The MacGuffin Men

Charlie Chaplin’s last film as the Little Tramp, Chaplin’s unique sort of worldwide fame, Paulette Goddard’s performance, the film as commentary on capitalism, technology, humanity, and cinema as a product.

James Mangold, corruption and loopholes, genre mash-ups, woodgrain walls and pastel suits, Sylvester Stallone, Ray Liotta, and every single New York character actor who ever lived.

Satirizing performance while performing, anger with culture, making fun of your audience without them noticing, and the hypocrisy of talking about living your life without an audience while performing for an audience.

Robert Altman, Rip Van Marlowe, Elliott Gould, voyeurism, height, cats, and the film’s use of music.

Mirrors, chessboards, duplicity, the upper class and lower class, shadows, and other aspects of Jean Renoir’s pre-WWII classic.

Fritz Lang, the serial killer genre, post-WWI Germany, Peter Lorre, and mob mentality.

Confronting the myth of the difficult individual genius, Hitchcock, the metaphorical importance of breakfast, and pushing past objects to get a proper view of a person.

Greta Gerwig’s impossibly precise screenplay, dreams, memory, Florence Pugh, creativity as commerce, and so much more.

Bong Joon-ho’s skills, Song Kang-ho’s charisma, the use of music, levels, and class.

Adam Sandler, the aggressive subtlety of Josh and Ben Safdie, Darius Khondji, Kevin Garnett, The Weeknd, and sweatsuits.