My Favorite Movies of 2020
My Favorite Movies of 2020 (So Far):
BLOODY NOSE, EMPTY POCKETS (The Ross Brothers)
DRIVEWAYS (Andrew Ahn)
FIRST COW (Kelly Reichardt)
TRUE HISTORY OF THE KELLY GANG (Justin Kurzel)
SOUND OF METAL (Darius Marder)
SMALL AXE: LOVERS ROCK (Steve McQueen)
A SUN (Chung Mong-Hong)
I’M THINKING OF ENDING THINGS (Charlie Kaufman)
TOMMASO (Abel Ferrara)
TIME (Garrett Bradley)
SHE DIES TOMORROW (Amy Seimetz)
LINGUA FRANCA (Isabel Sandoval)
BABYTEETH (Shannon Murphy)
NEVER RARELY SOMETIMES ALWAYS (Eliza Hittman)
THE HALF OF IT (Alice Wu)
I’M NO LONGER HERE (Fernando Frias)
DA 5 BLOODS (Spike Lee)
THE FORTY-YEAR-OLD VERSION (Radha Blank)
COLOR OUT OF SPACE (Richard Stanley)
LET THEM ALL TALK (Steven Soderbergh)
CAPONE (Josh Trank)
RESIDUE (Merawi Gerima)
DICK JOHNSON IS DEAD (Kirsten Johnson)
CUT THROAT CITY (RZA)
TESLA (Michael Almereyda)
WENDY (Benh Zeitlin)
I’M YOUR WOMAN (Julia Hart)
THE WOLF OF SNOW HOLLOW (Jim Cummings)
THE WAY BACK (Gavin O’Connor)
YES, GOD, YES (Karen Maine)
SHIRLEY (Josephine Decker)
Shorts:
WHAT DID JACK DO? (David Lynch)
JOHN WAS TRYING TO CONTACT ALIENS (Matthew Killip)
Other movies I liked: THE INVISIBLE MAN; CROCK OF GOLD: A FEW ROUNDS WITH SHANE MACGOWAN; THE JESUS ROLLS; HUBIE HALLOWEEN; ROY’S WORLD: BARRY GIFFORD’S CHICAGO; PALM SPRINGS; UNCLE FRANK; RUN; EUROVISION SONG CONTEST: THE STORY OF FIRE SAGA; THE BEE GEES: HOW CAN YOU MEND A BROKEN HEART; MY PSYCHEDELIC LOVE STORY; ARCHENEMY; MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM; BORAT SUBSEQUENT MOVIE FILM; SMALL AXE: MANGROVE
Still need to see:
SIBERIA; THE WOMAN WHO RAN; NOMADLAND; SAINT MAUD; CITY HALL; WOLFWALKERS; THE NEST; MARTIN EDEN; VITALINA VARELA; BACURAU; BEANPOLE; SYLVIE’S LOVE; SORRY WE MISSED YOU; ON THE ROCKS; KAJILLIONAIRE; BLACK BEAR; MINARI; JUMBO; POSSESSOR; VIVARIUM; LET HIM GO; THE ASSISTANT; PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN; THE PAINTER AND THE THIEF; the rest of SMALL AXE; lots more I’m forgetting
Favorite performances:
Riz Ahmed, SOUND OF METAL
Hong Chau and Brian Dennehy, DRIVEWAYS
Delroy Lindo, DA 5 BLOODS
Jessie Buckley, I’M THINKING OF ENDING THINGS
Michael Martin, BLOODY NOSE, EMPTY POCKETS
Isabel Sandoval, LINGUA FRANCA
Amarah-Jae St Aubyn, LOVERS ROCK
Eliza Scanlen, BABYTEETH
Sidney Flanigan, NEVER RARELY SOMETIMES ALWAYS
Russell Crowe and Essie Davis, TRUE HISTORY OF THE KELLY GANG
Maria Bakalova, BORAT SUBSEQUENT MOVIE FILM
John Magaro, FIRST COW
Candice Bergen, LET THEM ALL TALK
Radha Blank, THE FORTY-YEAR-OLD VERSION
Willem Dafoe, TOMMASO
Kate Lyn Sheil, SHE DIES TOMORROW
Natalia Dyer, YES, GOD, YES
Viola Davis and Chadwick Boseman, MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM
Ethan Hawke, TESLA
Cristin Milioti, PALM SPRINGS
Peter Macdissi, UNCLE FRANK
Ben Affleck, THE WAY BACK
Rachel McAdams, EUROVISION SONG CONTEST: THE STORY OF FIRE SAGA
Elisabeth Moss, SHIRLEY and THE INVISIBLE MAN
My Favorite Music of 2020
Albums:
