Movies to See Right Now

Photo caption: Sandra Muller voicing Justine Triet’s Oscar-winning screenplay in ANATOMY OF A FALL. Courtesy of NEON.

This week on The Movie Gourmet – my Cinequest coverage has been continuing, and it’s all linked at my CINEQUEST 2024 page. ICYMI, here’s The Movie Gourmet’s 2024 Oscar Dinner.

CURRENT MOVIES

  • Anatomy of a Fall: family history, with life or death stakes. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
  • American Fiction: this can’t be happening.  Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube,
  • The Taste of Things: two passions: culinary and romantic. In arthouse theaters.
  • Golden Years: when dreams diverge. In arthouse theaters.
  • Killers of the Flower Moon: an epic tale of epic betrayal. AppleTV (subscription), Amazon.
  • The Holdovers: three souls must evolve beyond their losses. Amazon.
  • Poor Things: brazen, dazzling, feminist and very funny. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
  • Dream Scenario: but it can’t be my fault, can it? Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
  • The Zone of Interest: next door to the unthinkable. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
  • Maestro: not what she bargained for. Netflix.

WATCH AT HOME

Sly Stone in SUMMER OF SOUL (…OR, WHEN THE REVOLUTION COULD NOT BE TELEVISED)

The most eclectic watch-at-home recommendations you’ll find ANYWHERE:

ON TV

Richard Conte, Brian Donleavy and Cornel Wilde in THE BIG COMBO.

On March 18, Turner Classic Movies presents the classic film noir The Big Combo for its ruthless villain, his henchmen, plenty of dramatic shadows and some sly naughtiness by the filmmakers. In his most flamboyant performance, Richard Conte plays mob boss Mr. Brown. Cornel Wilde (also the film’s producer) plays Lieutenant Diamond, a cop with two obsessions, to bring down the crime lord and to take his woman, Susan (Wilde’s real-life wife Jean Wallace). Mr. Brown is supremely confident, with good reason, and so arrogant that he only addresses Diamond, standing two feet away, through Brown’s own lackey. Brown and his henchmen ((Lee Van Cleef and Earl Holliman)) are also cruelly ruthless, carrying out the usual beatings and murders, and also torture by hearing aid and by boozeboarding.

Director Joseph Lewis and his collaborators did successfully slip some things past the censors.  Conte’s Mr. Brown reminds Susan of how he pleases her.  And the henchmen are a couple, as Holliman confirmed decades later to Eddie Muller.

Lewis and the great cinematographer John Alton delivered one of the most iconic final shots in noir.

Jean Wallace in THE BIG COMBO.

Movies to See Right Now

Photo caption: Aylin Tezel and Chris Fulton in FALLING INTO PLACE, US premiere at Cinequest. Courtesy of Cinequest.

This week on The Movie Gourmet – Cinequest is underway, and it’s my 14th year covering Silicon Valley’s own major film festival. My Best of Cinequest recommends films from the Thriller, Romance, Comedy, International, Art Film and Documentary categories, along with two Must Sees. All of my coverage is linked on my Cinequest 2024 page – so far, four features and reviews or capsules of ten films.

The WIfe and I are also preparing our renowned Oscar Dinner – more on that tomorrow.

Speaking of the Oscars, I’ll be especially interested in

  • How many Oscars that Oppenheimer racks up. I’m guessing AT LEAST seven: Best Picture, director Christopher Nolan, cinematographer Hoyte Van Hoytema, editor Jennifer Lame, composer Ludwig Göransson and actors Cillian Murphy and Robert Downey Jr.
  • How much recognition Anatomy of a Fall gets, despite not being a Hollywood movie. I’m rooting for Justine Triet’s original screenplay and Sandra Huller’s performance (but it would be OK if Lily Gladstone wins Best Actress instead).
  • I’ll also be rooting for America Ferrara’s performance and Greta Gerwig’s adapted screenplay for Barbie.

