New year, new job, new me. This is only the second time I’ve done this column but I already feel like so much has changed between my November column, my best and worst lists and now. As a New Year’s Resolution, let’s keep this train rolling.

Film

Skinamarink (2023) - dir. Kyle Edward Ball

Seeing this in a theater with a handful of people, not quite alone but not quite surrounded, was a perfect way to experience this. Seeing it on a large screen, your eyes begin to play tricks on you as you study each corner of the frame for something that might be hiding, or find yourself suddenly shocked by a fade or cut you didn't expect. Skinamarink has a rhythmic nature to it reminiscent of Meshes of the Afternoon, but where just as you think you've settled into something you're pulled in another direction.

The sense of the familiar becoming twisted and otherworldly reflects both in the physical space the film takes place in and the presence of the different characters. Elongated sequences are abruptly interrupted by the arrival of a new set of footsteps, a ghostly voice, or a sudden cut to a new corner with a bit more white noise. For a good chunk of the movie the viewer is not sure which direction they are looking, and when they are, they aren't sure what they're looking at. When they do know what they're looking at, they don't know what it's going to do. The themes of child abuse really shine through in a painfully paced film, where our protagonists become increasingly distant from reality.

It’s unclear what kind of impact Skinamarink will have on the genre - it’s far too out there to inspire many imitators without looking like a ripoff, and it hasn’t had a proper wide release. But this belongs in the camp of The Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity: movies that come out of nowhere and push the genre forward with their unique approach. If Men proved that the simpleminded ‘Singular Theme over all’ approach of elevated horror just isn’t working, Skinamarink proved we can move past it with a terrifying, ambiguous and dense vision.

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962) - dir. John Ford

This is my first foray into the filmography of John Ford, and one of the first movies in a long time to instantly strike me as the masterpiece that it is. A movie grappling with the birth of a new society and how it relies on the values of the old, through a man trying to be the former but falling into the latter. Exceptional performances, the grandiosity of the stage elevated by tight editing and peak mise-en-scene.

Brief Encounter (1945) - dir. David Lean

Insane levels of stealthy and efficient formalism perfectly adapt the stage play to the screen. The romance at the center is charming and the forces that bring it to an end feel oppressive and sadly mundane.

The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) - dir. David Lean

A much larger scale Lean, the war epic about British pride as a gift and a curse and a tense plot to sabotage a war effort. Only an American like Lean could make Alec Guinness look like a moron who realizes he can actually do some good in the world. The length is certainly felt thanks to a dip after the first hour that properly introduces Shears, but the final act is riddled with tension.

Meeting the Man: James Baldwin in Paris (1970) - dir. Terrence Dixon

Baldwin as a documentary subject is apprehensive and pondering, actively challenging the intents and the process of the filmmakers the whole way through. It creates a unique film that is built on a foundation of friction and constructed out of a genuine, though misguided, desire to understand and convey that understanding through the lens of art. Perhaps one of my favorite documentaries ever.

Music

MF DOOM: MM.. FOOD (2004)

Doom makes the best kind of music to relax to while you find yourself impressed by just how well he’s able to craft beats and verses. The dastardly villain provides a buffet of amazing tracks here.

HARDY: the mockingbird & THE CROW (2023)

Hardy’s leap from his previous effort A ROCK, already one of my favorite albums of the decade, to this double album exploring his desire to grow as an artist in an industry where experimentation is the enemy, might go down as one of my favorites of the year. It’s not all ballads of a conflicted singer-songwriter though, as Hardy continues telling cinematic stories of revenge (“wait in the truck”) and the duality of alcohol in American culture (“beer” / “JACK”). the mockingbird & THE CROW is being critically torn apart, both on rateyourmusic and smaller country publications, but I really think there’s something special here in Hardy’s divided mindset.

TV

Better Call Saul - Season 6 (2022)

Does this outdo the final season of Breaking Bad? Probably? Give me more time to think about it but I’ll probably say yes. The coalescing of the stories of Jimmy, Saul and Gene lead us to a poetic resolution filled with blunt emotion that hits like the front of a truck. It more or less resolves every problem I had with the series leading up to it (especially Gus) and ties itself back into Breaking Bad in a way that feels natural and necessary to properly close the book on this story. S’all good, man.

Reservation Dogs - Season 2 (2022)

A prime example of how to do a second season, Reservation Dogs picks up right where it left off, but the tone has taken a complete shift. The titular Rez Dogs are scattered and misfortune has befallen them after a curse backfires. The magical realism of the show builds as the gang attempts to come back together as a final gesture to their fallen friend. I won’t spoil where it goes from there because this show is criminally underseen, but the last two episodes are medium defining.

Bleach (2004-2012)

I took myself on a journey back to my middle school days by re-watching all of the canon bits of this anime in preparation for its continuation: Thousand Year Blood War. Bleach as a story has a lot of warts and never really measured up to its contemporaries at the time in terms of popularity or quality, but it has a lot about it that makes it special. Jake and I talked a lot about Bleach on the Rubbergum Anime podcast, so I won’t repeat myself too much here.

Kaleidoscope (2023)

This choose-your-own-order miniseries has a really cool concept: a heist story broken into pieces you can watch in any sequence for a different experience of how the story unfolds. Because of this conceit a lot of time is spent dwelling on missing pieces yet to be revealed, but a fun heist show is a fun heist show, especially one led by Giancarlo Esposito.