Phoebe Bridgers, PUNISHER
Bob Dylan, ROUGH AND ROWDY WAYS
Tyler Keith, THE LAST DRAG
Fiona Apple, FETCH THE BOLT CUTTERS
Waxahatchee, SAINT CLOUD
Bruce Springsteen, LETTER TO YOU
Lydia Loveless, DAUGHTER
Adrianne Lenker, SONGS AND INSTRUMENTALS
Waylon Payne, BLUE EYES, THE HARLOT, THE QUEER, THE PUSHER & ME
Soccer Mommy, COLOR THEORY
Lucinda Williams, GOOD SOULS BETTER ANGELS
Andrew Bryant, SENTIMENTAL NOISES
The Microphones, MICROPHONES IN 2020
Drive-By Truckers, THE UNRAVELING
Frances Quinlan, LIKEWISE
Songs:
“Garden Song,” Phoebe Bridgers
“anything,” Adrianne Lenker
“Can’t Do Much,” Waxahatchee
“Space and Time,” S.G. Goodman
“Shameika,” Fiona Apple
“My Own Version of You,” Bob Dylan
“If I Was the Priest,” Bruce Springsteen
“baby jesus is nobody’s baby now,” Julia Jacklin
“How Do You Survive,” Kath Bloom
“circle the drain,” Soccer Mommy
“Shadows and Doubts,” Lucinda Williams
“Beat Temptation,” Tyler Keith
“The Roving,” Bonny Light Horseman
“Everybody Loves You,” The Chicks
“September,” Lydia Loveless
Here’s a playlist with many of my favorite songs of the year: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7agZ1XYdgsb7GK1UPgnkgr?si=GA82PQAsTl-lcm7p1Rie2A
Reissues/live/lost albums:
Joni Mitchell, ARCHIVES VOLUME 1: THE EARLY YEARS (1963-1967); Nick Cave, IDIOT PRAYER (NICK CAVE ALONE AT ALEXANDRA PALACE); The Catholic Girls, ROCK N’ ROLL SCHOOL FOR GIRLS; Jason Molina, EIGHT GATES; The Pogues, THE BBC SESSIONS, 1994-1996; Water Liars, ROLL ON; The Replacements, PLEASED TO MEET ME (Deluxe Edition); The Mendoza Line, WE’RE ALL IN THIS ALONE; Gillian Welch, BOOTS NO. 2; Joan Shelley, LIVE AT THE BOMHARD; Bobbie Gentry, THE DELTA SWEETE (Deluxe Edition); Elliott Smith, S/T (25th Anniversary Edition); Lou Reed, NEW YORK (Deluxe Edition); Tom Petty, WILDFLOWERS & ALL THE REST; Roland S. Howard, TEENAGE SNUFF FILM; Neil Young, RETURN TO GREENDALE and HOMEGROWN; Bessie Jones & the Georgia Sea Island Singers, GET IN UNION; Mirah, YOU THINK IT’S LIKE THIS BUT IT’S REALLY LIKE THIS; Sade, THIS FAR; Thelonious Monk, PALO ALTO; Lee Fields & the Expressions, BIG CROWN VAULTS VOL. 1; Dave Alvin, FROM AN OLD GUITAR: RARE AND UNRELEASED RECORDINGS; Vic Chesnutt, MORNING BECOMES ECLECTIC (LIVE, SANTA MONICA, 1995); Okkervil River, A DREAM IN THE DARK: TWO DECADES OF OKKERVIL RIVER
Other albums I loved:
Bonny Light Horseman, S/T; Kath Bloom, BYE BYE THESE ARE THE DAYS; Pillow Cry, THE UNDYING LOYALTY OF DOGS; Moses Sumney, GRÆ; The Chicks, GASLIGHTER; Chuck Prophet, THE LAND THAT TIME FORGOT; Tim Heidecker, FEAR OF DEATH; Bill Fay, COUNTLESS BRANCHES; S.G. Goodman, OLD TIME FEELING; Mark Lanegan, STRAIGHT SONGS OF SORROW; Swamp Dogg, SORRY YOU COULDN’T MAKE IT; Kathleen Edwards, TOTAL FREEDOM; Will Johnson, EL CAPITAN; Lonnie Holley, NATIONAL FREEDOM; Rev. John Wilkins, TROUBLE; Bonus, IIII; Dent May, LATE CHECKOUT; Andy Shauf, THE NEON SKYLINE; Damien Jurado, WHAT’S NEW, TOMBOY?; William Tyler, NEW VANITAS and MUSIC FROM FIRST COW; Courtney Marie Andrews, OLD FLOWERS
