1. The Net (2003) - Getting past that early aughts digital video essay vibe (done much more propulsively by Adam Curtis) is just one of the overwrought obstacles in Lutz Dammbeck's spiral into the birth of computers, CIA-LSD experimentation, and the vengeful bombing borne from Ted Kaczynski's paranoid beliefs. But, forgiving "The Net's" time and visual limitations, I still became frustrated with the very ideals of the film and the filmmaker's loose through-line that soon begins to resemble the scattered ramblings of so many of its interviewees. Granted, my small brain probably isn't the most receptive to the film's monotone meditations on mathematical theories and Cold War science, but in choosing to illuminate such heady ideas, Dammbeck should consider the taming of such diverse topics into a cohesive whole- whether that whole is either informational or conspiratorial. As it stands, "The Net" tip toes on both sides, more often than not becoming mind numbingly boring with sparks of historical acuity mixed within.
2. The Materialists (2025) - In "Past Lives", director Celine Song worked so magnificently in the margins of denial, creating a love story that becomes even more loving in the way it denies its central couple a fairy book ending in favor of authentic duty. In her sophomore film, Song again twists the vagaries of relationships into something coldly transactional- and its conversations between its three central characters Dakota Johnson, Pablo Pascal and Chris Evans, mention these rules ove and over again. Far from a traditional rom-com (thank God), "The Materialists" doesn't quite reach the heights of "Past Lives", but Song continues her interesting dissection of modern romance with a skewed vision that;s refreshing.
3. Oddity (2024) - Creepy in parts, Damien Mccarthy's horror film blends old school malevolence with more modern trends of shock horror. While I probably should have liked it more, the film feels like it's throwing everything at us. Mood and tension from the first half disappears in the second half, and that ending is woefully cheap.
4. Foxy Brown (1974) - A major blind spot for me is 70's blaxploitation- specifically the films of Pam Grief. I hope to right this, and "Foxy Brown" is a start. Good.
5. Triumph of the Spirit (1989) - A film about the Holocaust and the internment of a Polish boxer and his family. Far less boxing than advertised, which is a good thing because the film narrows it focus on survival in Auschwitz. The moment Salamo (DaFoe) and Allegra (Gazelle) find each again, momentarily, is handled with tender heartbreak. And although so much of the atrocities of the Holocaust (and Auscwhitz-Birkenau in particular) have gotten screen time over the years, Robert M. Young's attempt is well rendered. It doesn't shy away from the horror, and all of his character interactions are humanist. I'm surprised there's not more attention to this film.
6. The Deep (1977) - I find myself admiring the films of Peter Yates more and more. His 1967 film "Robbery" is one of the great discoveries of the year for me, and "The Deep" is also a very good adventure film that never quite goes where it expects as Nick Nolte and Jacqueline Bissett get in over their heads searching for sunken treasure.
7. Christmas Holiday (1944) - Not quite the festive cheer its title alludes to, Robert Siodmak's drama about a woman and her disastrous marriage to a criminal. It's overwritten by Mankiewicz and while it's fun for a while as it zigs and zags from a soldier stuck in New Orleans to the sordid tale of the dancer he's accompanying, the two halves never quite gel. A minor work for Siodmak.
8. The Secret (1979) - Ann Hui's hard to find film about a double murder is one of the harbingers of the Chinese New Wave in the late 70's. It maintains an atmosphere for mystery for a good portion, but like most of these tales, it's finale doesn't pack the emotional force required.
9. Pee Wee As Himself (2025) - I liked most of this two part documentary and it's always refreshing to have the actual subject participate, but I still felt a bit cheated by the explanations of Reubens' sordid page six news.
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