What sort of shocked me in revisiting the film is how much of it is a process movie, with the character elements kept to a minimum.  I doubt that what thrilled me about THE FUGITIVE in 1993 was how it functions as a tour of various parts of the city and the diverse people encountered along the way, but its time capsule quality, especially if the Chicago accent is disappearing, and the shoe leather beats with the hunter and the hunted are what pulled me in the most now.  Maybe that's also why long stretches of the film play to me as TV, although that may be more reflective of TV now than then.

One of the pleasures of rewatching older films for the first time in a long time is discovering people in bit parts who wouldn't have stood out then but have been there all along. THE FUGITIVE is populated with plenty of faces you'll likely recognize today even if you can't put a name to them.  Just as visiting places once a year over many years facilitates a form of time travel, so too do the movies provide a temporal transport, and a more accessible one at that.  I don't know what journeys await over the next four days at Ebertfest, but I eagerly look forward to taking them.