Sorry this has been posted a day late! A lot of things are going on in my life. It’s a bit much to bear, and it’s what kept me from writing anything else for a bit. This morning, I have a funeral to head to, and to add more to the stress building up, I found out I need to get a root canal. These last few weeks have been a lot for me to handle, to the point that I feel almost like it’s been suffocating. I don’t even know how much time to myself I’ve had, but I’m trying to do the best I can to cope with it all crashing down.
Without further ado, these are Friday’s Five Films. If you like what you’re seeing here, remember to subscribe for a whole lot more.
#1: Beijing Watermelon (1988, Nobuhiko Obayashi)
One of Nobuhiko Obayashi’s very best; one that I believe deserves to be ranked in that same class as works like House and His Motorbike, Her Island. Sure, it’s a more grounded work compared to the films that Obayashi’s reputation has been established upon, but it’s no less enticing – if only for the fact that it’s done with great empathy. This movie is one built on acts of kindness, for Obayashi believes that human beings are capable of doing such good. With this film’s hook being built around Japanese-Chinese relations, perhaps that opens the door for a more moving text.
#2: Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977, Steven Spielberg)
This is one of the greatest movies ever made, and seeing it on 70mm has only locked that down for me. Then again, it’s not like I would ever find myself doubting Steven Spielberg of all people when it comes to delivering pure scale. This movie perhaps captures our unified fascination with the unknown, taking the Lovecraftian theory and turning it on its own head – while retaining the abject horror of it all. At the same time, it still feels like it’s Spielberg at some of his most personal, given how it’s built on absent parents, and the means of reconciling with them. Devastating for the same reasons it’s beguiling.
#3: Fight Club (1999, David Fincher)
Not like I have anything particularly original to say about Fight Club that hasn’t already been said before. Yet, given the nature of the novel by Chuck Palahniuk, it’s impressive just how much this film all comes together as a portrait of rising extremism in young men. And for that alone, it’s a rather prophetic film, given how much of it is built on the vulnerabilities of young men being channeled into violence, misogyny, and even terrorism. Today, I couldn’t help but find that in an era where people like Andrew Tate have a massive platform, Fight Club still stings greatly.
#4: The Funeral (1988, Juzo Itami)
One of the funniest movies ever made about how exhausting the process of grieving can be. It’s also one of the saddest movies that I think anyone can make about families being broken apart, and not really having much of a chance to properly reconnect because of traditions. Everything about this movie shows a funeral going the ways you could never count on it to go. And that’s where Juzo Itami found the perfect balancing act between comedy and tragedy: because the awkwardness of stilted family reunions can only make you realize something’s amiss.
#5: My Life as a Dog (1985, Lasse Hallström)
Speaking of movies that find the perfect mix between comedy and tragedy, here’s one that I hadn’t seen in a long time. To my memory, it’s both as life-affirming and as heartbreaking as I remembered it being. I’ve never exactly been a massive fan of Lasse Hallström’s work, only because his Hollywood work has embodied the worst kind of emotionally manipulative schmaltz. A film like My Life as a Dog is the exact opposite: it’s a very lived-in movie all about a young boy growing up, trying to cope with the pains from experiencing tragedy. And it’s just absolutely beautiful.
The Complete Day-by-Day Log
First time watches are denoted with bold text. Scores are on a ½ to ✯✯✯✯✯ basis.
Friday
The Great Silence (1968, Sergio Corbucci) - ✯✯✯✯✯
Vegapolis (2026, Micha Barban Dangerfield) - ✯✯✯✯
The Tower That Built a City (2026, Mark Myers) - ✯✯½
Saturday
Death at a Funeral (2010, Neil LaBute) - ✯✯½
Murderock (1984, Lucio Fulci) - ✯✯✯½
His Girl Friday (1940, Howard Hawks) - ✯✯✯✯✯
Sentient (2026, Tony Jones) - ✯✯½
Time and Water (2026, Sara Dosa) - ✯✯✯✯½
The Seoul Guardians (2026, Kim Jong-woo, Kim Shin-wan, Cho Chul-young) - ✯✯✯✯✯
Sunday
Aroused by Gymnopedies (2016, Isao Yukisada) - ✯✯✯½
Erupcja (2025, Pete Ohs) - ✯✯✯✯
A Beautiful Life (2011, Anderw Lau) - ✯✯✯
The Woman in the Rumor (1954, Kenji Mizoguchi) - ✯✯✯✯½
The Funeral (1984, Juzo Itami) - ✯✯✯✯✯
Monday
Dawn of the Felines (2017, Kazuya Shiraishi) - ✯✯✯½
Viridiana (1961, Luis Buñuel) - ✯✯✯✯✯
Star Wars (1977, George Lucas) - ✯✯✯✯✯
Mitski: The Land (2025, Grant James) - ✯✯✯✯½
Liebestraum (1991, Mike Figgis) - ✯✯✯✯
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977, Steven Spielberg) - ✯✯✯✯✯, watched on 35mm
Tuesday
Wet Woman in the Wind (2016, Akihiko Shiota) - ✯✯✯✯
Mother Mary (2026, David Lowery) - ✯✯½
Weekend (1967, Jean-Luc Godard) - ✯✯✯✯✯, watched on 35mm
Amoeba (2025, Siyou Tan) - ✯✯✯✯½
Wednesday
Sorority House Massacre (1986, Carol Frank) - ✯✯½
The Devil Wears Prada 2 (2026, David Frankel) - ✯✯✯½
Porco Rosso (1992, Hayao Miyazaki) - ✯✯✯✯✯
Beijing Watermelon (1989, Nobuhiko Obayashi) - ✯✯✯✯✯
Thursday
Eugene the Marine (2025, Hank Bedford) - ✯✯✯✯
My Life as a Dog (1985, Lasse Hallström) - ✯✯✯✯✯
Measures for a Funeral (2024, Sofia Bohdanowicz) - ✯✯✯✯
Fight Club (1999, David Fincher) - ✯✯✯✯✯
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