Other albums I liked (but haven’t spent enough time with):
Stephen Malkmus, TRADITIONAL TECHNIQUES; HAIM, WOMEN IN MUSIC, PT. III; Kevin Morby, SUNDOWNER; Emma Ruth Rundle & Thou, MAY OUR CHAMBERS BE FULL; Chris Cornell, NO ONE SINGS LIKE YOU ANYMORE; M. Ward, THINK OF SPRING; Shelby Lynne, S/T; Greg Dulli, RANDOM DESIRE; Destroyer, HAVE WE MET; Indigo Girls, LOOK LONG; Lily Hiatt, WALKING PROOF; Margo Price, THAT’S HOW RUMORS GET STARTED; Jason Isbell, REUNIONS; Guided by Voices, MIRRORED AZTEC and SURRENDER YOUR POPPY FIELD; Pearl Jam, GIGATON; Nadia Reid, OUT OF MY PROVINCE; Bright Eyes, DOWN IN THE WEEDS, WHERE THE WORLD ONCE WAS; X, ALPHABETLAND; Tomo Nakayama, MELONDAY; Miley Cyrus, PLASTIC HEARTS; Taylor Swift, FOLKLORE and EVERMORE; Shemekia Copeland, UNCIVIL WAR; Elvis Perkins, CREATION MYTHS; Steve Earle, GHOSTS OF WEST VIRGINIA; Bill Callahan, GOLD RECORD; Sarah Peacock, BURN THE WITCH; Samantha Crain, A SMALL DEATH; Lori McKenna, THE BALLADEER; Old 97’s, TWELFTH; Bettye LaVette, BLACKBIRDS; Eddie Chacon, PLEASURE, JOY, AND HAPPINESS; Angel Olsen, WHOLE NEW MESS; Don Bryant, YOU MAKE ME FEEL; Kelly Lee Owens, INNER SONG; Matt Berninger, SERPENTINE PRISON; Sturgill Simpson, CUTTIN’ GRASS, VOL. 1 and VOL. 2; Danzig, SINGS ELVIS; Aesop Rock, SPIRIT WORLD FIELD GUIDE; Willis Earl Beal, MORNINGSTAR; The Mountain Goats, GETTING INTO KNIVES; Songhoy Blues, OPTIMISME; Alasdair Roberts, FRETTED AND INDEBTED; Run the Jewels, RTJ4; John Moreland, LP5; Katie Pruitt, EXPECTATIONS; Isobel Campbell, THERE IS NO OTHER; Paul McCartney, MCCARTNEY III

MysteryPeople Pick of the Month: ‘City of Margins’ by William Boyle
MysteryPeople’s Pick of the Month for March 2020 is William Boyle’sCity of Margins. It hits shelves on March 3rd, but before you purchase it, check out what Crime Fiction Coordinator Scott Montgomery had to say about Boyle’s latest.

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Dark Brink of Love
I guest edited the noir volume of Nicolas Winding Refn’s byNWR.com. The title of the volume is DARK BRINK OF LOVE.
The first of three chapters is now live. Usually you need to create an account to see content on the site (it’s free and easy), but they’ve made this volume available to everyone, no log-in required.
Here are the contents:
First off, there’s the film: STARK FEAR from 1962. Made by two University of Oklahoma professors, Ned Hockman and Dwight V. Swain, it’s a psychological horror noir set and filmed in and around Oklahoma City and Norman. It stars Beverly Garland and Skip Homeier. The first time I saw it was on a very rough public domain copy–it’s been beautifully restored by Peter Conheim. It’s a weird, unsettling, dangerous-feeling picture. Watch it here.
In “Derrick Noir: Okies Go Hollywood,” Philippe Garnier introduces STARK FEAR, showing how the pieces came together on this singularly twisted curiosity. Read his intro to the film here.
