2021 film diary

also logged on this page: filmed stage productions, TV miniseries

january

The Umbrellas of Cherbourg - Criterion poster

The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964)

Original Title: Les parapluies de Cherbourg
Director: Jaques Demy
Writer: Jaques Demy
Stars: Catherine Deneuve, Nino Castelnuovo

gorgeous, romantic, moving. adored this one; so glad to finally cross it off the to-watch list.

Fiddler on the Roof - Theatrical release poster by Ted Coconis

Fiddler on the Roof (1971)

rewatch, Title TK Podcast
Director: Norman Jewison
Writers: Joseph Stein (stageplay & screenplay), Sholem Aleichem (Tevye the Dairyman stories)
Stars: Topol, Norma Crane

a rewatch for the podcast. brilliant adaptation. makes me cry every time. movie musicals weren't the name of the game in the '70s, but the decade still produced some greats.

What a Girl Wants poster - Amanda Bynes throws up a peace sign while standing between two guards in bearskin hats.

What a Girl Wants (2003)

rewatch, movie night with K
Director: Dennie Gordon
Writers: Jenny Bicks & Elizabeth Chandler (screenplay), William Douglas-Home (stageplay "The Reluctant Debutante")
Stars: Amanda Bynes, Colin Firth

movie night with K. you can tell how old I am because I have an awful lot of nostalgia for the 2000s. the music, the fashion, and...perhaps the frivolity. films like this are a pleasure to return to; lighthearted fun. goes on the shelf next to Chasing Liberty.

Chemical Hearts - Amazon Original poster

Chemical Hearts (2020)

movie night with K
Director: Richard Tanne
Writers: Richard Tanne (screenplay), Krystal Sutherland (original book "Our Chemical Hearts")
Stars: Lili Reinhart, Austin Abrams

putting this on the shelf next to Untamed Heart, in a loving way—though the brain chemistry talk in this one is nearly as awkward as the "baboon heart" monologue poor Christian Slater had to deliver. Chemical Hearts is exactly the sort of romantic drama that appeals to me. angst, damaged characters, blurry friendship/romance dynamics. surprised me with its unusual structure & and ending. standout performance by Lili Reinhart. she's got the right energy for Diana Bishop, actually.

february

Maudie poster

Maudie (2016)

Director: Aisling Walsh
Writers: Sherry White
Stars: Sally Hawkins, Ethan Hawke

it's a goal of mine to get more Canadian media into my diet. Maud Lewis was a folk artist from Nova Scotia. gosh, I want to get to the Maritimes. the same part of me that longs to get to Scotland wants to get to the east coast—and they are very similar, for what it's worth. this film (shot in Newfoundland, sorry Nova Scotians) is gorgeous. and again, exactly the kind of thing I like: quiet, character-driven, unconventional love story. the relationship at the heart of it is not particularly warm. Everett is gruff, boorish. and then Maud, sweet and frail...

wonderful performances. a real pleasure to watch.

Pieces of a Woman poster

Pieces of a Woman (2020)

Director: Kornél Mundruczó
Writers: Kata Wéber
Stars: Vanessa Kirby, Shia LeBeouf

stress and relief. there's the "fun-scary" that we might get from a horror movie or a roller coaster. there's also the catharsis that we might get from hurt/comfort fanfiction or a good tragegy. we seek safe ways to work through difficult feelings.

under the right conditions, stories about trauma help me find a little peace. the comfortable melancholy swallows me up and I feel at ease. a story that is supposed to make me hurt, or sad, or upset is a relief, just like rain on a day you don't want to get out of bed. in that spirit, I watched this film at precisely the right time.

it may be a strange comparison, but like Up, this film has an exceptional prologue and never quite recovers. still. I could watch Vanessa Kirby all day.

Speed Racer poster

Speed Racer (2008)

Title TK Podcast
Directors: Lana & Lilly Wachowski
Writers: Lana & Lilly Wachowski, Tatsuo Yoshida (animated series "Speed Racer")
Stars: Emile Hirsch, Matthew Fox

art versus commerce. love versus capitalism. a tale of justice and vengeance. beautifully entwined timelines, particularly at the start of the film. an op art masterpiece, right down to the zoetrope at the start of the grand prix. heck your realism. this is the goddamn American Dream.

