My Dinner With Skynet

  Two actors, one location, 90 minutes of yapping - a new all-time favorite.

  Both actors work in tandem to carry this but they're flexing different muscles. Madolyn Smith-Osborne is a rumbling volcano who threatens to explode in every scene. Even when she seems fine, there's always some seismic shift in her expression or rumbling in her throat. She goes big because she has to but these aren't feeble attempts to out-act her co-star, especially since he's holding back. Malcolm McDowell isn't doing his typical scenery-chewing but, instead, nibbling and nipping with smarmy cuntiness; he's going to finish his meal on his terms. What they have in common is how they each bring history to these characters while every exchange is another spadeful layer on the lede.

 

  You see, so much of this story is deliberately withheld from us, which made my first watch alienating. Every time I thought I had a read on it, it'd switch things up in ways that left me more annoyed than intrigued. There were editing choices that felt nonsensical and character choices that felt absurd. Because of its initial set-up I thought this was going to be a slasher genre take on War Of The Roses; dialog-driven suspense around gender politics. No, it's much...much more than that. Of course I didn't find this out until the very end, so for 90% of the runtime I was perpetually disillusioned with it.

  I honestly thought it was going to end with me feeling like my time had been wasted. It looks good and the blocking is always dynamic but I feared that'd be all I got out of it. The lumber of doubt I had stacked against this thing was blocking my view of the forest.

 

  The ending, an epiphany of riches, sets everything right with 20/20 vision. It's a twist that feels like a kind of narrative mothership unveiling, revealing every other saucer responsible for my dysphoria. Ultimately, not only did I not feel like my time had been wasted but I willfully invested more by watching it a second time. Every choice that I thought was stupid turned out to be deliberate and brilliant. And, again, it doesn't betray its propensity for mystery because, thankfully, the twist isn't some over-written exposition dump but a necessary kind of information leak that tells us just enough to piece it together ourselves. The dialog simultaneously covers its tracks while also leaving secret blacklight clues for those who are gifted with hindsight.

  I love when movies are able to completely recontextualize themselves after a certain point and The Caller is one of the finest examples.

One mind, any weapon

  I've written so much about Green Room for nearly a decade now and, having been disappointed by Saulnier's follow-up squib load, Hold The Dark, I had certain expectations for Rebel Ridge. Reading that it was gonna be about cops (and assuming it was another siege movie) of course I imagined Green Room 2: ACAB; intense pigbreaking slaughter with the hyper-realistic violence Saulnier has given us since Blue Ruin. But, by his design, Rebel Ridge is the complete opposite: a categorically Less-Lethal thriller.

  Saulnier, who's usually setting sail for arterial floods, deliberately wrote himself into a corner by defanging himself. It's admirable enough on paper but downright respectable since he managed to escape by challenging the notion of what one of his movies can be. Blue Ruin, Green Room, and Hold The Dark are all (for the most part) about how messy and awful violence is while showing us said violence to make that point. Rebel Ridge is Saulnier actually practicing what he's been preaching all these years: restraint. It's like after all the limbs he's lopped off and maimed he's finally applying tourniquets and cauterizing wounds left over. That said: it's only less lethal means of violence. Bones still break in pummeling combat sequences and there's the very real threat of deadly violence from our antagonists. But our hero isn't one of Saulnier's relatable unremarkables facing remarkable terror, he's a highly capable and efficient Marine who's all about de-escalation to keep blood from spilling...and he's out for revenge.

  Turns out this is a siege thriller but turned inside-out.

  What Saulnier does maintain is his signature knack for dialog and verisimilitude. Liiiiiitle by little he stacks the details of these characters and this world, sometimes without us even knowing. The dialog is much more catty and sharp since these are Saulnier's most 'professional' characters. They know how to play games of wit in gripping verbal standoffs that are just as exciting as any of the physical squabbles but it's very different than the panicked exchanges in Green Room.

  Rebel Ridge is a deeply satisfying movie, the kind that makes you want to pace around your living room and holler, but that spatial freedom also sucks in a way: After some incredible theater-going experiences last year (Beetlejuice², Civil War, Furiosa) to be forced to watch this crowdpleaser streaming on Netflix, minus the crowd, it's a fucking shame. This would play so goddamn well in a packed theater but such is the state of things.

So Wizard

  Episodes 5 and 6 of Skeleton Crew turned what is, essentially, a pretty good, cute show, into a potentially exceptional one. It's been charming holiday entertainment but there's a compelling turn at the end of You Have A Lot To Learn About Pirates that made me clench my jaw more than any of the light peril in previous episodes. It's one of those great situations where I saw said moment coming from episode 2 but it's executed so well that it can't be handwaved away with claims of "predictability."

  And episode 6, Zero Friends Again, is a simple transitional episode but it's full of strong character moments to ferry us into the climax. Even in an episode that other shows would neglect as 'filler,' the Skeleton Crew crew treats it with care. Initially, I'd only started watching this to stave off the wait for Andor season 2 but now I'm a bonafide fan.

