So March was another month with low new-to-me viewing numbers (although I did much better than last March!) This was partially due to attending SXSW (for work, not for movie watch; though I did get a few in) and also I fell down a Frasier re-watch rabbit hole. I watched eight whole season of Frasier last month!!! It really holds up. Anyways, as always you can see everything I watched below , as well as some favorites.

1. Kedi
2. A Summer Place
3. Get Out
4. Lemon
5. Lucky
6. Fits and Starts
7. Flesh and Blood
8. David Lynch – The Art Life
9. The Exiles
10. Raw
11. Personal Shopper
12. Tension
13. Song to Song
14. Antonia’s Line
15. Something Wild (1961)

1880s: 0
1890s: 0
1900s: 0
1910s: 0
1920s: 0
1930s: 0
1940s: 1
1950s: 1
1960s: 2
1970s: 0
1980s: 0
1990s: 1
2000s: 0
2010s: 10

Most of the films I saw in March were either new releases or unreleased films at SXSW, so naturally my favorites for the mont are mostly from that group. Two of the films below still don’t have distribution, but I hope they do so I can recommend them to everyone again!

Kedi, 2017 (dir. Ceyda Torun)

Not only the best movie about cats I have ever seen, it’s also one of the best documentaries I’ve seen as well. By following several cats in the city of Istanbul, director Ceyda Torun also explores the changing socio-economic realities of the city as well. Cat lovers will love this film for its celebration of the uniqueness of each and every cat, but it also features some truly good people and stories that will give you hope for society. Just an all around wonderful film.

Get Out, 2017 (dir. Jordan Peele)

A lot has been written about this film already, so I’ll keep this brief. I remember first hearing Peele was working on this film when I worked at Rotten Tomatoes and we interviewed him. As a fan of horror comedies I was pretty stoked. This film goes beyond being just a horror comedy, but also a sharp social satire as well. I can’t wait for Peele to make more films, as this is definitely up there among the great directorial debuts.

Lucky, 2017 (dir. John Carroll Lynch)

Speaking of directorial debuts, one of the films I managed to see at SXSW was John Carroll Lynch’s debut as a director Lucky. It stars Harry Dean Stanton (in a role written for him) as a 90+ year old man who lives a pretty decent life, although alone. After a fall lands him in the hospital – only to reveal there is nothing wrong with him – Lucky has to come to terms with his mortality, as well as his continued humanity. Filled with wonderful supporting performances from Beth Grant and David Lynch, I really hope this film finds a home before awards season as I think both Lynch and Stanton will be serious contenders.

Fits and Starts, 2017 (dir. Laura Terruso)

Another directorial debut I was able to check out at SXSW was Laura Terruso’s gem of a romantic comedy. Terruso co-wrote last year’s Hello My Name is Doris (which I still haven’t seen!) and wrote Fits and Starts while having writer’s block on another project. The film is about a couple – both writers, one more successful than the other – on one fateful weekend. The film explores relationships as well as the self-doubt that comes with anyone who is creative. I was really impressed by Wyatt Cenac’s lead performance; he is so damn funny. This is another one still looking for a distributor.

Antonia’s Line, 1995 (dir. Marleen Gorris)

Lastly, I finally saw Marleen Gorris’ feminist fairy tale Antonia’s Line. This is such a great film. There are so many wonderful women and it has so much to say about what society expects of women. What really made it work for me was how many different lifestyles of women Gorris shows, basically saying there is no right way to be a woman.

So that was March. I have a feeling April will also be full of Frasier (I have three more seasons to watch!). I’ll also be going to LA for the 8th TCM Classic Film Festival (this will be my 7th fest!), but like last year I will be working so I’m not sure if I’ll get to see any films. I’ll also be in LA on vacation for a few days after that. Maybe I’ll drop by the Cinefamily or the New Bev while I’m there!