The Blue Gardenia (53): A melodramatic noir starring a campy as ever Baxter should be right up my alley. Felt like Lang hadn’t worked out fully how it would all shake out as he was making it. The ending is a cop out and the romance feels shoehorned in. Well made, but meh. C

Completely forgot I ordered these in September. Happy early Christmas to me!

Universal has confirmed the PVOD date for Yorgos Lanthimos' BUGONIA, which is set to arrive tomorrow, 11/25. Additionally the studio announced the 4K/Blu-ray/DVD release, which will hit retail on 12/23. Here are the details: whentostream.com/bugonia-digi...

Die My Love (25): Beautifully and jaggedly gets inside our heroine’s POV with disjointed moments, disorienting heel turns that show the complicated worldview of postpartum depression and motherhood. Lawrence is resplendent—acting on the edges with feral intensity. And Sissy! B+

The Fantastic 4: First Steps (25): What a dull slog. The art direction is fun, but that’s about it. All three of the men seem miscast, and poor Vanessa Kirby can’t save it by herself. Why is Pascal so lifeless? Galactus looks well rendered at that size, but the rest just feels perfunctory at best. C

Jurassic World: Rebirth (25): Wow let’s take three of our most charismatic stars and actors and shackle them into a complete nothing burger of a unnecessary IP reboot. The action is good; the plot is not. That final dinosaur is such a dumb design. Ugh. Anyway, next. C/C-

Weapons (25): Elegantly structured and crisply cut, the stakes feel big for the characters but are still relatively small by comparison. Tries to say a lot and mostly succeeds. The structure does feel meandering by the end. Oh, Amy kills it. Duh. She’s Amy fuckin Madigan. B

K-Pop Demon Hunters (25): Lively, cute and colorful with easy, anthemic hooks flying in both the songs and the animation. I hate big lie plot with ‘how could you?’ revelations, but it’s thankfully dispensed with quickly. All the songs are absolute bangers. My fave is “Free.” B+

If they only knew you were blaring this in your headphones. music.youtube.com/watch?v=y4fc...

Mr. Scorsese (25): I knew some of the origin stories, but Miller lovingly assembles her subject and her interviews with a true vocation of purpose. Seeing how faith and the women in his life particularly shaped his work were such well-judged access points. Unmissable. A PS I’d ignore Hugo too.

The Lost Bus (25): Tense, sturdy and harrowing, Greengrass knows his hair-raising stakes and puts you right in the thick of it. McConaughey and Ferrera are solid, but the filmmaking is the true star. The fire special effects (melding practical and CGI) are impeccably done. B

Gone With the Wind (39): The technical audacity and scope of the undertaking is worth watching, but the complex psychologies, neuroses, trauma, and melodrama are even better. Leigh gives the ultimate actress performance; she fills every inch of the screen. Gable is her equal. A+

The Godfather Part II (74): May be easy to overlook how wildly ambitious this film is, but Vito’s grand rise matched with Michael descent into his own hell is staged and performed beautifully. Coppola creates a grand American epic. The photography and sets are immaculate. Pacino is magnificent. A+

Air (23) It’s Diet Moneyball but it’s still chewy and satisfying. Often silly, but well made, Affleck makes the case for branding and ownership stakes to be deeply personal story of finding your place. Viola Davis is pitch perfect. But needle drops are fairly ludicrous. B+

Crazy Rich Asians (18): Chirpy, classic romcom structure with style and excess to burn. Yeoh and Awkwafina are still standouts of the cast, but Chu creates buzzy opulent scenes buoyed by increased pathos in equal measure. The mahjong scene is one of the best of 2018. B

Blue Moon (25): Witty but ultimately elegiac piece on a changing time for an art form and the artist himself. Hawke is equally pitiable and punchable as the tormented Hart. Beautifully shows another side of the glass closet. Scott is tremendous as Rodgers. Sags in middle. B+

Murderball (05): As hard charging and guileless as the athletes themselves for better and for worse. Love how it never talks down to its subjects but doesn’t apologize for their hairier moments either. Creates instantly memorable characters while showing an under seen world. B+

Oscar Best Costume Design 2004 1. The Aviator 2. Troy 3. Ray 4. Lemony Snicket’s A Series of… 5. Finding Neverland Like much of the 2004 Oscars, the designers found ways to hue hard to best picture, but still found little divergences to show so real thought for the category.

It Was Just An Accident (25): Equally seismic and quotidian, the humanity on display feels like a miracle-humor, anger and all. Panahi’s mastery of tone, tension, and directing an ensemble is on full display in every scene. The sound work is remarkable. The ending! A

Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events (04): Had more brains and heart than I expected and the makeup is great. Too repetitive to love or latch onto. Carrey is continually working his rubber face to its limits, and I kinda liked the kids. Steampunk Burton? I’m good. B-

Twenty Feet From Stardom (13): Rollicking doc about backup singers- their histories, their dreams, and legacies is as soulful as their voices. Loses steam by the end, but does the film create truly unheralded stars! The piece helps complete a puzzle of rock history with its Black female soul. B+

Edward Scissorhands (90): Charming take on the mundanity of suburbia with Burton’s twist. His droll humor is on full display in everything from the screenplay, the hair and makeup, costumes, and the gorgeous sets. The creativity is teeming in every frame. Wiest is aces, duh. B+

