Movies &c.

“It’s not what a movie is about, it’s how it is about it.” — Roger Ebert

I love watching movies, both in theaters (marked by 🎥 below), as well as at home — on Netflix, Prime Video, or on DVD. Yes, I still use DVDs. No, I will not be taking questions at this time.

See here for the movies I watched in 2025.

Below is a lovingly curated list of 16 movies I’ve watched so far this year—films I’d recommend to friends, strangers, time travelers, and probably even sworn enemies. If it’s listed here, it’s worth your time. If it’s marked with a 👍, it’s a full-throated endorsement—like, stop-what-you’re-doing-and-watch-it levels of enthusiasm. You’re welcome in advance. Stay tuned for more!

• The Godfather (1972 d. Francis Ford Coppola) 👍
• The Godfather Part II (1974 d. Francis Ford Coppola) 👍
• Raging Bull (1980 d. Martin Scorsese)
• Pulp Fiction (1994 d. Quentin Tarantino)
• Before Sunrise (1995 d. Richard Linklater)
• Fargo (1996 d. Joel Coen, Ethan Coen)
• Before Sunset (2004 d. Richard Linklater)
• Spy Game (2001 d. Tony Scott) 👍
• The Lord of the Rings, 2026 Extended Edition
  The Fellowship of the Ring (2001 d. Peter Jackson) 🎥 👍
  The Two Towers (2002 d. Peter Jackson) 🎥 👍
  The Return of the King (2003 d. Peter Jackson) 🎥 👍
• The Prestige (2006 d. Christopher Nolan) 👍
• Zodiac (2007 d. David Fincher)
• The Spectacular Now (2013 d. James Ponsoldt)
• In Your Dreams (2025 d. Alex Woo, Erik Benson)
• Frankenstein (2025 d. Guillermo del Toro)

This is my current wishlist:

• 1992: One False Move (d. Carl Franklin) 1h 46m
• 1993: Schindler’s List (d. Steven Spielberg) 3h 15m
• 1995: Maborosi (d. Hirokazu Kore-eda) 1h 35m
• 1997: Princess Mononoke (d. Hayao Miyazaki) 2h 14m
• 1997: Donnie Brasco (d. Mike Newell) 2h 7m
• 1997: L.A. Confidential (d. Curtis Hanson) 2h 18m
• 1997: Jackie Brown (d. Quentin Tarantino) 2h 34m
• 1997: Titanic (d. James Cameron) 3h 14m
• 1997: Kundun (d. Martin Scorsese) 2h 20m
• 1998: Elizabeth (d. Shekhar Kapur) 2h 4m
• 1998: Pleasantville (d. Gary Ross) 2h 4m
• 1998: Life Is Beautiful (d. Roberto Benigni) 1h 56m
• 1998: Saving Private Ryan (d. Steven Spielberg) 2h 49m
• 1998: The Truman Show (d. Peter Weir) 1h 43m
• 1999: Being John Malkovich (d. Spike Jonze) 1h 53m
• 1999: The Insider (d. Michael Mann) 2h 37m
• 2004: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (d. Michel Gondry) 1h 48m
• 2008: The Hurt Locker (d. Kathryn Bigelow) 2h 11m
• 2011: A Separation (d. Asghar Farhadi) 2h 3m
• 2014: Boyhood (d. Richard Linklater) 2h 45m
• 2018: Roma (d. Alfonso Cuarón) 2h 15m
• 2019: They Shall Not Grow Old (d. Peter Jackson) 1h 39m

Movies with a vibe like that of Zodiac — psychological, meticulous, a little obsessive, often with a cat-and-mouse dynamic or fractured perception of truth.

• 1986: Manhunter (d. Michael Mann) 2h
• 1991: The Silence of the Lambs (d. Jonathan Demme) 1h 58m
• 1995: Se7en (d. David Fincher) 2h 10m
• 1995: The Usual Suspects (d. Bryan Singer) 1h 46m
• 1999: The Talented Mr. Ripley (d. Anthony Minghella) 2h 19m
• 1999: The Bone Collector (d. Phillip Noyce) 1h 58m
• 2001: Frailty (d. Bill Paxton) 1h 40m
• 2002: Insomnia (d. Christopher Nolan) 1h 58m
• 2002: Ripley’s Game (d. Liliana Cavani) 1h 50m
• 2003: Mystic River (d. Clint Eastwood) 2h 17m
• 2004: Collateral (d. Michael Mann) 2h
• 2007: No Country for Old Men (d. Joel Coen, Ethan Coen) 2h 2m
• 2008: In Bruges (d. Martin McDonagh) 1h 47m
• 2010: Shutter Island (d. Martin Scorsese) 2h 18m
• 2013: Prisoners (d. Denis Villeneuve) 2h 33m
• 2014: Nightcrawler (d. Dan Gilroy) 1h 57m
• 2017: Wind River (d. Taylor Sheridan) 1h 47m