  I was hooked by the idea of "The Goonies meets Star Wars" because it's refreshing to see live-action Star Wars that isn't ashamed to appeal to kids. It maintains lots of whimsy with tangible danger and moments of affecting disempowerment. Not to mention it actually looks good, unlike the synthetic post-photography of Ahsoka, Obi-Wan, and The Book Of Boba-Fett. 

  With Phil Tippett Studios, Skeleton Crew prioritizes the tangible: puppets, animatronics, make-up, stop-motion, matte paintings and other practical effects. In doing so they give themselves freedom to light their sets, their actors, and puppeteers how they want instead of relying on green screens and other incorporeal aspects that eschew aesthetic integrity.

   With 2 episodes left I'm a bit worried that it'll drop the ball but that's not because of anything specific in Crew, I've just been burned before (Mandalorian, Acolyte). Incidentally, Acolyte's 5th episode, Night, was its strongest but the season on the whole wasn't as consistent as Crew's has been. And while Crew isn't on the level of Andor (nothing is, except maybe Empire) it's still one of the stronger efforts in Star Wars' Disney era.

Nothing else from 2024 compares to Meet The Grahams

  I typically keep my phone's volume on full because my notifications never wake me up, only the next morning is when I see what all I've missed. The only time I turn it on vibrate is when I'm at work or the movies. Hell, my YouTube notification chime isn't all that shrill and my phone is usually close to me when I doze off. So when I say that the notification for Meet The Grahams woke me up from a dead sleep and my phone was on the nightstand for once, trust me when I say that this track is evil.

  And, at the time, I didn't even know how much demon energy was in it, either. I got excited because, I mean, any New Kendrick is worth celebrating, so my heart rate was already pumping as I barreled downstairs to get my headphones. But, as Kendrick's frighteningly calm tone purred out "Dear, Adonis," on top of a sample of wailing cries and ascending, repetitive piano, I was fucking AWAKE. By the time it got to the ghostly choir of layered vocals shouting "YOU LIED," I was actually holding my breath despite how many times I uttered "Jesus" and "what the fuck?". And, again, this debuted in the middle of the night. Like, did I actually hear this song or do I have sleep paralysis?? The balled energy of my excitement converted to anxiety and disgust so I didn't go back to bed for another couple of hours. This is truly a stomach-turning, lip-curling, eye-watering, creepy fucking track that felt, as hyperbolic as this sounds, illegal to listen to (which...was not far off considering Drake has recently taken Kenny to court).

  Meet The Grahams is as harrowing as tracks like u, FEAR. and Mother I Sober because it's one thing to be vulnerable and condemning of yourself but it's another to point out someone else's flaws and vulnerabilities publicly and against their will. And even if the allegations he spews are all bullshit, that doesn't matter: he says it with such palpable venom and imposing nerve that I believe he believes it. The work itself isn't diminished simply because it's still a song, after all, and Kendrick is a stellar performer.

  So it's not like I didn't think K-Dot was capable of a track like this, it's just that he's never projected this kind of despair to anyone but himself. When Humble came out there was speculation that he was dissing this rapper, dissing that rapper, but everyone's theory was wrong because Kendrick was dissing himself. He's always been more introspective and has made so much music about how to love and forgive, not just others but one's self, so color me shocked that he brought us to a place where he taught us how to properly fucking HATE someone. Dismantling Drake with existential disrespect isn't even a braggadocios power move, it comes from a place of angry, demented pity. He even positions himself as the one person who could help Drake while pushing the blade in as deep as it can go as he tells him that he'll never be a better opponent to Drake than Drake is to himself.

  All of that is intense enough but to write letters to his parents and his children, saying he thinks Drake should die in prison, is unbelievable and nothing short of astonishing.

  That's why this is the best piece of media I experienced last year and undeniably one of the best songs ever written. It outshines every movie and show from last year because none of them have stuck with me like this has.

2024 watchlist

JANUARY

1- The Iron Claw (2023) (The Music Box)*

    Saltburn (2023)

2- The Cat (1992)

    The Vietnam War Episode 1: Deja Vu 1858-1961 (2017)

3- Fargo

    The Vietnam War Episode 2: Riding the Tiger 1961-1963 (2017)

4- Platoon (1986) (R)

5- Closed Circuit (1978)

7- The Curse

    The Vietnam War Episode 3: The River Styx January 1964-December 1965 (2017)

    Blood Delirium (1988)

    Mahler (1974)

8- The Hundred Years War On Palestine by Rashid L. Khalidi (2020)

    Written On the Wind (1956) (R)

    Imitation of Life (1959)

9- Dirty Work by Larry Brown (1989)

    Dog Tags (1987)

    The Sister of Ursula (1978)