The Ballad of Wallis Island (25): Certainly not breaking ground on emotionally wounded people finding catharsis through communication and their art, but this is lovely. All three principles have beautiful moments, but Mulligan’s still a bit of an enigma—for the best. Modest. B

The Wedding Banquet (25): On paper, everything should work (Director, cast, craft), but it just doesn’t have much fire to be more than ok. Tran and Gladstone are good, and Ahn has such a knack for cinematography, but the rest is fine. Too many elements feel under-explored. B-

Oscar Best Supporting Actor 2014 1. Ethan Hawke “Boyhood” 2. Mark Ruffalo “Foxcatcher” 3. J.K. Simmons “Whiplash” 4. Edward Norton “Birdman” 5. Robert Duvall “The Judge”

1. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn- takes what could be too saccharine and creates a distilled yet tangible world of a poor family and their struggles 2. The Garden of the Finzi-Continis- unsentimental yet filled with pathos. Prescient.

They caved in March so they could get a better deal now. They’re caving now so they can get a better deal in some indeterminate future. The better deal is always just beyond their reach, but continuing to cave will get them there. And if you don’t agree with that, you don’t understand Politics,

the only thing more on-brand than Dems caving to Republican demands is Dems caving to Republican demands and still failing to end the shutdown

It doesn't actually matter if Chuck Schumer votes for this or not. If he can't keep his caucus unified to protect healthcare for over 10 million Americans, he should resign as leader.

Mark Kelly a NO, notable as he was allegedly one of the cavers

If Schumer votes AGAINST this but enough Ds vote FOR it that it passes, he needs to RESIGN immediately. He will have shown himself to be absolutely ineffective as a minority leader. He has to go. Literally resign tonight.

What The Constitution Means to Me (20): As a pure piece of artistic activism and civics, it’s unmissable. But then to be shot this well in widescreen, with this quality of humor and performance flecked with rageful joy, it takes it to another level. Rocked me hard. A-

One Of Them Days (25): Colorful, consistently funny buddy comedy with our two leads just leading with all the charm and charisma possible. The final few plot beats are increasingly preposterous, but the side characters all get there moments, and the stakes are kept small. B

A House of Dynamite (25): Bigelow effectively brings her brand of tension and intrigue to this nuclear war potboiler, but in doing it as a tryptic when you end with the worst section, it’s hard to recover. Increasingly bonkers, and it doesn’t look very good. Cheap photography; weak score. B-

So, there’s a Republican president, then

Bugonia (25): Fuck it, I loved it. Plays hard to mash up the two sides of Lanthimos, but in a decidedly prescient, modern way. All three lead performances are masterful especially considering this tone. Like how clear eyed the photography is even when it goes wild. Love the middle finger ending. A-

Frankenstein (25): In how he adapts the novel, GDT has made it more accessible, but also flattens out the nuance. Another bad dad movie? Costumes and makeup are sterling, and Elordi sings as the monster. The gloss and quality of the photography makes everything look cheaper. Watchable but fine. B

Oscar 2020 Best Supporting Actress 1. Amanda Seyfried “Mank” 2. Youn Yuh-jung “Minari” 3. Maria Bakalova “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” 4. Olivia Colman “The Father” 5. Glenn Close “Hillbilly Elegy” Past tweets will certainly confirm I actually predicted this five in a year that

Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (20): More of the same with less potent results. Baron Cohen’s efforts, and in an election year for God’s sack, are nobly intentioned but felt stale and ultimately not as nuanced. Maria Bakalova’s duality, especially in the centerpiece Giuliani scene, is wondrous. B-

From the divine to the ridiculous.

At the Academy Women’s Luncheon presented in partnership with Chanel, we asked the attendees to shine a spotlight on the women filmmakers they love & the women in their lives whose movie opinions they trust ✨

Love and Death (75): As a commitment to the bit, the film is an endless barrage of jokes, gags and bits all of which are smarter than they need to be and it just plays. Woody gonna Woody, but Diane Keaton in a very not typically her part is a riot of deadpan humor. B+

Spectre (15): What a beautiful looking movie that is just filled with hot air. I try every couple years to see if I missed something and I’m just left cold. I always enjoy Craig as Bond and there’s good technical work, but it just doesn’t ever get off the launch pad. C+

Angels & Demons (09): Improbably more melodramatic that ‘Da Vinci,’ and maybe more outwardly fun? The camp, the score, the scene chewers (McGregor and Skarsgaard) all add to a more fulfilling if not silly watch. The thriller aspects ramp up the endless streams of exposition. B-

Lilith Fair: Building A Mystery (25): Works hard to achieve the feeling of what those concerts must have felt like in a nostalgic way that honors the audiences as well as the artists. Glides too quickly by the more troubling aspects that would have added needed nuance. Nice. B

Dirty Dancing (87): Plot, Schmot- the movie plays. Adrdolino knows how to make chewy, satisfying crowd pleasers, and this one is the best of them. If the chemistry of your leads is that smoking hot, you can get away with plenty. Oh and the final scene—total swoon. B+

At least guys like Chuck Schumer & Hakeem Jeffries have removed any & all doubt about their feelings on the will of Democratic voters & the role of primaries. They want us to know that every incumbent can be challenged & if a center-right Dem wins, you don’t have to vote for them

Selena (97): Tuneful, comfy, and nicely made, the at the time uber prescient story of the recently fallen star still feels urgent in the telling. The performance scenes make the film especially due to the star is born supernova that is Lopez getting her big chance to shine. B/B+