I never watch this back in the day and it was never on my watch list. But it popped up while I was browsing Netflix and my wife noted that it was a film she liked. This is a very long film, especially so for a romantic drama, but no can deny the beauty of the cinematography nor how deeply affecting it is. This really has it all, an aristocratic desert explorer who has some serious bad boy vibes, the last gasp of the pre-war internationalist period, all mixed up with passionate love so intense that it overcomes marriage vows and gentlemanly conduct. I have quibbles about its structure and the relevance of characters like Hana and Kip, but it’s a good film that deserves its place among the great romances.

We tend to have bad experiences with anime but this one is not only popular at the moment but was also a recommendation from our cinephile. Honestly the premise of an dungeon diving story that is focused on food sounds both original and fun. Unfortunately the quality of the show on an episode to episode to basis varies by quite a lot. Apart from schtick about food, it’s still a fairly generic fantasy anime with all of the usual faults of the genre. It’s not awful but I don’t think we’ll be back for the second season.

Films about corporations are rare and one that portrays a large corporation in a good light are even rarer. Moreso than it is about Michael Jordan, the story here is really about Nike’s rise from being a middling sports shoes company to the global behemoth it is today with the help of the Air Jordan line. It’s so flattering to Nike that it’s hard to believe this isn’t some sort of Nike commercial. Ben Affleck does a decent if unspectacular job at directing. It’s rather heavy-handed in mining 1980s nostalgia and too blatant about playing up the mystique of Michael Jordan, but it works well enough and I’m pleased as punch that it even exists.

The combination of Hirokazu Kore-eda and Song Kang-ho practically makes this a must watch and the unusual fact that Kore-eda has chosen to make a Korean film is even more intriguing. This one still shares the theme of being about parents failing their children and indeed is supposedly a companion film to Shoplifters. Unfortunately I found this one to be on the weaker side with moments that just a touch too sentimental. Even so you can see right from the opening shot what a skilled craftsman Kore-eda is and he can imbue meaning even to a deceptively bland phrase.

This French film by German director Max Ophüls defies genres as it at times feels like a comedy and other times like a serious romantic film. It boasts superb production values with lavish sets, over-the-top period costumes and a very aristocratic atmosphere. As my wife noted, its opening title card with its music feels very much in the style of Hollywood. Yet it soon becomes clear that its conception of the proper relationship between a husband and wife and of the role of passionate style is very much in the European style. I don’t really get the humor in play here but I did enjoy its delicious subversiveness.

This documentary tells the behind the scenes story of the exhibition of the largest collection of Johannes Vermeer ever that was mounted in 2023. It was needless to say a tremendous success with its limited number of time slots being sold out immediately. We’ll never get to see its like in person but this documentary at least gives us some idea of what it’s like as well as a fascinating look into the kind of work that goes into organizing such events. The film does assume that one has already some basic idea of who Vermeer was and his significance and there are no grand revelations or new insights on offer but it’s an interesting and educational documentary all the same.

A US election year in which Donald Trump stands a decent chance of returning to power is the perfect time to watch this political epic. I knew going in that this film won critical acclaim upon its release but it still exceeded my expectations and I wondered why it isn’t better known. I suppose it’s because it isn’t outstanding in any single aspect, with no stellar performances and no innovative visuals. It simply is a solid and honestly told political story. I am especially astounded that it manages to say so much and cover so much ground with a running time of less than two hours!