10- Fargo

     Arabella: Black Angel (1989)

     The Vietnam War Episode 4: Resolve January 1966-June 1967 (2017)

11- Birth (2004) (R)

12- The Curse Season Finale

      Coming Apart (1969)

      The Vietnam War Episode 5: This Is What We Do July 1967-December 1967 (2017)

     Chasing the Light by Oliver Stone (2020)

13- Kokomo City (2023)

      Inside Llewyn Davis (2013) (R)

14- True Detective: Night Country

15- American Rickshaw (1990)

     The Vietnam War Episode 6: Things Fall Apart January 1968-July 1968 (2017)

      No Bears (2022)

      AlphaGo (2017)

      The Maniac by Benjamin Labatut (2023)

16- A White Dress For Mariale (1972)

     The Vietnam War Episode 7: The Veneer of Civilzation June 1968-May 1969 (2017)

     Cain and Abel (1982)

     Fargo Season Finale

17- Full Metal Jacket (1987) (R)

      The Touch of Her Flesh (1967)

18- The Curse of Her Flesh (1968)

      The Kiss of Her Flesh (1970)

      The Vietnam War Episode 8: The History of the World April 1969-May 1970 (2017)

20- Suspicious Death of A Minor (1975)

      The Straight Story (1999) (R)

21- The Vietnam War Episode 9: A Disrespectful Loyalty May 1970- March 1973 (2017)

      Asymmetry by Lisa Halliday (2018)

22- The Zone of Interest (2023) (Landmark Century Theater)*

      Wallace and Gromit: Wrong Trousers (1993)

      The Blair Witch Project (1999) (R)      

23- The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh (1971) (The Music Box) (R)*

24- The Vietnam War Episode 10: The Weight of Memory 1973- Onward (2017)

25- On Deadly Ground (1994)

27- Dave (1993)

      Cockfighter (1974)

28- Revenge (1990)

      Sabotage (1936)

      Liarmouth by John Waters (2022)

29- Fassbinder: Thousands of Mirrors by Ian Penman (2023)

      Ikarie XB-1 (1963)

      Curb Your Enthusiasm (2 episodes)

      True Detective: Night Country 

30- The Stepfather 2: Make Room For Daddy (1989)

      Freeway 2: Confessions of A Trick Baby (1999)

31- The Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933)

FEBRUARY

1- Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) (R)

3- Berlin Alexanderplatz (1980) (Pts. I-VII) (Gene Siskel Film Center)*

4- Berlin Alexanderplatz (1980) (Pts. VIII- XIII + Epilogue) (Gene Siskel Film Center)*

5- City On Fire by Don Winslow (2022)

6- Notes On the Making of Berlin Alexanderplatz (1979)

    Berlin Alexanderplatz: A Megamovie and Its Story (2006)

    Portrait of Jason (1967)

    Still Processing (2020) (short)

    In Dog Years (2019) (short)

7- Dario Argento Panico (2024)

    Dark Glasses (2022)

    Action Jackson (1988)

8- Bonnie and Clyde (1967) (R)

    Curb Your Enthusiasm

9- Babyface (1977)

10- Truck Turner (1974) (R)

      Emmanuelle (1974)

11- City of Dreams by Don Winslow (2023)

      It Doesn't Suck: Showgirls by Adam Nayman (2014)

      Mr. and Mrs. Smith 

      Comrades, Almost A Love Story (1996)

12- They Called Him Mostly Harmless (2024)

      Polytechnique (2009)

      True Detective: Night Country

13- Starman (1984) (R)

      Casablanca (1942) (R)

      Michael Curtiz: The Greatest Director You Never Heard Of

      Mr. and Mrs. Smith

15- Hearbreakers (1984)

      Mr. and Mrs. Smith

17- Mr. and Mrs. Smith (2 episodes)

      Nobody's Fool (1994)

18- Mr. and Mrs. Smith (2 episodes)

      The Yards (2000)

19- True Detective: Night Country Finale

      The Hunger Games (2012)

      The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013)

20- The Street Fighter (1974)

      The Return of Street Fighter (1974)

      Mr. and Mrs. Smith Season Finale

21- The Street Fighter's Last Revenge (1974)

      Eileen (2023)

      Fast Film (2003) (short)

22- Drive Away Dolls (2024) (Marcus Cinema)*

      The Hudsucker Proxy (1994) (R)

24- Little Darlings (1980)

26- Lisa Frankenstein (2024) (Regal Webster Place)*

27- Crooklyn (1994) (R)

      Cooley High (1975)

28- If Beale Street Could Talk (2018) (R)

      Just Above My Head by James Baldwin (1979)

29- The Underground Railroad (2021) (2 episodes)

MARCH

1- The Underground Railroad

2- Zelig (1983)

    Dune (2021) (R)

4- Dune Part Two (2024) (The Music Box) (70mm)*

    American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders (2024) (4 episodes)

