I must have the same sense of humour as Jared Hess as I think these pictures are funny. They're awkward like Napoleon Dynamite was. He's teasing the Microsoft-owned mega IP the way Gentleman Broncos teased crappy sci-fi novels. He knows it's ridiculous.

Lawrence of Arabia is topical this week - a western empire uses rowdy Arab fighters to take over Damascus, Syria, knowing they won't be able to govern it, and it will ultimately belong to them.

First Mel Gibson directed movie for 9 years (!) at the end of January. New Paul WS Anderson movie at the end of Feb. New Jared Hess movie in April. Possibly new Sandler and S. Craig Zahler films later too. 2025 looking promising.

Enjoyed Megalopolis. A use of cgi that recalls the Boomers who built digital media. A pro Enlightenment message mellowed by a wife-guy director. DePalma did the "end of Rome" theme better in Snake Eyes but the best of the dying "movie brat" group is there mixed with Holy Motors.

The Criterion Closet is well-named for so few pick the movies they truly like.

Me watching movies.

THE BAND WAGON (Minnelli, 1953)

I love how every Pauline Kael review is basically "should I go out with this guy?" She treats each movie like a potential boyfriend, with all the love and anguish.

Scarface (1983)

Courtesy Kilo Orange: A brief encounter with perfect cinema about the impossibility of perfect happiness (in this life) in David Lean’s Brief Encounter: boxd.it/9R2FiD

Every saint has a past and every sinner has a future.

When I became Catholic 20 years ago it was only old women going to confession. Now it's only young men.

Oh the devil will find work for idle hands to do I stole and then i lied just because you asked me to But now you know the truth about me You won't see me anymore Well, i'm still fond of you

Got around to seeing Aliens in 4k (my favourite movie). It's terrible. You can see 80s props a bit better but at the cost of a major loss in atmosphere and numerous AI bugs like shadows vanishing on faces mid-scene. The sweat looks awful. I love 4k but this sucks. Spoils it.

Mel Gibson pictured during the production of Braveheart in 1994. The movie was filmed at locations such as Glen Nevis, Glen Coe, and the area around Fort William.

Archangel Michael – ‘And no message could have been any clearer’, 1990 Photo by David LaChapelle

Rage, 1976 David Cronenberg

Soon To Be Gone by Tadas Kazakevičius (2014–2018) This series examines the rapid transformation of rural Lithuania amid sustained population decline and internal migration. The project documents villages, homesteads, and landscapes shaped by a diminishing agrarian population.

Rebel Moon has become my new Christmas movie. I think I'll watch it every season.