The flashbacks are so well done. I find that I criticize a lot of films for their inability to work the past and present together in an effective manner, but Manchester is an exception. The smoothest jarring transitions I've seen, and that big flashback is worked into the narrative beautifully. Not to mention that the…

I feel the exact same way. I've also seen Loving and it was my least favorite Nichols film.

:O Now THAT I did not hear about*. Hopefully you get to go to both.

I heard about that! Sounds like a cool event, hope you enjoy.

I saw it at the Ace Hotel last Saturday. It was part of Airbnb's Open Spotlight festival. The next screening I know of is its premiere in Westwood on the 6th. And then there's an LA Live one, I believe? I'll try to remember to let you know if I find out about any more.

I am living in LA for the time being and this is one of the positives of doing so.

LA LA LAND: Oh man. This is a disappointing year. I like the film overall -some of the sequences are more beautiful than anything you'll see this year, and there's clearly a ton of heart and ambition and passion poured into every inch of this project (plus that Sandgren photography). However, the sequences don't do…

LA LA LAND: Oh man. This is a disappointing year. I like the film overall -some of the sequences are more beautiful than anything you'll see this year, and there's clearly a ton of heart and ambition and passion poured into every inch of this project (plus that Sandgren photography). However, the sequences don't do…

JACKIE: A solid central performance—though not the best this year—a haunting score, and an interesting look at public vs. private is almost completely undone by a confused narrative. This film doesn't really commit to one thread/style or the other, and it can't sustain its intended harrowing visual atmosphere as a…

This one has a fair amount of narrative flaws, but the "book within a movie" element of it is very strong. Also, in a movie with Amy Adams and Jake Gyllenhaal, it's Michael Shannon who stands out. Seriously, this is worth seeing just for him. Might be my favorite performance of the year so far.

Easily one of my favorites of the year. It's a funny, feel good movie driven not by emotional manipulation or manufactured "quirkiness". but rather by believable scenarios and characters. It completely earns whatever sappiness it might have at the end, and it's just such a breath of fresh air this year. And as you…

Casey Affleck and Michelle Williams being sad is pretty much all I need out of a movie.

Oh man, if you think the premise itself is already contrived and emotionally manipulative (which it is), just wait till you see the movie (again, don't see it). It gets worse.

Allied: Jesus, that was terrible. Brad Pitt is oftentimes fantastic, but this movie consists of Pitt being really fucking boring and Marion Cotillard trying her hardest to sell shitty material. I didn't care about anything going on in the story, and it was hard to anyway because I was too busy cringing at certain…

NOCTURNAL ANIMALS and ELLE feature the two best performances of the year so far (Michael Shannon in the former and Isabelle Huppert in the latter). Nocturnal has its problems when it comes to trying to tie all three of its storylines together, and I do feel like Amy Adams, though fantastic, has a meh role.…

This show is so refreshing because it finds compelling drama and quiet beauty in just figuring out how the hell to live life. It doesn't need anything else. Compared to other shows on TV, it's the most minimalist but also the most profound.

After all is said and done, I think the Kerwin-Daniel relationship will end up being my favorite thing the show has ever done, and that incredible monologue at the end of this episode brought back all of those memories. This show earned that monologue; we've seen this all building up over the course of the series, and…

Saw Bon Iver last night (with Hiss Golden Messenger and Patti Smith opening), and it was a great show. The new album is definitely not old Justin Vernon, but I like it a lot and the songs play well live. "8 (circle)" is incredible, and there was a particularly fantastic part last night during "00000 Million" where he…

The music choices for this episode were perfect and that was such a beautiful way to close out the episode.

MOONLIGHT: It's not my favorite of the year, but it's undoubtedly the most hopeful, lyrical, and quietly heartbreaking film I've seen in 2016. There is not one performance in here that is anything but fantastic, the score is unsettling yet enthralling, and the cinematography makes use of blue to create a ton of…