Eric J

Nine to Five 1980

1h 50m Comedy Rated 3.0 out of 5

I'm pretty sure I've never seen this all the way through in one sitting and that I'd only seen parts of it randomly here and there. This movie is much sillier than I thought it was, but not always in the best of ways.

Anyway, a decent time was still had and I'm glad those gals were able to bond and, together, mostly overcome all the horrors and setbacks of their workplace.

Also, that Dolly song is undeniable.

Lastly, in this movie, someone says of someone else that they are "a wart on the nose of humanity." In Steel Magnolias (1989), someone says of someone else that they are "a boil on the butt of humanity." Odd that that sort of phrase should be in two of Dolly's films.

Primetime 2026

1h 50m Drama Rated 4.0 out of 5

So many seriously great (over-the-top?) performances are on display in this fantastical, fictionalized story of mostly real events, and it's also a sorta meta-commentary about the predatory nature of, perhaps, everyone and everything in "the industry" (not just the predators they were-a catching).

It won't be for everyone, especially if you're someone who's looking for something more grounded, but it was certainly for me.

November 2017

1h 55m Drama Rated 5.0 out of 5

A stunning, folkloric fairytale of a film from Estonia that is equal parts heart-filling and heart-breaking. There's a fair amount of humor sprinkled throughout this sad tale of loves unrequited and lost, and who doesn't love a witch and a werewolf, plagues and the devil, ghosts and anthropomorphic farm tools?

I loved this movie and can't wait to watch it again, and soon.

Midwinter Sacrifice 1946

12m Drama Rated 4.0 out of 5

Beautiful images (thanks to beautifully lit, stark black & white) make up this short about the pagan ritual of sacrificing a man to bring an end to wintertime in Sweden.

I say good luck to all involved.

Journey Through Setomaa 1913

7m Documentary Rated 3.5 out of 5

A really neat look at the lives of the Setomaa folk from the early 1900's. Some really great framing/shots as well.

Boundary 2010

16m Documentary Rated 2.0 out of 5

I would've gotten just as much out of this if it were half as long. In fact, it may have been more impactful.

Jack the Ripper 1976

1h 32m Drama Rated 3.0 out of 5

Kind of a long feeling 92 minutes, but the atmosphere of the streets, getting to really know and love the local establishments, and the kooky townsfolk banding together to try and discover Jack almost nearly make up for it.

The Ballad of Wallis Island 2025

1h 40m Comedy Rated 4.0 out of 5

A very sweet movie that zigs into some expected directions and zags into others one mightn't culminating in a bittersweet and tearful ending.

I liked it!

Dibbuk 2019

36m Horror Rated 4.0 out of 5

Gotta have a minyan if you wanna exorcise a dibbuk.

30 minutes well spent!

Best of the Best

Rated 3.0 out of 5

Fun enough throwback to the teen dance movies from the late 90's/early 2000's, but modernized and Desi.

I'd 2.75 this if I could.

Secret Honor 1984

1h 30m Drama Rated 4.0 out of 5

Paranoid mama's boy Richard Nixon reckons with his life as a pawn.

This was actually an inadvertently neat companion piece to Swimming to Cambodia (1987); both one-man shows that are nearly in conversation with each other.

In Swimming, Spalding Gray (as himself) describes his time spent in Cambodia filming a fictional portrayal of a real-life event.

In Honor, Philip Baker Hall gives a stunning performance as Nixon in a fictional moment of his life (that I guess could've happened) that deals in part with the real-life events discussed in Swimming.

(It's also just wild that all of Robert Altman's signature moves work just as well here with one man as they do in a story with, like, 32 people talking all at once.)

Rambo: First Blood Part II 1985

1h 36m Action Rated 3.5 out of 5

One gets a bit of whiplash going from the fairly thoughtful depiction of PTSD in the first First Blood to the montage of murder in the second First Blood, but I suppose a small reprieve busting up rocks in a quarry was just good medicine for a guy like John J. Rambo.

Swimming to Cambodia 1987

1h 25m Documentary Rated 4.0 out of 5

For 85 minutes, Spalding Gray fleeces a yarn about his time spent filming The Killing Fields (1984) in Cambodia and gives a brief history lesson about the area as well. And for 85 minutes, I'm enthralled.

Jonathan Demme directs this with as much love and care as he did Stop Making Sense a few years earlier, even though this is simply Spalding sitting at a desk on a stage.

Glad to own it!

Metropolis 1927

2h 28m Drama Rated 5.0 out of 5

What's left to be said about a 99 year-old movie this storied and revered?

Stunning, riveting, masterful.

And the acting is incredibly well done! Expressive and emotive without feeling overly performative. Some really great choreography I wasn't expecting or prepared for, too.

(Watched the 148 minute 2010 complete restoration)

Somebody Somewhere 2022

Season 3 7 episodes Rated 4.5 out of 5

Great season and way to end it.

Widow's Bay 2026

Season 1 10 episodes Rated 4.5 out of 5

Great fun!

The Godson 1967

1h 45m Rated 5.0 out of 5

This was my third watch, and I suppose I've seen this now just about once every 10 years (give or take), and it gets better every time; this watch boosted by seeing Melville's growth throughout his career this year.

I'm glad Alain Delon is Jef instead of Jean-Paul Belmondo (though he might've been a good detective?), Delon is perfect here.

The Devils 1971

1h 52m Drama Rated 5.0 out of 5

Nothing really to add to my original review - the circus of politics and theatrics of religious fervor never go out of style - so I'll just say two things:

1. So glad I got to catch this on the big screen. It looked the best it probably ever has, and the added/extended scenes were a delight.

2. What was I thinking only giving this a 4.5 the first time around? !

Go see it big and loud while you still can!

There Will Be Blood 2007

2h 38m Drama Rated 5.0 out of 5

Been meaning to revisit this one for a while now.

Honestly pretty cool that Dillon Freasier (child HW) was like "I'll never top this" and stopped acting - he's so good here!

Danny Day and Pauly D are also pretty good here.

The whole movie...it's pretty good!

(Neat to watch this after Robert Altman's Short Cuts> (1993) and see the dedication at the end of the credits.)

Short Cuts 1993

3h 8m Drama Rated 4.5 out of 5

I'd seen this only once before, a long time ago, after seeing Magnolia (1999) for the first time and thinking "Okay, I see where Paul may have taken...inspiration..." It was crazy to see how much of this I remembered and how I'd thought about some of these moments a lot over the years without realizing it.

And now, having watched so much Altman over the past 12 months, it was nice to come back to it. So much happens and so little happens at the same time, and it's just really great to be a fly on the wall (😉) to see all these characters live through 48 hours of their lives and how they all intersect and how, no matter what happens, things just keep on keeping on.

A real treat.