In “The Planet Murderer,” Chris Offutt considers how his father Andrew Offutt, a prolific writer of porn novels, crossed paths with STARK FEAR scribe Dwight V. Swain, in the process meditating on literary heritage and the blood that runs from fathers to sons. Chris has allowed us to use some incredible photos of his dad, and there are also many book covers from John Cleve (Andrew Offutt’s alias). Read it here.
“‘Why’d You Go, Daddy? Was I Bad?'” is a stunning story from the author of BUCKSKIN COCAINE, Erika T. Wurth. Wurth imagines what it might have been like for Cortez Ewing, the Native American actor who plays “The Chief” in STARK FEAR. Accompanying the piece are James Mooney’s Ghost Dance Recordings and a selection of noir-infused public domain photos. Read it here.
J David Osborne, author of BLACK GUM, A MINOR STORM, and BLOOD AND WATER, gives us “Oklahoma: Heartland, U.S.A.,” inspired by the title of a tourism ad by Swain and Hockman. It’s head trip noir story about his Oklahoma fifty years after STARK FEAR, populated by a new variety of desperate people on the ropes: juggalos, small-time crooks, and searchers. Also accompanied by some weird, noir public domain photos. Read it here.
Gabino Iglesias, author of ZERO SAINTS and COYOTE SONGS, in a story and photo series, delivers a motel noir infused with paranoia and destruction and inspired by the shadowy locations of STARK FEAR. Read/view “Stark Raving Mad” here.
There’s a bunch of stuff from me and Tyler Keith:
1. I wrote a speculative memoir from the point of view of former child star Skip Homeier, “The Bad Husband.” Read it here.
2. I wrote a long story, “Cruising the El Nora,” inspired by the El Nora Motel, a key location in STARK FEAR. It includes original photos from Tyler Keith. Read/view here.
3. I read “Cruising the El Nora” with an original score from Tyler Keith. Listen here.
4. I interview Tyler Keith about writing noir songs, growing up in the Christ-haunted south, and touring in punk bands, and he plays a handful of songs live in the studio. Listen here.
5. I read a sci-fi story by Dwight V. Swain. It features a nudist camp, x-ray glasses, Nazi secret agents, and goatees that “jerk with contempt.” Listen here.
Also, a couple of byNWR mainstays:
Charlie Beesley helps us discover his Discarded America.
Peter Conheim brings us more tales from the Restoration benches.
If you missed my volume intro, here it is.
And I made a playlist on Spotify for the volume.
That’s a lot. Sorry. This is a project I’ve been working on for about a year, and I’m glad it’s finally out there. Thanks to the amazing contributors. Thanks to James Banks, Jules Holland, and everyone at Bureau in the UK. Thanks especially to the minds behind byNWR: Jimmy McDonough and Nicolas Winding Refn. If you want to get a peek behind the curtains of byNWR, check out this piece in The Quietus.
One more quick note:
-Chapter 2 of DARK BRINK OF LOVE will go live on April 1st. It features contributions from Ace Atkins, Laura Lee Bahr, Violet LeVoit, and Theresa Starkey.
-Chapter 3 will go live on May 1st. It features contributions from Sarah Weinman, Scott Adlerberg, Marya E. Gates, and Jack Pendarvis.
Thanks for reading.
You are now entering the Dark Brink of Love…
My Favorite Albums and Songs of the 2010s
My favorite albums of the decade:
1. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, SKELETON TREE
2. Mount Eerie, NOW ONLY
3. Purple Mountains, S/T
4. Joanna Newsom, HAVE ONE ON ME
5. Sharon Van Etten, TRAMP
6. Julien Baker, SPRAINED ANKLE
7. Leonard Cohen, YOU WANT IT DARKER
8. Kanye West, MY BEAUTIFUL DARK TWISTED FANTASY
9. Tom Waits, BAD AS ME
10. Kendrick Lamar, DAMN.
11. Lucinda Williams, DOWN WHERE THE SPIRIT MEETS THE BONE
12. Jason Isbell, SOUTHEASTERN
13. Bob Dylan, TEMPEST
14. Angel Olsen, MY WOMAN
15. Richmond Fontaine, YOU CAN’T GO BACK IF THERE’S NOTHING TO GO BACK TO
16. Fiona Apple, THE IDLER WHEEL…
17. Charles Bradley, CHANGES
18. Bill Callahan, APOCALYPSE
19. John Prine, THE TREE OF FORGIVENESS
20. Damien Jurado, MARAQOPA
21. Courtney Marie Andrews, MAY YOUR KINDNESS REMAIN
22. Phoebe Bridgers, STRANGER IN THE ALPS
23. Water Liars, WYOMING
24. Titus Andronicus, THE MONITOR
25. Sun Kil Moon, BENJI
****
My favorite songs of the decade:
1. “Working Titles,” Damien Jurado
2. “Riding for the Feeling,” Bill Callahan
3. “Serpents,” Sharon Van Etten
4. “Margaritas at the Mall,” Purple Mountains
5. “Higgs Boson Blues,” Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
6. “Rejoice,” Julien Baker
7. “Scott Street,” Phoebe Bridgers
8. “Shut Up Kiss Me,” Angel Olsen
9. “Emmylou,” First Aid Kit
10. “You Want it Darker,” Leonard Cohen
11. “Table for One,” Courtney Marie Andrews
12. “On a Good Day,” Joanna Newsom
13. “Ways of This World,” Kelly Hogan (written by Vic Chesnutt)
14. “Relatively Easy,” Jason Isbell
15. “Hell Broke Luce,” Tom Waits
16. “Depreston,” Courtney Barnett
17. “When I Get to Heaven,” John Prine
18. “Head,” Lydia Loveless
19. “Foolishness,” Lucinda Williams
20. “Change for the World,”’Charles Bradley
My Favorite Movies of the 2010s
My favorite movies of the decade, the ones I think about the most. I watched a lot of movies —probably a few thousand—and I’m sure I’m forgetting plenty of stuff I loved. I left TWIN PEAKS: THE RETURN off because I don’t want to get into arguments about whether it’s a film or TV show, but it’s my favorite anything of the decade, century, whatever. I also limited myself to one from Paul Thomas Anderson in my top thirty-five, though he made three top ten masterpieces this decade.
FIRST REFORMED (Paul Schrader)
INHERENT VICE (Paul Thomas Anderson)
CERTAIN WOMEN (Kelly Reichardt)
YOU WERE NEVER REALLY HERE (Lynne Ramsay)
THE IRISHMAN (Martin Scorsese)
UNCUT GEMS (The Safdie Brothers)
SOMEWHERE (Sofia Coppola)
THE TREE OF LIFE (Terrence Malick)
ON THE BEACH AT NIGHT ALONE (Hong Sang-soo)
PHOENIX (Christian Petzold)
MOONLIGHT (Barry Jenkins)
CERTIFIED COPY (Abbas Kiarostami)
CAROL (Todd Haynes)
THE HANDMAIDEN (Park Chan-wook)
LEAVE NO TRACE (Debra Granik)
THE SOUVENIR (Joanna Hogg)
THE NICE GUYS (Shane Black)
MAPS TO THE STARS (David Cronenberg)
HIGH LIFE (Claire Denis)
LADY BIRD (Greta Gerwig)
AMERICAN HONEY (Andrea Arnold)
THUNDER ROAD (Jim Cummings)
A BREAD FACTORY (Patrick Wang)
PERSONAL SHOPPER (Oliver Assayas)
INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS (The Coen Brothers)
MARGARET (Kenneth Lonergan)
THINGS TO COME (Mia Hansen-Løve)
THE LOVE WITCH (Anna Biller)
THE RIDER (Chloé Zhao)
CREED (Ryan Coogler)
DESTROYER (Karyn Kusama)
4:44 LAST DAY ON EARTH (Abel Ferrara)
OUTSIDE IN (Lynn Shelton)
CHI-RAQ (Spike Lee)
BEFORE MIDNIGHT (Richard Linklater)
