Drove down from Toronto yesterday after TIFF. I'm not as bone-tired as I had been in 2016 -- I was much better with self-care during the fest, limiting myself to 3 films a day (I had one 4-film day and yep, that was one too many) and remembering to eat and hydrate. Overall, I feel like there weren't quite as many amazing films I saw this year as I did last, but the highs were still very high.

The last film I saw on Sunday was the new Martin McDonagh, who did In Bruges (It's titled Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, which is mouthful). I... might have liked it even better than The Shape of Water (!), and lo and behold, it ended up winning the People's Choice Award. It's hilarious and heartbreaking and profane (seriously, the amount of creative cursing in this film is off the chart), and it laughs at human foibles while having a surprising amount of compassion for its *extremely* flawed characters. Frances McDormand plays a grief-stricken mother who is now just fucking pissed and is acting out in a way that is clearly destructive yet enormously cathartic to the viewing audience. She's gonna be a serious contender for that Best Actress Oscar come February. And both Sam Rockwell and Woody Harrelson are ON FIRE in meaty supporting roles.

The trailer: [link]

(Put your headphone on if you're gonna watch it at work, yo. I'm not kidding about wall-to-wall profanity.)

You did warn about the profanity. But it fits the situation. Interesting movie, I'll be watching for when it is released.

We're watching the movie In the Loop, and boy, is watching Malcolm Tucker cathartic.

The TV series that it was a continuation of was In the Thick of It, right? scurries off to check local library's online catalog...

Yep. One of the first things he says is "Fuckity bye!" I felt that, on a spiritual level.

I saw Iannucci's latest, The Death of Stalin in TIFF. It's not quite as funny as In the Loop, mostly because nobody can match the brilliance of Peter Capaldi's Malcolm Tucker. But it's still got plenty of Iannucci's hilarious dialog and excoriation of venal politicians and general absurdity. The cast is dynamite. I think it's coming out in October? Trailer: [link]

Nobody except film critics are going to the theater to see Darren Aronofsky's Mother! but the discussion *around* the film has been so sustained (it's mostly my fault to following so much of Film Twitter) that I kinda feel like I should watch it to see what the fuck it's all about. But what I've read so far about the film made it sound soooo unpleasant, ugh. The only other Aronofsky I've seen is Black Swan, which I quite enjoyed for what it was (high camp disguised in fine arts feathers). Hmmm.

At least it's generating talks and leading to articles like this one, which is a list of great female-led horror films over the years and includes some of my favourites (Carnival of Souls, Stoker, The Innocents and Ginger Snaps -- I would have added the original The Haunting) as well as several I have been too chickenshit to see.

leading to articles like this one, which is a list of great female-led horror films over the years

That is an excellent list, and reminded me of a few movies I still need to see. (I really need to rewatch both Ginger Snaps and Stoker. ) And we watched The Innocents at last night's monthly Gothic Movies series at Scarecrow Video!

But damn, I hated Possession. I couldn't finish watching it. I like weird and surreal horror, but that movie felt like uncomfortable crazy mixed with the worst of pretentious art school wankery.

I kinda feel like I should watch it to see what the fuck it's all about. But what I've read so far about the film made it sound soooo unpleasant, ugh.

Many friends of mine who are film buffs and horror movie fans have been meh-to-uncomplimentary about Mother. Like, aggressively meh-to-uncomplimentary.

I saw a review in Esquire that compared Mother to The Apple , so I'm inclined to give it a shot, in case it's the kind of bad that's actually awesome.

Sophia, I'd love to see those women together. Also, if you liked Saved!, you might enjoy "Paradise." Also reccing it for disabled women, because, though, not about disability in the most overt sense, it is.(the main character has burn scars and also missed out on a lot in life.)