Criterion Challenge 2022

[Idioteque Stalker]

17. Directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder -- Querelle. Gotta respect Fassbinder's ability to make something this ugly from such elaborate lighting, staging, and camerawork. Maybe if I found the lead as attractive as everyone else then I could overlook his stale performance. Half the dialogue amounts to "Hey you! Just cuz I [homosexual act] doesn't mean I'm a [homosexual slur]! Got it?" Probably my least favorite Fassbinder so far. Two stars.

18. Directed by Wong Kar-wai -- As Tears Go By. For completists only. Watch the budding auteur sneak his signature into the mainstream! Choose one: a true 80s triad movie or a true WKW movie -- and skip this awkward mix of the two. Not the worst movie I've seen from him or anything, but just plain ol' mediocre. World of WKW box set haters should know I thought the blu-ray looked great. Two stars.

19. Directed by Claire Denis -- 35 Shots of Rum. For a while I wondered where this was going, then suddenly realized I didn't care -- I was enjoying the simple ways these characters loved one another. A very tender, subdued movie. Not exactly arresting, but good, like in the ethical sense. Four movies in and Denis still hasn't blown me away. Three stars.


Up next:
20. Isabel Sandoval's Top 10 -- Insiang is the only one I haven't seen. Just saw Lino Brocka's Manila in the Claws of Light and liked it, but not exactly hankering at the moment for another movie about extreme Filipino poverty. So that, or a rewatch of either Woman in the Dunes or In the Mood for Love. Leaning Woman in the Dunes.

21. Bill Hader's Top 10 -- The Earrings of Madame de..., Ace in the Hole, Mona Lisa, or The Steel Helmet. Leaning Earrings.