So, my claim of taking less time between newsletters flopped hard. Blame it on a busy summer and a bit of writer’s block about this topic. This has left me with the longest edition of No First Drafts yet.

Mexico City, my friends told me, is amazing. It’s a must. Weary of “you gotta” culture, I didn’t warm to these notes quickly. Having spent a week there this past June, though, I get it. Yes, my eight days and seven nights in Mexico City were phenomenal, even though I was walking through various micro-and-macro-level nightmares. This is a tease to a personal story that’s since ended, and one I look forward to sharing soon. But Mexico City was practically fuckup-proof in my experience, except I will note I shouldn’t have tried to find ramen and I’ve also learned that some museums aren’t my speed.

Much as I loved Mexico City, there is one thing to know before you go. This city is so affordable that you won’t be able to ignore the inherent problem if you’re paying close attention at all. Ubers cost an absurd pittance, with a half-hour ride for $9. My 7-night Airbnb with a balcony was just $531. This isn’t a problem in the same way some people are freaking out about the housing epidemic in America’s biggest cities, but more of a situation where you can’t stop yourself from over-tipping because everything feels like a steal in the worst sense of the word.

That’s not a reason to skip the trip, but just something I say because raving about how great an affordable trip is hides the sad truth behind the budget. This trip was too good to be this affordable, the feelings of being complicit are the extra tax on top.

1. Gonzalitos made me think Roma Norte is fool-proof

Off the plane, and very hungry, I looked at a list of nearby recommendations that the amazing Chloé blessed me with, and picked the one nearest my Airbnb. Gonzalitos, an unassuming taqueria, sports a visible kitchen, an outside countertop I blopped down at, and some ancillary small tables. Its tacos immediately sated my need to eat and feel like an educated tourist, thanks to rich barbacoa, cheese-stuffed-chile and rib eye. I wasn’t as impressed with the desert gordita.

You could have walked by Gonzalitos without knowing it was absolutely incredible, and that seems to be a commonality in Mexico City. You could waste a lot of time with decision paralysis if you didn’t know any better or have any confidence. And about that…

Click this link: Their, ugh, Instagram.

2. Eat Like a Local’s tours made me rethink tours

In news that might not surprise some of y’all: I had the goal of doing copious research and planning before this trip. I wanted to explore a different neighborhood every day, with one planned stop in each. That didn’t happen. This is why I’m glad I listened to Sara, who recommended Eat Like A Local, a tour group that’s women-owned-and-operated. She’d enjoyed their nighttime tacos tour, which was great, but not my favorite.

The Mexican Food 101 tour, which went from the neighborhood of Condesa to the La Merced Market to The Flower Market, is an absolute gem. Not only did our tour guide Clarissa provide an amazingly deep menu, including El Don’s “sweaty tacos,” the phenomenal mixiote from Rico’s, and the mind-blowing chorizo verde, but we also got a mini tour from an aspiring young legend by the name of Monse. She’s one of the mentees that is getting experience with the group, and they’re teaching her a lot of valuable concepts, all rooted in her independence.

I would try and explain more about what Eat Like a Local gets right, but I’d wind up giving away too many of their recommendations for free. Just know I thought the 101 tour was a wonderful value, and a perfect way to spend my first full day in town.

Click this link: Book a tour

3. You’ll be amazed by the Airbnbs you can find

Some people look to Airbnbs for their accommodations because they love a deal or a unique lodging, others want a place with a cleaning staff and more regulation. I almost couldn’t decide which I was this trip, until I found an apartment with a balcony that had lighting I didn’t know I could turn on until halfway through my stay. It also had just enough space for me to wander around and think during a moment of geopolitical tumult. Oh, it’s also right in Roma Norte, a few blocks away from so many great places.

There’s only one thing I didn’t love: my mattress was a little thin and firm, which made the first couple of nights of sleep a bit rough.

Click this link: This was the Airbnb I stayed at

4. The best museums aren’t the biggest

Going to the standard museums and cultural institutions can sometimes leave you frustrated, as was the case on my trip. Casa Azul, the house of the beloved Frida Kahlo, felt like little more than a physical hagiography, a soft-focus, estate-approved diorama that did little to make you feel anything, instead giving you rooms that looks like they weren’t lived-in at all. Every little item is perfectly laid out (Knolled, if you will), and it’s sterile. Likewise, the massive Museo Nacional de Antropología has a lot of artifacts, but it feels more like something you saw when you were in grade school than something you enjoy.

Instead, I’ll point you to two different locations. The smaller is the Museo del Juguete Antiguo México, aka The Museum of Antique Toys, a private collection of everything from Snoopy memorabilia to a whole army of Barbies to what basically amounts to a history of lucha libre. There’s even amazing graffiti on the rooftop. The bigger, and arguably cooler, is Anahuacalli — Diego Rivera’s Coyoacán-based collection of pre-Columbian art as well as murals. The building itself is a work of art, featuring rock from the eruption of the Xitle volcano.

Click these links: Atlas Obscura on the Museo del Juguete Antiguo México

5. Arena Mexico is the place

OK, you made it half-way into this section, which is as far as I can go without bringing up the pro wrestling of it all. Yes, that dark art that I’m constantly one foot in and one foot out on played a part in this trip, too. It all started to fall in place once I found out that All Elite Wrestling — the only televised American pro wrestling promotion I am supporting these days, more on that another time — was to run a special edition of its live Wednesday night show at Arena México in Mexico City. A month or three prior, two of my friends were raving that Mexico City is just a perfect destination, and so this news made it easy.

