I Lost My S*%t At The Movies

Originally published February 8, 2020

With apologies to Pauline Kael, my annual review of the previous year’s films will focus on movies that brought me huge emotion, up, down or sideways, with scant reference to the Oscars this time around, because I honestly don’t care about them anymore. My motivation for writing this annual article was very low, so thank you to Amy for suggesting that it consist largely of a summary of my favorite films of 2019.

My faithful reader(s) know that I’m a big crier at the movies. And it’s getting worse as I get older. I love being emotionally out of control in a dark room surrounded by strangers. It’s especially sweet when I’m not expecting it. 2019 had a lot of emotion for me. The most stark example was For Sama: “I’ve laughed out loud at movies. I don’t remember ever crying out “Oh My God!” before, much less in chorus with an entire audience, while rocking in my seat like a helpless child, grasping at my own face. I ran out of places on my shirt to wipe the tears and condensation off my glasses.” Many of the movies I discuss below were also weepers.

By the Numbers
I watched 78 films that were released in 2019, and during 2019, I watched a total of 123 films. I reached back in time more often, going out of my way to attend screenings in San Francisco and Berkeley of older films, such as War and Peace, Cleo from 5 to 7, and Tokyo Story. Honestly, I found these films uneven in their appeal, with some striking exceptions. But one value of watching classics is that you can see innovative visual treats that startle you with their complexity and depth, then chide yourself for thinking that sophisticated cinema is somehow a modern phenomenon. If you attend movies not just as a diversion, but out of passion, I really recommend finding places that show older films, because you sit amidst a community, not just with people who had nothing better to do.

I’m posting my reviews on a movie-centered social media site called Letterboxd these days, so I’ll share some of my highlights here. First, my 5 star reviews from movies released in 2019. There were nine of them, a new high for me. I might be getting more generous as I age. There were also nine films nominated for Best Picture, but only two of them coincided. If you’ve ever read an article like this, featuring actual Academy voters, you understand why mediocrity is so often elevated with awards. People in the entertainment industry are not, by and large, any more discerning than the average movie-goer.

Yep, I just trashed the Academy’s taste in movies, with an elitist swipe. Too bad. Everyone should be an elitist about at least one thing in their lives.

“1917”
“I can count a small handful of films that have moved me as profoundly. One of them, not coincidentally, is the World War I film ‘Gallipoli,’ which had a similar climax. That war probably had the most monstrous conditions for the fighting soldier that’s ever existed, making it an irresistible mark for ambitious directors. I’ve avoided discussing the extended cuts, which are dismissed by some as gimmicky, and elevated by others as the epitome of craftsmanship. I considered them extraordinary, but merely necessary, to best convey unique battlefield conditions.”

“Little Women”
“Gerwig makes sure we never forget the sword of Damocles hanging over them. Regardless of talent or accomplishment, female independence was scarce. But perhaps not impossible, and Gerwig’s conceit with Jo’s writing is a brilliant way to frame the whole movie, and a terribly clever way to end it as well….I didn’t want the story to end. I wanted to stay in idyllic Concord, Impressionist Paris, and visit postbellum New York City….[t]here’s no antagonist in this film, only the condition and age which the sisters must dwell in.”

“The Last Black Man in San Francisco”
“It’s directed like visual poetry, with several jaw-dropping scenes of beauty. I’ll never forget watching Jimmie skateboarding down a long steep hill, with the Bay Bridge looming behind. Or how Bayview/Hunter’s Point looked from the shoreline….What a kick it was to see my theatre’s marquee showing through the window of a realtor who is discussing the house with Jimmie and Monty.”

“For Sama”
“I’ve never left a theatre as shaken as I did from ‘For Sama.’ I will never again hear about a city enduring bombardment the same way. This film is unrelenting. It’s Saving Private Ryan level gruesome. It shows the disemboweled bodies of children laying on bloody floors of the hospital, because there’s nowhere else, and it’s not safe to take them away. There are screaming mothers who scoop up their dead flaccid children from gurneys, and run out into the streets with them. And finally, an unforgettable scene of a nine month pregnant woman undergoing emergency c-section, and the attempts to batter the blue, dead newborn back to life.

I watched this film in the Mission, in a city often derided for its deterioration. When I stepped out of the theatre, I kept looking at the upper floors of the buildings around me, which looked jarringly intact. I don’t know if there was a building left in Aleppo with all its exterior walls in place. The contrast made a mockery of those who criticize American cities.”

