150 Films/150 Days #05: Films 27-35

To open the new year, I began this series, 150 Films in 150 Days, as a means of returning to my screening habits of old. Click the link to read the Series Introduction.  The general idea is to return to my film school roots of obsessively watching all the films from all the places all the time.  

The Comprised List is over 150 films deep with integral films missed from the past 10 years and beyond, as well as a few just for popcorn giggles.

I'll be making regular posts of 5-10 films at a time, including my screening notes, random and unedited.  Each film will be listed with the release date, relevant creative contributors, the means of screening, and a written response.

After the screening, I will assign a level of recommendation to each film as follows: 

HR-highly recommended, R-recommended, N-neutral, F-failings too extensive to appreciate (hopefully never or rare).

The first film watched was February 1, and the final day will be June 30 (exactly 5 months).  

All are welcome to watch along.

Films 27-35:  Screening Notes added soon - need time to transcribe and decipher my notes ;

Note:  Films 19-54 are predominately from 2021, as we have simultaneously been comprising our 

Top Films of the Year List.  The first 50 films of the Series, in large, have been pointed toward recent releases and contemporary films, with a few cult classics sprinkled in.  Moving forward, we will broaden the range of cinema explored and grow back thru time, as well as continue with current films.

27.  The Eyes of Tammy Faye (2021):  Watched on HBO, 02/27.  Directed by Michael Showalter, Performances by Jessica Chastain, Andrew Garfield, Vincent D'Onofrio, Cherry Jones.

Screening Notes:  

Recommendation Level:  R

28.  The Gift (2018):   Watched on Netflix, 02/28.  Directed by Joel Edgerton, Performances by Jason Bateman, Rebecca Hall, Joel Edgerton. 

Screening Notes:

Recommendation Level:  HR

29.  Passing (2021):  Watched on Netflix, 03/01.  Written and Directed by Rebecca Hall, Performances by Tessa Thompson, Ruth Negga, Andre Holland, Alexander Skarsgard.

Screening Notes:

Recommendation Level:  R

30.  The Velvet Underground (doc, 2021):   Watched on Apple TV, 03/02.  Directed by Todd Haynes, Appearances by a brilliant and eclectic cast of individuals and mythical legends.

Screening Notes:

Recommendation Level:  R

31.  Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse (doc, 1991):  Watched on Prime, 03/03. Directed by Eleanore Coppola, Fax Bahr and George Hickenlooper, Appearances by Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Sheen, Dennis Hopper, Marlon Brando, Laurence Fishburne, John Milius, Sophia Coppola, Eleanore Coppola, George Lucas. 

Screening Notes:

Recommendation Level:  HR

32.  Dark Waters (2019):  Prime (rent), 03/04.  Directed by Todd Haynes, Performances Mark Ruffalo, Tim Robbins, Anne Hathaway, Bill Pullman.

Screening Notes:

Recommendation Level:  R (if you stop after Act 2), N (if you watch until the end)

33.  Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) (doc, 2021):  Watched on Hulu, 03/05.  Directed by Quest Love, Appearances by Dorinda Drake, Barbara Bland-Acosta, Darryl Lewis, Ethel Beatty, Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, Cyril Innis Jr, Hal Tulchin, Billy Davis Jr, Gladys Knight, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Stevie Wonder, Mavis Staples, Mahalia Jackson, Nina Simone, Sly and the Family Stone, B.B. King, Chris Rock... , Cinematography by Shawn Peters.

Screening Notes:

Recommendation Level:  HR

34.  The Green Knight (2021):  Watched on Prime (rent), 03/08.  Directed by David Lowery, Performances by Dev Patel, Joel Edgerton, Alicia Vikander, Sean Harris, Cinematography by Andrew Droz Palermo. 

Screening Notes:

Recommendation Level:  HR

35.  The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021):  Watched on Apple TV, 03/08.  Directed by Joel Coen (w/o brother Ethan), Performances by Denzel Washington, Francis McDormand, Corey Hawkins.

Screening Notes:

Recommendation Level:  R