5- Perfect Days (2023) (AMC River East)*

    The Decameron (1971)

    Secrets: A Memoir of Vietnam and the Pentagon Papers by Daniel Ellsberg (2002)

6- The Underground Railroad

     The Canterbury Tales (1972)

7- The Underground Railroad (2 episodes)

     Arabian Knights (1974)

9- The Underground Railroad (2 episodes)

     The Roaring Twenties (1939)

10- The Underground Railroad (2 episodes)

11- Seinfeld (The Pick)

12- The Moviegoer by Walker Percy (1961)

      Russia 1985-1999: TraumaZone Part 1- 1985-1989

      Zero Woman: Red Handcuffs (1974)

      Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! (1989)

13- Russia 1985-1999: TraumaZone Part 2- 1989-1991

      The Sacrifice (1986)

      Directed by Andrei Tarkovsky

14- The Plains by Gerald Murnane (1982)

      Ishtar (1987)

      Russia 1985-1999: TraumaZone Part 3- 1991

16- Russia 1985-1999: TraumaZone Part 4- 1992-1994

      Searching For Bobby Fischer (1993)

17- Russia 1985-1999: TraumaZone Part 5- 1993-1996

18- The Big Lebowski (1998) (R) The Music Box)* 

      The Bird With the Crystal Plumage (1970) (R)

19- The Grandmaster (2013)

      Made Men: The Story of GoodFellas by Glenn Kenny (2020)

      Russia 1985-1999: TraumaZone Part 6- 1994-1998

20- No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai (1948) (tr. by Donald Keene)

      Russia 1985-1999: TraumaZone Part 7

21- Duck, You Sucker! (1971)

23- For A Few Dollars More (1965) (R)

      The Sluts by Dennis Cooper (2004)

24- The Battle of Algiers (1966) (R) (The Music Box)*

      Quiet on the Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV (2024) (4 episodes)

25- Late Night With the Devil (2024) (The Music Box)*

      Asteroid City (2023)

26- Immaculate (2024) (The Logan Theater)

      Story of A Cloistered Nun (1973)

      The Zone of Interest (2023) (R)

27- Days of Heaven (1978) (R) (The Music Box)*

      The Thing (1982) (R) (The Music Box)*

28- The Working Class Goes to Heaven (1971)

30- Machine Gun McCain (1969)

      The Boy Friend (1971)

31- Heavy: An American Memoir by Kiese Laymon (2018)

APRIL

1- Shogun (2 episodes)

    King On Screen (2022)

2- Ennio (2021) (The Music Box)*

    Forbidden Photos of A Lady Above Suspicion (1970)

3- The Shawshank Redemption (1994) (R)

4- Touchez Pas Au Grisbi (1954)

5- Shogun (2 episodes)

    Deep In the Heart aka Handgun (1983)

5- The Manchurian Candidate (2004)

6- WrestleMania XL Day 1

8- The Cremator (1969) (R)

     Shogun (2 episodes)

9- WrestleMania XL Day 2

     Different Seasons by Stephen King (1982)

     Stage Fright (1950)

10- I...For Icarus (1979)

11- Peggy Sue Got Married (1986)

13- Shogun 

      Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse (1991) (R)

14- The Path to Paradise: A Francis Ford Coppola Story by Sam Wasson (2023)

15- Civil War (2024) (Landmark Theaters)*

      Shogun

      Fallout (2 episodes)

16- The Sympathizer

      Green Room (2016) (R)

      Black Cat (1991)

      Roommates (1982)

17- Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (1974)

      Cisco Pike (1972)

18- Beatriz (1976)

20- Shogun

      Mysterious Object At Noon (2000)

21- M*A*S*H (1970) (R)

22- The Synanon Fix

      The Jinx: Part Two

      The Sympathizer

23- Shogun Series Finale

      Still Life With Bones: Genocide, Forensics and What Remains by Alexa Hagerty (2023)

      Run and Kill (1993)

      Macon County Line (1974)

24- Civil War (2024) (Marcus Theaters) (R)*

25- The Blade (1995)

27- Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997) (R)

      Bio-Zombie (1998)

      Jawbone by Monica Ojeda (2023) (tr. by Sarah Booker)

28- Dave Chappelle: Killin' Them Softly (2000) (R)

      Mod Fuck Explosion (1994)

29- The People's Joker (2024) (The Music Box)*

      The Jinx Part Two

30- The Sympathizer

      Stalked By My Doctor (2015)

      Stalked By My Doctor: The Return (2016)

      Stalked By My Doctor: Patient's Revenge (2018)

      Challengers (2024) (Marcus Theaters)*

      War Is A Force That Gives Us Meaning by Chris Hedges (2002)

MAY

1- Strike (1930)

    Memories of Underdevelopment (1968)

2- The Incident (1967)

    Singapore Sling (1990)

4- One-Armed Boxer (1972)

