July Film Notes

Some quick thoughts on movies I watched last month, followed by lists of my current favorite films and performances of the year so far.

an asterisk (*) indicates a first time viewing

And here's a playlist featuring music from the movies listed below for you to enjoy while you read...

Eno (2026)*

I'm not sure a documentary filmmaker's style and approach has ever been better suited to a subject. This is going straight to the top of the list as one of my favorite music documentaries – a genre I often find to be relatively hit or miss. And I look forward to taking advantage of the film's conceit of offering up a different versions of itself with different footage and order of scenes with subsequent viewings.

Something Wild (1986)*

I'd been meaning to see this for a really long time and I'm glad I finally did. Everything about it is exciting to watch and the three main cast are all so good at what they're doing that it's easy to completely miss the fact that the wide range of characterizations each actor delivers have almost no business working together. But balancing disparate, even opposing, forces is a big part of Demme's incredible skillset as a director.

The Odyssey (2026)*

In a lot of ways, I feel like I experienced this movie more than I watched or even enjoyed it. That isn't to say I didn't like it, but that I was just so overwhelmed by it that I had trouble processing my own emotional reaction to it. And honestly, that's kind of rare for me in my moviegoing life, so I find my inability to process it exciting in a weird and unexpected way.

Everything about the movie is impressive in the very literal sense of the word. And I'm with everyone else in their wonder at and about how exactly they managed to make this the way they did. But as someone who never considered himself anywhere close to a Nolan stan, yet found the experience of seeing Oppenheimer in IMAX to be transcendent, all I really know for sure here is that I feel like I need to sit with the movie and see it again sometime soon.

A couple of more concrete things I can say, though, are that 1) I have to admit I'm not sold on Tom Holland as a screen presence and 2) the big fight with the suitors at the end left me feeling pretty dizzied and battered by the way it was shot, edited, and sound designed. So, those are two things that I'm curious to track for myself across future viewings.

Oh, and John Leguizamo was really good, as was Ludwig Göransson's score (unsurprisingly).

The Invite (2026)*

Big Mike Nichols vibes in the best possible way. Seth Rogen and Olivia Wilde are probably better than they've ever been. Edward Norton is refreshingly back to his former heights as an actor. And Penélope Cruz continues the trend of being endlessly impressive.

The Last Temptation of Christ (1988)

As someone who grew up going to church and hearing bible stories, I find the lack of preciousness about the Christ story here so utterly refreshing because, as familiar as the stories became to me in my youth, they always seemed removed from modern reality in a way that made them less vital than they could have been. Willem Dafoe as a wild-eyed, troubled, decisively human Jesus who struggles with the weight of his burden and truly seems to be discovering his purpose as he goes rather than just hitting marks in a preordained set of circumstances makes it all feel so much more tangible in its morality and purpose.

Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call – New Orleans (2009)

In 2009, Werner Herzog finally made a film that answered the long asked question: what would it look like to see Nicolas Cage turn into a nihilistic gargoyle over the course of two hours? And it was glorious.

Also Seen:

Are We Good? (2026)*
The Hunt for Red October (1990)
Project Hail Mary (2026)
Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Kidnapped: Elizabeth Smart (2026)*
Married to the Mob (1988)*
The Elephant Man (1980)

Current Favorite Films of 2026

Current Favorite Performances of 2026

an asterisk (*) indicates a new addition since last month

Best Lead Female Actor:
- Inde Navarrette, Obsession
- Rachel McAdams, Send Help
- Olivia Wilde, The Invite*
- Anne Hathaway, Mother Mary
- Michaela Coel, Mother Mary
- Keke Palmer, I Love Boosters

Best Lead Male Actor:
- Ralph Fiennes, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
- Ryan Gosling, Project Hail Mary
- Seth Rogen, The Invite*
- Matt Damon, The Odyssey*
- Dylan O'Brien, Send Help
- Bill Skarsgård, Dead Man's Wire

Best Supporting Female Actor:
- Sandra Hüller, Project Hail Mary
- Penélope Cruz, The Invite*
- Samantha Morton, The Odyssey*
- Erin Kellyman, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
- Charlize Theron, The Odyssey*
- Meryl Streep, The Devil Wears Prada 2

Best Supporting Male Actor:
- James Ortiz, Project Hail Mary*
- Jack O’Connell, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
- John Leguizamo, The Odyssey*
- Edward Norton, The Invite*
- Robert Pattinson, The Odyssey*
- Jay McCarrol, Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie