The end of each orbital period is usually accompanied by a mountain of best-of-the-year lists and other such reflections. Here at Kaedrin, we watch a lot of movies, but we don’t feel beholden to the timeline and usually end up posting our top 10 list in early/mid February. There are a few reasons for this. As we approach awards season, studios are cramming the final weeks of the year with qualifying runs of prestige pictures. But those movies only play in a handful of theaters and don’t go wider until later in January. Earlier indie titles are just starting to show up on streaming services now. Plus, I’m just a dude who likes movies a lot. I don’t really seek out critic credentials so that I can go to screenings, etc… That being said, January is typically chock-full of movie watching for me, and the grand majority of it is comprised of catching up with movies from the previous year. As of right now, I’ve seen 50 movies that you could consider 2015 releases (are you on Letterboxd? We should be friends.). Interestingly, with the advent of streaming and better availability of obscure movies, the “year of release” is becoming something of a fuzzy line for me. Sure, What We Do in the Shadows came out in 2014… but that was in it’s native country (New Zealand) and the film festival circuit. It wasn’t really available to normal people in the USA until 2015. There are numerous examples of this, so keep that in mind. Anywho, there’s a ton of movies I want to catch up with in the coming weeks, so I figured I should try and nail down some semblance of a list here. As usual, much of this is dependent on availability and timing, and I probably won’t be able to get to all of them. Enough preamble, onto the list:
- The Hateful Eight – I don’t really need to justify seeing Quentin Tarantino’s latest at all, and if possible, I will try and catch the 70mm roadshow in KOP. Fingers crossed. (In theaters soon)
- The Revenant – I feel like I’ve been seeing the preview for this forever, and it looks gorgeous. Plus, you know, bear rape (j/k, of course, that was the dumbest controversy ever). (In theaters soon)
- The Big Short – Is it me, or did this come out of nowhere? It’s got a bizarre pedigree, but has been getting good reviews. I’ll probably take a flier on this one. (In theaters now)
- Victoria – All I know about this movie is that it’s shot in a single, continuous take. And supposedly no Birdman-esque editing tricks either. Other than that, I’m going in blind, but I’m pretty excited about it. (Amazon streaming and iTunes rental.)
- The Assassin – I’ve heard good things but know little about this. It may be difficult to get ahold of in time, but it seems interesting enough. (Availability unknown)
- Room – Another movie I don’t know a lot about, but which is getting lots of buzz in circles I follow. It’s another one I’m not sure I’ll get to due to availability issues, but I am intrigued. (Availability unknown)
- Kung Fu Killer (aka Kung Fu Jungle) – Rumored to be one of the best action movies of the year, this Hong Kong martial arts flick sounds great. (On DVD/BD/streaming rental)
- Close Range – Another action flick, this one with less of a good reputation, but which apparently has some great action sequences. Something about a guy protecting his family from a drug cartel. Sounds like it could be fun. (On DVD/BD/streaming rental soon)
- Joy – I’ve heard many conflicting things about this, and based on my general reaction to David O. Russel movies, I’m betting I’ll think this is a mess. We’ll see if I can squeeze it in, but I wouldn’t be surprised if I don’t get to it. (In theaters now)
- The Lobster – A frontrunner for Kaedrin’s prestigious Arbitrary Award “Achievement in the Field of Batshit Insanity”. Alas, this may be difficult to track down. (Availability unknown)
- Cooties – A holdover from this year’s Six Weeks of Halloween, this seems like a fun little horror comedy in which kids at a school become zombies or something. (On DVD/BD/streaming rental)
- The End of the Tour – This got good reviews and David Foster Wallace is an interesting guy, but I’m not entirely sure how down with this movie I’ll be. Still might give it a shot (on DVD/BD/Streaming rental now)
- Finders Keepers – Documentary about a guy who finds an amputated leg inside a used grill he bought at an auction. Sold! (DVD)
- 1971 – Documentary about activists who revealed FBI abuse in 1971 (seems to have many echoes to today’s privacy discussions, etc…) (DVD/BD)
- Amy – Documentary about Amy Winehouse which has gotten a lot of buzz. (DVD/BD)
- The Search for General Tso – “Who was General Tso, and why are we eating his chicken? ” These are questions I need answered in documentary form. (Netflix Streaming)
- The Wolfpack – A documentary about a bunch of kids who grew up never leaving their apartment, and the only thing they know about the outside world are movies. (Netflix streaming)
- Call Me Lucky – Bobcat Golthwait documentary about an obscure comedian? Sounds good. (Netflix streaming)
- The Russian Woodpecker – I know very little about this documentary. Something about a Chernobyl survivor and Ukranian war? Has won some awards already… (Amazon streaming rental)
- Advantageous – One of those low budget SF movies that have peppered the landscape over the past few years. Often interesting, sometimes a bust, I’m probably willing to check this one out. (Netflix streaming)
- Faults – An interesting premise involving cults and mind control, etc… I’ve heard mixed things, but it’s on Netflix streaming, so I might give it a shot.
- The Duke of Burgundy – I don’t know what to make of this movie. Everything I’ve heard seems weird, but not so weird that it’d fit the “batshit insanity” realm I usually enjoy. Again, it’s on Netflix streaming, so perhaps I’ll give it a shot.
- Results – Another Netflix streaming flier, seems kinda like a romantic comedy, or maybe not? I don’t know, we’ll see if I actually get to this…
So there you have it, 20+ movies that I would like to check out, though I probably won’t get to all of them. And I’ll probably watch some other junk instead. Stay tuned for Kaedrin movie awards, coming mid-January!