The Jane Austen Book Club poster

The Jane Austen Book Club (2007)

movie night with K
Director: Robin Swicord
Writers: Rian James & James Seymour (screen play), Bradford Ropes (original book)
Stars: Ruby Keeler, George Brent

a fun little primer on Austen. nice diversity of relationship types.

42nd Street poster

42nd Street (1933)

movie night with G
Director: Lloyd Bacon
Writers: Robin Swicord (screenplay), Karen Joy Fowler (book)
Stars: Maria Bello, Hugh Dancy

this one's been sitting in my WB musicals box set for years, just waiting to be watched. it's a charming little picture from the pre-Code era about backstage life, finished off with some classic Busby Berkeley numbers.

march

Serendipity poster

Serendipity (2001)

rewatch, movie night with K
Director: Peter Chelsom
Writer: Marc Klein
Stars: John Cusack, Kate Beckinsale

on the one hand, it is almost painful to watch this sequence of coincidences and near-misses. on the other hand...gosh, I just melt at the thought of a romantic universe that cares enough to try to match you with this one, perfect person. I like this fantasy. just because my favourite film of all time is a fairly realistic tale of two friends who fall in love does not mean I want all my romances to have their feet on the ground.

also: "Cassiopeia" is such a lovely word to say aloud. I adore the sound of it. "And I will love words for their own sake, like ‘hyacinth’ and ‘Piccadilly’ and ‘onyx’..."

Northanger Abbey PBS poster

Northanger Abbey (2007)

rewatch, movie night with K
Director: Jon Jones
Writers: Andrew Davies (screenplay), Jane Austen (novel)
Stars: Felicity Jones, JJ Feild

remains delightful. I am charmed by the way this adaptation intercuts Cat's fantasies like she's the self-insert heroine in her own fanfic stories. I'm a big fan of the casting. Carey Mulligan stands out as a member of the supporting cast and is great fun.

Love & Friendship poster

Love & Friendship (2016)

movie night with K
Director: Whit Stillman
Writers: Whit Stillman, Jane Austen (based on her novella "Lady Susan")
Stars: Kate Beckinsale, Xavier Samuel

I've not read Lady Susan. I might do so yet. I was delighted to watch such a clever, beautiful, unscrupulous lady scheme her way through the plot. this is one of those charming, devious stories in which the characters manipulate and are manipulated but no one we care about is really hurt in the end. though I couldn't put anything in the same category as The Favourite, this does have a touch of that essence—a period comedy with modern flavour and scheming characters. Love & Friendship would be a better lead-in to that film than to other Austen romances, I think.

book vs. film: “My dear Alicia, of what a mistake were you guilty in marrying a man of his age! Just old enough to be formal, ungovernable, and to have the gout; too old to be agreeable, too young to die.” (book) / “What a mistake you made marrying him: too old to be governable, too young to die.” (film)

Mansfield Park poster

Mansfield Park (1999)

movie night with K
Director: Patricia Rozema
Writers: Patricia Rozema, Jane Austen (based on her novel and letters)
Stars: Frances O'Connor, Jonny Lee Miller

omg YES to Patricia Rozema's Mansfield Park. I thought it was extraordinary. though I've not read the novel, I'm aware that this is a very different Fanny Price. and I love her! I found myself truly feeling for this character who had principles and was uncertain what to do when someone attractive and unprincipled came along. (does that remind anyone else of Broadcast News?) the plot is also complex and heckin' dramatic. and was it a surprise to anyone that the love between Fanny and Edmund, lifelong and full of warmth and long-suppressed, would appeal to me? then there's the charming and careless Mary Crawford, who has quickly become a favourite Austen character...

honestly, I'm now curious about the book and other, more faithful adaptations. I have a feeling I will be visiting Mansfield Park again soon.

april

National Theatre Live - Yerma poster

Yerma (2017)

national theatre at home

Directors: Simon Stone, Tony Grech-Smith
Writers: Simon Stone (adaptation), Federico García Lorca (original play)
Stars: Billie Piper, Brendan Cowell

everything written about Billie Piper is absolutely true—she gives a phenomenal performance.

and it supports what is a stunning production. the cast is brilliant. the minimal design of the set, a glass box which contains the actors and transforms astonishingly quickly from scene to scene, never feels gimicky. the writing is sharp and poignant, completely real and reflective of the mess of life.

I am fascinated by stories of women driven mad. what I mean is...there is turmoil always stirring within me, fear and desire and passion and shame and longing. but it's held in by...what? by good sense? by the confines of a privileged life? by my relationships, the people I on whom I depend and who depend on me. so I'm fascinated by stories in which people are pushed beyond reason. the freedom and the horror of going so far.

National Theatre Live - Julie poster

Julie (2018)

national theatre at home

Directors: Carrie Cracknell, Matthew Amos
Writers: Polly Stenham (adaptation), August Strindberg (original play Miss Julie)
Stars: Vanessa Kirby, Eric Kofi-Abrefa, Thalissa Teixeira

let me say it again: I will watch Vanessa Kirby do anything. this was true from the moment I first saw her in The Hour, and especially true after The Crown, where the rest of the world discovered her.

this role is right in her wheelhouse. I'm sure it says something about me that I frequently fall a little bit in love with these kinds of characters—charismatic, lonely, self-indulgent, vulnerable. it's the kind of performance I find mesmerizing to watch. like seeing a distant shimmer and coming nearer and nearer only to realize it's the broken, bloodied glass of some tragedy glinting in the sun.

though I'm not familiar with Strindberg's play, it does seem this adaptation is less successful than Yerma in modernizing its source material. as a tragedy, it doesn't have that sense of inevitable momentum carried by the characters' convictions. the stage, too, is gorgeous but enormous. an awful lot of space in which for two or three characters to have their conversations.

still. I will always turn up watch bright young things collide with one another.

P.S. shout-out to the incredible Thalissa Teixeira, who I was unfamiliar with before and have now seen in two productions. I find myself watching how she moves, stands, sits on stage...

National Theatre Live - Mosquitoes poster

Mosquitos (2017)

national theatre at home

Director: Rufus Norris
Writer: Lucy Kirkwood
Stars: Olivia Williams, Olivia Coleman

oh look, more trauma.

Ladybird does an extraordinary job of portraying a complex, loving-but-difficult mother-daughter relationship. Mosquitoes manages to achieve similar greatness with the relationship between the two sisters, Alice and Jenny. I grew up with a sibling who is very different from me. sometimes you complement one another. sometimes you collide and do you damage.

being "smart" doesn't mean you have a handle on your life. trusting your feelings over logic doesn't make you "stupid." and none of us ever really have an appropriate sense of persepective, because life demands that we adopt so many perspectives. contemplate the universe if you wish, but the dishes still need doing.

not a play I might have seen based solely on its summary, but an excellent watch.

Wildlife poster

Wildlife (2018)

Director: Paul Dano
Writers: Paul Dano, Zoe Kazan, Richard Ford (novel)
Stars: Ed Oxenbould, Carey Mulligan, Jake Gyllenhaal

like watching a fire smoulder for 100 minutes.

Just Like Heaven poster

Just Like Heaven (2005)

movie night with K

Director: Mark Waters
Writers: Peter Tolan, Leslie Dixon, Marc Lévy (novel Et si c'etait vrai / If Only It Were True)
Stars: Reese Witherspoon, Mark Ruffalo

high-concept romantic comedy with a surprising amount of charm and heart, largely due to the performances from our two leads. winner for best supporting role goes to Jon Heder (yes, Napoleon Dynamite himself) as Darryl, the psychic bookstore clerk.

The Thing poster

The Thing (1982)

movie night with E

Director: John Carpenter
Writers: Bill Lancaster, John W. Campbell Jr. (novella Who Goes There?)
Stars: Kurt Russel, Keith David

truly the high water mark for these kinds of practical horror effects. with the advantage of great source material, The Thing delivers on horror and tension in abundance. absolutely not my genre; absolutely a must-watch anyway.

Alien poster

Alien (1979)

movie night with E

Director: Ridley Scott
Writers: Dan O'Bannon
Stars: Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt

impressive to look at. moves at a pace I find appealing, which is to say it plays out without great speed. Alien seems so sure of itself that even 40+ years on it felt new and vital. once again, not my genre, but well worth seeing.

Innerspace poster

Innerspace (1987)

movie night with T

Director: Joe Dante
Writers: Chip Proser (story), Jeffrey Boam (screenplay)
Stars: Dennis Quaid, Martin Short, Meg Ryan

the peak of 80s high-concept sci-fi. wild and fun and camp. Teague's pick for me.

Kate & Leopold poster

Kate & Leopold (2001)

rewatch, movie night with T

Director: James Mangold
Writers: Steven Rogers (story), James Mangold (screenplay)
Stars: Meg Ryan, Hugh Jackman

the last of the great Meg Ryan romantic comedies, featuring time travel, a chivalrous Hugh Jackman, brief passages of Penzance, decent dating advice, and my favourite Sting song of all time. my pick for Teague.

may

My Best Friend's Wedding poster

My Best Friend's Wedding (1997)

rewatch, movie night with K

Director: P.J. Hogan
Writer: Ronald Bass
Stars: Julia Roberts, Dermot Mulroney, Cameron Diaz

I've always loved romantic comedies. I've been watching them since I was a kid. the thing is, as a kid, you look at these films and thing, "ooh, look at the grown-ups and their grown-up romantic lives." watching this at twenty-five, I was so pleasantly surprised to find that 1) it really holds up and 2) they're like 27, 28 years old (and he's about to marry at 20 year old!) and Julia Roberts is sooo not a grown up—she is a hot mess express. this film has got the swelling music and the dramatic running and the romantic speeches...but it also has characters who make choices and own up to their mistakes and no one is perfect and no one is horrible. gosh, I almost want to make this required viewing for people my age.

maybe it's just because my friends have started getting married.

The Shining poster

The Shining (1980)

rewatch, movie night with E

Director: Stanley Kubrick
Writers: Stanley Kubrick (screenplay), Diane Johnson (screenplay), Stephen King (novel)
Stars: Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall

Kubrick nixed most of the supernatural stuff, forgot about the boiler, threw in an axe murder, and genuinely traumatized Shelley Duvall. yikes. but she is incredible in this. the pace is needlessly slow, like the film is stunned and dragging its feet the whole time, but I actually like that. something about the atmosphere really works for me. can't say my movie buddy was impressed.

Honey poster

Honey (2003)

rewatch, movie night with K

Director: Bille Woodruff
Writers: Alonzo Brown, Kim Watson
Stars: Jessica Alba, David Moscow, Romeo Miller

my pick. a nostalgic choice that reveals my age—I grew up thinking hip hop, low-rise jeans, and a toned stomach were the key to cool. it's like this and Save the Last Dance. can't say it holds up too well, but there's something real earnest about this one. I just wanna pat this movie on the top of its head.

also, I spent the whole of Torchwood: Miracle Day trying to place Mekhi Phifer. it was this. knew him from this.

Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me poster

Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999)

rewatch, drive-in with N, S, A, & K

Director: Jay Roach
Writers: Mike Meyers (characters), Michael McCullers
Stars: Mike Meyers, Heather Graham

the Austin Powers films are not quite my kind of comedy. half the humour is not to my taste, but then the other half is utterly brilliant. the 60s costumes are groovy, baby. the music is fab. I am no longer 12, so I know all the actors from other things and get to be amused by their presence here.

but this was an excuse to spend an evening with my friends. I would've met them in a Walmart parking lot and watched The Cat in the Hat on somebody's iPhone.

