The Most Wonderful, Albeit Stressful, Time of the Year (Patreon)

[CW: groveling apologies]

Well, my final papers are in. 120 beautiful seven-page essays plus MLA bibliography, all waiting for my attention. There's simply no avoiding it. Meanwhile, the end of the year approaches, and I am trying to get through as many of the major 2022 releases as possible. Granted, the industry has a somewhat different definition of "major" than I do. (E.g., The Whale vs. Ponniyin Selvan 1.)

In the midst of all this, a bevy of new subscribers has joined the Patreon, and I have been remiss in giving them adequate welcome. So please join me in acknowledging some old, returning friends, and some brand new ones.

WELCOME AND THANK YOU TO: 

Atli "jizmopper" Sigurjonsson

Ekkehard Knörer

Michael Granados

Ry

Eric Henderson

Dan Malinowski

Linh Tran

Zach Christensen

Henrik Duis

Lucas Holloway

Ricardo Yanofsky

Daniel Gorman

and Maxwell S.

As I've told others, it's great to have you here, and although I assume that on some level you know what you're getting -- me rambling about various movies, with occasional pleas for understanding -- I am always happy to receive direct requests from readers. So, want to see more horror coverage? Let me know! Tired of the endless delays in addressing poll selections? Let me have it! Got a hot tip on some arcane new ethno-structuralist cinema from Eswatini? I'm all ears!

My plan at this point is to write posts here when I desperately need a break from grading, so watch this space in the next few days for some notes on 2022's biggest shocker, a Ruben Östlund film I actually like; two flawed but fundamentally worthwhile portraits of youth and mourning; some vague recollections on Decision to Leave, which I probably won't have time to rewatch; and yes, at long last, The Godfather Part 1. What a bonanza!

And of course, once again, a note of appreciation to all of you who throw your hard-earned money down the rathole of my prose habit. I've said it before -- you are all captains.

PS: a special shout-out to German filmmaker Jan Soldat, and LRN, who both subscribed and cancelled on the same day.