Movies in 2026 117

 

Still Processing (Sophy Romvari, 2020)

And continuing along the short film path, I then watched Sophy Romvari's Still Processing. Last post I made the point that paying closer attention to short films would also introduce me to up and coming filmmakers who might soon be releasing feature length films (although, truthfully, I just want to watch quality movies, of any length, as compared to the utter dross that Hollywood produces). Sophy Romvari, a Canadian filmmaker, released her first feature length effort, Blue Heron, last year, although I don't think it made an appearance at a theater here in Vermont, sadly. Still Processing tells the story of Romvari looking through previously unseen pictures and movies from her childhood, which she had never seen because her father had hidden them away in the wake of the death of her two oldest brothers. Their cause of death is not revealed, although we learn at the end that they died as adults, on different dates, so you are forced to assume it was suicide (which would also explain why her father might have hidden the pictures in the first place). It's a haunting film, and I'm looking forward to seeing more of her work in the future.

Movies in 2026 116

 

The Water Murmurs (Story Chen, 2022)

I don't know why I don't watch more short films. The Criterion Channel offers a wealth of them, but for some reason I don't go out of my way to watch them. Part of this might relate to availability, but the Criterion Channel helps solve that problem. Maybe, and this shows how dumb I am, I think of them as somehow "lesser" than a full length feature. Now, following that logic, I should never read short stories and only read full length novels (including coming up with some numerical boundary line of page numbers). Obviously, this is all stupid. Just as last year's effort to read things I don't normally read led me to some very interesting authors, but also made me rethink why I read certain writers and don't read others, this year's emphasis on film is both leading me to new directors but also making me rethink how I view film. Just as sometimes a short story is the best way to tell a story, as compared to a lengthy novel, then some times a short film is the best way to tell a fascinating story. Plus, I'm introduced to directors I didn't know about - and, it's going to put new directors, still honing their craft, on my radar. Anyway, one of my goals for the rest of the year is to watch more short films. With all of that in mind, last night I watched Story Chen's The Water Murmurs. As one might expect from a short feature, the story is more evocative as compared to definitive, and thus arguably more powerful and memorable since the audience is forced/allowed to "complete" the story in our minds. A young woman, Nian (Annabel Yao), visits her hometown, which is soon going to be underwater because of a mysterious asteroid collision. However, it's really much more a story about memory and loss than any sort of science fiction tale. It reminds me, sort of, of Jia Zhangke's Still Life, with a little Gi Ban thrown in. Story Chen received well-deserved recognition at Cannes for this effort. Definitely recommended.

3

 And we've entered the penultimate week, as we close down my four plus decade teaching career. Classes were good yesterday. In my COR 303 classes I taught the students a bit of paleography, to let them know in addition to understanding how historians approach their decisions-making process, they should also understand what we do on a day to day basis. It's one of my odder assignments, but one which has always proved popular with the students. And last night we watched Terrestrial Verses, and then I'd declared it Champlain College If Day - in honor of Winnipeg If Day - and asked the students how they would express the danger of creeping authoritarianism (like Winnipeg's 1942 If Day, I told the students to imagine that they took over the campus and show people what it would actually mean if we fully passed into an authoritarianism regime). They didn't do an extraordinary job, but they came up with some interesting ideas. I have come up with so many odd assignments over the years, most of which worked better than the ones that I had devoted more time to planning. I will miss that creative process after I shut it down.

Thanks to Vernon Adams, Jr. for loaning me his number 3 for the Countdown. I've actually seen Adams play a couple times, which, considering that I've attended over twenty CFL games I suppose that shouldn't be too surprising. Adams was born in Pasadena, California and played college ball at Eastern Washington and Oregon. He went undrafted by the NFL and attended rookie mini-camps with the Seattle Seahawks and Washington (at the time) Redskins, but never received an offer. He headed north, and began a peripatetic career with stops at the Montreal Alouettes, Saskatchewan Roughriders, Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Montreal Alouettes (again), BC Lions, and Calgary Stampeders. I've seen him have some great games. He was the starting QB in last June's freeze bowl game in Calgary that Kevin and I barely survived. Adams did not have a great day that day, but nobody did, including us.