Arena México — a venue that I was told was invented just for lucha libre (aka pro wrestling), though a cursory scan of the internet says the venue began without any classification or intent — feels perfect for the squared circle thanks to its floor seating that gradually inclines higher and higher, so everyone’s got a good chance of seeing the action in ring.

I was extremely fortunate because I got to see not one but two shows at the historic venue. On Tuesday, I got a last-second ninth row seat for “CMLL VS AEW/ROH!,” which showcased the talents of the local Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre against the visiting wrestlers from the second biggest promotion in the world (and its quasi-developmental sub-roster). But Wednesday’s big “AEW Grand Slam Mexico” show, which I’d scored a second-row ticket to well in advance, is going in my hall of fame for best wrestling events I’ve ever seen live. And it all worked so well because second row at Arena México had me close enough to shake hands with one of the performers (he plays a bad guy, so I won’t blow his cover), and get some of the best photos I’ve ever captured at a live event.

Walking past the concession stand, which was filled with sparking-red-festooned micheladas, and into the hallways, I just felt like I was in a historical landmark. Go if you can, for whatever wrestling is there. Trust me.

Just avoid the food court across the street. You’re apt to blindly experience some scammy behavior, as I saw staffers at one of the food stands fill large empty beer bottles with beer, re-cap them, and serve them.

Click Watch this:

6. Teotihuacán’s views are worth the drive and the climbs

While my trip was inspired by friends and their stories of good food, and came to life because of a pro wrestling event, I should not think about my adventure without remembering the most unique moment. On my second to last day, I took an Uber (there’s no Lyft, and everyone tells you to avoid hailing a cab yourself, for safety reasons) to a bus station, and then an hour-long bus ride to the city of Teotihuacán. A bit of polite question-asking later, I was pointed in the right direction of the path to the remains of actual pyramids. Along the way, I politely declined the offers of some tour guides, and quickly realized I was good on my own. You probably will be, too.

My favorite site, of course, was the Pyramid of the Moon, which had just been reopened for tourists this May. The public was only allowed to scale to the first level, but I couldn’t imagine needing to get any higher. Especially when going back down practically gave me a small sliver of vertigo. But that’s skipping straight to the conclusion. After I made it as far as I could, to the summit available to me, I was amazed by what I could see. There was a dog there, somehow, but that wasn’t the big deal. Even though I was among other tourists, I felt like I was truly out of the city life that I’m so used to. I had found that moment I’ve heard about from people who want to visit Alaska, Africa or other massively different environs.

Oh, and you can skip the nearby La Gruta, a restaurant that’s better known for being in a cave than the quality of its food. The guac and chicarones were far better than the pricier entrees.

Click this: Yucatán Magazine on the reopening of the Pyramid of the Moon

7. Hanky Panky was the perfect final stop

On my final evening, faced with something akin to decision paralysis, I had only really come up with one idea. My fellow tourists on the food tours mentioned a speakeasy named Hanky Panky, and had said some nice things about their cocktails. And since Hank is short for Henry, I figured it was only right. Oh, and it was barely five blocks from my Airbnb. I made the reservation that morning, got back from Teotihuacán in time, and made it over. I figured it would be a good place to decide where my final meal would be. I was right, but not in a way I anticipated.

First off, Hanky Panky is definitely one of the most convincingly-hidden speakeasies I’ve ever seen, as it’s basically the back room of a taqueria, and you might not realize something’s afoot before the crowd of people with reservations show up. Yes, the walls are a bit too-evenly painted blue, and that fridge of Modelos is far too clean and evenly-stocked.

Once you get to the back, though, you’ll be faced with a booklet of amazing cocktails and an opportunity to dig deeper, as there’s a food menu to be asked for. Small plates, including a glazed beef rib, are there to dazzle you. There’s even a View-Finder toy to help inspire you to choose a drink from their cocktail list that has roots around the world. If I had to recommend any drinks: the Milkicillin, Thalassaki, and True North were all gems.

My one issue with Hanky Panky is that it’s too-damn-tightly-packed, and the kind of space that I would have scoffed at as a COVID trap a few years ago. But I went. And I lived bitch. My survival of this little moment, and lack of infection is something I think about every so often, as proof that I don’t need to be averse to actually doing shit.

I hope you’re fortunate enough to have Adrian, the same bartender I did, serving your drinks.

Click this link: Make a reservation  

8. Try and avoid the rainy season (or just prepare well)

There’s only one other important lesson I can give you about the city I want to come back to: try and avoid going there when I did. Some, like Julien Casanova (if that’s her real name) of Cultures Traveled think it can be endurable, as she wrote “The rainy season in Mexico runs from June to October, but don’t let that scare you off. Most days start out sunny, with dramatic afternoon storms that pass quickly. They often leave behind cooler air (but sometimes humid) and vibrant sunsets.” Except that same article includes her saying “the rainy season in Mexico City, I have experienced unexpected downpours that lasted several hours,” which is far more in line with my week there.

What is to be done? Multiple sites (1, 2) claim that the rainy season goes from May to October, and possibly into November. So, booking a trip between December and April should go well.

If your calendar doesn’t abide? Plan for it. I used luggage space to pack an umbrella, but immediately realized I should have also worn shoes that were more rain-friendly, as my white kicks looked more like blackened ranch by the time I got home. Maybe consider a raincoat or jacket of some kind? I don’t know, I don’t like those.

