2024 In Review: Movies

** Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
* Nosferatu

(Ripley was the best filmed fiction I saw this year.)

2024 In Review: Music

**** Asteroid No. 4, The - Several Shapes of Solar Flares
**** Linda Lindas, The - No Obligation
**** Mary Timony - Untame The Tiger
**** Nada Surf - Moon Mirror

*** Astral Bakers - The Whole Story
*** Elephant Stone - Back Into the Dream
*** Gift - Illuminator
*** Hinds - Viva Hinds
*** IDestroy - IDestroy
*** Katy J Pearson - Someday, Now
*** Keeley - Beautiful Mysterious
*** Laughing Chimes, The - Tomorrow's 87
*** Lemon Twigs, The - A Dream Is All We Know
*** Mediavolo - Away Within
*** Middle Kids - Faith Crisis Pt 1
*** Nick Lowe & Los Straitjackets - Indoor Safari
*** Real Estate - Daniel
*** Richard Thompson - Ship To Shore
*** Ride - Interplay
*** Sixpence None The Richer - Rosemary Hill
*** Still Corners - Dream Talk
*** Umbrellas, The - Fairweather Friend
*** Waeve, The - City Lights
*** Wilco - Hot Sun Cool Shroud
*** X - Smoke & Fiction

** Bad Bad Hats - Bad Bad Hats
** Blue Oyster Cult - Ghost Stories
** Crumbs - You're Just Jealous
** Everything Everything - Mountainhead
** Finom - Not God
** Kim Deal - Nobody Loves You More
** La Luz - News of the Universe
** Mike Campbell & The Dirty Knobs - Vagabonds, Virgins & Misfits
** Modern English - 1 2 3 4
** Omni - Souvenir
** Pernice Brothers - Who Will You Believe
** Torres - What An Enormous Room
** Vampire Weekend - Only God Was Above Us
** Waxahatchee - Tigers Blood
** Wild Pink - Dulling The Horns
** Wishy - Triple Seven

Nosferatu (2024) *

Possibly the worst lit movie I have ever seen. And what is with the porn 'stache? Don't waste your time, try Herzog's far, far superior version.

'A Complete Unknown' Director James Mangold on Making Bob Dylan Biopic

But the biggest kind of truth test for me is just that you’re trying to kind of carve out how much all of these people are wonderful. I love them all. I hope the movie conveys that I adore this world — not just Bob — and that the fracture that happens isn’t because I picked a side, but that it’s just like a Tennessee Williams play or anything else. It’s just a fracture that happens among people who love each other when they all are growing in different directions. And it happens to be on a public stage, because that’s where they live. But it’s analogous to all our lives.

The Big Clock (1948) **

Terrific cast but preposterous, contrived situation is too much to accept.

Widow Clicquot (2023) *

Bland, uninformative biopic of an exceptional woman. Mercifully short.

On Dangerous Ground (1951) ***

Nifty melo-noir that manages to exceed its tropes with a terrific Bob Ryan performance and some edgy direction from Nick Ray. Bernie Herrmann's score is a little too NNW but effective.

Peter Ibbetson (1935) **

Oddball melo-fantasy almost pulls it off with fine photography and a fine Coop.

Sleeping Car to Trieste (1948) *

Hard to follow all the extraneous sub plots or care about any of the characters.

The Face Behind the Mask (1941) **

Pete Lorre is marvelous in this wildly preposterous melo. Quick pace helps.

Onibaba (1964) ***

Boffo ending elevates this fable of human desires.

Psycho II (1983) **

Prime Meg Tilly is the star here despite Tony Perkins' mugging. Fun to see the old sets back in action.

L'Eclisse (1962) **

If you have to attend a film class in order to understand a film that film has failed. Still, I could watch Mlle. Vitti and M. Delon walk around Rome's construction sites all day. Some beautiful images.

Separate Tables (1983) ***

Enjoyable Brit version of the stasge play emphasizes acting over star power.

Romeo and Juliet (1954) ***

Beautifully produced and the cast is good. It's a little too faithful to the play and could have used some trimming. Well composed, interesting shots for the most part, many with the actors turned away from the camera as they speak.

The Maltese Falcon (1941) ****

Classic noir, superbly made.

Cold Turkey (1971) ****

Possibly the best satire on film thanks to a nonpareil ensemble cast of comedy legends, character actors and non-actors, sharp as nails script and superb editing, production design, you name it. One of the greats.

Viy (1967) **

Superb visuals are the attraction in this well done Russian folk tale.

Night Shift (1982) **

Wildly uneven attempt at screwball succeeds only when Mike Keaton is on screen.

What Price Hollywood? (1932) **

Some clever dialog keeps this behind the scenes melo afloat but the denouement is a bit too pat.