Well this is a lovely surprise

Attended a special 20th anniversary screening of CORPSE BRIDE last night, with character designer Carlos Grangel in attendance. One of my wife’s favorites, and now she has her own Emily from the guy who created her with Tim Burton

Rarely has my husband stock been higher

Finally got to see BLACK BAG! Release schedule differences can be a pain sometimes, but Soderbergh being here in Milan to talk about the movie really made up for the wait

Yep, this was worth it. Happy to own this unique little version of a unique little film. Didn’t expect it to be numbered by hand in pencil, but I can’t deny it’s on brand 😂 thanks @hundredsofbeavers.bsky.social!

#1: DUNE: PART TWO
Everything I hoped it would be after seeing Villeneuve do all the legwork in Part One. A true achievement of adaptation, filled with some of the most viscerally epic sci-fi imagery in recent memory. With franchises as they are, can’t take this level of scale and craft for granted

#2: THE BRUTALIST
The capstone of my very first Venice Film Festival. There’s so much here, and many critics have focused on different strands, but to me, it’s about an artist’s attempt to unite (overcome? conquer?) the personal and the historical through their work. Great, great stuff

#3: THE TASTE OF THINGS
First of my five-star films this year. Watching it, I kept returning to the LADYBIRD line about love and attention being one and the same— the way the camera moves is essentially teaching us how to observe with love

#4: I’M STILL HERE
Just really excellent drama. I found the way it structures its story incredibly emotional— what ultimately happens wouldn’t be as powerful without the extended opening dedicated to capturing this family’s full, loving life. Remarkable stuff from Fernanda Torres

#5: LA CHIMERA
Spellbinding cinema. Saw it early in the year and never totally shook it

#6: CHALLENGERS
Smart, fun, propulsive, and a last act that’s absolutely transcendent. That last point is possibly my single favorite sequence of the year, and it ties the whole film together beautifully. I listen to the score all the time— I’m doing it right now

#7: BABYGIRL
Had a great time, of course, but I think this movie is so smart. It lives in the real world to a surprising degree, exploring our desire (need, even) to escape into fantasy without itself getting lost in it. Hinges on a next-level Nicole Kidman performance and she totally delivers

#8: ANORA
Everything that everyone says it is, pretty much. A miracle of tone. Mikey Madison is unbelievably good, and it’s wild how clear that is despite being surrounded by a cast operating at this level

#9: FLOW
Animated film of the year for me. Totally engrossed in the storytelling, which manages to hold its feelings and ideas in perfect balance. Has the kind of richness I’m excited to return to someday, so see what else I can soak up from it

#10: NOSFERATU
Robert Eggers’ work has always just made sense to me, and this one had me by the throat right away. Any issues I have are really DRACULA issues, and the Transylvania section is my favorite version of that story I’ve seen on screen. Several minutes of pure, gripping terror

Still wading into the physical media world and haven’t posted about it, but this just arrived and feels like a cool one to share

And my favorites of the 2020s so far

Best of the 2020s so far