“The Farewell”
“The phenomenon at the heart of this movie, keeping bad medical news from reaching an elderly relative, is something I learned about from a second-generation Chinese descended colleague, and I found it stunning. The explanation for deception offered in the film has a cold logic to it, but deception in the service of keeping someone alive longer still has a culturally alien feel to an American audience. We are raised to believe in the right to know something so personal.”

“Official Secrets”
“You’ve probably never heard of Katharine Gun, despite the fact that she came closer than perhaps any other individual in preventing the outbreak of a war. You haven’t heard of her because the US media declined to cover her story, despite the huge headlines she created in England, and several other countries affected by her revelations.
Her story is critical because Britain actually cared about the distinction between legal and illegal war. The British military chiefs let Blair know that they would not participate in a war that the British Attorney General declared illegal. Can you imagine that in the US? We don’t give a shit about international law. Katharine Gun almost made that happen.”

“Apollo 11”
“I never would have imagined there was 90 minutes of footage that I’ve never seen before, of this mission.”

“Les Miserables”
“Voices will never be heeded, so it’s time to speak with righteous action. We’ve seen a taste of the abuse they live under, but unless we live it, how do we judge them? By what standards? History has been sympathetic to previous French revolutionaries. Even Chris knows that this district was where Victor Hugo set his novel, and notes that nothing has changed since then. But does he see himself as Javert?”

“Styx”
“In some ways, the set-up is too perfect. An expert physician sailor with a complete medical kit, who encounters a group of people needing precisely that. This is basically like watching a spare Hemingway novel in action. It’s also a call to our consciences. When one refugee boy named Kingsley insists that she talk to him, he’s appealing to all of us.
We see one side of her for half the film, the professional high achiever, who made herself expert at whatever she chose to do. So much time is devoted to establishing that identity. Then everything about her beliefs and steadiness are tested to the extreme.”

Un Certain Regard
This is my list of films just a hair under the very top tier. They all impressed the hell out of me, for one reason or another. One sentence each from my reviews. Maybe two.

“Rust Creek”
This is not a girl-in-distress movie, this is meth-country-doesn’t-know-who-it’s-dealing-with movie.
“Birds of Passage”
Like Scarface, but with a fearless and domineering mother-in-law.
“Avengers Endgame”
Unlike Game of Thrones, the Marvel folks know how to wrap up a series well.
“Ad Astra”
[T]here is much criticism about this film due to its “slow” pace and lack of expected sci-fi elements. These criticisms are from children who should be ignored.
“One Cut of the Dead”
We’re spiraling through degrees of artificiality like Leonardo DiCaprio descending into a tertiary dream level.
“The King”
The denouement is the scene I always wanted from Henry V… accountability for perfidy leading to needless slaughter.
“Jojo Rabbit”
Having grown up on all the WW II comedies and Monty Python, this film didn’t faze me at all.
“Knives Out”
Thank you Rian Johnson for a fun evening, and for doing it PG-13 style, so my son could also enjoy. This helps me get over the plot holes from The Last Jedi.
“Climax”
I shouldn’t like this movie, yet I could not stop watching. I desperately had to learn who survives, who is damaged, and of course who spiked the sangria.
“The Two Popes”
I just spent a delightful two hours in the company of two very thoughtful and interesting men.
“A Hidden Life”
Why does this take three hours to get across? I can’t tell you with adequacy, because it would take three hours.
“The Irishman”
The Scorsese hyper-kinetic camera work was put away, because it wouldn’t work with this material.
“Clemency”
Someone about to be executed may have a lot to say, or may be numbed into near silence. This film depicts how that may also be true for those who must carry out the sentence.
“Joker”
Everything amazing you’ve heard about Joaquin Phoenix’s immersion in madness is true, but Todd Phillips’ visual inventiveness was completely unexpected.

No Light without the Dark
I have an annual section of movie trash talk that I’ve previously referred called the “Emperor’s List” (as in, no clothes). Thankfully, I rarely walk out of a theater disappointed, but it happens. The best part of these movies was writing about them. The lowlights of 2019, which all received lavish critical praise:

“Uncut Gems”
“Is it possible to make a good movie, featuring only lowlife characters screaming at each other? Technically, sure. But why oh why would I spend 2 hours and 15 minutes with no break watching people on screen whom I couldn’t tolerate for 30 seconds in real life?

