Films of 2026:Q2

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Before getting into last quarter’s films, a few important announcements:

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2. Thanks to you guys this blog has finally reached an important milestone, crossing the 10,000 subscriber line:

In other news, I read a bunch of novels by people like Modiano and Krasznahorkai, as well as two African travelogues (by Teju Cole and Paul Theroux) and an unconventional guide to Japan by Pico Iyer. But for me the standout book in Q2 was Witold Gombrowicz’s Diary. I’ll probably do a post on it at some point. Another standout was Richard Hanania’s Kakistocracy, which I’ll discuss in my next post.

Daniel Frank has a beautiful post discussing the Taiwanese film Yi Yi.

And here are two Youtube videos that I enjoyed. The first on one of my favorite British films:

And one on the difference between modernism and mid-century modern:

This interview of Tyler and Nabeel has some fascinating observations on music and film.

And finally, some astute comments about art by Janan Ganesh:

This obsession with the floor is even more extreme in other fields. In modern entertainment, almost nothing is total rubbish. A song or TV series will have a minimum of polish and a recognisable structure. Some of this is down to technological progress: the worst studio kit now is quite good. The rest is the result of corporate risk-aversion in an ultra-competitive market. If the audience can stream things from around the world, a content platform can’t afford to empower the kind of eccentric artist who might make a dud (or a masterwork). The captive audiences of the pre-streaming age perversely allowed creators to shoot for the ceiling.

This is also my view. Modern films have higher floors and lower ceilings.

2026: Q2 films

Newer films:

Lumière, le Cinéma! (France) 3.6 Not for everyone, but I was fascinated by this documentary composed of 120 clips from the dawn of cinema. Oddly, I’ve gone almost my entire life without seeing what life in the 19th century actually looked like. Now I know. It’s even stranger than I imagined, partly because the people being portrayed regard their world as perfectly “normal”, just modern life. And yet, other than trains there’s almost no signs of modern technology. Even though the second industrial revolution began a couple decades earlier, the world portrayed in this film doesn’t yet seem to be affected by the newest technology. You don’t see any automobiles or electrical appliances—everything is done by hand.

If you are too lazy to sit through the entire 105 minutes, check out the scenes of women working around the 46 to 48-minute mark—a real eye-opener. Especially the French women mining coal. People talk about the possibility of AI replacing all jobs, but if the people of 1895 were transported to today’s world, they’d say that almost no one in the year 2026 is doing any “work” at all—just a bunch of people sitting in offices. Today, almost everything difficult and dangerous is done by machine.

Backrooms (US) 3.6 I don’t like horror films but I do like architecture. This is architectural horror, which is OK. The 20-something director shows a great deal of promise in a film that is slightly reminiscent of The Shining. A good horror film for people that don’t like horror.

In a recent post, I discussed the fact that we forget most of our past. This film reminded me of something I’d completely forgotten—that I once worked on a job installing an acoustic tile drop ceiling. The film also got me thinking about how younger viewers view dilapidated mid-century modern commercial spaces. To me, the 20th century architecture in the film seemed modern, but I suspect that many younger viewers will see it as a bit antique, much like the way I viewed old Victorian houses in horror films that I saw as a teenager. I need to accept the fact that the 20th century (which I’ll always view as “my century”) is over. It’s history.

Obsession (US) 3.6 This is naturally paired with Backrooms as both are low budget horror films made by very young directors that have become smash hits. This one focuses on the social anxieties of Gen Z people in the dating market, with some implied references to gender politics. As with Backrooms, I’m less interested in the film itself than in the potential for interesting futures films from these directors. It’s not an easy challenge for a contemporary director just starting out, as it is becoming increasingly difficult to find fresh styles in a medium that has already seen an enormous amount of innovation. Think of someone trying to create a great guitar-oriented rock band in the 2000s---not easy to do.

The Love That Remains (Iceland) 3.4 This exercise in magical realism has a relatively slight story but is enjoyable as a quasi-documentary about life in rural Iceland.

Eno (UK) 3.4 The avant-garde style of this documentary nicely matches the subject matter.

Tuner (US) 3.4 Hollywood is getting pretty good at producing this sort of film—too good in a sense. If the director pushes all the right buttons, the film starts to become predictable. Thus, when this film calls for the tuner’s labor to be cheap, a character says they haven’t raised the price in 30 years. Later on, when the plot calls for the service to be expensive, he says a tune-up costs $5000. You feel like you are in movie-world, not real life. The film is similar to Crime 101 in the way it gets you to root for the thief by including a heart tugging back story. I suspect that younger viewers will like this more than I did, as they haven’t seen the formula as often. Dustin Hoffman? Sorry, I’m not buying the shtick.

