I watched three films last week:

• Barbie (2023) - pleasingly intelligent satire.

• Colette (2018) - lavish fin de siecle biopic.

• Alice in the Cities (1974) - existentialist road movie prefiguring Wenders’ later Paris, Texas.

Which was best? Well, the first, US, section of AitC had more intensity to offer than the European conclusion. Wenders was still developing here. Colette looked beautiful and had a story to tell, but did not seem to get to the root of what kept the protagonist with Willy so long. Barbie also looked good, Gerwig knew what she wanted to say and articulated it pretty well and entertainingly, if a little schmaltzy - inevitably - towards the end.

Overall, I would say that Barbie wins.

Are only new movies allowed?

Because the best movie I watched in the last week was Mean Streets from '73.

Scorsese’s third time in the directors chair.

I watched it as I had never seen it before and Killers of the Flower Moon comes out next week.

I wonder if De Niro’s character will be as big a piece of shit as he was in Mean Streets?. (no, the films are not connected in any way)

Rocky Horror Picture Show

Let’s do the Time Warp, baby

Kickback

It’s about the corruption inside FIFA. I’m not a big football fan but it was presented well and fills in the gaps in my knowledge of the subject.

The Wonderful World of Henry Sugar

I’ve always been a Wes Anderson junky. This one is a barrage of information, but as charming as ever. The story told via cascading letters is also very fun. Gives Dracula (book) vibes