The Year of Too Many Movies Part 4: France

April 27, 2022 Nick F

France finished third this year in terms of total films watch (54), but it might have finished first for batting average. The best French films I saw were just as incredible as anything from the rest of the world, there were a ton somewhere in the good to great range, and even the worst were no worse than “ok.”

I came in, granted, with more affection and familiarity for French stars than those from most other countries. Delon and Belmondo and Marceau and Moreau were already old friends to me, and following their names from one film to the next probably helped bump up the average.

That said, familiar faces only lead me to about half of my Top Ten, so maybe it’s just a fluke of sample size.

The Year of Too Many Movies Part 3: Japan

March 11, 2022 Nick F

I watched 50 Japanese films in 2021, but I admittedly could have cast a wider net. 49/50 were either samurai or crime films, and many were both.

Of course, both those genres have an awful lot of room for variance. I saw samurai films that were vicious, bleak, and humorless, and others that were more-or-less comedies where people carried swords around. One crime film might chronicle a blood-soaked war between two rival yakuza factions, while another might be a suburban wife’s quietly desperate quest to find her missing husband.

I overdid it, sure, but I was rarely bored, and almost everything I saw from Japan had something unique going for it.

The Year of Too Many Movies Part 2: USA Actors, Actresses, & Directors

January 16, 2022 Nick F

For the first time in my life, movies from my home country accounted for less than 40% of my overall movie-watching.

However, since I watched way too many goddamn movies, they still added up to 201 films watched.

In addition to a predictably steady stream of noir, I also made a real effort to explore Westerns this year, a genre that’s a relative blindspot for me. I also saw the usual array of comedies, dramas, and big dumb action movies, though 2021 was a rough year for my relationship to superhero cinema; I saw five American superhero movies, loved none of them, and hated two.

The Year of Too Many Movies Part 1: South Korea

January 4, 2022 Nick F

In 2021, I watched 508 movies. This is not healthy or wise behavior, but this was not a healthy or wise year. In order to extract at least some value out of those 1000ish hours, I’m going to write about it.

South Korea’s been quietly putting out the best noir in the world for over two decades by my count, and digging through 80-ish of those films this year was an absolute blast. If you’re a fan of neo noir and you’re looking for the contemporary best-in-class, this article’s not a bad place to start.

The Crags

October 28, 2017 Nick F

“The cane?” she asked, staring at the wolf’s head topper.

“My father almost beat me to death with it once. Sweetest thing he ever did for me.”

She didn’t like that answer, and she didn’t like me. To be fair, I didn’t need to be so sour about it. It was an innocent question. Near as I can tell, she’s even an innocent girl. Which is why I agreed to help her. That was about nine hours ago, way back in my office. What a difference nine hours can make.