Also note that, with Poor Things, American Fiction and The Zone of Interest going to VOD, you can now stream any and all of the major Oscar-nominated films.

CURRENT MOVIES

  • Anatomy of a Fall: family history, with life or death stakes. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
  • American Fiction: this can’t be happening. In theaters and Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube,
  • The Taste of Things: two passions: culinary and romantic. In arthouse theaters.
  • Golden Years: when dreams diverge. In arthouse theaters.
  • Killers of the Flower Moon: an epic tale of epic betrayal. AppleTV (subscription), Amazon.
  • The Holdovers: three souls must evolve beyond their losses. In theaters, Amazon.
  • Poor Things: brazen, dazzling, feminist and very funny. In theaters, Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
  • Dream Scenario: but it can’t be my fault, can it? Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
  • Drift: escaping the horrors, but not yet the trauma. In arthouse theaters.
  • The Boys in the Boat: underdogs soar. In theaters and streaming.
  • The Zone of Interest: next door to the unthinkable. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
  • Rustin: greatness, overlooked. Netflix.
  • Maestro: not what she bargained for. Netflix.

WATCH AT HOME

Idella Johnson, Sivan Noam Shimon and Hannah Pepper in Marion Hill’s film MA BELLE, MY BEAUTY. Courtesy of SFFILM.

The most eclectic watch-at-home recommendations you’ll find ANYWHERE:

ON TV

Warren William with Loretta Young in EMPLOYEES ENTRANCE

On March 12, Turner Classic Movies airs Employees Entrance, starring Warren William, whose movies from the early 30s remain fresh today. Although he is not well-known today, William was “King of the Pre-Code”, starring in 25 movies between 1931 and 1934, many with the sexual frankness and moral ambiguity that was to be erased by the Production Code. If you want to understand Pre-Code cinema, watch Employees Entrance, and imagine the future movie censor, the supercilious Joe Breen, with his head exploding.

In the 1933 Employees Entrance, William plays a department store manager who is viciously ruthless with his competitors and suppliers.  He abuses his own employees and is indifferent to the resultant suicide attempts.  He uses his position to have sex with a young employee (Loretta Young), even after she marries someone else.  And he keeps a floozy on the payroll to distract another executive (his putative supervisor) from meddling in the business.  And for all 75 minutes of Employees Entrance, William’s joyously despicable character is richly enjoying himself.  If you’re looking for the triumph of Good over Evil, this isn’t your movie.

With his striking features (including a prominent and noble nose) and his deep and cultured voice, William was a natural for the newfangled talkies.  William excelled in the Pre-Code movies because he could play deliciously shameless scoundrels who would use their wit and position to exploit everyone else, especially for sex, power and money.  His characters are fun to watch because they take such delight in their own depravity.  His leading ladies included the likes of Bette Davis, Barbara Stanwyck, Loretta Young, Ann Dvorak and Claudette Colbert. But in 1934, the new Production Code meant that movies could no longer allow his characters to have sex and otherwise behave badly and get away with it.

One of my favorite movies is 1932’s hilarious political comedy The Dark Horse, in which William plays an equally ruthless and amoral campaign manager.  He is such a scoundrel that he must first get sprung from jail to teach his dimwitted candidate to answer every question with “Yes…and, then again, no.”  He describes his own candidate (the gleefully dim Guy Kibbee) thus:  “He’s the dumbest human being I ever saw. Every time he opens his mouth he subtracts from the sum total of human knowledge.” 

Ever the sexually predatory cad on the screen, the real-life William led a quiet life and was married to the same woman for twenty-five years until his death.

Movies to See Right Now

Photo caption: Emma Stone in POOR THINGS. Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures.

This week on The Movie Gourmet –  I’m busy working on unveiling most of my Cinequest coverage on Tuesday; here’s my festival preview: Get ready for the return of Cinequest.

