Movies in 2026 194

 

Ned Rifle (Hal Hartley, 2014)

And this morning I finished the Henry Fool trilogy, with a re-viewing of his 2014 Ned Rifle. This is actually my favorite of the Henry Fool trilogy, mainly because it feels most like a Hal Hartley film. Ned (Grim) Rifle (which is actually one of Hartley's pseudonyms that you will spot in the credits to his movies) and Susan (a scene-stealing Aubrey Plaza) link up to track down Henry Fool and kill him, although her motives are much darker. James Urbaniak (Simon Grim), Parker Posey (Fay Grim), Thomas Jay Ryan (Henry Fool), and Liam Aiken (Ned Rifle) all return - and there are delightful cameos from Hartley regulars Martin Donovan, Karen Sillas, Robert John Burke, and Bill Sage. Definitely recommended, although then you'd also have to watch Henry Fool and Fay Grim, but, seriously, it's Hal Hartley, and you should watch all of his films, FFS, don't be a jerk. Oh, and look out for the next Hal Hartley Kickstarter campaign, and you can join me in supporting a truly original filmmaker.

Movies in 2026 193

 

Fay Grim (Hal Hartley, 2006)

Last night I watched the middle film in Hal Hartley's Henry Fool trilogy, Fay Grim. As one would expect from the title, this film focuses on Fay Grim, the sister to the famous/infamous poet Simon Grim and the wife of debauched Henry Fool. As it turns out, Henry's Confession, which was considered an absolute disaster in the first film, is not mere madness, but the actual story of his time as a globetrotting operative. Parker Poser as Fay is quite good, and Jeff Goldblum plays Agent Fulbright. Thomas Jay Ryan (Henry Fool), James Urbaniak (Simon Grim - I also discovered that he voiced Dr. Venture in the Venture Brothers, it is a small world), and Liam Aiken (Ned Grim/Rifle) return once more. Hartley regular Elina Lowensohn appears as Bebe. Again, I'm not a huge fan of the Henry Fool trilogy, and this one has too much jet-setting, but there are also some very inspired moments. I think it's one of his weakest efforts, but it's still Hal Hartley, and the world is a better place when Hartley is out making films (and I will doubtless financially support his next film as I have the last few). So, as with Henry Fool, take a look at Fay Grim, but start with one of his other films first, and then check out the trilogy.

Movies in 2026 192

 

Le Silence de la Mer (Jean-Pierre Melville, 1946)

As I said in a previous post, it looks like my Jean-Pierre Melville film series is beginning. Last night I watched his first film, 1946's Le Silence de la Mer. It's one of those films that would, sadly, never be made in the US. It tells the story of a German officer, who claims to be a true Francophile, moves in with an elderly Frenchman and his niece in the early days of the war. They respond by never talking to him, or even making eye contact. Howard Vernon, as Werner von Ebrennac, has to do the heavy lifting, and almost the entire film is him carrying on an almost stream of conscious dialogue every evening to two people who won't respond. The uncle (Jean-Marie Robain) provides some voiceover, and the younger niece (Nicole Stephane), who is clearly being drawn to the German officer, says one word to the officer at the end which is devastating. Highly recommended, and expected to see more Melville films popping up here soon.

As Vivid a Memory

 "I say each thing that we see again, because books in this respect behave as things; the way a book opened along the spine, the texture of the paper, may have retained within it as vivid a memory of the way I imagined Venice then, as of my wish to go there, as the book's actual sentences."

Marcel Proust, In Search of Lost Time (Finding Time Again)

And this is why we're having so much trouble culling out the books, it's not simply the books, but also the actual feel of the books themselves. Yes, with my new Kindle I can download many of the books I'm interested in reading/rereading, but it never is the same thing. Plus, as Proust is pointing out here, it's not simply the sentences, but the tangibility and feel of the book. Every time I reread The Chess Garden I find myself holding it to my chest and fighting back (or happily giving way to) tears. In that same vein, it's not simply the memory itself, but everything that provides a tangible connection to the memory. Every time I see The Chess Garden, complete - well, incomplete, actually - with the separated title page, I'm brought back to the joy that the book gives me without even turning the pages.