The Culture Diary

This section covers everything of interest from July 6 through October 13.

Books

“All Fours” by Miranda July
— I gained a fair bit by re-reading this one, because wow I hadn’t retailed a whole lot.  

“Simplicity“ by Mattie Lubchansky
— Another wild adventure from Lubchansky, who nails the fact that action is needed.

“Empire of AI” by Karen Hao
— An amazingly detailed history that plots out both the history of the current fool’s gold rush and how it’s hurting society.

TV

• AMC's "Interview With The Vampire“ is the best show you haven’t watched.

• HBO Max’s “Peacemaker” is so good it almost makes me forget how bad John Cena’s final year wrestling has been.

Movies

Playing with a new format here, because I refuse to be straightforward about how I rank or sort things. I’ve broken up the movies I’ve seen into six sections, with the first three being pretty clearly a series of increasing enjoyment.

Then, we have movies where I’m less sure, or really liked them, followed by movies I loved that I think benefit from the theatrical experience, and lastly the four movies I’ve recently seen that I absolutely adored.

• Did not finish

• Well, that was something

• Well, that was good

• Wish I saw it in theaters

• I hope you can see these in theaters

• Movies of the year

Oh, and after that, there’s “Revisitations,” the movies I had seen before (though I’ve already seen one of my best of year picks twice).

Did not finish

KPop Demon Hunters (2025)

I have nothing kind to say about this movie, and I can’t tell if that’s because I don’t do Kpop or because I’m 40. But little frustrates me more than opening scenes of a movie that try and establish a world and characters in it, but do almost nothing to differentiate a girl gang. Felt crepe-thin, and just not for me. I feel like this could be a fantastic TV show, and probably will be, given the Netflix of it all. Hell, even the songs did nothing for me. I would say more, but I’d probably get a little mean. Hit stop somewhere around the end of act 1.

via Netflix — and the last thing I watched before I canceled it — more on that next time

Iodo (1977)

Honestly, just including this here to keep myself honest about this section being a record of my movie watching — which includes failed attempts. “Iodo” (also known as “Io Island” and “Ieoh Island”) is a hard-to-find Korean thriller about tourism that should not be happening, which Alamo and AGFA (American Genre Film Archive) were screening. And I was just not in the right mood for its pacing and first act, so I bailed. I’ve later heard it has a wild ending I need to see, so I plan to see it somehow.

@ Alamo Drafthouse in Brooklyn

Well, that was something

Eddington (2025)

I can’t tell if Ari Aster’s “Eddington” is terrible or just mid, but it felt like a bad sign for this to be one of A24’s biggest films … following up the even-worse “Civil War,” in a series of films grasping for the middleground that doesn’t exist written by men who sound incredibly out-of-touch.

The gist of the film is unfortunately familiar to us all, as a small town in Texas spirals into delusion and dilemmas and gunfire and rage as COVID-19, ineptitude, and a failing marriage. Oh, and the Black Lives Matter movement is also happening. The centerpiece for all of this is actor Joaquin Phoenix, who seems to be Aster’s favorite whipping boy (“Beau Is Afraid” but Phoenix is not). The proximity to Aster’s last film, the epic-length “Beau Is Afraid,” makes this film’s obsession with tearing him down feel like we’re in a rerun.

Yes, Pedro Pascal and Emma Stone are all over the marketing materials for “Eddington,” but this is Phoenix’s film, as he embodies the most delusions. He’s also given the most-sympathetic light of any character, despite being the violent one as well, which makes his frustrations with face-masking rules and the Black Lives Matter movement all the more difficult to parse. Maybe Aster is having fun trolling the youth, I don’t know. But the signal this movie sends reads “We would still be a society if you hadn’t pushed old men out of their comfort zones” from where I’m sitting.

@ lower Manhattan Alamo Drafthouse

Ne Zha 2 (2025)

What can I say about “Ne Zha 2“ other than “the right movie theater experience can get me to sit through some seriously melodramatic slop.” Combined with my complete disinterest in “KPop Demon Hunters,” I’m starting to think I don’t like anime. Fortunately, I didn’t pay for this I just won an IMAX screening giveaway that A24 was doing, where I went in trying to rely on the previous film’s Wikipedia entry.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t bring myself to care about the titular child, who is a reincarnation of something called the Demon Orb. That, right there, was where the film lost me at first, right before it presented the character as some Dragon Ball Z-iffied version of Stewie from Family Guy. While the film gets visually magnificent and stunning near the end, the giant clouds of soldiers that fly around attacking felt just as soulless a visual as the CGI robots from Michael Bay’s “Transformers.”

In IMAX @ AMC Lincoln Center

Videoheaven (2025)

Y’ever really want to like something, possibly because of the time invested. No, I’m not just talking about mediocre dates, but films where they’re so long you try and push yourself to enjoy yourself? That’s the case with Alex Ross Perry’s interminably-long YouTube essay-turned-film “Videoheaven,” which tries to tell the history of video rental stores such as Blockbuster solely using footage of their depictions in film and television.

The film wins points on being a high-concentrate dose of nostalgia for those who spent hours walking the aisles and actor Maya Hawke’s narration that reads Perry’s flat and sometimes redundant script. Yes, it becomes amusing when she talk over footage of her scenes as a video store clerk in Netflix’s “Stranger Things,” but the longer it goes the more you realize Perry’s ideas are kind of hollow. As director, producer, and writer, Perry’s got complete auteur control, and it really shows when you get the sense nobody questioned his poorly plotted arguments where he acts like bad customer service and alienated customers were unique to film rental shops. Dude needs to learn about different kinds of stores.

