I was pretty sure that absolutely everyone would know this movie and once more, I was surprised to be wrong in thinking that. I guess that’s what happens when one achieves “a certain age”. There were a couple of “first time Lola’s” here tonight, and it was great to see them on the edge of their sofa cushions… in fact it was great to see everyone on the edge of their sofa cushions… in fact it felt great to be on the edge of one myself!

The Whitehouses were here, of course, getting closer to their move to Berlin. What are we gonna do without them next season. Boo hoo.

Tonight’s short, The Chemical Brothers’ We Got to Try pleased all the dog lovers in the house, and Tick seemed to like it too!

 What a beautiful movie! The Truffle Hunters was first brought to my attention by my dear friend, Marcy Robinson, who was the colorist. When I mentioned this fact to my guests this evening, most were unaware that such a role existed in the making of a movie. “What do you mean, she colored it? Like with coloring pens?” I did my best to explain, with little success, but when the movie started rolling, I asked out loud if they now understood what a colorist does. The answer was a resounding “Yes!”, from our rather full house.

As the end credits played out, I saw that Marcy was actually credited as colorist, pretty much without fanfare (a small-ish credit in the small-ish credit section). How can it be that someone who contributes so much to the look of a film gets so little recognition? The film was great, in large part due to the lavish look she imparted on it. Frustrating. I kinda feel the same about the retouching work I do… oh well.

Another beautiful short tonight too. CIMPOIASCA by Bára Halířová. Check it out

For the first time in his movie-making career, Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos is not credited as a writer. It’s not like you’d notice though… with The Favourite, Lanthimos once again demonstrates his prowess for quirky, dark humor. Beautifully shot by Robbie Ryan (American Honey, I, Daniel Blake), and wonderfully acted by Coleman, Weiss and Stone, The Favourite delighted our audience. Except for one…

For some reason, this movie drives my puppy, Tick, absolutely crazy. He’s always been sensitive to animals and loud noises on the screen, but not on this scale. Even the opening credits cause him to start growling, and any act of violence, gunshot, or animal provokes outbusts of barking. I hope he wasn’t too much of a distraction.

Tonight’s short feature was the rather naughty 1980YEN – Takoyaki Story, directed by Sawako Kabuki.