CURRENT MOVIES

  • Anatomy of a Fall: family history, with life or death stakes. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
  • American Fiction: this can’t be happening. In theaters and Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube,
  • The Taste of Things: two passions: culinary and romantic. In arthouse theaters.
  • Golden Years: when dreams diverge. In arthouse theaters.
  • Killers of the Flower Moon: an epic tale of epic betrayal. AppleTV (subscription), Amazon.
  • The Holdovers: three souls must evolve beyond their losses. In theaters, Amazon.
  • Poor Things: brazen, dazzling, feminist and very funny. In theaters.
  • Dream Scenario: but it can’t be my fault, can it? Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
  • Drift: escaping the horrors, but not yet the trauma. In arthouse theaters.
  • The Boys in the Boat: underdogs soar. In theaters and streaming.
  • The Zone of Interest: next door to the unthinkable. In theaters.
  • Driving Madeleine: still spirited at 92. In arthouse theaters.
  • Rustin: greatness, overlooked. Netflix.
  • Maestro: not what she bargained for. Netflix.

WATCH AT HOME

Michael Caine in YOUTH

The most eclectic watch-at-home recommendations you’ll find ANYWHERE:

  • Youth: a glorious cinematic meditation on life. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
  • Me and Earl and the Dying Girl: a Must See, perched on the knife edge between comedy and tragedy. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
  • The Gift: three people revealed. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube, redbox.
  • Inez & Doug & Kira: the tangle of love, friendship and bipolar disorder. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
  • The Handmaiden: gorgeous, erotic and a helluva plot. Amazon, Vudu.
  • Run & Jump: a romance, a family drama and a promising first feature. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
  • Victoria: a thrill ride filmed in one shot. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube, KinoNow.

ON TV

George C. Scott (center) seethes while James Stewart (right) lawyers in ANATOMY OF A MURDER

Turner Classic Movies is broadcasting Anatomy of a Murder (1959) on March 2.  I love this film for its great courtroom scene, for the great performances by James Stewart, George C. Scott, Ben Gazzara and Lee Remick, and for its exquisite pacing by director Otto Preminger. None other than the great Duke Ellington provides one of the very first jazz soundtracks (after Miles Davis’ Elevator to the Gallows and Johnny Mandel’s I Want to Live! in 1958).

Movies to See Right Now

Mon Oncle
Photo caption: Jacques Tati in MON ONCLE

This week on The Movie Gourmet – new reviews of Golden Years and The Taste of Things, plus a festival preview: Get ready for the return of Cinequest.

CURRENT MOVIES

  • Anatomy of a Fall: family history, with life or death stakes. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
  • American Fiction: this can’t be happening. In theaters and Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube,
  • The Taste of Things: two passions: culinary and romantic. In arthouse theaters.
  • Golden Years: when dreams diverge. In arthouse theaters.
  • Killers of the Flower Moon: an epic tale of epic betrayal. AppleTV (subscription), Amazon.
  • The Holdovers: three souls must evolve beyond their losses. In theaters, Amazon.
  • Poor Things: brazen, dazzling, feminist and very funny. In theaters.
  • Dream Scenario: but it can’t be my fault, can it? Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
  • Drift: escaping the horrors, but not yet the trauma. In arthouse theaters.
  • The Boys in the Boat: underdogs soar. In theaters and streaming.
  • The Zone of Interest: next door to the unthinkable. In theaters.
  • Driving Madeleine: still spirited at 92. In arthouse theaters.
  • Rustin: greatness, overlooked. Netflix.
  • Maestro: not what she bargained for. Netflix.

WATCH AT HOME

Olivia Cooke and Thomas Mann in ME AND EARL AND THE DYING GIRL

The most eclectic watch-at-home recommendations you’ll find ANYWHERE:

  • Me and Earl and the Dying Girl: a Must See, perched on the knife edge between comedy and tragedy. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
  • Youth: a glorious cinematic meditation on life. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
  • The Gift: three people revealed. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube, redbox.
  • Inez & Doug & Kira: the tangle of love, friendship and bipolar disorder. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
  • The Handmaiden: gorgeous, erotic and a helluva plot. Amazon, Vudu.
  • Run & Jump: a romance, a family drama and a promising first feature. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
  • Victoria: a thrill ride filmed in one shot. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube, KinoNow.