The Queen's Gabmit poster

The Queen's Gabmit (miniseries) (2020)

Created by: Scott Frank, Allan Scott
Director: Scott Frank
Writers: Scott Frank, Walter Tevis (novel)
Stars: Anya Taylor-Joy, Isla Johnston

gorgeous. superb. utterly satisfying.

june

Julie & Julia poster

Julie & Julia (2009)

rewatch with E

Director: Nora Ephron
Writers: Scott Frank, Julie Powell (book Julie & Julia), Julia Child (book My LIfe in France
Stars: Amy Adams, Meryl Streep

remains one of my favourite films of all time. Desplat's music, the performances from our two lead couples, a story about writing and food and marriage...directed by Nora Ephron! it's like it was made for me.

Charlie's Angels poster

Charlie's Angels (2000)

movie night with E

Director: McG
Writers: Ryan Rowe, Ed Solomon, John August
Stars: Drew Barrymore, Lucy Liu, Cameron Diaz

good fun with a little 2000s-era cringe.

Inside poster

Inside (2021)

Director: Bo Burnham
Writer: Bo Burnham
Star: Bo Burnham

depending on your mental wellness, this may be either comforting, or triggering, or both. meticulously crafted and always astute, it's a brilliant special. I recommend planning self-care time for after you watch.

Read It and Weep poster

Read It and Weep (2006)

rewatch with E

Director: Paul Hoen
Writers: Patrick J. Clifton (teleplay), Beth Rigazio (teleplay), Julia DeVillers (novel How My Private, Personal Journal Became a Bestseller)
Stars: Kay Panabaker, Danielle Panabaker

when I was a kid, this movie made me want to be a novelist. I wanted Jamie's laptop, which flipped into a tablet (so cool!). I wanted to be the incredible teen author publishing a bestseller at fifteen.

Zap!

Don't Look Under the Bed poster

Don't Look Under the Bed (1999)

rewatch with E

Director: Kenneth Johnson
Writers: Mark Edward Edens
Stars: Erin Chambers, Ty Hodges

while this film is enjoyable enough in the first two thirds, once Frances and Larry get to Boogeyworld, this becomes a proper horror movie. Steve Valentine gives an almost-too-scary-for-Disney performance. the Boogeyman—excuse me, Boogeyperson—makeup is incredible. this is right up there with the Child Catcher from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang when it comes to children's movie villains.

Runaway Bride poster

Runaway Bride (1999)

rewatch with K

Director: Garry Marshall
Writers: Josann McGibbon, Sara Parriott
Stars: Julia Roberts, Richard Gere

you can float an entire film on Julia Roberts' charm, no problem. and there are a couple scenes in this that genuinely move me—Ike standing up for Maggie at wedding dress shop and the luau, Maggie and Peggy's little moment in the hair salon ("I think sometimes you just sort of spaz-out with random excess flirtation energy and it just lands on anything male that moves"). but unlike My Best Friend's Wedding, which felt surprisingly real and grounded on a rewatch, this one is strictly in the realm of fantasy.

Damn Yankees poster

Damn Yankees (1958)

movie with G

Directors: George Abbott, Stanley Donen
Writers: George Abbott (screenplay), Douglass Wallop (stage play, novel The Year the Yankees Lost the Pennant)
Stars: Tab Hunter, Gwen Verdon

I watched this movie for one reason and her name is Gwen Verdon. okay, listen: Damn Yankess is Faust + baseball. it's got a few smashing numbers and our hero is a man who just really loves his wife. it's perfectly enjoyable.

Professor Marston and the Wonder Women poster

Professor Marston and the Wonder Women (2017)

movie with N

Directors: Angela Robinson
Writers: Angela Robinson
Stars: Luke Evans, Rebecca Hall, Bella Heathcote

hello, this one was made for me. academia, romantic drama, a love that society proclaims shameful. I'm always interested in relationship dynamics, and this film serves up a feast.