5- Tucker: The Man and His Dream (1988)

    Santa Sangre (1989) (R)

6- The Jinx Part Two

    The Sympathizer

    The Warriors (1979) (Theatrical cut) (R)

     I Am Cuba (1964)

    Nuclear War: A Scenario by Annie Jacobsen (2024)

7- World's Greatest Sinner (1962)

    The Gambler (1974)

    Deja-Vu (2006)

8- The Sugarland Express (1974) (R)

9- The Post (2017)

    Dogville (2003)

    Bahia Blanca (1984)

11- Red Rocket (2021) (R) (w/ Kat Ellinger commentary)

12- Serial Mom (1994) (R) (w/ John Waters commentary)

13- I Saw the TV Glow (2024) (Landmark Century Theater)*

      The Virgin Suicides (1999) (R)

      Seinfeld (The Gymnast)

14- The Intruder (1962)

      The Man With X-Ray Eyes (1963)

15- Gaza Fights For Freedom (2019)

16- Collateral (2004) (R)

       Bonding by Maggie Siebert (2022)

       The Jinx Part Two

17- The Sympathizer

18- The Tale of Zatoichi Continues (1962)

      New Tale of Zatoichi (1963)

19- Stand Up Solutions (2024)

      Matinee Idol (1984)

20- The End of Policing by Alex Vitale (2017)

21- The Jinx Part Two

      The Sympathizer

      Navajeros (1980)

      Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) (R)

      Deadlock (1970)

22- Navajo Joe (1966)

23- Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024) (Marcus Theaters)*

      Miami Vice (Calderon's Return)

25- "The Human Crisis" by Albert Camus

      Smiley Face (2007)

26- Take Out (2004)

27- Mad Max (1979)

      Seinfeld (The Switch)

      The Sympathizer Series Finale

28- The Obscene Bird of Night by Jose Donoso (1973) (tr. by Megan McDowell)

      The Jinx Part Two

      Graduation Day (1981)

      Predator 2 (1990) (R)

      The Hot Nights of Linda (1975) 

29- The Stranger and the Gunfighter (1974)

      Shot (1973)

30- Poking Holes by Juan Valencia (2024)

      Columbo- Prescription Murder (1968), Ransom For A Dead Man (1970)

JUNE

1- Gay USA (1977)

     Forbidden Letters (1979)

2- Columbo- Murder By the Book (Directed by Steven Spielberg)

    The Wild Angels (1966)

3- The First Omen (2024)

    Flavia the Heretic (1974)

4- Shooting Midnight Cowboy by Glen Frankel (2021)

    Columbo- Death Lends A Hand

    Silent Madness (1984)

    In A Violent Nature (2024) (AMC Crestwood)*

    Midnight Cowboy (1969) (R)

5- Columbo- Dead Weight

    Martha (1974)

    Closer by Dennis Cooper (1989) (George Miles Cycle #1)

6- Columbo- Suitable For Framing

7- In A Shallow Grave by James Purdy (1975)

8- Columbo- Lady In Waiting (serious Leslie Nielsen)

    Hard to Kill (1990)

    Black Emanuelle (1975)

    Visions by Troy James Weaver (2015)

9- Columbo- Short Fuse (Roddy McDowall AND Ida Lupino!)

    Columbo- Blueprint For Murder

    Castle Faggot by Derek McCormack (2020)

    Muscle (1989)

10- Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (Landmark Century) (R)*

      Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) (R)

11- Point Break (1991) (R)

      Bad Boys II (2003) (R)

12- Columbo- Etude In Black (Falk and Cassavetes reunited)

      Blonde Death (1984) (R)

      Wise Blood by Flannery O'Connor (1952)

      "Some Aspects of the Grotesque in Southern Fiction" by Flannery O'Connor (1960)

13- Columbo- The Greenhouse Jungle (Ray Milland)

      The Hill (1965)

14- Columbo- The Most Crucial Game

      Emanuelle In Bangkok (1976)

16- Columbo- Dagger of the Mind (Richard Basehart)

17- Six Schizophenic Brothers (4 episodes)

      Airships by Barry Hannah (1978)

18- True Lies (1994) (R)

      Speed (1994) (R)

19- Columbo- Requiem For A Falling Star (Anne Baxter and Kevin McCarthy)

      Kamikaze Hearts (1986)

20- RIP Donald Sutherland

      Midsommar (2019) (Director's Cut) (R)

21- Emanuelle In America (1976) (w/ Kat Ellinger commentary)

22- Columbo- A Stitch In Crime (Leonard Nimoy)

23- Columbo- Most Dangerous Match

24- Midnight Run (1988) (R)

25- Boy Wonder by James Robert Baker (1988)

      The Bikeriders (2024) (Marcus Cinema)*

      Dangerous Game (1993)

26- Columbo- Double Shock (Martin Landau and...Martin Landau?!)

