THE DANMAN CAN

A paranoid delusional conspiratorial delight from an incredible  play  by  Tracy Letts ,  William Friedkin 's Bug (2006) is a super mother buggin' great film with tour-de-force performances by  Ashley Judd  and  Michael Shannon . William Friedkin Feature Films Ranked

Taut, economical, and brutal. The Hunted (2003) is a relentless thriller and a hell of an action picture. Friedkin was a beast. William Friedkin Feature Films Ranked

I never thought I'd ever watch the notorious  Faces Of Death (1978) again, but here I am, thanks to the weekly film night that I regularly attend. I remembered that the most shocking parts of FOD were the real animal slaughter and those scenes are still disgusting to me. When I saw FOD  for the first time, when I was an "edgy" teenager, those scenes gave me pause (and that was close to a decade before I went vegetarian and then vegan).  I am relieved to learn years later that some of the animal cruelty is faked (I knew a good deal of the footage was). There is some real footage of death (before, during, and after) which is still disturbing. Despite that, there is a lack of cohesion to FOD ,   which is unfortunate. There are serious topics (environmental, religious, philosophical) covered in this "documentary" that, if it weren't for the faked footage plus the incongruous music choices, would leave more of an impact. What could be a sobering and somber film...

While not the laugh out loud riot it once was, Team America: World Police (2004) is still a very funny, ridiculous, and over the top film (and the songs are still earworms). 20 years later, it (sadly) feels even less like a satire. Trey Parker Feature Films Ranked

A sublime snowbound neo-noir about choices, consequences, and cold hard cash.  Sam Raimi 's  A Simple Plan (1998)—with its brilliant script, terrific cast, and somber score by  Danny Elfman —holds up as one of the best films of the '90s. Sam Raimi Feature Films Ranked

Steven Spielberg 's theatrical feature debut (1971's  Duel ( review ) was a TV movie), The Sugarland Express (1974), is better than I remembered (this was only my second time watching the film). Right out of the gate, Spielberg's direction was assured. John Williams ' score (his first for Spielberg) is excellent, Vilmos Zsigmond 's cinematography is impressive (also better than I remembered, probably thanks to the new 4K UHD), and the cast is great. I really enjoyed my rewatch of this (gentler)  Bonnie and Clyd e-like story. Steven Spielberg Feature Films Ranked Top 20 Directors