Swimming to Cambodia (1987)

Yes, already another movie that's partly about war in southeast Asia, but that's about where the similarity ends. I previously mentioned this one as a predecessor to Monster in a Box, so I knew it would be nearly all monologue, with comic elements, and therefore not half as disturbing.

The overarching theme of Spalding Gray's anecdotes herein concerns the making of The Killing Fields, in which he got sixth billing as the unnamed U.S. consul. But once again, the unity is rather loose. He talks about what he did in Thailand between shots, what he did back in Manhattan, and the history of the Cambodian War.

Fires on the Plain (1959)

The only movie I'd previously seen directed (not associate-directed) by Kon Ichikawa was The Burmese Harp. As war flicks go, it's pretty gentle. This one notoriously isn't.

We can tell from the very first scene that there won't be a happy ending: The protagonist, WWII Private Tamura (Eiji Funakoshi), has TB, but the only accessible hospital on the Philippine island of Leyte is too full to take anyone who can still walk. Nor is he welcome back at his company in this condition. An officer orders him to grenade himself if he can't get treatment, but when he comes to that bridge, he decides to wander instead. Alas, by the end, he may wish he'd followed the order.

For Sama (2019)

It's not often that I watch inherently tragic documentaries, no matter how honored they are. In this case, I accepted a Meetup invitation to see it in a theater. That meant more immersion, but at least I wouldn't feel alone in bearing it.

Made with a home movie camera and a few clips apparently from surveillance cameras, FS begins its story in 2011, when the then-18-year-old videographer, going by Waad Al-Kateab (her real name is not public information), attended the University of Aleppo. If that city name rings a bell, you should have a good idea what the focal conflict is. Waad's narration partly addresses her toddler daughter, Sama, to whom she wants to explain why their family didn't escape sooner and why they had a baby at all in a setting like that.

City for Conquest (1940)

Already another mid-20th-century drama with an alliterative title in the "X for Y" format, based on a book, with Anthony Quinn in a supporting role. But that's about where the similarity ends.

Truck driver Danny (James Cagney), from a New York slum, resumes boxing to pay for the musical education of his ambitious brother, Eddie (Arthur Kennedy in his debut). He does a great job of it, but sometimes he has trouble keeping his emotions in check, especially when girlfriend Peggy (Ann Sheridan) has less time for him while advancing her dance career under wannabe boyfriend Murray (Quinn). And when people are betting good money on fights, you can bet that criminal elements will come into play....

Lust for Life (1956)

To honor the late Kirk Douglas (again), I selected one of his most popular movies that I hadn't seen yet. Only after it arrived did I realize that it was about Vincent Van Gogh, a notoriously unhappy soul who died of violence, making this my most questionable postmortem viewing since The Fisher King in the wake of Robin Williams. Then again, Douglas did tend to play unhappy souls, many of whom died of violence, so maybe this was appropriate.

The story begins with Vincent's attempt to follow in his father's Dutch Reformed ministerial footsteps. In tending poor miner families at considerable cost to himself, he garners the ironic scorn of clerical elders. Alas, he decides it's not the life for him, and after discovering Impressionism, he decides to jump on the Post-Impressionist bandwagon. Drawing and later painting seem to him the only fulfilling experiences, but not consistently. As a then-little-known novice, he needs the support of brother Theo (James Donald), cousin-in-law Anton Mauve (Noel Purcell), and postman Joseph Roulin (Niall MacGinnis) to make ends meet.

Marriage Story (2019)

Seeing fewer than half the Best Picture nominees has not prevented me from appreciating certain Academy Awards ceremonies, but I still got the urge to squeeze in a fifth out of nine this year. Since there's a wait on the DVDs and I didn't find showtimes convenient, it had to be the only Netflix original other than The Irishman. While MS is popular overall, I had been warned that some dislike it, and there seemed a likely reason it was the only nominee I hadn't heard of before the nominations were announced.

Don't let the title and poster fool you: It should be called Divorce Story. It begins with theater director Charlie (Adam Driver) and actress Nicole (Scarlett Johansson again) listing what they love about each other -- to a counselor as they prepare to separate gradually. At first their split is pretty much amicable, but Nicole backs down from a decision not to get lawyers involved. Soon there's a battle for custody of their circa six-year-old son, Henry (Azhy Robertson), made more difficult because Nicole intends to stay in Los Angeles instead of their old haunt, New York City.

Somewhere in Time (1980)

I had never seen Christopher Reeve in any non-Superman movie except The Remains of the Day, where his role was too minor for my synopsis. Indeed, no other titles in his filmography rang a bell for me, not counting TV shows and lesser remakes. So I opted to check out a cult classic from early in his career.

Chicago playwright Richard Collier (Reeve) is approached by an unfamiliar old woman (Susan French) who hands him an antique watch, implores, "Come back to me," and leaves without explanation. Years later, on a whim, he checks into a Michigan hotel and sees a photo of her as a young adult (Jane Seymour). Obsessed with her beauty, he does research and learns that she, now dead, was Elise McKenna, an actress once quite famous but with little known of her private life. Richard recalls a theory of time travel and implements it in order to court Elise in 1912, when she was a guest at the hotel.

Mysterious Mr. Moto (1938)

If not for the Looney Tunes short "Porky's Movie Mystery," I probably would have overlooked the Mr. Moto series while perusing the filmography of Peter Lorre. It certainly hasn't stood the test of time; even Charlie Chan has enjoyed more recent references. Nevertheless, I rather like Lorre and was curious to see how he'd do. MMM appeared to be the most popular entry available.

The opening, in which secret agent Kentaro Moto and one Paul Brissac (Leon Ames) escape Devil's Island, is pretty exciting but must affect viewers differently depending how well they know the former. Sure enough, Moto is not an actual convict; he merely poses as one with cooperation from some authorities so that he can learn the identities of an entire ring of hit men. Brissac goes to London and takes Moto in as a houseboy, but not everyone in the ring is so trusting.

Jojo Rabbit (2019)

In my rush to see more Academy nominees, I once again chose what was playing at a good time and was not a remake. I went in thinking, "Well, the title suggests a lighthearted comedy...but it's about Nazism? This isn't the Mel Brooks era." When I saw the name Taika Waititi, I understood. Turns out he wrote the screenplay back before What We Do in the Shadows.

In 1945 Germany, ten-year-old Johannes (Roman Griffin Davis) avidly joins the Hitler Youth, but his refusal to kill a rabbit at boot camp earns him the titular mocking nickname. In his attempt to make up for it with awesomeness, he wounds himself enough to be relegated to non-combat work near his urban home. One day, he discovers Jewish late teen Elsa (Thomasin McKenzie) hiding in a secret passage within his house, but he doesn't dare tell anyone, partly because his abetting mother, Rosie (Scarlet Johansson), would get in serious trouble. (I'm not sure why Elsa persuades him not to tell even Rosie.) For the sake of knowing the enemy better, "Jojo" demands that Elsa share information on Jews in general, to be put into an illustrated book. You can guess how his mind changes during research.

Winter Sleep (2014)

Oof, already another movie longer than three hours—196 minutes, to be exact. I hadn't paid attention to that when I arranged the order; I just saw the word "winter" and gave the title priority. At least this time I wised up and split the viewing over two days.

This must be the first Turkish film I've ever seen. Set in modern Anatolia, it follows a handful of people, primarily Aydin, a onetime actor turned columnist, hotelier, and landlord. In the course of one winter in the mountain region, he discovers just how much of a pain he is to certain tenants; his sister under the same roof, Necla; and his much younger fundraising wife, Nihal. Apparently, it all comes down to him being hard to please.