I have a lot of things to say about this year’s Oscar nominations that are coming up on Cinema from the Spectrum within the next week. The least that I can say right now: I think we might have had one of the strongest Best Picture lineups in a while. Even though there’s one pretty egregious snub in my eyes (Jafar Panahi’s It Was Just an Accident), I have very little complaints about the slate. I certainly was not prepared for Sinners to shatter the record. I’ll be writing more at Cinema from the Spectrum in the coming days, remember to follow there!
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: Ghost in the Shell (1995, Mamoru Oshii)
A defining movie from my teenage years. I think that Ghost in the Shell and Akira have both opened my eyes when it came to witnessing anime outside the likes of Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata, but was vital to how I perceived animation entirely. On one hand, it’s got some of the most stunning action scenes that anyone could ever want from a film, but Oshii’s not one to stop there: it’s a movie that leaves us in a spot where we reconcile with our own identity, and how we function in a society that renders people into a military machine. For that alone, it’s just remarkable in every sense of the word, I always find myself needing to sit with it after finishing.
#2: The Iron Giant (1999, Brad Bird)
One of the best animated films ever made. And I think that this movie might just as well be Brad Bird’s very best at that, considering how it takes down American paranoia at the height of the Cold War. Something I just don’t think many American animated films for children have come close to replicating, and it’s also a massive shame that Bird was done dirty for this movie at the time of its initial release too. Seeing this on 35mm was a delight, but I also don’t know if I can imagine anyone listening to the Iron Giant himself saying “Superman” without at least tearing up.
#3: Married to the Mob (1988, Jonathan Demme)
Slapstick comedy by way of the great Jonathan Demme, before he went on to have us cowering in fear at the hands of Hannibal Lecter. Married to the Mob belongs on every list of the great comedies of the 1980s. Everyone here is at the top of their game, and I think this movie is also home to Michelle Pfeiffer’s very best performance. And it also makes a great argument for cops and criminals not being too different from one another, despite the enterprise.
#4: The Naked Island (1960, Kaneto Shindo)
There’s not much one can write about regarding the beauty of The Naked Island that hasn’t already been stated by many other writers. Though I think I can only repeat the crux of it all: there’s no dialogue, but it’s also where Kaneto Shindo realizes the potential of film as a visual medium. And these visuals of feudal Japan and a family simply trying to survive despite circumstances would be all that you need: then that’s how The Naked Island becomes one of the most captivating movies ever made.
#5: Rear Window (1954, Alfred Hitchcock)
For what it’s worth, Rear Window was my last movie in theaters before the height of the COVID-19 pandemic hit and shut down theaters across Ontario. I think this might have been a very fitting final film before everything went down the drain, because Rear Window captures a certain low brought forth from being isolated from the world around us. In fact, Hitchcock might have been onto something when he was building a thriller off the idea of voyeurism, given the urges that exist within ourselves. It’s all uncontrollable, but Hitchcock knew that it’s where one makes the perfect thriller.
The Complete Day-by-Day Log
First time watches are denoted with bold text. Scores are on a ½ to ✯✯✯✯✯ basis.
Friday
The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976, Clint Eastwood) - ✯✯✯✯✯
Peking Opera Blues (1986, Tsui Hark) - ✯✯✯✯✯
The Naked Island (1960, Kaneto Shindo) - ✯✯✯✯✯, watched on 35mm
Nome (2023, Sana Na N’Hada) - ✯✯✯✯
Married to the Mob (1988, Jonathan Demme) - ✯✯✯✯✯
Saturday
Witchfinder General (1968, Michael Reeves) - ✯✯✯½
Withnail & I (1987, Bruce Robinson) - ✯✯✯✯✯
All You Need Is Kill (2025, Kenichiro Akimoto) - ✯✯
Mimosas (2016, Oliver Laxe) - ✯✯✯✯
Harakiri (1962, Masaki Kobayashi) - ✯✯✯✯✯
Sunday
The Siege at Thorn High (2025, Joko Anwar) - ✯✯✯
The Rip (2026, Joe Carnahan) - ✯✯✯
The Sky Trembles and the Earth is Afraid and the Two Eyes Are Not Brothers (2015, Ben Rivers) - ✯✯½
The Thin Line (1966, Mikio Naruse) - ✯✯✯✯, watched on 35mm
Uma Musume: Pretty Derby - Road to the Top (2024, Liao Chengzhi) - ✯✯✯
Umamusume: Pretty Derby - Beginning of a New Era (2024, Ken Yamamoto) - ✯✯✯✯
Monday
The Fake Ghost Catchers (1982, Lau Kar-wing) - ✯✯✯
Winchester ‘73 (1950, Anthony Mann) - ✯✯✯✯✯
Rear Window (1954, Alfred Hitchcock) - ✯✯✯✯✯
Poetic Justice (1993, John Singleton) - ✯✯✯✯½
Psycho (1960, Alfred Hitchcock) - ✯✯✯✯✯
Tuesday
Pee-wee’s Big Adventure (1985, Tim Burton) - ✯✯✯✯✯
The Testament of Ann Lee (2025, Mona Fastvold) - ✯✯✯✯, watched on 70mm
House Party (1990, Reginald Hudlin) - ✯✯✯✯✯
Wednesday
The 6th Day (2000, Roger Spottiswoode) - ✯✯✯
North by Northwest (1959, Alfred Hitchcock) - ✯✯✯✯✯
The Iron Giant (1999, Brad Bird) - ✯✯✯✯✯, watched on 35mm
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992, David Lynch) - ✯✯✯✯✯
Thursday
Ghost in the Shell (1995, Mamoru Oshii) - ✯✯✯✯✯
Older Brother, Younger Sister (1953, Mikio Naruse) - ✯✯✯✯, watched on 35mm
Tim and Eric’s Billion Dollar Movie (2012, Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim) - ✯✯✯✯
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