ON TV

MON ONCLE

On February 27, Turner Classic Movies is presenting what is essentially a survey course in international cinema 1958-1992:

  • Mon Oncle (Jacques Tati, France, 1958)
  • The Virgin Spring (Ingmar Bergman, Sweden, 1960)
  • 8 1/2 (Federico Fellini, Italy, 1963)
  • The Woman in the Dunes (Hiroshi Teshigahara, Japan, 1965)
  • Closely Watched Trains (Jiri Menzel, Czechoslovakia, 1966)
  • The Fireman’s Ball (Milos Forman, Czechoslovakia, 1967)
  • The Last Metro (Francois Truffaut, France, 1980)
  • Babette’s Feast (Gabriel Axel, Denmark, 1987)
  • Indochine (Regis Wargnier, France, 1992)

8 1/2 and Mon Oncle are on my fifty or so Greatest Movies of All Time. The Fireman’s Ball and Babette’s Feast are two of my personal favorite films. (On the other hand, The Woman in the Dunes is a two-and-a-half hour slog.)

Of these, I’m highlighting Mon Oncle, Jacques Tati’s masterful fish-out-of-water satire of contemporary consumerism and modernist culture. In its deadpan way, I think it may be the most deeply funny movie of all time. If you have strong feelings (either way) for Mid-century Modern style, be patient and settle in. There’s very little dialogue and lots of sly observational physical humor. Tati’s use of ambient noise/sounds in the very spare soundtrack is pure genius.

MON ONCLE

Movies to See Right Now

Teo Yoo and Greta Lee in PAST LIVES. Courtesy of A24.

This week on The Movie Gourmet – a new review of Drift. Getting ready for the Oscars, I just rewatched Best Picture nominees Anatomy of a Fall, Past Lives and Killers of the Flower Moon with The Wife and her father. They all stand up, with Oppenheimer, as the top four on my Best Movies of 2023.

REMEMBRANCE

Carl Weathers retired from pro football at 26, played a football player in Semi-tough, and then the unforgettable Apollo Creed in the Rocky franchise. He recently starred in The Mandalorian and directed some of it. Personal note: his film Action Jackson was playing theaters in Santiago, Chile, when I visited in 1984.

CURRENT MOVIES

WATCH AT HOME

Laia Costa in VICTORIA

The most eclectic watch-at-home recommendations you’ll find ANYWHERE:

  • Victoria: a thrill ride filmed in one shot. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube, KinoNow.
  • The Gift: three people revealed. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube, redbox.
  • Inez & Doug & Kira: the tangle of love, friendship and bipolar disorder. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
  • The Handmaiden: gorgeous, erotic and a helluva plot. Amazon, Vudu.
  • Run & Jump: a romance, a family drama and a promising first feature. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
  • Youth: a glorious cinematic meditation on life. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
  • Me and Earl and the Dying Girl: a Must See, perched on the knife edge between comedy and tragedy. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.

ON TV

Sam Jaffe, Sterling Hayden, Anthony Caruso and James Whitmore inTHE ASPHALT JUNGLE

On February 17, Turner Classic Movies presents the classic film noir The Asphalt Jungle. At the most recent Noir City film festival, film scholars Eddie Muller and Imogen Sarah Smith explained that the Production Code banned the depiction of the means of crime; director John Huston blasted right through that stop sign, making this the protype of all heist movies, with the intricate planning, the assembling of the team and then the real-time heist itself.

The crooks do pull off the big heist…and then things begin to go wrong. There aren’t many noirs with better casting – the crooks include Sterling Hayden, Louis Calhern, Sam Jaffe and James Whitmore. Lesser known Marc Lawrence and Brad Dexter light up their parts, too.

