A dozen first-time watches of older films in 2025 that I loved:

Remember My Name (dir: Alan Rudolph, 1978)

As real, multilayered and uncomfortable an American working-class portrait from its decade as Wanda or Killer of Sheep. Compare Geraldine Chaplin’s mesmerizing dramatic performance here to her comedic work in Nashville to get a sense of her range; compare this to Alan Rudolph’s previous film Welcome To LA to marvel at what an astonishing leap forward this was. It streamed on Criterion Channel for two or three months; be sure to catch it if it’s ever available to watch again.

Dogfight (Nancy Savoca, 1991)

It’s fun to look back on reviews of this at the time and note how many people simply didn’t get it, seemingly more aghast at the notion of these two characters falling for each other than the film’s titular conceit, which was always going to be a tough sell. River Phoenix’s subsequent death makes it challenging to not romanticize his best performances, but when one considers he did this and My Own Private Idaho back to back, how can one not be in awe of such a lost talent? Also, the movies rarely knew what to do with Lili Taylor apart from supporting roles, but this, just as passionately as I Shot Andy Warhol makes the case for her rare talent, too.

Women In Love (Ken Russell, 1969)

I’ve watched a considerable amount of Ken Russell flicks over the past few years and I anticipated none more than this seminal D. H. Lawrence adaptation that kicked off a string of classic provocations for the director. Glenda Jackson’s tremendous performance here is an instant all-time fave and she’s not even in the bonkers scene between Alan Bates and Oliver Reed and  that was surely a major influence on Guy Maddin’s Sissy Boy Slap Party.

Dying/Pilgrim, Farewell (Michael Roemer, 1976/1980)

In Dying, filmmaker Michael Roemer (RIP) made it look so easy, creating an artful, shrewd documentary about death that also managed to be deeply affecting. Four years later, he knocked it out of the park again with a fictional piece about a woman dying of cancer and how irritating and impossible and complicated and exhilarating life can be in face of our demons. I’ve rarely seen Christopher Lloyd play such a “normal” character, and he aced it as well as he did his assorted weirdos.

Matewan (John Sayles, 1987)

I’ve been meaning to watch this for decades; essentially a fictional equivalent to Barbara Kopple’s great documentary Harlan County USA, between the ease of its pacing, expert narrative construction and many of its performances (esp. the always great James Earl Jones, badass Mary McDonnell and baby-faced Bonnie “Prince” Billy), this is one of Sayles’ best and a strong argument for the state of indie cinema in the 1980s (which is often easily overlooked).

Ms. 45 (Abel Ferarra, 1981)

Ferrara’s breakthrough feature screened as part of a “nunsploitation” series on Criterion. Viewing it, I felt the strange, uncommon sensation of going from vehemently hating a film in its first fifteen minutes to absolutely loving it by the end. After all, one doesn’t see a looney tunes feminist revenge picture everyday (nor one this committed.) The sax noise emanating out of the trumpet in the climactic party scene might be the least crazy thing about it.

Once Upon A Time In The West (Sergio Leone, 1968)

Having only seen Leone’s first solely directed feature (A Fistful of Dollars) and his last (Once Upon A Time In America), I wasn’t expecting this to be as much of an art film as it is a classic Western. You could use the whole of this as a primer in a film studies or filmmaking class; also, between this, The Ballad of Cable Houge (another first-time watch this year), A Thousand Clowns and Melvin and Howard, Jason Robards remains an actor we should all be thankful for having existed.

El Sur (Victor Erice, 1983)

The most interesting directors are ones whose particular rhythms are always palpable onscreen. After falling for The Spirit of The Beehive a few years back and appreciating Close Your Eyes when it came out last year, I knew I had to see Victor Erice’s other features (Dream of Light doesn’t seem to be available anywhere), and the fluidity with which this moves while retaining focus is remarkable.

Ganja & Hess (Bill Gunn, 1973)

Good to know I’ve seen nearly 5,000 movies according to my Letterboxd and can still come across something as original, deeply weird and compelling (if confusing) as this Psychedelic Blaxploitation Vampire flick. I swear I watched this one completely sober but kept second-guessing that as it unfolded.

Take Out (Shih-Ching Tsou, Sean Baker, 2004)

An early Baker film co-directed by his longtime colleague/partner Tsou (whose Left-Handed Girl might end up on my shortlist for favorite films of 2025), I was impressed at how this first appeared to be an ordinary, low-budget slog about an immigrant delivery guy that gradually evolved into a profound, near-poetic tragicomedy.

River’s Edge (Tim Hunter, 1986)

On my watchlist for years, what separates this American indie from a score of low-budget exploitation films of its time stems from the uneasy tone it achieves with something resembling grace. I both loathed and kind of loved this group of small town miscreants and how effectively blasé everyone was bouncing off against inimitable wackjob Crispin Hellion Glover.

Vegas In Space (Phillip R. Ford, 1991)

This pieced-together-with-duct-tape oddity of New Queer Cinema starts out slapdash, gradually finds its footing, then gleefully transforms into a fabulous sinus-clearing freakout. Nearly as an important a talisman of its time as Paris is Burning.

ALSO RECOMMENDED:

The Big Clock, The Carabineers, Claire’s Knee, Dead Calm, Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse, Il Grido, Jamon Jamon, Lourdes, The Magic Christian, May, A Night of Knowing Nothing, A Perfect Couple, Querelle, The Trip (1967), Val, Woman In Chains

FAVORITE RE-WATCHES:

3 Women, Aquarius, Cabaret, Cleo From 5 To 7, The Conversation, A Fish Called Wanda, Happy Together, The Haunting, In The Mood For Love, Late Spring, Linda Linda Linda, The Long Goodbye, Nashville, Pulp Fiction, Remember The Night, Rosemary’s Baby, Stranger By The Lake, Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould, Yi Yi