@ lower Manhattan Alamo Drafthouse

Materialists (2025)

Remember how I said the Aaron Taylor Johnson acting experiment needs to end? I wouldn’t be fair if I didn’t say that we need to similarly call the career of Dakota Johnson (no relation) into question. Materialists suffers from her stiffly-acted performance, thought the script made me wonder if writer/director Celine Song hates everyone involved here. An unearned sideplot in the third act made this even harder to watch, but I gave it a chance because of Song’s “Past Lives.” The twist for Pedro Pascal’s character

via digital rental

HIM (2025)

Some people will hate this tale of pigskin fandom gone very wrong. I didn’t love it, but I can also see how it’s for:

1. People who want a movie that’s half Mortal Kombat and half NFL Blitz.

2. People who think diegetic music (the music that appears in the actual story) is for cowards.

3. People who like bizarre, almost-David Lynch-ish endings.

4. People who like excess and silliness.

Many more people will be offended I thought this movie was for them, so I’m couching it as for just those four groups of people.

@ Alamo Drafthouse in Brooklyn

Well, that was good

Caught Stealing (2025)

New York-focused art has been speaking to me pretty strongly as of late, and that’s part of why Darren Aronofsky’s latest won much more favor with me than his last two projects (“The Whale” and “Postcard from Earth” were both pieces of trash). This film, though, is much more charismatic than either of those two projects, thanks to Austin Butler getting the assignment of playing a bartender with past traumas who’s trying to survive the chaotic world his neighbor (Matt Smith going full-mohawk-dbag) foisted upon him one night.

Most of the time, the movie asks little of Butler than to be charming and idiotic and make bad decisions, because he shares the work with an excellent supporting cast. Zoë Kravitz is back acting in full form as medic Yvonne (let’s all forget the girlbossing ending of “Blink Twice”), Regina King’s here doing “NYC cop” very well, Liev Schreiber and Vincent D'Onofrio play scene-stealing Hasids, and everybody’s favorite SNL cast member and the most exciting Super Bowl halftime show performer since last year Benito Martínez Ocasio (Baa Bunny) nearly disappears into a criminal role. Oh, and Action Bronson is here for some reason (no argument on my part), as a bar patron, but he isn’t stealing anything while Nikita Kukushkin’s Microbe gets a trophy for Best Guy.

I don’t love one of the film’s uses of murder as dramatic device, but I’ll accept it when the rest of the film worked so well and didn‘t have me asking questions.

Requiem for a Heavyweight (1956, 1962)

Unlike anything I’d seen in a while, the 1956 teleplay “Requiem for a Heavyweight” (written by “The Twilight Zone” maestro Rod Serling) is both low-fi and earnest, and makes me think I should spend less time focused on new releases. It came to me from someone a labor rights expert and film lover who happened to know I like pro wrestling — which I say because it’s the perfect amalgamation of the above.

Jack Palance plays veteran boxer Harlan "Mountain" McClintock, whose years with the gloves have reached their conclusion. He feels guilty about the end of the line because how his team — manager Maish (Keenan Wynn) and cut-man Army (Ed Wynn) — made their living on his fights. Unfortunately for all, Maish’s money problems become everyone else’s issues, and that’s why we start talking about the carnie art that we call pro wrestling. Fortunately for Mountain, though, he meets Grace Carney (Kim Hunter) an employment agency worker who wants better for the prize-fighter. Even in the aftermath of his time in bloodsports, Mountain finds his own soul to be on the line.

This conflict plays out with proper drama and humanity, as Palance makes McClintock a lovable, broken and sensitive guy who you can’t help but root for. A little slight, but it’s engaging nonetheless.

via Prime Video

Then, we have 1962’s “Requiem for a Heavyweight” from Ralph Nelson, which was what my friend wanted me to see in the first place. This more-polished follow-up is a film and not a teleplay, so it’s better looking and doesn’t feel like it’s on a sound stage. It’s also just better in every way, including the morose conclusion that gives it the true noir energy. It also does a fine job of flipping a deserved middle finger at pro wrestling’s racist sensibilities.

On top of that, you get a top-shelf cameo at the start, and Anthony Quinn’s performance as Luis "Mountain" Rivera is as good as Palance’s, but this time you also get Jackie Gleason and Mickey Rooney as Maish and Army, respectively. All that’s missing is the novelty, though that’s dealt with by the aforementioned dark conclusion.

via digital

Oh, Hi! (2025)

Sophie Brooks’ “Oh, Hi!” is a farcical-yet-interesting spin on how two people can see their relationship (or lack thereof) completely differently. Producer and star Molly Gordon (who shares story credits) deserves a ton of applause for this one, as she makes Iris feel like more realistic than some might expect. This also benefitted from what I’d call a “blind” screening, as I saw it as a part of Alamo Drafthouse’s “mystery transmission” series.

Interestingly enough, this film was just as divisive in my circles as “Eddington,” and I think it boils down to having a willingness to follow along as a character makes very bad decisions. Someone I trust a lot claimed this film was too “Gen Z” for them, but I haven’t heard that claim yet.