      The Bear (2 episodes)

      Cadabra Records- The Tsalal by Thomas Ligotti

27- The Bear (2 episodes)

      Cartoons by Kit Schluter (2024)

      Longlegs (2024) (Music Box Theater)

28- Gateways to Abomination by Matthew M. Bartlett (2014)

29- The Bear (3 episodes)

      Live Wire (1992)

30- Kinds of Kindness (2024) (Marcus Cinema)*

     The Bear (2 episodes)

JULY

1- I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives In the House (2016)

2- The Parallax View (1974) (R)

    Summer of Sam (1999) (R) (w/ Spike Lee commentary)

3- Squaring the Circle (The Story of Hipgnosis) (2022)

    Return of the Living Dead (1985) (R)

4- Lone Star (1996)

    Emanuelle Around the World (1977)

6- I Hate to See the Evening Sun Go Down by William Gay (2002)

    Disco Godfather (1979)

    Stalked By My Doctor: A Sleepwalker's Nightmare (2019)

7- Beverly Hills Cop (1984) (R)

    A Gun For Jennifer (1997)

8- The Knockout Artist by Harry Crews (1988)

9- Stand By Me (1986) (R)

    My Girl (1992) (R)

    Blonde Ambition (1981)

10- Maxxxine (2024) (AMC Crestwood)

     Body Double (1984) (R)

11- RIP Shelley Duvall

      Over the Edge (1979)

      Terminal Park by Gary J. Shipley (2020)

12- The Tune (1992)

13- Hudson Hawk (1991)

14- Blue of Noon by Georges Bataille (1935) (tr. by Harry Matthews)

      The Quick and the Dead (1995)

15- Longlegs (2024) (Logan Theater) (R)*

16- The Bad Sleep Well (1960) (R)      

      Beijing Watermelon (1989)

17- Chungking Express (1994) (R)

18- Last Embrace (1979)

20- High and Low (1963) (The Music Box) (R)*

21- The Plot Against Harry (1971)

      Caged Heat (1974)

      Chime (2024)

22- Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (1974) (R)

      Tenebre (1982) (R)

23- Deliver Me by Elle Nash (2024)

      The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 (1974) (R)

24- Oddity (2024) (Marcus Theaters)*      

      The Leather Boys (1964)

25- Columbo- Lovely But Lethal (Vera Miles, Martin Sheen AND Vincent Price!)

26- Miami Vice- Golden Triangle

27- Miami Vice- No Exit

      Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1973) (50th Anniversary Cut)      

28- Amygdalatropolis by BR Yeager (2016)

     Glory (1989) (R)

     Passion and Poetry: Peckinpah's Last Western (2024)

29- Watcher (2022)

30- GoodFellas (1990) (The Music Box)* (R)

31- A Quiet Place: Day One (2024) (AMC Crestwood 18)*

      Rabid Dogs (1974) (R)

AUGUST

1- The Devils Rejects (2005) (R)

3- Absalom, Absalom by William Faulkner (1936)

   Columbo- Any Old Port In A Storm (Donald Pleasance)

4- "Altar" by Philip Fracassi, "Chicken Hill" by Joy Williams

5- WWE Summerslam

    The Five Venoms (1978)

    Crippled Avengers (1978)

6- "Clara" by Roberto Bolano, "The Book of Sand" by Jorge Luis Borges

     Chinese Torture Chamber Story (1994)

7- Trap (2024) (Marcus Theaters)*

8- Pop. 1280 by Jim Thompson (1964)

    Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974) (R)

10- Miami Vice- The Home Invaders

      Midnight Desires (1976)

12- Love Lies Bleeding (2024)

      FireStorm (1984)

13- Mira Copora by Jeff Jackson (2013) 

     Intrepidos Punks (1988)

     The 39 Steps (1935) (R)

14- Cuckoo (2024) (AMC Crestwood)*

      RIP Gena Rowlands

      The day I saw a picture of my biological mother for the first time

15- A Woman Under the Influence (1974) (R)

16- The Unreality of Memory and Other Essays by Elisa Gabbert (2020)

17- Lifeline (1997)

18-  RIP Alain Delon

       "Stuff" by Joy Williams

      The Unyielding by Gary J. Shipley (2017)

      The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) (R)

19- Medium Cool (1969) (R)

20- Le Samourai (1967) (R)

      Mr. Klein (1976) (R)

      "The Music of Erich Zann", "Dagon", "The Cats of Ulthar" by HP Lovecraft (Read by Andrew           Leman)

21- Alien: Romulus (Marcus Theaters)*

      Miami Vice- Smuggler's Blues

22- State of Grace by Joy Williams (1973)

24- Miami Vice- Rites of Passage, The Maze

      I Saw the TV Glow (2024) (R) (w/ Jane Schoenbrun commenttary)

25- Thieves Like Us (1974)

      The Glassy, Burning Floor of Hell by Brian Evenson (2021)

