Movies I Watched in December, Part 1

For some reason, I managed to see a lot of movies in December. So here's the first batch of write-ups. Enjoy?


Inspired by seeing Welles' last movie, "The Other Side of the Wind" on Netflix, I finally got around to watching his acclaimed Shakespeare reworking (aka "Chimes at Midnight"), which I've owned on Blu-ray since the last Criterion sale. It's genuinely great, managing to be both epic and intimate on what was notoriously a shoestring budget. The battle scenes are much more exciting and dramatic than the clashes in huge Hollywood films of the era, and they contain a grit and brutality that those movies never even try to achieve. Even better, the film's emotional moments have a real power, driven in no small part to what I'd argue is Welles' best onscreen acting performance. When poor Falstaff finally sees his young friend, Prince Hal, ascend to the throne, it's a truly heartbreaking moment. Why oh why did I wait so long to watch this?


One of my all-time favorite horror movies, released in a jaw-dropping edition from the folks at Powerhouse Indicator: no less than six versions of the movie, numerous documentaries, commentary tracks, trailers and other features, plus a poster (does anyone really hang these up?) and a thick book of essays and images. What really counts, though, is the fact that the movie looks better than ever, making it even more of a pleasure to revisit this classic. It's one of the smartest, most restrained horror movies ever made, but it still knows how (and when) to deliver some genuine scares. (I fall firmly on the pro-"show the monster" side of the argument when it comes to "Night of the Demon.")


Another favorite horror film, another beautiful blu-ray (this time from Criterion). I've written extensively about "Cat People" before on this blog ( like, here for instance ) and I've included it on pretty much every "favorite movie" list I've ever written. I've seen it many, many times, but it never fails to cast its spell on me. What I think I like most of all about it is how, on a fairly low budget and in a fairly short time (it's only 73 minutes long) Val Lewton and his team manage to create an entire, believable world for the characters. Every time I watch it, by the time it's over, I wish I could hang out there just a little bit longer. One of the all-time greats, that's for sure.


Not what I was expecting, to say the least. I'd heard it compared to "Taxi Driver," with Joaquin Phoenix playing a troubled veteran who rescues a girl from a sex trafficking ring. So far, that seems pretty close to Scorsese's classic. But writer/director Lynne Ramsey handles that story in a very different way, making Phoenix' journey more ethereal and emotional, hinting at his past without spelling it out and deliberately short-circuiting what could be a "Death Wish" sort of plot to get at something deeper. I wouldn't place it on the same level as "Taxi Driver" (a high level indeed), but it's very good -- and something entirely different (to its credit). Phoenix, possibly the best actor working today, is at the top of his game here, revealing little but suggesting multitudes. It's not for the timid, but well worth checking out if you're willing to follow Phoenix into some dark places. Bonus points for using the '70s soft rock chestnut "I've Never Been to Me" in a way that is, frankly, astonishing. And hell, the movie made my Top 10 list. (Trivia note: Judith Roberts, who plays Phoenix's mom, also played "The Beautiful Girl Across the Hall" in David Lynch's "Eraserhead" more than 40 years ago.)

Up next: The Marxes, sanitized Deadpool, a Christmas classic, a Disney sort-of-classic and the best comedy of the year
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