Movies in 2026 115

 

Terrestrial Verses (Ali Asgari & Alireza Khatami, 2023)

Ali Asgari and Alireza Khatami's Terrestrial Verses is yet another film that the Criterion Channel, in its infinite compassion, introduced to me. It quickly found its way into my film classes, and is a natural fit for this semester's Images of Fascism class. It almost makes me sad I won't be able to share it with students anymore. Last night, one of my students told me that we had finally watched a film that he was excited to show to his friends. I'm a little disappointed in regards to the other dozen films I showed along the way, but I'll take any and all small victories. It's a series of short vignettes, all featuring one camera shot, with a different person suffering through a variety of micro-aggressions from from nameless, faceless authority figures. My favorites were Selena, the little girl who wants to dance while her mom drapes dehumanizing layers of burqas on her, and Aram, the teenage girl who shows her high school  vice principle that the system has taught her a thing or two along the way. Terrestrial Verses is required viewing.

Movies in 2026 114

 

Daybreak (Marcel Carne, 1938)

I made the point a few days ago that I thought that Marcel Carne may actually be my favorite French director (I don't now if I can say that definitely, because there are so many great French directors and I'd have to brood over it - but I do really like his early films). Apparently Godard and Truffaut just brutalized Carne at the height of the French New Wave (I think they hated everyone, eventually including each other), so I guess I shouldn't be surprised that they included Carne in their spleen. Last night as I was driving home from my night class I began reflecting upon this fact (it's an hour drive from Burlington to Calais, so I have plenty of time to ruminate). Godard and Truffaut were brilliant filmmakers who changed cinema forever, but I think I can say that I never cared anything about any of the characters in any of their movies, and I don't think I was supposed to. I cannot make the same statement about characters in Carne films. Sometimes it seems that our desire to be deconstructive replaces our desire to construct a narrative that tells a story that the audience cares about. Or maybe I'm being as unfair to Godard and Truffaut as they were to Carne? Anyway, I re-watched Carne's 1938 classic Daybreak, starring Jean Gabin, Arletty, and Jules Berry. I remember the first time I saw the film I was more than a little stunned to see Arletty in a brief nude scene, but then, she's Arletty, and they're the French, so I shouldn't have been. Gabin is, per usual, great, with that roguish tough guy persona. Highly recommended (no matter what the ghosts of Godard and Truffaut might tell you).

BOE Temporary Relocation

 On Friday we had a glitch in our usual Breakfast of Excellence schedule. As is well-documented, we always meet for breakfast at 8:00 at the TASTee Grill, but when we arrived all four tables are spoken for. We waited for a bit, but eventually had to track down an alternative option. This made us all sad, because we love to give the TASTee Grill as much business (and love) as we can (plus, they have great food). We settled at some new place, which exists, along with a bank, in the skeleton of the old Pizzeria Uno. It was a bit off-setting because it's right on the edge of the neighborhood where I lived when Jen and I were together, and we ate dozens of meals there over the years. However, it was more bittersweet because I'm going to miss these guys so much. I will definitely not be counting down the diminishing BOEs with CFL players, as I'm in a state of denial about the passing of this most beloved of traditions.

From left to right: John, Sandy, Kevin, Erik, and Kelly. It was a nice meal, although paying two separate times for a refill on coffee ensures that we will not return (truthfully, what variety of savagery is making someone pay twice for coffee?; I mean, if you order two lattes, then I think the separate cost is justified, but paying separately for a second coffee?). 

Movies in 2026 113

 

Dune (Denis Villeneuve, 2021)

The 113th film of the year was an unexpected treat, not simply because it wasn't a film that I was planning to watch, but, more importantly, because my son asked me I wanted to come down to his and Ali's place to watch Denis Villeneuve's Dune. Last year, as part of my year of reading things I don't normally read, I knocked off the first two novels Frank Herbert's Dune series. I remember liking the first one a fair bit, and the second one much less (at least not enough to inspire me to continue in the series). I thought Villeneuve's effort was a worthy one, and we're already making plans for watch the second installment soon. We had this passing but also tangible moment when we realized that it would be impossible for us to watch the third film in the theaters next December. Highly recommended - that is, spending as much time as possible with your son at every age.