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 26 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)
• Schindler’s List (1993 d. Steven Spielberg) 👍
• Pulp Fiction (1994 d. Quentin Tarantino)
• Braveheart (1995 d. Mel Gibson)
• Fargo (1996 d. Joel Coen, Ethan Coen)
• Titanic (1997 d. James Cameron) 👍
• L.A. Confidential (1997 d. Curtis Hanson)
• Saving Private Ryan (1998 d. Steven Spielberg)
• Before Trilogy (d. Richard Linklater)
  Before Sunrise (1995 d. Richard Linklater)
  Before Sunset (2004 d. Richard Linklater)
  Before Midnight (2013 d. Richard Linklater)
  
• Gladiator (2000 d. Ridley Scott) 👍
• 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 Hurt Locker (2008 d. Kathryn Bigelow)
• The Spectacular Now (2013 d. James Ponsoldt)
• In Your Dreams (2025 d. Alex Woo, Erik Benson)
• Frankenstein (2025 d. Guillermo del Toro)
• Project Hail Mary (2026 d. Phil Lord, Christopher Miller)
• The Sheep Detectives (2026 d. Kyle Balda) 🎥

This is my current wishlist:

• 1992: One False Move (d. Carl Franklin) 1h 46m
• 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: Jackie Brown (d. Quentin Tarantino) 2h 34m
• 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: 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
• 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