26- The Saddest Words: William Faulkner's Civil War by Michael Gorra (2020)

      10 Rillington Place (1971)

      I Saw the TV Glow (2024) (R)

27- Love On Delivery (1995)

      Strange Darling (2024) (AMC Crestwood)*

28- Werckmeiser Harmonies (2000)

29- The Devil Thinks I'm Pretty by Charlene Elsby (2023)

30- Adam Sandler: Love You (2024)

31- Blazing Saddles (1974) (R)

SEPTEMBER

1- The Petal of Your Eyes by Aimee Parkison (2014)

    Je Tu Il Elle (1974)

2- 25th Hour (2002) (R)

    Seinfeld- The Sniffing Accountant

3- Pregaming Grief by Danielle Chelosky (2024)

    Ripley

4- Beetlejuice (1988) (R)

5- Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024) (Marcus Theater)*

    Witch Hunt: Poems by Juliet Escora (2016)

7- Rebel Ridge (2024)

    Miami Vice- Lombard

9- Blow-Up (1966) (R)

    Salem's Lot (1979) (R)

10- Zombie by Joyce Carol Oates (1995)

      Wise Guy: David Chase and The Sopranos (2024) (Pt. 1)

11- Concerning the Future of Souls: 99 Stories of Azrael by Joy Williams (2024)

      Wise Guy: David Chase and the Sopranos (2024) (Pt. 2)

13- Friday the 13th Pt. VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989) (R)

14- All the Living and the Dead by Hayley Campbell (2022)

     "A Country Doctor" by Franz Kafka

     Permanent Green Light (2018)

15- Heaven's Gate: The Cult of Cults (2020) (4 episodes)

      Zombie (1979) (w/ Live Score by Fabio Frizzi and band)

16- Violent Faculties by Charlenes Elsby (2024)

      Final Destination (2000) (R)

      Final Destination 2 (2003) (R)

17- Final Destination 3 (2006) (R)

      Final Destination 5 (2011) (R)

18- The Omen (1976) (R)

19- In the Folds of the Flesh (1970)

20- Crushing Snails by Emma Murray (2024)

21- Delirium: Photo of Gioia (1987)

22- The Vet's Daughter by Barbara Comyns (1959)

23- Beelejuice Beetlejuice (2024) (Landmark Theaters) (R)

      From (3 episodes)

24- The Last Horror Film (1982)

26- Megalopolis (2024) (AMC Crestwood)*

      From 

27- Mr. McMahon (2024)

28- From

      Big World by Mary Miller (2009)

29- From (3 episodes)

30- The Grip of It by Jac Jemc (2017)

      Mr. McMahon (2024) (5 episodes)

      Uzumaki Episode 1

      Pulse (2001) (R)

OCTOBER

1- The Spider Labyrinth (1988)

    The Substance (2024) (AMC Crestwood)*

2- The Black Room (1982)

     Flesh and Fantasy (1943)

3- Red to Kill (1994)

5- The Devonsville Terror (1983)

    The Red Shoes (1948) (R) (Gene Siskel Film Center)*

6- V/H/S Beyond- 'Live and Let Dive' and 'Stowaway'

    Uzumaki Episode 2

7- Salem's Lot (2024)

    Alison's Birthday (1981)

8- The Simpsons- Treehouse of Horror IV, V, VI

    Not A Speck of Light by Laird Barron (2024)

    Coyote by Max Restaino (2024)

    Pulp Fiction (1994) (R) (The Music Box)*

    The Living Dead At Manchester Morgue (1974) (R)

9- V/H/S/85 (2023)

10- Cemetery Man (1994) (R)

12- Frankenstein and the Monster From Hell (1974)

13- The Creature From the Black Lagoon (1954) (R)

14- Saturday Night (2024) (Landmark Century)

15- The Brood (1979) (R)

      Terrifier 3 (2024) (AMC Crestwood 18)

      A Sunny Place For Shady People by Mariana Enriquez (2024) (tr. by Megan McDowell)

17- Kwaidan (1964) (R)

19-20- Music Box of Horrors 

        -Suspense (1913) (w/ Live Score)

        -The Spiral Staircase (1946)

        -The Crazies (1973)

        -Possible In Michigan (1983)

        -Zibahkhana: Hell's Ground (2007)

        -The Haunted Palace (1963) (w/ Roger Corman tribute)

        -Prom Night III: The Last Kiss (1989) (w/ Ron Oliver Q & A)

        -The Alchemist Cookbook (2016) (w/ Joel Potroykus Q & A)

        -Jaws (1975)

        -Hellevator: The Bottled Fools (2004)

        -Tales From the Darkside- Family Reunion (1986)

        -Tales From the Darkside: The Movie (1990)

        -Nightmare (1981)

        -Poltergeist (1982)

        -Comedy of Terrors (1963)