“She is beautiful, guileless, kind, and pure of heart. You are brilliant, ferocious, hilarious, and a grade A bitch. Together, you are the perfect woman.”
Long Shot poster

Long Shot (2019)

movie with N

Directors: Jonathan Levine
Writers: Dan Sterling, Liz Hannah
Stars: Charlize Theron, Seth Rogan

surprisingly fun, with heart.

august

Life Partners poster

Life Partners (2014)

Director: Susanna Fogel
Writers: Susanna Fogel, Joni Lefkowitz
Stars: Leighton Meester, Gillian Jacobs

I love films that center friendship. especially friendships like this, the ones that are so intense and co-dependent that they occupy the space we usually hold for romantic relationships. they are fascinating to examine. I also love the tension inherent in growing up, especially in your mid and late twenties. I mean, I'm at that stage now—friends getting married, buying property, settling into careers. others moving away, going back to school, changing paths. this was so worth the watch. it's...it reminds me of Frances Ha, grappling with similar themes in a different genre and tone.

The Party's Just Beginning poster

The Party's Just Beginning (2018)

Director: Karen Gillan
Writer: Karen Gillan
Stars: Karen Gillan, Matthew Beard

there's a kind of movie where character actions drive plot, and a kind of movie where they don't; this is the latter. it feels much more like plot is just happening to Liusaidh, but that works for a film about grief and depression in the aftermath of a suicide. and you know me when it comes to films about self-destruction—I have an appetite for them. this satisfied.

Vamps poster

Vamps (2012)

Director: Amy Heckerling
Writer: Amy Heckerling
Stars: Alicia Silverstone, Krysten Ritter

came up on the front page of Amazon Prime; figured I'd go for it. this film does what it says on the tin. it's a fun, campy vampire story set in NYC with lots of recognizable faces. it's a real B-movie, which is refreshing in an age where stories about vampires, aliens, zombies, and superheroes are giant, studio-supporting tentpoles. plus, I'd watch Alicia and Krysten in anything.

september

She Loves Me Roundabout Theatre poster

She Loves Me (2016)

rewatch with G

Director: David Horn
Writers: Sheldon Harnick, Joe Masteroff (book)
Stars: Laura Benanti, Zachary Levi

I have seen The Shop Around the Corner, In the Good Old Summertime, and You've Got Mail, so it's safe to say I'm a fan of this story. and the musical is classic in the most basic way—I find it delightful and entertaining when well performed. it's charming. it was perfect for my mood.

Practical Magic poster

Practical Magic (1998)

Director: Griffin Dunne
Writers: Alice Hoffman (novel), Robin Swicord (screenplay), Akiva Goldsman (screenplay)
Stars: Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman

after a childhood spent seeing bits of this on TV, I realized I had never actually watched the whole thing! it was not quite what I was expecting, but all the more interesting for it. there is something about 90s romance that hits different. so intense, so idealistic, so filled with longing. it's that Runaway Bride energy ^^^. feels so unmoored from reality, but the small town fantasy energy is powerful. in any case, this film was darker than I thought, but lovely. you gotta love witches. I sure do.

october

Everyman poster

Everyman (2015)

national theatre at home

Directors: Rufus Norris, Nick Wickham
Writers: Carol Ann Duffy
Stars: Chiwetel Ejiofor

had zero idea about the origins of this story. 15 minutes in, I thought, "this seems like an old play." indeed, it is very old—this is a modernized adaptation of a late 15th-century morality play. a man visited by Death must reckon with his hedonistic life. this is the kind of thing that makes me grateful for the National Theatre, and doubly grateful that I'm able to see these filmed productions.

Kissing Jessica Stein poster

Kissing Jessica Stein (2001)

movie night with K

Director: Charles Herman-Wurmfeld
Writers: Heather Juergensen, Jennifer Westfeldt
Stars: Jennifer Westfeldt, Heather Juergensen

watched this as a teen and it made a huge impact on me. it helped me to make sense of my asexuality, and if that was the only gift this film gave me, I would already be immensely grateful. but in addition to the revelation about my sexuality, this happens to be an enjoyable watch with so many favourite things: NYC, writers, artists, neurotic characters, small apartments full of books. definitely a personal favourite.

november

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants poster

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2005)

movie night with K

Director: Ken Kwapis
Writers: Ann Brashares (novel), Delia Ephron (screenplay), Elizabeth Chandler (screenplay)
Stars: Amber Tamblyn, Alexis Bledel, America Ferrera, Blake Lively

a bit of romance, a bit of cliché, a bit of magic, and a healthy dose of heartbreak. what else could you ask for?

