The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964) ****

Innovative, original musical, still influential. Kudos to director Demy for sticking the ending.

The Shooting (1966) **

Good try at an existential Western features good performances (especially Mr. Oates), well photographed, but the script falls apart.

Logan's Run (1976) **

Cheesy, campy attempt at the cynical sci-fi so prevalent at the time. Doesn't hold up well.

I Married a Witch (1942) *

Ham fisted attempt at screwball comedy is nearly unwatchable. Relies heavily on the charisma and chemistry of the stars of which there are neither.

The Truth About Woody Allen (Part I) | This Mortal Coil

I know these details get real boring, real fast. But once you study it, you see how even the custody decision has been misrepresented by the Farrows and their followers. Granted, none of this suggests that Woody falling in love with Soon-Yi was a smart move, but, you know, it happened, and the fall-out was massive, but they remain together and have raised two normal, healthy kids. As for Mia, out of her ten adopted kids, two are permanently estranged, and three are dead — two from suicide, and the third died in poverty. Mia also has one brother who committed suicide, and another brother who’s in prison for multiple counts of child molestation. The dysfunction in that family runs very deep, and has nothing to do with Woody and Soon-Yi.

Living in Oblivion (1995) **

Amusing movie about making movies and all the perils therein. Almost makes it to something more.

Rosebud (1975) **

Anti-terrorist procedural starts off great and the attention to detail is at first compelling but soon starts to bog down the picture. Finally it becomes a pro-Israel propaganda piece. Unfortunate since Mr. O'Toole and Ms. Huppert (so young!) are fun to watch.

The Fantasticks (1995) **

This is a very well made rendition of the long running off broadway musical. Unfortunately the songs (except for the finale of course) are quite forgettable and the story is paper thin. It's still beautifully shot and imaginatively directed.

Cold War (2018) **

Nicely shot in crisp black and white but the central love story fails to convince.

The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind by Julian Jaynes | Goodreads

But over and behind these and other causes of science has been something more universal, something in this age of specialization often unspoken. It is something about understanding the totality of existence, the essential defining reality of things, the entire universe and man's place in it. It is a groping among stars for final answers, a wandering the infinitesimal for the infinitely general, a deeper and deeper pilgrimage into the unknown. It is a direction whose far beginning in the mists of history can be distantly seen in the search for lost directives in the breakdown of the bicameral mind.

Green Book (2018) *

Well acted Hollywood white savior claptrap masquerading as "inspired by true events" biopic. No wonder Spike was so upset at the Oscars.

Greta (2018) **

The great Ms. Huppert sadly underused in this ludicrous thriller.

Dressed to Kill (1980) ***

Enjoyable to watch because it's shot well and it's fun picking out all the Hitchcock tropes being re-done here, even the clunky ending explanatory scene. Ms. Allen was never better.

Gumshoe (1971) ***

Half-hearted attempt at a Chandler update features a stellar cast lead by the great Mr. Finney who makes a good Marlowe.

Neuroscientists read unconscious brain activity to predict decisions — Quartz

Though this is just one study, it’s not the first to show that thoughts can be predicted before they are conscious. As the researchers note, similar techniques have been able to predict motor decisions between seven and 10 seconds before they’re conscious, and abstract decisions up to four seconds before they’re conscious. Taken together, these studies show how understanding how the brain complicates our conception of free will.

Neuroscientists have long known that the brain prepares to act before you’re consciously aware, and there are just a few milliseconds between when a thought is conscious and when you enact it. Those milliseconds give us a chance to consciously reject unconscious impulses, seeming to form a foundation of free will.

Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (2009) **

Nic Cage does a good job in an offbeat take on the "bad cop still does good" genre as unpleasant as that is.

Leave No Trace (2018) ***

A terrific performance anchors this spare, uncompromising tale of a man who just can't abide people any more and the toll it takes on his daughter. Director Granik understands that sometimes the less said makes the film about more than the plot.

Strangers on a Train (1951) ***

A supremely creepy Robert Walker steals the show in this noir thriller that frankly wouldn't be that much without him. Not even master director Hitchcock can make amateur tennis exciting but he gamely tries.

The Magnificent Ambersons (1942) ****

Even in its truncated, clumsily edited final sequence version this is a wonderful example of great ensemble acting. Script and direction better than Kane and one of Welles' best films.

A Star Is Born (2018) **

The first half is better, but overall an undistinguished bit of film making. Well deserved Oscar for best song.