The Christophers (US/UK) 3.3 Soderberg is better when he does genre pictures revolving around crime or transgressive sex. This earnest middlebrow film is a bit clichéd in its view of art and has disappointingly bland visuals for a film about painting. Critics raved about Ian McKellen’s performance. It’s fine, but I’m bored by curmudgeonly old men. I much preferred the lead actress (Michaela Coel), who has a very distinctive face.

Köln 75 (Germany) 3.3 In one respect, this reminds me of the Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown. In both cases, my reaction to the film was heavily influenced by the fact that this music had a big effect on me in the mid-1970s. Thus, I cannot really judge the film purely on its merits; it’s more like visiting a shrine. If you are a jazz purist that thinks Jarrett is overrated, your mileage may vary.

I read that Jarrett himself doesn’t care for the Köln performance. I wonder if that because he realizes that dunces like me appreciate the performance for the wrong reasons. In some ways I prefer the Bremen/Lausanne CDs.

Yearend (Japan) 3.3 A pleasant film about rebellious high school students in Japan. I’ve seen that sort of thing before, but this has the added wrinkle that many of the students are foreigners—a sign of changing times even in immigration averse Japan.

The True Story of Tamara de Lempicka & The Art of Survival (US) 3.2 A very interesting story, but at times the style of the documentary is a bit irritating. Too many pictures flying by too fast, and in some cases the paintings being discussed are not those that are pictured—like one of those AI-created Youtube videos. The artist combines elements of mannerism, cubism and art deco in a very effective way. Some of her paintings have become quite iconic, which suggests that her reputation (and the value of her paintings) will continue to rise.

Forge (US) 3.1 Yet another film about art forgery. Passable entertainment but there’s really nothing new and the young woman’s rapid production of high-quality forgeries doesn’t seem plausible.

Older films:

Scenes From a Marriage (Sweden, 1973, CC, TV version) 3.9 This is the sort of film I generally don’t like. If you like this sort of thing then it’s a 4.0 film, as it’s basically perfect. It reminded me a bit of Knausgaard’s My Struggle: A very long Scandinavian drama with philosophical overtones that seems both hyper-realistic and partly autobiographical. By the way, “realism” in art is a tricky concept. I don’t mean to suggest that Bergman’s dialogue is likely to occur in the real world, rather I see realism as something quirky and highly specific—partly by avoiding clichés. This story does not play out the way you’d expect, or the way that Hollywood would handle things. I wouldn’t say it is realistic, rather it feels real.

I’m glad I waited until age 70, as I would have missed much of the nuance when I was younger.

The Devil’s Eye (Sweden, 1960, CC) 3.8 This Bergman comedy is similar to some of Woody Allen’s films, but with a somewhat better screenplay and much better cinematography.

The Hidden Fortress (Japan, 1958, CC) 3.8 I saw this many years ago but liked it much better this time around. When I was young, I would have rated Star Wars much higher. (The Lucas film (specifically A New Hope) was loosely based on this story.) Today, I rate them nearly equal--as I am now less impressed by the once dazzling special effects. Other Kurasawa films might rightly be regarded as artistically superior, but I don’t know of any that are more enjoyable.

El (Mexico, 1953, CC) 3.8 This Buñuel melodrama was clearly influenced by the Hitchcock films of the late 1940s and early 1950s. Conversely, it almost certainly influenced Vertigo and Marnie.

The Green Ray (France, 1986, CC) 3.8 More somber than other Rohmer films, it provides a convincing view of a woman suffering from depression due to circumstance. Fortunately, Rohmer avoids the predictability that generally drags down this sort of psychological film, always keeping things a bit ambivalent. Marie Rivière is excellent in the lead role.

Kaili Blues (China, 2015, CC) 3.7 I liked this more than in 2015, when it first came out. At that time, I had not yet visited the town of Kaili, in Guizhou province. More importantly, I knew nothing of the director Bi Gan. Now I see flashes of the visual style that would fully blossom in Long Day’s Journey into Night and Resurrection. In his first film, Bi Gan seems heavily influenced by Hou Hsiao-hsien, especially the train sequences. The Chinese title of the film can be translated into English as “Roadside Picnic”, which is the name of the novel that Stalker was based on. You can see the influence of Tarkovsky on Bi Gan’s visual style. This is a very difficult film for non-Chinese viewers, and even the second time around I did not fully grasp the plot.

Side Street (US, 1950, CC) 3.5 Bullitt is often credited with being the first great car chase on film. While the one at the end of this film isn’t quite as exciting, the skillful use of downtown Manhattan architecture makes it equally interesting. Farley Granger might have earned the lead in Strangers on a Train with his performance here. Anthony Mann directed.

