On the flip side, it's brought me closer to finally becoming a Naruse > Ozu and Mizoguchi guy.

I think I'm having a quarter life crisis.

Wanted film reccs. He's a big Tarantino guy and is into the modern Korean cinema wave, so off the dome, I jotted a bunch of Imamura, Fleischer's Mandingo, Corbucci's Great Silence, a few Melvilles, Fists in the Pocket, etc. We talked about Twin Peaks and was shocked he wasn't aware of The Return/S3.

He's got deep family roots in Canada, father grew up in 50s Downtown Toronto. Asked me years ago if I could help him find and download a list of movies from his dad's childhood. (Lotta old Hollywood stuff like High Sierra). Endeared me to learn that his dad still uses the same hard drive today.

He's a ~decade older than me. When we worked together, he brought me to this sushi place and said it was the first time he had to teach an asian how to use chopsticks. I fixed that since ahead of my trip to Seoul (steel chopsticks and all), he picked up on it and it was a nice full-circle moment.

Caught up at a ramen restaurant and talked for ~4 hours. He's one of the only people in my life willing to entertain my dorky art interests, will listen to me blab at length about Marguerite Duras and Philippe Garrel's Nico era. (And do a good job of at least feigning interest).

Perfect timing on my end. He's permanently relocating to New Zealand with his wife soon. Last I'd seen him, he was preparing for his honeymoon at one of the islands over there. Packing this July and leaving early August. Can't imagine I'll be seeing him again, least not anytime soon.

Was going to see Nick Cave but I'm not committed enough to pay what they're asking.

I don't have too much to say about the Fassbinder or Sokurov. The films of Pierre Schoendoerffrer, a French Indochina-War vet, were my favourite discovery. 317th Platoon, my preferred version of something like Wajda's Kanal.

Rain People is my favourite Coppola, I think, but I'll parrot Vecchiali in saying the final two shots of Rumble Fish are "worthy of the great directors." (Everything from the glass smash, and brief flash to colour, onwards is superb imo).

Not a band I really think much about these days, but vividly remember mentioning them once offhand in my 10th Grade civics class and having my substitute teacher casually mention "Oh yeah, my dad taught those guys." (This was when I realized).

Eggers' film leans so heavily on Allen and Skarsgard but I didn't feel either had the presence to sustain the film the way Adjani and Kinski could Herzog's. I'm fond of Coppola's film too but more for its maximalism (which I prefer in that context as opposed to Megalopolis).

With Jonathan's (or Thomas w/e) journey to Transylvania, the fall to night set to Wagner, my favourite thing Herzog's done. Was dissapointed that the decadence of the townsfolk as the plague advanced was mostly left to the background in Eggers' film.