The 23-year-old Marilyn Monroe plays Calhern’s companion in her first real speaking part. Marilyn plays an alibi witness; when the police commissioner asks about her credibility (“How did she impress you?”) the interviewing detective replies, “Very much! She’s some babe!” Marilyn ‘s stardom must have soared by the time The Asphalt Jungle reached Italian theaters, because she is the featured figure in the Italian movie poster. Anyway, the final scene between Monroe and Calhern is both poignant and funny.

How noir is it? Even the cop who breaks the case goes to jail.

Marilyn Monroe and Don Haggerty in THE ASPHALT JUNGLE

Movies to See Right Now

Photo caption: Jeffrey Wright in AMERICAN FICTION. Courtesy of MGM.

This week on The Movie Gourmet – a wrap-up of my experience last week’s Noir City in Oakland where Eddie Muller and team introduced me to four new noirs, two of which are magnificent. Now I’m screening films from the March 2024 Cinequest program.

Incidentally, my coverage of Slamdance in January highlighted three films. The Accident and The Complex Forms won the top two narrative feature awards and Demon Mineral  won the audience award for documentaries. I’ll let you know when/if they stream.

CURRENT MOVIES

WATCH AT HOME

Maxine Peake in RUN & JUMP

The most eclectic watch-at-home recommendations you’ll find ANYWHERE:

  • Run & Jump: a romance, a family drama and a promising first feature. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
  • The Gift: three people revealed. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube, redbox.
  • Inez & Doug & Kira: the tangle of love, friendship and bipolar disorder. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
  • The Handmaiden: gorgeous, erotic and a helluva plot. Amazon, Vudu.
  • Victoria: a thrill ride filmed in one shot. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube, KinoNow.
  • Youth: a glorious cinematic meditation on life. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
  • Me and Earl and the Dying Girl: a Must See, perched on the knife edge between comedy and tragedy. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.

ON TV

William Powell and Carole Lombard in MY MAN GODFREY

On February 11, Turner Classic Movies is airing the timeless and fantastic comedy, My Man Godfrey (1936). An assembly of eccentric, oblivious, venal and utterly spoiled characters make up a rich Park Avenue family and their hangers-on during the Depression. The kooky daughter (Carole Lombard) brings home a homeless guy (William Powell) to serve as their butler. The contrast between the dignified butler and his wacky employers results in a brilliant screwball comedy that masks searing social criticism that is still sharply relevant today. The wonderful character actor Eugene Pallette (who looked and sounded like a bullfrog in a tuxedo) plays the family’s patriarch, and he’s keenly aware that his wife and kids are completely nuts.

I feel strongly about this 88-year-old movie, which I first saw when it was only 36-years-old. We talk about screwball comedy, but this is the gold standard. And we need to remember the comic genius of Carole Lombard, who died supporting the war against fascism when she was only 33.

Movies to See Right Now

Photo caption: Jeffrey Wright in AMERICAN FICTION. Courtesy of MGM.

This week on The Movie Gourmet – a new review of The Zone of Interest. The best movies in theaters right now are American Fiction and Poor Things. The best current movies that you can watch at home are Anatomy of a Fall, Killers of the Flower Moon and The Holdovers.

CURRENT MOVIES

WATCH AT HOME

THE HANDMAIDEN

The most eclectic watch-at-home recommendations you’ll find ANYWHERE:

  • The Handmaiden: gorgeous, erotic and a helluva plot. Amazon, Vudu.
  • The Gift: three people revealed. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube, redbox.
  • Inez & Doug & Kira: the tangle of love, friendship and bipolar disorder. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
  • Run & Jump: a romance, a family drama and a promising first feature. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
  • Victoria: a thrill ride filmed in one shot. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube, KinoNow.
  • Youth: a glorious cinematic meditation on life. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
  • Me and Earl and the Dying Girl: a Must See, perched on the knife edge between comedy and tragedy. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.

ON TV

Harold Lloyd in SAFETY LAST!