21- Black Sunday (1960) (R)

      VHS/99- Ozzy's Dungeon, To Hell and Back

      V/H/S Beyond- Stowaway (2024) (R)

      Hellraiser (1987) (R)

22- Slewfoot by Bram (2021)

      Paganini Horror (1989)

      Corpse Mania (1981)

      Suffer Little Children (1983)

23- Ghostbusters (1984) (R)

      The Devil's Nightmare (1971)

25- The Ancine Woods (1970)

26- Needful Things by Stephen King (1991)

      Wes Craven's New Nightmare (1994) (R)

27- The Sadness (2021)

28- Anora (2024) (The Music Box)*

     Dawn of the Dead (1978) (R)

29- Good Night, Sleep Tight by Brian Evenson (2024)

      Devil Story (1986)      

      Young Frankenstein (1974) (R)

      "The Small People" by Thomas Ligotti (Read by Jon Padgett)

30- It Follows (2014) (R)

      Audition (1999) (R)

31- Halloween 2 (2009) (Director's Cut w/ Rob Zombie commentary)

      Sex Demon (1975)

NOVEMBER

2- Hill William by Scott McClanahan (2013)

    Under the Silver Lake (2018)

3- Election (1999) (R)

4- Tales of Hoffmann (1951)

    Queer by William S. Burroughs (1985)

5- Real Life (1979)

    All the President's Men (1976) (R)

    Marigold by Troy James Weaver (2016)

    Donald Trump is elected 47th President of the United States

6- The Vineyard (1989)

7- Wildcat (2024)

8- Day of the Fight (1951) (R)

    The Killing (1956) (R)

9- Reclaiming Art In the Age of Artifice by J.F. Martel (2015)

10- Lola Montes (1955)

11- Made In England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger (2024)

12- The Kid Detective (2020)

      Celine and Julie Go Boating (1974) (R)

15- Happiness (1998)

16- On Dangerous Ground (1951)

17- Kubrick: An Odyssey by Robert P. Kolker and Nathan Abrams (2024)

18- He Died With His Eyes Open by Derek Raymond (1984)

      Little Murders (1971) (The Music Box) (R)

      This Is the Zodiac Speaking (2024) (3 episodes)

      Twin Peaks

19- Rontel by Sam Pink (2012)

      Forrest Gump (1994) (R)

      The Enigma of Kasper Hauser (1974) 

21- The Marriage of Maria Braun (1979)

      Dangerous Encounters of the 1st Kind (1980) (Davis Theater)*

22- Sinner: Diary of A Nymphomaniac (1973)

25- My Heart Is That Eternal Rose (1989)

26- The Beast (2024)

27- Chinatown (1974) (R)

28- Blood Rage (1987) (R)

      Terraria: Another Day Under the Glass by W.T. Barney (2018)

30- Alone by Thomas Moore (2020)

     Nowhere (1997)

DECEMBER

2- American Psycho (2000) (R)

    La Jetee (1962) (R)

    Seinfeld- The Label Maker, The Scofflaw, The Kiss Hello

    The Twilight Zone- The Obsolete Man, Once Upon A Time

3- Seinfeld- The Face Painter, The Understudy

    Not A Pretty Picture (1976)

4- The Thin Man (1934)

    Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer (1964)

    Watergate: A New History by Garrett Graff (2022)

5- A Clockwork Orange (1971) (R)

7- Remember the Night (1940)

10- Whistle and I'll Come to You (1968)

      Gremlins (1984) (R)

      The Public Burning by Robert Coover (1977)

12- This Is What You Get by Anthony Dragonetti (2024)

      Curse of the Cat People (1944)

      A Ghost Story For Christmas: Stigma (1975)

13- A Ghost Story For Christmas: The Signalman (1976)

14- The Ref (1994) (R)

15- Dead Bang (1989) (R)

     Ghost Story For Christmas: The Ash Tree

16- Burden of Dreams (1982) (R)

      My Best Fiend (1999) (R)

17- Eyes Wide Shut (1999) (R) (The Music Box)*

18- Trancers (1984) (R)

      Holiday (1938)

19- Queer (2024) (Marcus Theaters)*

      The Berlin Wall by David Leo Rice (2024)

21- White Christmas (1954)

22- Kate Bush Christmas Special (1979)

      My Dead Book by Nate Lippens (2024)

23- Holiday Affair (1949)

      Female Trouble (1974) (R)

      Blood Beat (1983) (R)

24- Ghost Stories For Christmas: Lost Hearts (1973)

      It's A Wonderful Life (1946) (R)

25- Black Christmas (1974) (R)

26- Juror #2 (2024)

28- Rap World (2024)

29- Christmas Eve In Miller's Point (2024)

      Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979) (R)

30- Nosferatu (2024) (The Music Box)*

      Alphabetical Diaries by Sheila Heti (2024)

31- The Last Laugh (1924) (R)