The King and I poster

The King and I (1956)

Director: Walter Lang
Writers: Ernest Lehman (screenplay), Oscar Hammerstein II (book from their musical play), Margaret Landon (based on Anna and the King of Siam)
Stars: Yul Brynner, Deborah Kerr

film adaptations of R&H shows are a mixed bag, but this one soars thanks to outstanding performances from Yul Brynner and Deborah Kerr. there's no getting around the colonialism of this show, or its many problematic elements, including its semi-historical originals. yet it is a visual and musical feast, with such familiar numbers as "Getting to Know You" and "Shall We Dance."

the thing I like best about this film is the relationship between Anna and the King. this story is not a romance. there is attraction between the two (you can't look at them during "Shall We Dance" and think otherwise), but their relationship is one of mutual respect and learning. they are well-matched.

Tick, Tick...BOOM! poster

tick, tick...BOOM! (2021)

Director: Lin-Manuel Miranda
Writers: Steven Levenson (screenplay by), Jonathan Larson (based on the musical by)
Stars: Andrew Garfield, Alexandra Shipp, Robin de Jesus

there aren't words to describe how much Jonathan Larson's work, and subsequently this film, mean to me. I bawled my eyes out.

december

Just My Luck poster

Just My Luck (2006)

movie night with K

Director: Donald Petrie
Writers: I. Marlene King (screenplay), Amy Harris (screenplay), Jonathan Bernstein (story)
Stars: Lindsay Lohan, Chris Pine

this is a PERFECT mid-2000s rom-com, and I'll fight anyone who says otherwise. it's probably been a decade or more since I'd seen this, but it is fun and sweet and predictable, with just the right amount of secondhand embarrassment to be cringe-funny. it further cements Chris Pine as one of my favourite Chrises. if this was as bad as movies ever got, we'd be in good shape.

The Parent Trap poster

The Parent Trap (1998)

movie night with E

Director: Nancy Meyers
Writers: Erich Kästner(book "Das Doppelte Lottchen"), David Swift (screenplay, Nancy Meyers(screenplay)
Stars: Lindsay Lohan, Natasha Richarson, Dennis Quaid

had I ever seen this whole movie? probably, but it had long since been forgotten. it is a delighful family flick, and Lindsay Lohan is remarkable in the dual leading roles.

The Christmas Chronicles poster

The Christmas Chronicles (2018)

family Christmas movie night

Director: Clay Kaytis
Writers: Matt Lieberman (screenplay by), David Guggenheim (story by)
Stars: Kurt Russell, Darby Camp, Judah Lewis

White Christmas poster

White Christmas (1954)

family Christmas movie night

Director: Michael Curtiz
Writers: Norman Krasna (written for the screen by), Norman Panama (written for the screen by), Melvin Frank (written for the screen by)
Stars: Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, Vera-Ellen

Christmas in Connecticut poster

Christmas in Connecticut (1945)

family Christmas movie night

Director: Peter Godfrey
Writers: Lionel Houser (screenplay), Adele Comandini (screenplay), Aileen Hamilton (story)
Stars: Barbara Stanwyck, Dennis Morgan

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer poster

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964)

family Christmas movie night

Director: Larry Roemer
Writers: Romeo Muller, Robert May (story), Johnny Marks (based on the song by)
Stars: Billie Mae Richards (voice), Burl Ives (voice)

Klaus poster

Klaus (2019)

family Christmas movie night

Directors: Sergio Pablos, Carlos Martínez López
Writers: Sergio Pablos (original story by), Jim Mahoney (screenplay by), Zach Lewis (screenplay by)
Stars: Jason Schwartzman (voice), J.K. Simmons (voice)