Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey is finally out, after tickets have gone on sale a year ago. The first I’ll say, is that I knew for a fact that if the movie were anything less than stellar, I’d feel a very immense level of disappointment. I’m writing about the movie now for Cinema from the Spectrum, but I’ll also be occupied a bit with the Fantasia Film Festival in Montréal, which I’m covering virtually for the time being. More coverage will be shared as I’m able to get it ready, and I can’t wait to share it with you all.
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: Boyz n the Hood (1991, John Singleton)
Earlier in the year, Criterion released a box set compiling three films by John Singleton; the films which he coined his “Hood Trilogy.” Of the three, there’s no doubt in my mind that the best film is also Singleton’s very first, Boyz n the Hood. The fact Singleton wrote and directed this film when he was only 23 is one thing; that it got him Oscar nominations at that age is another. But when I watch these three films so close to one another, there’s a very lived-in feeling that they all carry, especially when it comes to living in a gentrified Los Angeles, being relegated to live in constant fear. It’s something that makes Boyz n the Hood as powerful as it is, and just one of the greatest directorial debuts in cinema history.
#2: The Elephant Man (1980, David Lynch)
The scene of Merrick shouting “I am not an animal! I am a human being! I am a man!” is carved deep into my heart. I don’t know how anyone can watch that scene without crying, especially knowing the many layers of cruelty that one would never think possible unless we think about the way Merrick saw the world. It’s no wonder that this story was one that David Lynch wanted to bring to the screen, because his own surrealist sensibilities help with seeing humanity through a sight unseen in Merrick. It’s a film that makes a plea with its viewers to consider how their humanity is able to stretch itself. And thus, we start to accept people like Merrick into our hearts, just as he wanted more than anything else his whole life. As if there’d be any other reason why David Lynch was one of the greatest filmmakers of all time; one need to look at a work like this to see why.
#3: Mona Lisa (1986, Neil Jordan)
Years ago I probably would have called this my favourite Neil Jordan movie. It’s excellent as I’d remembered it being, but I think that it’s also a perfect example of Neil Jordan being a forward-thinking filmmaker, even when he works with a familiar template. On the surface, you’d see a British gangster story not too dissimilar from The Long Good Friday which Bob Hoskins also starred (a film that I personally favour over this), but it’s also a very empathetic work overall. One that feels for the circumstances which put George in his ordeal, but also the queer sex workers who inevitably get involved in this masculine world of gangland violence in Simone. There are no angels in this world, just people trying to survive.
#4: Nomad (1982, Patrick Tam)
I fell in love with Patrick Tam’s My Heart is That Eternal Rose when I saw the film on Criterion Channel a few years ago. Naturally, I’d have wanted to see Nomad the moment when it was made more widely available, and it didn’t disappoint whatsoever. In its portrait of carefree love, especially among youth, it’s stunning. Yet, the places where it goes from there are horrifying. I can’t exactly blame anyone for not having sought out Tam to the same extent they would contemporaries like Wong Kar-wai. Tam’s keen eye for dreamlike settings is one among many extraordinary things about his work as a director, but the same can be said for his ability to snap you back into reality with the snap of a finger.
#5: The Odyssey (2026, Christopher Nolan)
I bought my ticket for the IMAX 70mm screening of this when they went on sale last year. It seemed absurd, especially when at the time the tickets were on sale, the film was still in production. I thought the idea was silly, but eventually Dune: Part Three followed suit, and I had no choice but to book tickets so far in advance. To say the least, if this movie turned out bad, I would have been incredibly mad. There’s a level of ambition present here that I don’t think Christopher Nolan has ever reached before: not at least since Interstellar. Which makes this particular rendition of The Odyssey all the more impressive to me, because it’s as close as one can get to seeing Homer try to tell this same story today. It’s hardly going to go down as the definitive take on Odyssey, but I think it’s assuring that a film like this can reach such a massive audience and still feel fresh. Then again, I think Christopher Nolan has always been very reliable on that front, especially in the contemporary blockbuster scene.
The Complete Day-by-Day Log
First time watches are denoted with bold text. Scores are on a ½ to ✯✯✯✯✯ basis.
Friday
Death in Venice (1971, Luchino Visconti) - ✯✯✯✯✯
The Crying Game (1992, Neil Jordan) - ✯✯✯✯✯
The Odyssey (2026, Christopher Nolan) - ✯✯✯✯✯, watched on 70mm
Saturday
Boyz n the Hood (1991, John Singleton) - ✯✯✯✯✯
La Ciénaga (2001, Lucrecia Martel) - ✯✯✯✯✯
Oppenheimer (2023, Christopher Nolan) - ✯✯✯✯✯, watched on 70mm
Toy Story (1995, John Lasseter) - ✯✯✯✯✯
Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1974, Martin Scorsese) - ✯✯✯✯✯
Sunday
Baby Boy (2001, John Singleton) - ✯✯✯✯½
Castration Movie Anthology ii. The Best of Both Worlds (2025, Louise Weard) - ✯✯✯✯✯
Castration Movie Chapter iii.ii Junior Ghosts—Premorphic Drift; a fragmentary passage (2026, Louise Weard) - ✯✯✯✯✯
Monday
Cruel Story of Youth (1960, Nagisa Oshima) - ✯✯✯✯✯
Street of Love and Hope (1959, Nagisa Oshima) - ✯✯✯½
The Elephant Man (1980, David Lynch) - ✯✯✯✯✯
Hud (1963, Martin Ritt) - ✯✯✯✯✯
Tunnels: Sun in the Dark (2025, Bùi Thạc Chuyên) - ✯✯✯½
Tuesday
Poetic Justice (1993, John Singleton) - ✯✯✯✯½
Toy Story 2 (1999, John Lasseter) - ✯✯✯✯✯
Rose of Nevada (2025, Mark Jenkin) - ✯✯✯✯, watched on 35mm
Interview with the Vampire (1994, Neil Jordan) - ✯✯✯✯
Wednesday
Nomad (1982, Patrick Tam) - ✯✯✯✯✯
American Girl (2021, Feng-I Fiona Roan) - ✯✯✯✯
Hayop Ka! (2020, Avid Liongoren) - ✯✯✯
The Samurai and the Prisoner (2026, Kiyoshi Kurosawa) - ✯✯✯✯
Mona Lisa (1986, Neil Jordan) - ✯✯✯✯✯
Thursday
Toy Story 3 (2010, Lee Unkrich) - ✯✯✯✯✯
Pools (2024, Sam Hayes) - ✯✯✯
Whip It (2009, Drew Barrymore) - ✯✯✯✯, watched on 35mm
Bad Lieutenant (1992, Abel Ferrara) - ✯✯✯✯✯
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