@ Alamo Drafthouse in Brooklyn

The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025)

The latest chapter of the MCU isn't about the titular four, it's a film belonging to Vanessa Kirby's Sue Storm, which is a welcome change of pace from every on-screen depiction of the group that treated her as if she was — as her superpower makes her — invisible. As Amelia Emberwing explained, Kirby makes sure the film is rooted in family, empathy, and understanding, while Pascal's Reed is on the verge of being the shitty dad fans expect. As for the other half: Johnny is a surprisingly-clever horndog and Ben is managing with being different. Meh.

Unfortunately, those actors are fighting against a film and cinematic universe that continues to feel like a chore and not an experience. This time it's thanks to retro vibes and timeline stuff make it feel anodyne and unimportant, like you're watching people cosplaying at a convention. We can all tell that the family will travel to the "real" Marvel movies world at some point, and we'll get to remember those poorly-aging fan service scenes with Jim from The Office, and think that Feige and Co. lost the thread at the end of Endgame. 

Put another way, the main performances are good (love that Paul Walter Hauser), but they're kneecapped.

@ Alamo Drafthouse in Brooklyn

Honey Don’t (2025)

Two films in, following “Drive Away Dolls,” the Ethan Coen & Tricia Cooke films have had an unfortunate “dialogue over visuals” pattern that makes me wonder if the made-for-streaming-era has already made an unfortunate impact when it comes to films that actually get theatrical releases.

Still, any movie that lets Margaret Qualley have fun with gumshoe antics and get silly with her accents is good by me. The plot here doesn’t really gel in the third act, thanks to a slightly-unearned heel turn, but a strong supporting cast with Aubrey Plaza and Charlie Day makes this a good time. Learning that Chris Evans can actually act outside of the Marvel movies has been fun.

@ Alamo Drafthouse in Brooklyn

Lurker (2025)

Alex Russell’s “Lurker” is a thing I couldn’t put my finger on until hours later when I realized Stan Horror made a lot of sense. Théodore Pellerin plays Matthew, a fashion clerk who shoots his shot to get into the orbit of Oliver (Archie Madekwe), a rising pop/R&B singer who gives off Drake (but without the PDF charges) and Frank Ocean vibes. Then, before you realize it, you see that both Matthew and Oliver are insincere manipulators who don’t actually seem to like what they’re doing unless someone is giving them attention.

Often taut with tension, Lurker doesn’t let the audience feel comfortable in any of its moments, and I often felt like I didn’t know what I was watching. Before I can think of being negative, though, I come back to Pellerin’s performance, and how completely singular it felt. Madekwe sells it all well too, and he seems to be growing exponentially. Either that or he knew he shouldn’t have tried during “Gran Turismo.”

@ Alamo Drafthouse in Brooklyn

Cloud (2024)

Not at all what I expected after seeing his previous work “Pulse,” Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s “Cloud” can best be summarized with “men would rather scam or hunt their fellow man than go to therapy.” All of the drama revolves around Ryōsuke, a dirtbag who traffics in disingenuous online reselling and hides behind a pseudonym that earns many enemies with the people he’s wronged. And it doesn’t look like he’s going to get away with it. 

That’s a whole lot different from the paranormal story of “Pulse,” though both deftly deal in unease. And “Cloud” stands apart thanks to the dark comedic bent that you get in the zany, slapstick chase of the third act. These men are buffoons, and if you can get enjoyment out of failures who are trying to be big scary boys, you’ll have fun with this.

@ The IFC Center

The Naked Kiss (1964)

A vintage movie recommendation I got recently, and it was an odd watch. The film follows Kelly (Constance Towers), a sex worker who finds a new customer in a new town, and he's a cop who (of course) is terrible to her, demanding she leave town, change her career, etcetera. She then tries to turn over a new leaf, and basically learns your past always follows you.

But then, well, there's the very odd third-act twist about her fiancee. I didn't "get" what was going on the first time I saw the scene, but knew it was big enough that I had to rewind and rewatch. Down, and to the left, over and over again. I got the sense you're supposed to understand it on sight, which I did not. Then, I Wikipedia'd the explanation, and went "huh." Not an especially great movie, but it was interesting.  

via HBO Max

Happy Gilmore 2 (2025)

I’m as shocked as you are that this movie is actually good. I wouldn’t have watched it were it not for Maxwell Jacob Friedman, aka All Elite Wrestling’s own MJF — a talent whose expertise in playing a smug bastard has made him a generational performer of his industry nearly on par with SNL-era Sandler — playing one of Happy’s kids. He’s a fun presence in small doses, and is never given more scene than he can chew.

The real problem here — and yes of course this movie has flaws that you can drive a houseboat through — is how this film is seemingly made with two priorities. Front-loading every single actual-golfer into the film and explaining all of its references to the original film. Once you find a way to get over those two things, you can possibly have fun enjoying the vibes and some of the less-expected cameos. 

via Netflix

Wish I saw it in theaters

The Souvenir (2019)

Joanna Hogg’s “The Souvenir” is a slight piece of filmmaking that I wish I could have been more focused on, hence this new subsection’s title. While its title might sound befitting of a horror flick, the terror here is more about first loves gone wrong, as Julie (Honor Swinton Byrne) is trying to make a film but her energies are taken from her by falling for Anthony, a beguiling older man whose complexities tear him asunder.

