All the Summer Film Releases I Saw, Ranked

Is It a summer film, or no?
I generally consider Labor Day weekend to be my personal boundary between summer and fall- it makes sense based on the meteorology around these parts, if it’s not astrologically correct.

I’m going to include it.
And then if I do a fall list (Autumn ends in early-mid November) I’ll include it in there too.

Let the countdown start (from best to not as best)!

Have I Outgrown the NYC Perfume Scene?

The short answer is ‘No’, of course.
But for the first time, the long answer is ‘No, but…’

The background: I went to NYC last weekend, mostly to visit a close friend before I say ‘Goodbye to all that’ and take off for the land of marinieres, pastries, and (more) perfume.
This was my second trip to Manhattan this summer- the first time the main purpose of my trip was my IFF interview and olfactory intelligence test (and to see the Rei Kawakubo exhibit).  Obviously a lot of water under the bridge since then.
And while I was there then, I visited Bergdorf Goodman, Twisted Lily, MiN New York, Aedes des Venustas, Osswald, and even CO Bigelow. In short, all the perfume places.

And it wasn’t that I was burnt out this time around, but after the blow out that was the last trip… there wasn’t a lot new to explore or discover.  Turns out not even NYC’s perfume sphere is without its limits.

2017 Films I’m Looking Forward To

I saw The Big Sick the day before yesterday! It was pretty good but not as excellent as I was hoping it would be. It’s hard to get a romcom right- I mean it’s hard to make an intelligent romcom.  Without spoilers, a few of the things I found lacking: a number of the best jokes were used in the trailer, and I found myself wishing I hadn’t seen the trailer so I could appreciate the film more.  Kind of says something negative re: rewatchability.
Also, the movie, despite being a romantic comedy, is too much about the male main character, Kumail Nanjiani. Given that the female protagonist is in a coma for the majority of the film (not a spoiler; that’s the premise), it’s an easy hole to fall into. But even when Emily’s parents (Holly Hunter!) show up to stand in for her, the film still leans into being a coming of age story for Kumail Nanjiani (which, he did do a lot to make this film happen, so I can see how it focuses on his experience).  The romantic plot line and family merging took a backseat to his personal development, to the extent that Emily’s coma feels more like a plot device to trigger Kumail’s transformation, rather than the premise of the film.  And even though she’s based on a real person, Zoe Kazan’s Emily  (through no fault of Zoe Kazan’s, who had to spend most of the film being  coma patient) comes across as more manic-pixie-dreamgirl. Probably as a result of the script more than anything else.
But it was a good movie. It was funny and quick, even if it was not as insightful or deep as I was hoping it would be.