How the extraordinary protagonist of Project Hail Mary infuses the movie with a humanity achievable for the audience.

Two of the best movies of the year.  Four separate viewing formats.  What kind of filmmaker would I be if I didn’t experience all of them?  Not meeting my standards, that’s for sure.

And by we, I mean me. But maybe, also the collective?

Note: modest spoilers ahead.

The recent release of A Complete Unknown and the 20th anniversary of Walk the Line, both directed by James Mangold, inspires this two-for-one film analysis.

A movie about a gym manager and a bodybuilder who fall in love and engage in criminal activity signals a forward leap for portrayals of gender and sexuality dynamics onscreen (but it all comes back to love, and these characters allowed to be themselves).

A brief exploration on how shared childhood and cultural references with director made me reconnect with some of my early years, and not necessarily in a negative light. Also touches on audience reactions to the ending. (Spoilers ahead).

…which leaves me flummoxed! But I can still give this film, a study in the power and perseverance of Ukrainians, artists, and ultimately the human spirit, a write-up.

The film! A dive into the short and the underseen (imo) Sundance full-length movie, along with a brief acknowledgment of mental health onscreen and how such cinematic ilk includes this feature.

A superhero movie for women? If you say so.

Part of a 2003 retrospective. Less a look at the year through cinema than a look at war, then and now, through this excellent movie, and the recollections of one man directly involved in events that shaped the world in the 20th century.

Part of a 2003 retrospective. Thoughts on seeing a movie that defined a summer for me and greatly inspired me as a filmmaker. An action film and summer release that stands out from movies of its type due to a snappy, cohesive screenplay, assured direction, and Johnny Depp’s wonderful performance. A pleasure to experience this movie again.

Part of a 2003 retrospective. Thoughts on seeing Quentin Tarantino’s martial arts flick for the first time, and how it would have affected my fourteen-year-old self if I had seen it when it was first released.