On February 6, Turner Classic Movies will air Harold Lloyd’s silent comedy classic Safety Last!, and this 101-year-old movie is still a zinger. Lloyd, with Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton, was one of the three great filmmakers of silent comedies. Safety Last! begins with a joke on the audience, when we discover we’re not watching the scene we thought we were. Off we go, bouncing through Lloyd’s rube-in-the-big-city misadventures, all the way to the iconic finale, where Lloyd himself (he did most of his own stunts) climbs the exterior of a 10-story building and hangs from the face of a clock (which was actually staged on a shorter warehouse, but still dangerous).

Movies to See Right Now

Photo caption: Jeffrey Wright in AMERICAN FICTION. Courtesy of MGM.

This week on The Movie Gourmet:

I’m actually at the Grand Lake Theater in Oakland, covering the last weekend of the Noir City festival of film noir in person. Here’s my Noir City preview with recommended movies.

CURRENT MOVIES

WATCH AT HOME

awny Cypress and Thalia Thiesfield in INEZ & DOUG & KIRA. Photo courtesy of Cinequest.

The most eclectic watch-at-home recommendations you’ll find ANYWHERE:

  • Inez & Doug & Kira: the tangle of love, friendship and bipolar disorder. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
  • The Gift: three people revealed. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube, redbox.
  • The Handmaiden: gorgeous, erotic and a helluva plot. Amazon, Vudu.
  • Run & Jump: a romance, a family drama and a promising first feature. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
  • Victoria: a thrill ride filmed in one shot. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube, KinoNow.
  • Youth: a glorious cinematic meditation on life. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
  • Me and Earl and the Dying Girl: a Must See, perched on the knife edge between comedy and tragedy. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.

ON TV

Robert Mitchum and Ken Takakura in THE YAZUKA

On January 31, Turner Classic Movies will air the 1974 neo-noir The Yakuza, starring Robert Mitchum. The world-weary Mitchum was the greatest male star of classic film noir, and 25 years later was still jaded and just as cool. Here, Mitchum plays a former GI who returns to Japan to help rescue the kidnapped daughter of an army buddy (Brian Keith) who still lives in Japan. Mitchum’s character has a unique relationship with a former Yazuka (Ken Takakura), who can help him navigate the Japanese underworld. Of course, the Japanese had been making Yakuza movies for over a decade, but The Yakuza introduced American audiences to the code of behavior of the Yakuza (severed fingers and all) and other aspects of Japanese culture. There’s a big reveal about two of the characters, and the finale is heavy duty. The Yazuka was directed by Sydney Pollack (Out of Africa, Tootsie, Jeremiah Johnson) from a screenplay adapted by Paul Shrader (Taxi Driver) and Robert Towne (Chinatown). James Shigeta, who I discuss in my post about The Crimson Kimono, also appears.

Keiko Kishi and Robert Mitchum in THE YAZUKA

Movies to See Right Now

Photo caption: Lily Gladstone, and Leonardo DiCaprio in KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON. Courtesy of AppleTV.

This week on The Movie Gourmet – two of my favorite film festivals are opening today:

  • Slamdance: You read that name correctly -vit’s an alternative to Sundance. Whenever I cover a film festival, I’m on the lookout for first films and world premieres – and here’s a festival essentially entirely made up of first films and world premieres. Alumni incude Christopher Nolan (Oppenheimer) and many other bigtime filmmakers. It’s in Utah AND online. Here’s my Slamdance preview with recommended movies.
  • Noir City: Noir City is the annual festival of the Film Noir Foundation, spearheaded by its founder and president Eddie Muller.  This year’s program for each night (or matinee) will present a double bill – one classic film noir from the US or UK, matched with one from Argentina, Mexico, France, Italy, Egypt, Japan or South Korea. It’s in Oakland’s Grand Lake Theater, and I’ll be attending two of the days. Here’s my Noir City preview with recommended movies.

