The Filmic 5: I Am...I Said Edition
Your Weekly Film Superlatives By Critic and Film Scholar Jack Hanley
I. Film I Am Obsessed With This Week
As I watch the saccharine media blitz surrounding the new Hugh Jackman/Kate Hudson joint SONG SUNG BLUE, I am reminded that we FIRST got the story of Mike and Claire Sardina (aka Neil Diamond tribute band Lightning & Thunder) via the BRILLIANT and TRAGIC 2008 Slamdance-winning doc of the same name- heartachingly cobbled out of love and vérité passion by indie director Greg Kohs.
I have no idea how this narrative iteration plans to Hollywood nostalgia-wash this most tragic of love stories- but I PROMISE you it will NEVER go as brutally haunting, tragic, beautiful, or FUNDAMENTALLY HUMAN as the source material. Experience it here for free before Focus Features dishes out the sentimentality.
II. Trailer I Am Loving This Week
I've been thinking of this trailer ever since I sat squirming in my theater seat upon first viewing. Fresh from the Un Certain Regard section of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, THE PLAGUE trailer plays out like an all-boys version of 2015's THE FITS- and BOY am I ready for it...
"At an all-boys water polo camp, a socially anxious twelve-year-old is pulled into a cruel tradition targeting an outcast with an illness they call “The Plague.” But as the lines between game and reality blur, he fears the joke might be hiding something real. In select theaters Dec. 24th"
III. Free Online Film Resource I'm LOVING This Week
I simply ADORE the S. Korean New Wave Movement- from PARASITE (which we deconstructed at the conclusion of my HOW TO WATCH A MOVIE Course at the Diary Arts Center) to recent watch NO OTHER CHOICE, it is a good bet that if a S. Korean film is playing, I'll be there with you in the audience.
If you are a reader of this blog, then it's a fairly safe bet that YOU adore this movement too...but if you ARE new to the movement, I am thrilled to share with you an astonishingly cool (and FREE) online resource: The Korean Film Archive Resource on YouTube.
"Here you will find 110 classic Korean films from the 1930s onwards available for free viewing. If you are interested in watching more classic Korean cinema, visit http://www.kmdb.or.kr where there are 400 Korean films to choose from."
Here is the link- be sure to SUBSCRIBE to the channel and let your education begin! https://www.youtube.com/@KoreanFilm/playlists
IV. New Year's Film Challenge I Endorse This Week
I LOVE a film viewing challenge...and what better way to kick off your 2026 with AFI's 100 Years, 100 Movies Watch Challenge? This 10th Anniversary Edition is an updated edition to AFI’s 100 Years…100 Movies, with a list of the top 100 greatest American films (as voted by AFI) of all time. The best part? You can check off and update your challenge list as you throughout the year go via this website. Don't settle for the Netflix algorithm this year- take the challenge and continue your filmic education, because life is TOO SHORT for bad cinema! ;)
Visit AFI's challenge page HERE and be sure to save to your bookmarks!
https://www.afi.com/afis-100-years-100-movies-10th-anniversary-edition/
V. Film Gift I Recommend This Week
Remember those lost BIG LEBOWSKI months when you made a White Russian your new signature drink? (We do). "Cocktails of the Movies" by Will Francis & Stacey Marsh are here with the definitive guide to cinematic mixology to help you find your next tipsy obsession. "From Marilyn's Manhattan in Some Like It Hot to The Dude's White Russian in The Big Lebowski, there's something for everyone. Each cocktail is accompanied by the recipe, method, a history of the drink and a synopsis of its scene in the movie alongside full-color original artwork."
Find it at your favorite bookstore or online- I'll just be over here with Rick singing the La Marseillaise with my French 75 held high.
Jack Hanley is a film scholar, podcaster, and critic based in Boulder, CO. He is a programmer with the Chicago Underground Film Festival, Slamdance's Indies Awards, and the Boulder International Film Festival. He is one-half of Blindspotting: A Film Discovery Podcast and the founder of the Reel Horrors Short Film Festival. Find him at Kinophilia on Medium and at HanleyOnFilm.com