Film Journal 2026
F1
There are traces of meaning beneath the Hollywood sheen and cartoonish villains. There's not much for Brad Pitt or Javier Bardem to do, but they do seem to have decades-long chemistry. The montage editing is overtly flashy but also excellent at unifying the narrative from multiple perspectives without dissolving tension by cutting from a race to a wide shot of characters watching TV, for example.
Undertone
After the Bechdel test, I had to invent the Teaford test. A film passes the Teaford test if two characters (who have names or don't) talk to each other (or to themselves or to anyone else) about anything (even the plot) and who are on screen (together or separately).
The Love That Remains
The film is a strange meditation on the nature of relationships and family dynamics. Occasionally narrative threads develop and dissolve in ways that are sometimes unsatisfying but that reveal character in a subtle way.
The Bride!
Too many creative people with different ideas: Frankenstein played with odd emotional relevance by Christian Bale. The narrative is tedious and confusing with weird stylistic choices concerning the character of Mary Shelly. The detective subplot is the most interesting but also the most conventional.
Sirât
The film is powerful and poetic in every way, especially the sound which is immersive and intense and subtle alternately.
Sound of Falling
Beautifully shot especially the fluid camera movements in the beginning with an interesting narrative structure.
Dreams
The first 20 minutes show so much promise and then it quickly becomes a low-stakes cliche.
Pilion
Well observed moment when Colin hangs his jacket beneath Ray's before it ultimately falls onto the street.
The Shining
Shelly Duvall's performance is excellent as the tormented spouse trying to convince herself there is a fresh start.
Wuthering Heights
Emerald Fennell succeeds at making the film dreary and romantic simultaneously with flourishes of surrealism, notably the room color which may be a subtle nod to Red Desert.
A Poet
The film's style is self-consciously elliptical; more like a drunk than a poet: a choice that allows the protagonist to be sympathetic and pathetic simultaneously.
Mulholland Dr.
This was my first time seeing it on the big screen, and I noticed many new details, but most striking of all there are camera movements made in conjunction with edits that make non-literal sense, especially a scene in Aunt Ruth's house.
Inland Empire
The provocative use of laugh track during the rabbits sequence invites the spectator to question the filmmaking techniques and ways emotions, perceptions and narrative are manipulated. The laughter is a cue but the film itself is so ominous it creates tension.
Little Amélie or the Character of Rain
The film is visually stunning and the script is poetic, especially when form and function show Amélie's subjective experiences.
Send Help
The CGI looks so bad... the film is ok despite some heavy-handed decision making. Linda Liddle is a subtle name for a character, right?
Islands
The form of the film invites speculation into its slow burn structure especially sequnces which seem to be non-literal without breaking the flow of the narrative.
Young Mothers
The performances are impressive as usual, but the screenplay has a little more trouble establishing a rhythm than in typical Dardenne brothers' films since the mutli-protagonist structure is less intense. The use of diegetic music throughout is unexpected and nearly symbolic.
Darkman
One of Raimi's most stylish films particularly some of the transitions and the effects work.
The Voice of Hind Rajab
The inclusion of actual audio and video recordings is fourth-wall-breaking in an unusual and effective way: instead of creating the 'this is just a movie' effect, it situates the narrative in the real world.
One Battle After Another
This time I was impressed with the editing, especially the sequence with the rooftop escape.
Arco
Some of the animation is impressive particularly the colors and effects, but the screenplay and voice acting are terrible (this was an English dubbed version).
Daddy Longlegs
The handheld camera is perfectly suited to the script: everything is chaotic and as claustrophobic as the tiny apartment and as dark as the projection booth.
The Rules of the Game
Renoir's satirical ensemble calls to mind Buñuel's The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie.
Call Me by Your Name
The mise en scène is exceptional in the scene at the memorial statue. The ending is perfect and reminiscent of Douglas Sirk's melodramas.
Punch-Drunk Love
The tightly controlled color palette is expressive and evocative of the character arc.
Magellan
Perspective, tone and grammar are defined in the first sequence of the film. Its minimalist restraint is almost novelistic in that scenes begin with a hard cut and often something has happened in the ellipsis that the audience is given time to perceive and piece the narrative together.
The Testament of Ann Lee
There is some effective montage editing and the music is compelling but these are jarring deviations of tone from the rest of the film.
28 Days Later: The Bone Temple
Clever deconstruction of a horror film without playing to the franchise in a predictable way.
Primate
Incredibly stupid but also unintentionally hilarious (except for when it attempts to be funny and isn't).
Resurrection
There are numerous homages to films throughout, but it's never straightforward or facile. There is a particularly admirable use of diegetic sound in the film between the first and second segment.
Obex
The sound design and visuals are excellent at creating an atmosphere. Comparisons to Eraserhead are inevitable, but Obex does its own thing and has a more overt sense of humor. (Bonus shoutout to the Bill Viola tape.)
No Other Choice
The title acquires its meaning throughout the film, becoming more meaningful as the plot advances.
Slack Bay
A strange and disappointing film especially for the trope of floating, levitating or flying characters in art films that so rarely works combined with broad humor (that is occasionally funny especially with sound design and performances).
The Chronology of Water
The audacious visual style is effective especially during the much too long first segment, but it wears thin and becomes an obstacle thru much of the film where it is unmotivated and the screenplay is dull.
Is This Thing On?
A separation is the inciting incident to the protagonist's becoming a stand-up comic, which itself becomes a way to start a new plot about the marriage-- feeling ultimately like a slice of life drama due to lack of narrative thrust. Even so, Will Arnett conjures an engaging performance.
Hadewijch
The non-professional actors are the perfect vehicle for Dumont's understated humanism. Dumont is at his most Bressonian here (although perhaps an antithesis of Mouchette).
Father Mother Sister Brother
There is a striking edit in the first segment: a cut to a medium shot of Jeff very briefly then cutting away as Emily starts to speak. It seems to imply he was about to say something-- typical of Jarmusch, this is unanswered but motivates several themes in the film.
Good Boy
Showing the dog's perspective is unusual, but the decision to shoot almost all of the speaking off-screen (or from a distance or backlit or obscured by a convenient tombstone) feels like it was motivated by shooting without a script more than to show the dog's point of view.
The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo
The Empire
This is closer to a parody of a Bruno Dumont film than it is to a parody of a science fiction film.