This is one of those films where I can’t tell if the director has disdain for their flawed, gaslighting characters or not. A nuanced view of people will make this a more-compelling watch, but I couldn’t bring that to the table.

via HBO Max

Sneakers (1992)

One of those "wow I just can't click with it right now" movies where I have been told all of the praise, but was wondering why it didn't work. Maybe something was wrong with the moment when I tried to watch at home, who knows. I will try again. 

via digital purchase

Spencer (2021)

I was somewhat amazed by this one, and not because of Kristen Stewart’s performance as Diana. I’ve known she could bring the thunder since “Love Lies Bleeding” and “Personal Shopper” wiped the Twilight-based assumptions out of my eyes. She’s phenomenal here as a woman who clearly knows she’s not where she should be, and very much not welcome.

Instead, what “Spencer” wowed me with is its overall horror vibes and sound production, which felt reminiscent of “The Phantom Thread.” Each little sharp stab of the soundtrack plucked at my brain as if director Pablo Larraín was strumming on me like a guitar. The necklace scene alone, though, seared itself into my brain and eyes.

via digital rental

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

A prototypical “they don’t make them like this anymore” horror flick down to the fact that they cast an actual teen (Amanda Wyss) as the teen in the leading role, and how the film radically switches between between silly camp nonsense (the Freddy Phone) and downright freaky (everything around it) instantly.

Watched at home, at the end of a minor viral sickness, and excited to see it again in 35mm at the Metrograph (which annoyingly just raised its prices by $1).

via HBO Max

In the Mouth of Madness (1994)

The peak of “I wish I got it,” and I really hope I can get another chance, John Carpenter’s “In the Mouth of Madness,” is all about the works of H.P. Lovecraft — though I thought it was about Stephen King at first. Wildly beloved, this tale does marvelous work at swerving the audience and its protagonist, an insurance investigator trying to figure out what’s going wrong with a missing horror author.

For me, the flaw here is that the narrator’s own story isn’t really much to speak of. That, in a way, becomes the plot, but not in a way that worked for me. This feels more like a thrill park ride than anything. Dying to revisit in theaters, where the confines and increased focus might enable it to click better.

via Criterion Channel

Alien (1979)

Calling “Alien” the superior of the original two Alien films could be seen as me just stating my preference for horror over action, but there was a brilliant trick about “Alien” that I learned when seeing Sigourney Weaver interviewed at New York Comic-Con 2025. For much of the film, nothing is shouting at the audience that Ripley is the protagonist. You simply find that out, something that Ridley Scott pulled off perfectly and intentionally given how women weren’t being given character arcs of this kind.

This makes Ripley’s ascendance to hero all the greater, as you follow her from warrant officer to absolute legend. Who was completely right about the quarantine regulations. Plus, it’s gorgeously shot, and filled with epic moments.

via digital rental

Aliens (1986)

Similarly, you might think I rate “Aliens” lower because of my mixed opinion of writer/director James Cameron (who hadn’t hit it big yet during the production of this film). Instead, I just didn’t click with the opening act, and also did not think Paul Reiser belonged in this room. He certainly fits the character, and does well by the script, but I can’t help but think of him as the doofus from the NBC sitcom “Mad About You.”

So, I watched the first third or so of this movie about four times, waiting for it to actually click with my focus, like I was jimmying the tumblers of a lock. Once I made it a little past the discovery of the ship’s hidden passenger, I understood what all the fuss was about.

via 1080p digital copy, to avoid Jim Cameron’s weird color-grading of the 4K restoration

Jaws (1975)

I’m shocked this one doesn’t get a whole big annual theatrical run. Must be something wrong over at Universal Pictures, because the original blockbuster would be a great flick to run for everyone who doesn’t want to see the latest IP-based tentpole releases.

For all of the suspense, there’s a hilarious stupidity to how the civilians act, so much so that my formative memory of this viewing was based around how they didn’t want to close the beaches because of how much money would be lost. Superb cast, of course, nothing really bad to say about it.

via digital rental

I hope you can see these in theaters

Yi Yi (2000)

Writer and director Edward Yang’s best known for “Yi Yi,” a familial drama that shows how life for the Jian family is thrown asunder thanks to the ups (a wedding) and downs (a stroke) of life. While some might see its story as modest or slight, Yang’s classic earned praise thanks to how it’s filled with natural performances that help its 173-minute runtime go down smoothly.

On top of that, it’s just gorgeously shot, and it constantly makes Taipei look like a gorgeous work of art. I saw the film’s new 4K restoration after the excellent Rachel Vorona Cote posted about it earlier this year, and I hope this version makes it to an updated version of the current Criterion Collection release.

4K restoration @ BAM Rose Cinemas

Barry Lyndon (1975)

Hype is a curious thing, as I heard enough to go out of my way to see the new restoration of Stanley Kubrick’s “Barry Lyndon” at Netflix’s The Paris Theater, a venue that has:

1. A terribly flat floor, which makes for bad sight lines if someone tall is in front of you.

2. A laughably small screen for the size of the room it’s in.

3. Minimal leg room.

That’s how much people made me feel like I should see “Barry Lyndon,” which it turns out is a very screwed up movie about miserable people. That said, I was truly impressed by the dark candle-lit scenes for how they looked, and that was only with the slight knowledge that the film was well-known for how they used innovative cameras. It turns out the candlelit scenes were done with those specific lenses.

Otherwise? Lyndon is a miserable flick I’ll never want to watch again. Glad I got to see it, and I recommend tall people sit in the very front of the venue.