And, coming up on TV, besides Babette’s Feast (described below in today’s post), I’m highlighting Jane Fonda’s first Oscar-winning performance in the now 53-year-old thriller Klute.

One of the year’s best films, Killers of the Flower Moon, is now available for free with an AppleTV subscription (or for $19.99 everywhere else).

CURRENT MOVIES

WATCH AT HOME

Rebecca Hall, Jason Bateman and Joel Edgerton in THE GIFT
Rebecca Hall, Jason Bateman and Joel Edgerton in THE GIFT. Courtesy of STX Entertainment.

The most eclectic watch-at-home recommendations you’ll find ANYWHERE:

  • The Gift: three people revealed. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube, redbox.
  • Inez & Doug & Kira: the tangle of love, friendship and bipolar disorder. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
  • The Handmaiden: gorgeous, erotic and a helluva plot. Amazon, Vudu.
  • Run & Jump: a romance, a family drama and a promising first feature. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
  • Victoria: a thrill ride filmed in one shot. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube, KinoNow.
  • Youth: a glorious cinematic meditation on life. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
  • Me and Earl and the Dying Girl: a Must See, perched on the knife edge between comedy and tragedy. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.

ON TV

BABETTE’S FEAST

On January 21, Turner Classic Movies will present Babette’s Feast (1987), one of my Best Foodie Movies. Two aged 19th century Danish spinster sisters have taken in a French refugee as their housekeeper. The sisters carry on their father’s severe religious sect, which rejects earthly pleasures. After fourteen years, the housekeeper wins the lottery and, in gratitude, spends all her winnings on the ingredients for a banquet that she prepares for the sisters and their friends. As the dinner builds, the colors of the film become warmer and brighter, reflecting the sheer carnality of the repast. The smugly ascetic and humorless guests become less and less able to resist pleasure of the epicurean delights. The feast’s visual highlights are Caille en Sarcophage avec Sauce Perigourdine (quail in puff pastry shell with foie gras and truffle sauce) and Savarin au Rhum avec des Figues et Fruit Glacée (rum sponge cake with figs and glacéed fruits). This was the first Danish film to win Best Foreign Language Oscar.

Movies to See Right Now

Photo caption: ANATOMY OF A FALL. Courtesy of NEON.

This week on The Movie Gourmet – a new review of Driving Madeleine. I’m busy preparing to cover two film festivals that open next weekend: Slamdance and Noir City. I’m currently screening about a dozen Slamdance movies and will publish a fest preview with recommendations. I’ll preview Noir City, too, some of which I’ll be covering in-person in Oakland.

My choice as the year’s second-best movie, Anatomy of a Fall, is now streaming on the major platforms. Don’t miss it.

Here’s my year-end feature coverage:

REMEMBRANCE

Tom Wilkinson, with Sissy Spacek, in IN THE BEDROOM.

Tom Wilkinson won an Oscar for Michael Clayton, but I best remember his searing performance in In the Bedroom and his delightful turn in The Full Monty.

CURRENT MOVIES

WATCH AT HOME

From my Best Movies of 2023:

  • OPPENHEIMER: creator of a monster controlled by others. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
  • ANATOMY OF A FALL: family history, with life or death stakes. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
  • PAST LIVES: a profound and refreshing romance. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
  • THE MAN WHO DID NOT WANT TO SEE TITANIC: wow – laughs, thrills, love. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
  • RETURN TO SEOUL: brilliantly crafted and emotionally gripping. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
  • BARBIE: a marriage of the intelligent and the silly. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
  • FREMONT: self-discovery and a fortune cookie. Amazon, Vudu.
  • THE DISAPPEARANCE OF SHERE HITE: revoking one’s own celebrity. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu.
  • MAY DECEMBER: a seat-squirmer of a psychodrama. Netflix.
  • HANNAH HA HA: what makes for human value and fulfillment? Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
Jeremy Allen White and Anaita Wali Zada in FREMONT. Courtesy of Music Box Films.