Michael Clayton (US, 2007, CC) 3.5 This is the sort of film that Hollywood is very good at. My only reservation is that I wish an anti-corporate film didn’t feel like it was made by a giant Hollywood corporation.

The Dark Glow of the Mountains (Germany, 1985, CC) 3.5 Reinhold Messner’s insane drive to engage in ever more difficult climbs is a perfect subject for Herzog, and this documentary does not disappoint. It shows that even without modern technology such as drones a skilled director can create riveting images. Mountain climbers die young, but they experience things beyond the comprehension of most people. I suspect that normal people overrate the advantages of normalcy. Only 46 minutes long.

Princess Yang (Japan, 1955, CC) 3.5 This late Mizoguchi color film is a Chinese story done in the Japanese language.

Osaka Elegy (Japan, 1936, CC) 3.4 It took quite a while for sound to catch on in Japan—this is Mizoguchi’s first non-silent film.

A Master Builder (US, 2014, CC) 3.4 I don’t care for theatre and I would not enjoy this Ibsen story as a play. But as a film it works, mostly due to the actress who plays Hilde. That sort of acting does not work on the stage. The Andre Gregory/Wallace Shawn production is entertaining, but well below films like My Dinner with Andre and Vanya on 42nd Street.

Return to Reason (France, 1923-2023, CC) 3.3 This is a collection of 4 silent films directed by Man Ray back in the 1920s, with a soundtrack added in 2023. The two earliest films (which appear second and third) are the most interesting---done in a Dadaist style. Jim Jarmusch’s band Squrl provided the soundtrack. It is interesting to watch films that would have seem quite avant-garde in 1923 but now seem rather antique.

2 Minutes Too Late (Sweden, 1952, CC) 3.3 Good Swedish noir that shows how different Stockholm looked in the early 50s. Everyone on the streets looks Nordic and there is still some fairly shocking urban poverty. Clever ending.

Street of Shame (Japan, 1956, CC) 3.2 In the 1950s, Japanese directors did a number of films looking at the effects of banning prostitution, which suffer from being a bit too didactic. (Women of the Night and Girls of the Night are other examples.) Not one of Mizoguchi’s better films but has a nice final shot.

Man Wanted (US, 1932, CC) 3.2 Hollywood has always liked to do films that touch on contemporary cultural trends—in this case the changing role of women in society. Kay Francis lights up an otherwise pedestrian film and is the main reason to see this blithe pre-code romantic comedy.

The International (US, 2009, CC) 3.1 Tom Tykwer is a good director and there are some really nice scenes in this film. Unfortunately, it has two big problems. First, the plot requires you to put your brain on hold—the conspiracy is so far-ranging as to be completely implausible. Even worse, at the halfway point the film completely “jumps the shark”, with a shootout at the New York Guggenheim that is like something out of a John Wyck film.

Berlin Express (US, 1948, CC) 3.0 A subpar noir that is filmed in location in Frankfort and Berlin. Of interest partly because it shows the devastation of German cities after WWII and also because it shows how for a brief period there was optimism (on the left?) that the Soviet Union could work together with the allied powers.

The World’s Greatest Sinner (US, 1962, CC) 3.0 Like most cult films, this one is pretty bad. But there are all sorts of interesting quirks, including a soundtrack by a very young Frank Zappa, a rock concert where an all-black audience goes crazy for a white guitarist, and a protagonist that thinks he’s God and looks sort of like Zappa (partly due to his “soul patch”.) “God Hilliard” then runs for president. Unfortunately, the plot is extremely far-fetched. It’s asking way too much of a modern audience to believe that millions of Americans would vote for a candidate that saw himself as a God. Oh wait . . .

The Ceremony (Japan, 1971, CC) 3.0 Some striking images but overall I didn’t enjoy this Ōshima film. The satire is much too heavy handed.

The Thing (US, 1982, CC) 3.0 A good horror film needs more than just a series of shocks. Indeed, the best horror films (The Shining, The Birds, Nosferatu, Cat People, etc.) are not even particularly scary.

Painters Painting (US, 1972, CC) 2.9 So-so documentary on contemporary American artists during the heyday of Abstract Expressionism and Pop Art. Strictly for art lovers.

No Way Out Against All Odds (US, 1984, CC) 2.7 A nice illustration of why the 1980s sucked. Hollywood treated YIMBYs as if they were the bad guys, everyone looked plastic, and the band that the film showcased was almost a parody of bad 1980s music.

The Game (US, 1997, CC) 2.3 One of the silliest films I’ve ever seen. The only reason I stuck with it is because it was directed by David Fincher. But even the final joke didn’t justify 2 hours of boredom.

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