4K restoration at @ The Paris Theater

Hackers (1995)

I’ve had some possibly tongue-in-cheek contentious conversations about this, but I truly believe that “Hackers” is the best silly movie ever. Why is it getting that classification? Well, no offense to the actor I’m about to name, but it puts Matthew Lillard in a prominent role, something you don’t do in a serious project, especially in his earlier days.

Still, though, I absolutely loved “Hackers” for its fun nature, perfect outfits, 90’s tech vibes and how its politics held up.

in 35mm @ The Nitehawk in Williamsburg

Linda Linda Linda (2005)

Nobuhiro Yamashita’s young adult drama lets you rock and roll with an all-girl rock band that’s struggling in high school, and it’s light on the normal drama that teen flicks dwell on. Instead, it’s more about the focused effort to get their music right before the big show. That’s not to say that you don’t get hits of awkward romances with their fellow students, but this film is so much more focused on friendship, and telling us all about with well-composed moments.

The IFC Center has recently been running daytime screenings, so take advantage of your schedule if you can.

4K restoration @ The IFC Center

The Balconettes (2024)

A sort of modern “Rear Window,” from director/star Noémie Merlant (“Portrait of a Lady on Fire,”) where one hot summer day in Marseilles goes very wrong for a trio of friends who are in everyone’s business thanks to their balcony views. One of those perfectly tense in-the-theater watches, where the audience is collectively alternating between laughs and fits of “no, no, no” as chaos keeps erupting among the dissatisfied characters on screen.

Something of a Trojan horse film, “The Balconettes” doesn’t spend a whole lot of time hiding its central focus from audiences, and accomplishes its rug-pull with a relative ease. By the time it hits its fantastical climax, I wanted to believe in the reality it concocted.

@ The IFC Center

The Naked Gun (2025)

“The Naked Gun” was the reminder we all needed, that we should all go to the theater to laugh at a ton of dumb jokes dispersed at rapid speed by a capable cast. My favorite bits are the night vision confusion and the snowman perversion, and that’s ignoring the two surprise pro wrestler cameos in this thing. There is truly nothing like laughing really hard with a bunch of people in a packed house, something that the standup comedy world still knows.

I couldn’t exactly watch Akiva Schaffer’s 2025 revival of “The Naked Gun” without cringeing a fair bit, though, thanks to star Liam Neeson’s “I’m not racist” claims that raised more questions than answers. In this era where the biggest threats to movies are the faults in their stars, Neeson’s own thoughts will likely shadow his work for many years to come, at least in this writer’s mind.

@ Alamo Drafthouse in Brooklyn

Highest 2 Lowest (2025)

I have only one theory as to why Spike Lee’s latest got nearly zero time in theaters, as it only makes sense if the powers that be at Apple only watched the first 40 or so minutes of this take on Akira Kurosawa’s “High and Low.” That first act is an overly-soundtracked and oddly-sentimental bit of “oh, isn’t it awkward to be a rich family!” that left me ready to walk out at times. I’m glad I endured, though, expecting something better from one of New York’s most-esteemed filmmakers.

Things heat up once Lee gets to the crime drama, and especially the subway chase scene that felt like one of his finest moments in ages. Enough so that it’s the kind of thing you want to hear on full theatrical speakers, preferably with a crowd of New Yorkers (bonus points if they hate Boston). I’m even a fan of the fourth-wall breaking shenanigans in the ending.

The only thing in the second and third acts I don’t love is the Beats headphones product placement, because no record executive who is known for their perfect ear would want anything that isn’t reference-grade. Maybe you could argue that he wants to hear it the way his intended audience would, but a gold-plated pair of Beats headphones is not that, either.

@ Alamo Drafthouse in Brooklyn

In the Mood for Love (2000)

An absolute jaw-dropper, especially for those who use the word “yearning” as frequently as they drop commas in sentences. Not sure how much I can say about this that’s at all novel, but it should have been required viewing for everyone who loved “Everything Everywhere All At Once,” thanks to the clear influence.

4K restoration @ The IFC Center

Rashomon (1950)

I thought I’d seen this one before, but clearly I had not. Instead, I’d just seen the influence of Akira Kurosawa’s tale of subjective retellings about a hijacking in the woods that goes very wrong. One of the phenomenal things about this movie is how it refuses to give a clear sign that one of its narratives is the correct and factual one. Lately, this sort of ambiguity is harder to come by, as audiences continue to crave answers and refuse to accept anything else.

@ Film Forum

Good Boy (2025)

I don’t think this is a particularly great movie, but it is an excellent packed-house theatrical experience. Which is why seeing it at a members-only invite preview at the IFC Center was probably the best way to enjoy a movie that’s primarily about a dog experiencing a lot of fear. Those who pay attention to verbal cues or have been spoiled in advance may not worry about the dog for most of the film, but Indy (the canine in question) makes the movie good. Yes, I’m talking about a movie where an actual dog is the star. Can a dog act? Who’s to say. All I know is that they shot Indy well enough for me to believe it was acting.

Aside from Indy, though, there’s not a whole lot here. The cast is not given much, and that includes face-time. The plot is just as thin. Still, Indy captivates, and the camera film makes him a star. Find a way to see it with a packed house, because seeing it at home will probably leave you distracted during its lesser parts.

@ The IFC Center

Together (2025)

The fact that Dave Franco can convincingly portray someone scared of being in a committed relationship with Alison Brie proves that he's an amazing actor. Either way, I enjoyed the twisted body horror in this one, and the twist/reveal scene worked well despite it being kind of obvious. 