It’s a bullshit life of lies, collapsing all around him like an NFL pocket passer with a Division II offensive line. That could be compelling. It was compelling to the critics. But how could they stand all the trappings of these characters? It’s a screenplay without wit, style or substance, set in a gutter culture world with no class or even marginally interesting people. It inflicts headaches and anger on the audience.”

“The Souvenir”
“I don’t care to watch the erratic behavior of an addict who subjects people to heart-rending roller coaster rides. Maybe I would, if the two characters weren’t so damn British. Sorry if that offends. But one reviewer wrote “For Julie, it’s an idyllic whirlwind romance…” Piffle. There is nothing remotely whirlwind about these characters, and if Anthony the heroin addict is her idyll, she should be aiming a bit higher. Unfortunately, everyone in her circle is dead inside. Her friends and acquaintances are ridiculously reserved. It’s like watching animated corpses.”

“Long Day’s Journey Into Night”
“Self-indulgent pretentious crap. There was no thread to follow. Even impressionistic cinema doesn’t set out to confound and irritate its audience…. Now imagine two scenes, not just one, of a man sobbing while eating an ENTIRE apple, core and all. Sniffle crunch chew chew blubber munch munch repeat for 3 to 4 minutes for EACH SCENE. I could have screamed…The 3-D is entirely forgettable, second rate in comparison to ‘Despicable Me 3.’

The trailer for this film is damn impressive. It reeled me in. Avoid the film, and just watch the trailer 3 or 4 times.”

“Shadow”
“I enjoy Wuxia films, and particularly Yimou Zhang. I can accept absurdity, and embrace gravity defying action, while watching stylized overacting. I’m the only person I know who really enjoyed ‘The Great Wall,’ which at least had giant cockroach lizards and no arthouse pretension. But the ridiculous activity in this movie was too much for me….Furthermore, there was so much bloody sadism that Mel Gibson was asking the director to ‘tone it down a bit.’”

Oscar Bites
I’m writing all this today, to coincide with Oscar weekend. And every year, there are some nominations that excite me for their unexpected insight and taste. According to people who study these things, the biggest news right now is that Parasite has a pretty good chance to be the first foreign language Best Picture winner. I’d be fine with that, it was quite good, despite the jarring transition from satire to violent nihilism. I’m extremely fond of Bong Joon-ho, and maybe people will go back and look at Snowpiercer if he wins tomorrow night. But there’s nothing else striking for me to root for or against.

I’m tired of pointing out everything the Academy missed. You want more diversity? Why focus on J-Lo or Eddie Murphy, and instead consider Alfre Woodard in Clemency, Lupita Nyong’o in Us, or Jimmie Fails in The Last Black Man in San Francisco, all of whom are much better? Because the Academy voters would need to go out of their way to see them, or try to remember a movie that was released earlier than September. Too much to ask! It’s gratifying to see nominations for films and performances that didn’t make it to multiplexes, like Antonio Banderas in Pain and Glory, but he’s a pretty big exception to the rule this year, provided you count Netflix as being part of that multiplex.

Referrals Sought
I’m seeking advice from all of you. There are some praised films I avoided this year, because they looked repulsive to me for one reason or another. But if you saw any of these and can recommend them, please let me know? They include Her Smell, Bombshell, and Honeyboy.

Endurance Tests, or Time Warps?
When did a running time of under two hours fall out of fashion? Three and half hours for The Irishman, three hours for A Hidden Life, two hours and forty minutes for Once Upon a Time…In Hollywood and two and half hours for Ford vs Ferrari. And amazingly, they all flew by for me. It’s tempting to say that directors need more discipline, but really the best remark I ever read about this is that “No good movie is too long and no bad movie is short enough.”

References and Links
As always, I rely on the annual Metacritic list of the Film Critic Top 10 lists, to remind myself what I’ve forgotten, or never got to. As of this writing, a few critical darlings that I’ve unfortunately missed include Midsommar, The Lighthouse, and Portrait of a Lady on Fire, although that last one hasn’t even opened yet.

I’m going to pitch Kanopy one more time. Find out if your library has a subscription to this service, which is then free for you to use. It’s a stunning collection of great movies to stream.

Thank you for reading. You are all released now to read other, lesser, film commentary.