It’s a new year which means catching up on new releases held over from last year, new new-to-me films, and a whole new year of cinema! As it stands, I watched six holdovers from last year, three new 2019 films, and a handful of films that were new-to-me. I also binge-watched a new favorite television show. As always, you can see everything I watched after the cut, as well as some favorites.

1. Corpo celeste
2. The Ranch (1989)
3. State Like Sleep
4. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
5. Woman Walks Ahead
6. Searching
7. Venom
8. Split
9. Permanent Record
10. Vatel
11. Miracle Mile
12. Trees Lounge
13. Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child
14. Adult Life Skills
15. Glass
16. Destroyer (2018)
17. The Wife

1880s: 0
1890s: 0
1900s: 0
1910s: 0
1920s: 0
1930s: 0
1940s: 0
1950s: 0
1960s: 0
1970s: 0
1980s: 3
1990s: 1
2000s: 1
2010s: 12

The show I binge-watched was Lovesick on Netflix, which stars Johnny Flynn Antonia Thomas and Daniel Ings as roommates who live in Glasgow, Scotland. It follows their romantic ups and downs while also playing with time as it reveals their stories to you. So far there are three seasons and I binged them all over about three nights. It’s sweet and romantic and funny in a very British way. I love Johnny Flynn (who was in one of my favorite films from last year: Beast). I recommend this to anyone who is craving some doses of rom-com goodness.

Corpo celeste, 2012 (dir. Alice Rohrwacher)

Rohwacher is one of my current favorite directors. I’ve now seen all three of her feature films and they’ve all blown me away. This one is available on Amazon Prime and her other two are both on Netflix. Each of her films dissect aspects of modern Italian culture. This film features a stunning performance from Yle Vianello as Marta, a thirteen year-old girl whose mother has recently moved them back to southern Italy. This causes the girl strife as their new community is very religious and she is beginning to question everything, including her faith.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, 2018(dir. Peter Ramsey, Robert Persichetti Jr., Rodney Rothman, Bob Persichetti)

I don’t know what can be said about this breathtaking film that hasn’t already been said, but as a non-comic movie person, if all comic-book movies were as complex and as artistically boundary-pushing I might actually become a fan of comic-book movies. Definitely see this in theaters if you can.

Venom, 2018 (dir. Ruben Fleischer)

I think there are two kinds of people: those who think this movie is terrible and those who think it is a new queer classic. I am one of the latter. I loved everything about this bonkers movie, but in particular I loved Tom Hardy’s dual performance. I really wish I had scene it in theaters and think I may have cheated myself out of a great film-going experience. I actually rented this from Videodrome here in ATL and then immediately bought it on Blu so I could watch it over and over. Take that as you will.

Miracle Mile, 1988 (dir. Steve De Jarnatt)

Speaking of movies that I rented and then immediately bought on Blu-ray. Holy crap this movie. I watched it four times in two days because it has two commentaries and I definitely recommend watching them both. I then got my own copy and watched it again! I don’t really want to spoil the film, but I will say it is a masterclass in tonal shifts, as well as building tension. It starts as a romantic comedy and then becomes one of the great end-of-the-world movies. When the tension hits it is so well-earned that the first time I watched it I went from feeling just fine to being completely freaked out. It also succeeds as well as it does because you are so emotionally invested in the romance at its core. A banger score from Tangerine Dream is the cherry on top of this perfectly crafted film.

Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child, 2010 (dir. Tamra Davis)

One of my favorite docs from last year was Boom For Real: The Late Teenage Years of Jean-Michel Basquiat and in a lot of the reviews I saw mentions of this film. It was streaming on MUBI, so I finally was able to watch it and I thought it was fantastic. I think both films go together well in their ability to in once case present a great overview of Basquiat’s artistic life and the other painting a detailed portrait of the artistic community in which he came of age. Both are essential to understanding Basquiat as an artist in his own right and within the history of the New York art world.

I’m looking forward to discovery more films in February. There are already so many films on my radar that I cannot wait for! See you at the movies!