Others I loved: PHANTOM THREAD; THE MASTER; PETERLOO; HER SMELL; HAIL, CAESAR!; COSMOPOLIS; THE DAY AFTER; LET THE SUNSHINE IN; BASTARDS; PASOLINI; WELCOME TO NEW YORK; BONE TOMAHAWK; BRAWL IN CELL BLOCK 99; BLUE JAY; MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FALLOUT; GOOD TIME; BLACKKKLANSMAN; PARADISE TRILOGY; ANIMAL KINGDOM; IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK; COLUMBUS; THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WIND; MEEK’S CUTOFF; BLADE RUNNER 2049; THE WOLF OF WALL STREET; SILENCE; SONG TO SONG; KNIGHT OF CUPS; A HIDDEN LIFE; TWO DAYS, ONE NIGHT; WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN; CLOUDS OF SILS MARIA; THE LOBSTER; THE KILLING OF A SACRED DEER; AMOUR; SPRING BREAKERS; ELLE; ALWAYS SHINE; DRIVE; ONLY GOD FORGIVES; THE NEON DEMON; BERNIE; BOYHOOD; EVERYBODY WANTS SOME!!; DREAMS OF A LIFE; OUT OF BLUE; ANOMALISA; IT’S SUCH A BEAUTIFUL DAY; JACKIE; ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD; THE HATEFUL EIGHT; DJANGO UNCHAINED; A SEPARATION; RAY MEETS HELEN; WIDOWS; SULLY; THE 15:17 TO PARIS; THE MULE; BROOKLYN; MAD MAX: FURY ROAD; FRANCES HA; THE MEYEROWITZ STORIES; MISTRESS AMERICA; DE PALMA; LEMONADE; BLUE RUIN; GREEN ROOM; I DON’T FEEL AT HOME IN THIS WORLD ANYMORE; THE GREAT BEAUTY; THE IMMIGRANT; MANDY; CALVARY; GO FOR SISTERS; THE GRAND BUDAPEST MOTEL; MOONRISE KINGDOM; HOLY MOTORS; RUST AND BONE; TWIXT; BLEAK STREET; SUN DON’T SHINE; TAKE SHELTER; ENOUGH SAID; FROM THE HEAD; UNDER THE SKIN; THE UNKNOWN GIRL; NEBRASKA; IDA; THE DIARY OF A TEENAGE GIRL; CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME?; THE FITS; ANNIHILATION; PRISONERS; FAST FIVE; GET OUT; THE LAST JEDI; NIGHTCRAWLER; ONLY LOVERS LEFT ALIVE; PATERSON; THE GREY; LINCOLN; THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER; SUPPORT THE GIRLS; WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS; THE DEATH OF STALIN; RAW; ROAD TO NOWHERE; THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT; A STAR IS BORN; NOCTURAMA; THE INTERN; TRANSIT; KNIVES OUT; UNCLE DREW; VALLEY OF LOVE; BY THE SEA; GONE GIRL; THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO; MEMPHIS; UNCLE KENT 2; WIN IT ALL; HAPPY CHRISTMAS; I AM LOVE; CALL ME BY YOUR NAME
My Favorite Movies of 2019
My favorite movies of the year so far… still lots to catch up on.
1. THE IRISHMAN (Martin Scorsese)
2. UNCUT GEMS (The Safdie Brothers)
3. THE SOUVENIR (Joanna Hogg)
4. HIGH LIFE (Claire Denis)
5. LITTLE WOMEN (Greta Gerwig)
6. A HIDDEN LIFE (Terrence Malick)
7. TRANSIT (Christian Petzold)
8. HOTEL BY THE RIVER (Hong Sang-soo)
9. ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD (Quentin Tarantino)
10. HER SMELL (Alex Ross Perry)
Others I really liked:
PETERLOO (Mike Leigh); ROLLING THUNDER REVUE (Martin Scorsese); ASH IS PUREST WHITE (Jia Zhangke); KNIVES OUT (Rian Johnson); GRASS (Hong sang-soo); OUT OF BLUE (Carol Morley); BURNING CANE (Philip Michael Youmans); SWORD OF TRUST (Lynn Shelton); MARRIAGE STORY (Noah Baumbach); RICHARD JEWELL (Clint Eastwood); US (Jordan Peele); WILD ROSE (Tom Harper); DOLEMITE IS MY NAME (Craig Brewer); DRAGGED ACROSS CONCRETE (S. Craig Zahler); KNIFE + HEART (Yann Gonzalez); DOMINO (Brian De Palma); BETWEEN WORLDS (Maria Pulera); STATE LIKE SLEEP (Meredith Danluck); HIGH FLYING BIRD (Steven Soderbergh); PADDLETON (Alexandre Lehmann); THE KID (Vincent D’Onofrio)
Favorite performances:
Elisabeth Moss, HER SMELL; Joe Pesci, Al Pacino, and Robert De Niro, THE IRISHMAN; Adam Sandler and Julia Fox, UNCUT GEMS; Honor Swinton Byrne and Tom Burke, THE SOUVENIR; Robert Pattinson and Juliette Binoche, HIGH LIFE; Paul Walter Hauser, RICHARD JEWELL; Jessie Buckley, WILD ROSE; Ray Romano, PADDLETON; Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt, ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD; Da’Vine Joy Randolph, DOLEMITE IS MY NAME; Wendell Pierce, BURNING CANE; Lupita Nyong’o, US; Ana de Armas, KNIVES OUT; Kim Min-hee, HOTEL BY THE RIVER; Paula Beer, TRANSIT; Florence Pugh, Timothée Chalamet, Laura Dern, Chris Cooper, and Bob Odenkirk, LITTLE WOMEN; Ethan Hawke, THE KID; Zhao Tao, ASH IS PUREST WHITE
Still need to see & very excited about:
AD ASTRA
CLEMENCY
CHAINED FOR LIFE
THE FAREWELL
THE NIGHTINGALE
DIAMANTINO
INVISIBLE LIFE
PAIN AND GLORY
THE DEAD DON’T DIE
WAVES
BLACK MOTHER
THE BEACH BUM
PARASITE
FORD V. FERRARI
BOOKSMART
JOJO RABBIT
THE STANDOFF AT SPARROW CREEK
MOTHERLESS BROOKLYN
HUSTLERS
LONG DAY’S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT
THE BODY REMEMBERS WHEN THE WORLD BROKE OPEN
LITTLE WOODS
THE LIGHTHOUSE
MIDSOMMAR
A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD
THE LAST BLACK MAN IN SAN FRANCISCO
PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE
DIANE
DARK WATERS
ATLANTICS
COLOR OUT OF SPACE
HOBBS & SHAW
CRAWL
JOHN WICK C3
WHERE’D YOU GO, BERNADETTE
HONEY BOY
My Favorite Music of 2019
My favorite music of the year. Interested to see what I missed or just don’t know about, what endures and what changes, and to spend more time with some records I haven’t gotten very deep into yet.
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – Ghosteen
Purple Mountains – s/t
Leonard Cohen – Thanks for the Dance
Lana Del Rey – NFR!
Hallelujah the Hills – I’m You
Heather Valley – Desert Message
Justin Peter Kinkel-Schuster – Take Heart, Take Care
Karen and the Sorrows – Guaranteed Broken Heart
Sharon Van Etten – Remind Me Tomorrow
Molly Sarlé – Karaoke Angel
Mount Eerie & Julie Doiron – Lost Wisdom, Part Two
Buddy & Julie Miller – Breakdown on 20th Avenue South
The Delines – The Imperial
The Paranoid Style – A Goddamn Impossible Way of Life
Joan Shelley – Like the River Loves the Sea
Other stuff I loved:
(Sandy) Alex G – House of Sugar; Alexa Rose – Medicine for Living; Bonnie Prince Billy – I Made a Place; Kate Teague – s/t EP; Ian Noe – Between the Country; Bill Callahan – Shepherd in a Sheepskin Vest; Jake Xerxes Fussell – Out of Sight; Tom Russell – October in the Railroad Earth; Bruce Springsteen – Western Stars; Spencer Thomas – Hangin’ Tough; Craig Finn – I Need a New War; Heather Woods Broderick – Invitation; Weyes Blood – Titanic Rising; Rod Melancon – Pinkville; Jenny Lewis – On the Line; Bark – Terminal Everything; Damien Jurado – In the Shape of a Storm; Mark Lanegan – Somebody’s Knocking; Kevin Morby – Oh My God; Will Johnson – Wire Mountain; Neil Young – Colorado; Jack Oblivion and the Dream Killers – Lost Weekend; Simon Joyner – Pocket Moon
Here’s a playlist with some of my favorite songs of the year: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3hCkzHw0WFMBGlalSRoAgi?si=_g-f-72oROOsqoJ5DcLSQw
The Lonely Witness in Germany and France
The Lonely Witness came out in Germany from Polar Verlag this month. It’s beautiful. Thanks especially to my publisher Wolfgang Franßen and my translator Andrea Stumpf. Thanks also to Hanspeter Eggenberger for choosing it as Crime Novel of the Week in Zurich’s German-language national daily newspaper, Tages-Anzeiger!
The Lonely Witness also came out in paperback from Gallmeister in France. I love this cover from Mathieu Persan so much.