Movies in 2026 191

 

The Best Years of Our Lives (William Wyler, 1946)

Here's a film that I own on DVD, and which never seems to show up on the Criterion Channel, and which I don't watch nearly enough: William Wyler's 1946 Oscar winner and undeniable classic, The Best Years of Our Lives. As with It's a Wonderful Life, although a very different film, every time I re-watch The Best Years of Our Lives I find new places to cry. I don't know if I made it ten minutes in this time before I was weepy, and that was before I balled later on. Shameful. It stars Fredric March, Dana Andrews and Harold Russell as soldiers returning to their small town after the war, and the struggles that they face returning to civilian life. Russell was a true double-amputee, and he ended up winning two Academy Awards for his performance, a Special Award because they didn't think he would actually win in the category of Best Supporting Actor, and also Best Supporting Actor (when he did win). It's the only time in Oscar history when an actor won twice for the same performance. Myrna Loy, Teresa Wright, and Cathy O'Donnell are the women in their lives, adjusting to their pretty fucked up husband/boyfriends, but that statement doesn't do justice to the depth they all bring in their performances. Virginia Mayo gives a wonderful trampy performance as Andrews's wife. The film unflinchingly explored the lives of the returning soldiers, and, I would argue, helped keep America from forgetting them in the afterglow of victory. There are also a couple great scenes showing the growth of early isolationists and naysayers, which might serve as a primer on how movements like MAGA start. I taught a classic on World War II and Film a couple times, and I remember show it to my students. Required viewing.

Movies in 2026 190

 

Le Samourai (Jean-Pierre Melville, 1967)

And speaking of films that I own on DVD, but which are almost universally on the Criterion Channel, there's Jean-Pierre Melville's Le Samourai. It stars Alain Delon at his best and most beautiful as a hitman (Jef Costello) whose hit both succeeds and fails, kicking in his own warrior ethic (hence the title). It's beautifully and starkly filmed, and is far more than simply another film noir. It also stars Francois Perier (as the policeman trying to catch him - the film almost qualified as a procedural),  Nathalie Delon (as Jef's sort-of girlfriend Jane - in real life the two were married for a while), and Cathy Rosier (as the pianist who witnessed the original hit). The ending is classic, and brings an appropriately French existentialist feel to it all (which tended to mark French films noir). I bought the DVD because I was planning on showing it in my Japanese Film Noir class as a counterpoint, but I ended up showing Elevator to the Gallows instead. Highly recommended, and it's setting me off on a Jean-Pierre Melville quest.

Movies in 2026 189

 

Henry Fool (Hal Hartley, 1997)

Lately I've been focusing on my DVD collection, considering that the Criterion Channel will take up less space in my suitcase than thirty DVDs. The question of how many books we're going to bring overseas is a constant discussion point between Janet and myself, and, while she's more horrified by culling books than I am, she's also done a much better job getting started on the process. Recently I upgraded to a new Kindle and purchased some more books, with the notion of, at least initially, I'm going to try and survive on my Kindle with only a couple books making the trip (with other being slow-shipped). But what about DVDs? I watch so many movies on the Criterion Channel which also exist happily in DVD format in my movie cabinet, many of which I bought from the Criterion Collection, which begs the question of whether I need to bring them overseas in a timely fashion. This is especially true when you factor in the region differences with DVD players. However, some of my favorite movies do not live on the Criterion Channel, and thus they will have to make the trip. For instance, it is inconceivable that I won't watch Local Hero at least once or twice a year for the rest of my life, and thus it will have to hide away in my suitcase. Another example would be Hal Hartley's first trilogy, the so-called Long Island trilogy (The Unbelievable Truth, Trust, and Simple Men), which shows up occasionally on the Criterion Channel, but usually is not there, so my boxed set has to come along. Now, a more complicated question would be Hartley's second trilogy, the Henry Fool trilogy. I've never warmed to it in the same way I did the original, although that may also be a testament to my mad love of those three early Hartley classics. This brings us to the first film in that trilogy, Henry Fool. The cast is classic Hartley: Thomas Jay Ryan (as Henry Fool), James Urbaniak (Simon Grim), Parker Posey (Fay Grim), Liam Aiken (Ned), etc. It focuses on the chaos that ensues when reprobate Henry Fool arrives in town and immerses himself in the Grim household, convincing Simon to become a great/terrible/popular/influential poet and bedding down Fay. Like all Hartley films, it has its own brilliant and inexplicable logic and timing and ending which make no sense and perfect sense. I universally recommend all Hartley films, but if you're not familiar with him I wouldn't start with this film or trilogy, because it simply doesn't have the magic of some of his other films, and then you might not get around to watching those films, which would be much more than merely a pity. So, I will recommend it, but with that disclaimer.