The Filmic Five
Your Weekly Film Update By Critic and Film Scholar Jack Hanley
I. Film I Am Loving This Week
KINDS OF KINDNESS (Dir. Yorgos Lanthimos)
Still reeling in existential excitement from these nasty, brutish shorts...a brilliant return to form for arguably our most absurdist auteur. This surrealist and allegorical anthology is the "Greek Weird" Yorgos that we precious few have always adored since ALPS and DOGTOOTH- bleak, cynical, and darkly funny. While certainly not LOBSTER or SACRED DEER tier, it marks a daring return from his more recent (and safe) populist fare to his earlier absurdist and sick-to-the-stomach deconstructions of the very worst of our human inclinations- in this case, our foibles regarding capitalism, marriage, and religion in a series of three interconnecting shorts. Stone is great and Plemons is utterly brilliant (especially in the first segment- arguably the standout) and the film-making is reliably masterful. It is certain that KINDNESS won't hit for most Americans or late-era Lanthimos converts- and I'm perfectly happy with that. Isn't it EXHILARATING in these current times when you have NO FUCKING IDEA where a story is going to go? Cherish these gems when you find them- and welcome back, Yorgos.
II. Short I Am Loving This Week
夜車 (Night Bus) Dir. Joe Hsieh
I was utterly charmed by this sharp little pulpy-noir prize winner out of Ottawa, Zagreb, and Sundance. A panicked scream shatters the night’s calm and a series of intriguing events follow to reveal love, hatred, and vengeance- one of the most acclaimed animated shorts of the year. Enjoy!
III. Video Essay I Am Recommending This Week
Watch Mojo: Top 100 Movies You Have Never Seen
I am always fascinated by our "cinematic blind-spots"...and our friends at Watch Mojo just put out their updated compilation of the 100 Best Movies You Have Never Seen (always a subjective gamble) to help you close out some of yours.
While I do not necessarily endorse many of the choices, I have to love an ambitious list of recommended cinema to share between cinephiles- especially those rare and underappreciated gems that sadly fall below the radar. HUGE props for the addition of BOTTOMS, QUEEN & SLIM, THE RIDER, BLOOD AND BLACK LACE, AMORES PERROS, POSSESSION, ATTACK THE BLOCK, THE KILLING, EYES WITHOUT A FACE, THE FLORIDA PROJECT, BONE TOMAHAWK, THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE, WIND RIVER, RONIN, DOGTOOTH, TOKYO STORY, PIG, LA HAINE, PARIS TEXAS, M, PEEPING TOM, and IN THE BEDROOM.
Hope you discover something you will love!
IV. Film Commentary I Am Loving This Week
ANYONE that knows me well knows that, sooner or later, I will attempt to lure you to a screening of one of my favorite films of all time- and if you ONLY see ONE Czechoslovakian New Wave arthouse, surrealist, experimental, satirical-psychological farce, you better make it DAISES by the great Věra Chytilová.
Thanks to my dear friend Arthur for sending over a link to this LOVELY review from 2023 by David Sterritt for Cineaste Magazine that I missed. I hope his elegant prose and deconstruction temps YOU to visit this masterwork sometime soon.
You can read the review here: https://www.cineaste.com/summer2023/daisies
V. Essay I Am Loving This Week
Thanks to Criterion's "Current" for this MARVELOUS essay by critic and author Nathaniel Rich- "How the Movies Captured Times Square’s Grimy Golden Age".
I simply cannot wait to revisit MIDNIGHT COWBOY and SHAFT soon. Enjoy.
Read the essay HERE: https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/8549-how-the-movies-captured-times-square-s-grimy-golden-age
That's all for this week. Get out there and watch something AMAZING!
Jack Hanley is a Boulder-based film scholar, podcaster, and critic. He is a programmer with the Chicago Underground Film Festival and Boulder International Film Festival. He is one-half of Blindspotting: A Film Discovery Podcast and Flicker with Jack and Scott on YouTube. Find him at Kinophilia on Medium and at HanleyOnFilm.com