This will have a hard time translating at home, though, because there’s no way those cave scenes have the same bite and impact without the audio and scale that a theater offers.

@ Alamo Drafthouse in Brooklyn

Movies of the year

Sorry, Baby (2025)

I had the good fortune to go into Eva Victor’s “Sorry, Baby” with extremely minimal awareness of what I was about to see. All you really should know going in is that the trauma of sexual assault is a major topic of the film. I understand if that’s a dealbreaker for some, but actor, director and writer Victor handles it as perfectly as one can, with a natural hand that even manages to find humor in grief. Not that she needs it to make this film work, but it makes the story feel more real, because that’s how things can go.

@ BAM Rose Cinemas

Weapons (2025)

My most-anticipated film of 2025, director Zach Cregger’s second feature film, is the kind of thing that you cannot possibly get spoiled on or overhyped about. How is that possible? Well, it’s structured in such a way to repeatedly pull the rug out from under the audience by switching vantage points in a way that drew instant comparisons to Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Magnolia,” but it’s also a horror-thriller with a mystery involving children that stars Josh Brolin. None of that is what I retained from the trailer, either.

Still, “Weapons” won such a high tier in this list because of its absolute peaks. No other film is both as scary and as funny as this one gets, all while hitting strong notes about the modern paranoid parents, how teachers are completely screwed, and how scary your older relatives can be as a kid. Combine that with a stellar cast, and you have a movie that makes me say “hope you can enjoy scary movies.”

@ the office, and again at the Brooklyn Alamo Drafthouse

One Battle After Another (2025)

Leaving the theater, I thought about how Paul Thomas Anderson would have called this one “how to be an aging rebel girldad of a biracial child during a time of complete and utter political strife and shit” if he was running a Tumblr. An absolute thrill, “OBAA” feels more timely and relevant than anything I’ve seen that wasn’t “No Other Land” or … well, we’ll get to it next.

But timeliness isn’t quality (hi and bye to “Eddington” and “Civil War”), so let’s talk about performances and impact. Leonardo DiCaprio’s protagonist is such a funny role that somehow doesn’t make you think about the actor himself, while Benicio del Toro continues his long-running habit of stealing scenes and coming across as the suavest man in the room. Then, you have Teyana Taylor owning the screen with one of the most-controversial characters in recent history, and Sean Penn reminding us what pure evil looks like on the big screen. Lastly, I didn’t know Chase Infiniti before this, but I will always be looking out for here from here on out.

If that sounds like this is a whole-damn movie, you’re right, and its 162-minute runtime is the other wink to that direction. But this film moves at an amazing pace, and it’s also peak-worth-the-time. I left the theater feeling a little more alive and optimistic than when I went in, and I’m going to see it again. My only regret is not seeing it on a real IMAX screen, as that terrible-looking Jared Leto vehicle from Disney is pushing it out. See it on the biggest and best screen you can, while you can.

in VistaVision @ the Union Square Regal, and then again in 70mm @ Village East by Angelika

A House of Dynamite (2025)

Kathryn Bigelow is back, baby! Yes, while “Detroit” didn’t quite hit, the “Hurt Locker” director has truly hit one out of the park with the first Netflix movie I’ve truly adored in ages. This one finds America on the wrong end of an incoming missile of unknown origin, which we track along with various government and military officials, all of whom did not need this in their day. Those officials are played by a fantastic cast of actors including Rebecca Ferguson, Idris Elba, and Jared Harris, as well as some lesser-known talents who will impress.

The thing about this movie is that its array of great performances, direction and composition combine for something that could still disappoint some audiences. It didn’t take long for me to stew in the scene that annoyed me before I accepted it, moved on and just remembered everything I loved about this movie. Seeing it again to see how well it holds up when you know the structure.

@ Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center

Speaking of movies I’ve seen multiple times…

Revisitations

The Thing (1982)

An all-timer that I hope you've seen. Fantastic physical effects for the gore and body horror and the monsters. Packed with a pretty obvious allegorical plot device that points towards the public’s panic around AIDS, John Carpenter’s “The Thing” isn’t stuck in that era either, as paranoia around purity holds strong these days.

in 35mm at Village East by Angelika

Jackass: The Movie (2002)

My fellow Jackass fans: I hope you can someday see “Jackass: The Movie” again, and this time in 35mm. In this era of film-snobbery, I know the notion of seeing a Jackass movie on actual film is a sentiment that belongs on The Onion, but hear me out.

Film is slightly less clear. It ages. It’s imperfect. Of course we should be watching a group of grown men try and make each other laugh by committing a bunch of low-risk painful acts on themselves and each other in such a format. Extra points to Nitehawk for the introduction from Griffin Newman.

in 35mm @ The Prospect Park Nitehawk

Re-Animator (1985)

A classic piece of body horror from Stuart Gordon. One to see if you haven’t, but also one you shouldn’t revisit more than once a year at most. Love it, but maybe burning out on it.

4K restoration @ the Brooklyn Alamo Drafthouse

Perfect Blue (1977)

Satoshi Kon makes anime movies for the sickos, and I mean that in the most complimentary way. A twisting and turning rabbit hole film that will leave you wondering what’s actually happening, “Perfect Blue” follows a Japanese idol pop star who quits the music industry to pursue an acting career that gets dark in a hurry. This new version looks gorgeous enough that I had to order the physical release when I saw it online.

4K restoration @ the Essex Crossing Regal